Ken Maynard was one of the best horsemen the movies ever had. Starting out his career in circuses and rodeos, he became so adept at trick riding that he quickly had no equal in the business. This led to his employment by the most legendary western showmen of them all, Buffalo Bill himself. It was only a matter of time before the movies scooped up Maynard to perform those horse tricks on the screen and by the twenties, he was a cowboy star. Like other adventurous silent movie pioneers such as Douglas Fairbanks and Buster Keaton, Maynard did his own stunt work and it was the thrill of seeing him up close and knowing it was him, and not a stuntman, that made his movies so popular. He even had his own horse, Tarzan the Wonder Horse, who not only co-starred with him in every movie but usually got second billing, over every other human actor in the movie.

When sound came on the cinematic scene, Maynard wasted no time becoming the first singing cowboy on the screen and his charm, rich tenor, and natural phrasing made him an even bigger star than he had been in the silents. Unfortunately for Maynard, his on-set behavior, from unreliability to fits of anger directed at cast and crew, made him a liability. Maynard had a drinking problem that only got worse with each passing year. By the time he made In Old Santa Fe, in 1934, he was set for a comeback with a whole series of films ready to be made. Sadly, it wouldn't turn out like he thought.

The plot of In Old Santa Fe is as simple as it is engaging. Ken (Maynard) and his sidekick, Cactus (the incomparable George "Gabby" Hayes), go from town to town performing in rodeos, competing in races, and selling cowboy wares to pay the bills. On the way to a dude ranch hosting a canyon race, they are run off the road by a woman in a car, Lila Miller (Evalyn Knapp), who quickly catches the eye of Ken. Turns out she's the daughter of Charlie Miller (H.B. Warner), the owner of the dude ranch (of course). They help her out, and pull her car in with their horses only to meet up with a gangster type, Chandler (Kenneth Thomson), who's looking to blackmail Charlie Miller over a past crime he thinks Miller is hiding from. Along the way there's scheming, sabotage, and murder, and an investigation that puts Ken in the center.

It's a lot of plot for a movie that barely breaks the hour mark but that's to be expected from the B movie quickies like this that were churned out by the studios in mere days to weeks. They cost little, were made quickly, and were often more engaging and entertaining than many big budget prestige films. In Old Santa Fe is no exception as it moves along at a brisk pace and builds up genuine tension and suspense as it hurtles towards its climax. Somewhere in the middle of all that is a hoedown in which the main entertainment is none other than Gene Autry. Autry was an established singing star but this was his first movie ever. He and his partner, Smiley Burnette, perform several songs for the party, including the title song of the film, and outdo Maynard's singing in his own movie. Neither Autry nor Burnette were originally credited when the movie came out. In re-release, Autry had top billing. Autry and Burnette would become the stars of their own westerns immediately following this one. And that's where it gets bad for Maynard.

As mentioned above, Maynard was set for a comeback and a whole series of films were going to be made with In Old Santa Fe being the first of the series. Unfortunately for Maynard, his own discomfort with the movies would rise to the surface again and his personal demons would again make themselves known. The shoot was a troublesome one with Maynard showing up late, missing cues, and yelling at co-stars. No one much got along with him and in the screenings of the movie, everyone seemed to like that new guy, Autry, better. The series of films planned for Maynard went to Autry instead and Maynard's career never recovered. He continued on in the movies but they became cheaper and cheaper until finally he dropped out altogether and went back to performing in rodeos where he was much happier.

As for the rest of the cast of In Old Santa Fe, it's the usual collection of absolutely solid contract players that populated these movies for decades without ever getting their proper due. Kenneth Thomson and Evalyn Knapp do a great job with their roles and Gabby Hayes does everything you would ever expect Gabby Hayes to do. Then there's the great actor H.B. Warner, a name recognizable for so many classic roles, here playing a throwaway role as an ex-criminal dude ranch owner. Of course, it's H.B. Warner so, throwaway role or not, he gives it his all and probably has the best presence in the movie.

Whatever problems Maynard had off screen, they never manifested themselves onscreen. There's nothing in In Old Santa Fe that would ever lead a viewer to believe there had been any problems on the set. It's too bad, really. Maynard was an engaging action star but he liked performing in rodeos more. His gain, the movies' loss.

By Greg Ferrara