Classic big-screen cowboys usually belonged to one of two breeds. There was the rough rider who wasn’t afraid to kick up some dust and take on rustlers with brute force, and on the other side, you had the Roy Rogers types, those buckaroos who had their fair share of fights but were found belting out prairie ballads just as often. Both have their well-earned places in the history of movie westerns, but as I’ve become more versed in the genre, I’ve found my preferences leaning closer and closer to the latter. Perhaps it’s because I enjoy a break from the action and a jaunty tune to go accompany it, but those out-west outings with songs in their hearts rarely leave me sitting without a grin at the end. Jimmy Wakely was one hombre you could almost always depend on for a toe-tapping good time, and it’s six of his vintage vehicles that the Warner Archive gang has herded up and supplied fans with in the sixth volume of their popular Monogram Cowboy Collection.

BRAND OF FEAR (1949). A marshal (Tom London) with a checkered past is blackmailed by the same outlaws that a stage line foreman (Wakely) wants to bring to justice. Although it’s another case of the most interesting character in the movie not being the guy whose smiling mug is plastered all over the poster, Brand of Fear pulls through with a stirring story all the same. Wakely cleans up the bad guys as efficiently as ever, but London’s character is what supplies the picture with most of its dramatic backbone. The arrival of some notorious killers stirs up questions about the lawman’s mysterious past, and as a gang leader laying low as a local blacksmith, perennial heavy Marshall Reed is all ready and eager to twist the situation in his favor. With a sound premise and a few scrapes for good measure, Brand of Fear has no trouble standing out among the jewels in Jimmy’s ten-gallon crown.

THE LONESOME TRAIL (1945).  When gold is struck in a ghost town, Wakely and friends try to wrestle control away from the corrupt officials running the place. In a weird way, The Lonesome Trail feels like it’s in a hurry and in no rush to attend to its story at the same time. The opening scene seems to be joining a different Wakely romp already in progress (with the baddies Jimmy ousts going on to cause further mischief), but once its main plot kicks in, the flick proves to be as concerned with its hero’s singing as with his fighting skills. Ten minutes are dedicated to a minstrel show that our protagonists put on to rouse disenfranchised prospectors, and while the viewer gets some nice tunes out of the deal, the sequence puts a bit of a damper on the action (as do the included blackface routines). Still, The Lonesome Trail is a lot of fun when all’s said and done, and even though it packs in a couple extra songs too many, at least it had the foresight to make them good ones.

RANGE RENEGADES (1948). A gang’s female ringleader (Jennifer Holt) attempts to manipulate a town’s newly-minted marshal (Wakely). Not only does Range Renegades stand out because its main villain is a woman, it scores bonus points for taking her seriously. There is no joking around when it comes to Holt’s character, who coldly orders the deaths of those opposing her one second and uses an innocent guise to con others into carrying out her dirty work the next. She’s a plenty worthy adversary for Wakely, proving to be so much of a challenge that you begin to wonder just how our courageous cowpoke will save the day. The sudden conclusion is the biggest of the few gripes I have with Range Renegades, but all in all, it’s a short shot of suspense that will give western fans a fun little fix.

THE RANGERS RIDE (1948). In the days of Reconstruction, a former Texas Ranger (Wakely) fights the injustice being spread by the crooked state police. The Rangers Ride uses a tumultuous chapter in Civil War history as a jumping-off point for its story, but ultimately, it’s a fancy cover for the same capers found in just about every other western of the time. The state police agents aren’t any different from the outlaw ruffians that Wakely battles on a regular basis, and while that’s definitely the picture’s point, seeing their malfeasance on a more widespread scale than shaking down ranchers would’ve rendered matters more interesting. Still, it’s a definite change of pace to see Wakely in such a tight spot from the first frame, having to hide alongside his fellow ex-officers and try to right wrongs on the run. Some extra effort might have made The Rangers Ride’s premise really sizzle on the screen, but as is, it’s a perfectly serviceable vehicle that gives Wakely fans the songs and scuffles they’ve come to expect.

RIDING THE DUSTY TRAIL (1945). Wakely finds himself in charge of a bundle of joy as he protects a baby from fiends who want to kidnap him for an oil scheme. Released as Riders of the Dawn in theaters, Riding the Dusty Trail (its TV title) certainly gives its star plenty of drama with which to occupy himself for the picture’s fifty-something minutes. It’s only a matter of time before a silver screen cowboy gets saddled with a kid, but Wakely and crew manage to make the most of an oft-recycled story. There’s a fair deal of humor from both Jimmy’s attempts to act all paternal and the town sheriff (Horace Murphy) and mayor (Sarah Padden) locking horns, and the mystery behind who’s itching to catch that kid has solution that just may surprise you. As corny and cliché-ridden as it gets sometimes, Riding the Dusty Trail is engaging and exciting twice as often.

SILVER TRAILS (1948). A cowpuncher (Wakely) rides into the middle of a simmering war between Californians and the settlers claiming their land. If for no other reason, Silver Trails is noteworthy for introducing western fans to an hombre who would soon go on to become a genre star all his own, Whip Wilson. His role as a ranch foreman is brief, but he’s awarded ample time to show off his heroic side and use his namesake weapon to help Jimmy grapple with the forces of evil. The film as a whole is very much standard stuff – Wakely croons and clobbers henchmen, while “Cannonball” Taylor stumbles up a storm as our comedic relief – but there’s more than enough action and drama to compensate for a story that’s a breeze to figure out. Countless big-screen buckaroos have tread its narrative path before, but Silver Trails appears rich in the sort of old-fashioned thrills that don’t leave you minding so much.

(Monogram Cowboy Collection: Volume 6 is available on DVD from the Warner Archive Collection.)