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Under Western Stars

53 min 36 sec80 shots

The film follows Roy Rogers, a rancher who leads his neighbors in opening a water-company valve so drought-stricken farms can receive water. After the sheriff arrests Roy, townspeople support his defiance and nominate him for Congress, where he promises to seek federally controlled water. Cowboy songs, comic mishaps, and the incumbent congressman’s failed attempt to appear Western help carry Roy to victory.

In Washington, Roy struggles to reach the officials who control funding, while Eleanor Fairbanks—the water-company president’s daughter—helps him navigate political society. At a Western-themed party, Roy shows drought footage and describes ruined ranches, but company president John Fairbanks exposes that the footage came from another state. Congressman Marlowe then rejects the water bill despite Roy’s insistence that local conditions are equally severe.

Roy and his allies arrange a mock holdup and a difficult horseback journey so that Marlowe and the Fairbanks party experience the dry country and its water shortage firsthand. A genuine dust storm confirms the danger, and Marlowe agrees to approve the bill after learning which parts of the journey were staged. Roy then races to stop desperate ranchers from blowing up the dam as company gunmen intervene, and the closing song announces victory in the fight for water before Roy asks Eleanor to become his wife.

Provenance and rights

Original producer: Creator listed on Library of Congress item record
Collection: Library of Congress — explicit public-domain National Film Registry set
Original title: Under Western Stars
Date: Unknown
Original link: Open on loc.gov
Rights: public_domain