Springtime in the Sierras (DVD)

There's murder in the mountains as professional poachers, the lowest of Western varmints, wipe out four-legged wildlife - and any two-legged interference that crosses their path.

Roy Rogers, Republic Studios' "King of the Cowboys," leads a posse to the Sierras to round up the illegal hunters who are ruthlessly slaughtering game. His friend Cap Foster, who runs an animal hospital, is the first to get the drop on the gang, but before he can turn them over to the law, he's cold-bloodedly killed by their leader, beautiful but deadly rancher Jean Loring. Suspicious of Jean, Roy discovers the evidence he needs - a large, meat-filled refrigeration unit in her bunkhouse - but is overpowered by the poachers and left to die in the freezer. Roy's men race to locate him, not realizing that within hours, he will freeze to death.

In addition to the comic relief of Andy Devine and memorable songs, this Trucolor production is stocked with the sort of action that fans come to expect from legendary director William Witney: trick riding, fancy shooting, a rousing brawl between Rogers and badman Roy Barcroft, and even a climactic battle between heroine Jane Frazee and femme fatale Stephanie Bachelor. All this plus Trigger, the Smartest Horse in the Movies!

• western