Apparently this Roy Rogers film is one of Quentin Tarantino’s favourites.

It was directed by prolific B-movie/serial specialist, William Witney, and co-stars Dale Evans and Trigger, “The Smartest Horse in the Movies.” The storyline involves a diamond smuggling operation in which Trigger is enlisted to replace the stallion of the title when he goes missing. Trigger was separated from Rogers in the first place when he took the fall for his “best friend” following a (false) accusation of murder. Had he not done so, Trigger would have been killed in an instant.

Along the way  the bad guys are outsmarted and Trigger and the stallion produce a foal, Trigger Jr.

In the New York Times article, “Watching Movies With Quentin Tarantino” , he discusses the film in depth, finding the relationship between Rogers and Trigger particularly moving: “You know, in some movies, a cowboy might go to jail to save his best friend from being shot down dead. Well, Trigger is Roy’s best friend. It’s the easiest leap to have him do that here, yet it’s so powerful and so unexpected. What’s great is that you buy it, you absolutely buy it, and I don’t know that I really would buy it from anybody else but Roy and Trigger.”

It should be noted that “The Golden Stallion” is one of Rogers’ more “mature” efforts, and that it’s more of a drama than a musical. Although it doesn’t seem to have much in common with his own work, Tarantino fanatics are sure to want to check it out to see why he holds Witney — along with Rogers, Evans and Trigger — in such high esteem.