The Carson City Kid (Roy Rogers) and his partner are, on horseback, fleeing a posse led by Marshal Gabby Whitaker (George "Gabby" Hayes) when his partner's horse is shot from beneath him. The Kid stops and picks up his partner, and they are riding double.The unscrupulous partner then knocks The Kid off the horse and continues alone on horseback. The posse later surrounds the partner and captures him.The Carson City Kid, unhorsed and on foot, hides from the posse that was chasing him and his partner. After the posse captures the partner, and returns to town to jail him, Marshal Gabby Whitaker remains behind, alone, to search for The Carson City Kid.When the Marshal rides beneath a tree, in which The Kid is hiding, The Kid drops a rope over the Marshal and takes his horse, leaving the Marshal to make his way back to town on foot.Since The Kid was on foot, and nowhere near a horse... where did he get the mysteriously appearing rope which he used to capture the Marshal?

The Carson City Kid (1940) *** (out of 4) Roy Rogers plays a man disguising himself as The Carson City Kid who is seeking vengeance on the man responsible for his younger brother's death. He thinks the guilty person is a bar owner (Bob Steele) but along the way he falls for a young woman (Pauline Moore) and tries to help a young man (Noah Beery, Jr.) from the same fate as his own brother. This is yet another good Western from Rogers and company, although no one should confuse this for the work of John Ford. Your tolerance of the "B" Western will certainly factor into how much you enjoy this film but if you're one who can put up with their low-budget charm then this here is a good one. The best thing the film has going for it are the performances of the cast. As you'd expect, Rogers has no problem playing the good guy as that laid back style really comes across and it's just really impossible not to like the guy. I'm really not sure what it is but Rogers is just so calm and collective that you can fall for his charm and get behind his cause. Moore makes for a very good love interest as she's certainly cute enough for the part but her performance is also good enough to make you care for her. The same is true for Beery, Jr. whose character really comes across thanks to his fun performance. Steele always makes for an enjoyable bad guy and that's the case here as well as you really want to hiss at him each time he's in the frame. George 'Gabby' Hayes is also on hand doing his typical great support. The story itself isn't the strongest in the world but it's good enough to keep you interested for a hour. The action is fast, the characters enjoyable and overall this is pleasant enough for a time killer.

Roy Rogers' title role as The Carson City Kid is another one of those misnomers that makes you think of a bad guy. Of course, Roy is a good guy who has been unfortunately labeled an outlaw. For some reason he rides along with a real outlaw named Laramie (Francis McDonald). Roy looks out for the well-being of the all too trusting Arizona (Noah Beery, Jr.) while he is tracking down the villain, Lee Jessup (Bob Steele).Bob Steele was a leading cowboy hero during the 30's and continued to be a hero afterward, but it is nice to see him in a different role. The bad-guy/saloon owner was a generic part in B westerns, with only the talents of the individual actors making the part memorable. It was the same year that The Carson City Kid was made (1940) that Bob Steele began making a series of Billy The Kid movies for PRC and also joining The Three Mesquiteers at Republic, so The Carson City Kid may have been made while he was searching for a new movie deal. His talents were put to good use in this movie.Gabby Hayes was good, but not at his best in The Carson City Kid. His part as the town marshal provides comedy, but not the special appeal of being a sidekick. Seeing Gabby as Roy's pal makes a difference. In The Carson City Kid we get to see Gabby on Roy's side, but there is no real relationship between them.Overall, The Carson City Kid is an excellent choice for a Roy Rogers movie. The movie is set in the west without automobiles and big band productions. It shows a kind of western that Roy would abandon within a few years in favor of the modern setting movies for which he was known.

The Carson City Kid is a "B" western to be sure, however, this one is a cut above the average.Rogers had not yet evolved into the the yodeling/singing hero of the range. At this stage of his career, the studio was not casting him as himself but as "good" bad guys. In fact in this picture he sings only one song and that is a duet with the heroine.What sets this picture apart is the excellent supporting cast. First, we have Gabby Hayes playing the Marshal and Noah Beery Jr. as Arizona who is befriended by Roy along the way. Heading up the villains are Bob Steele and the venerable Hal Taliaferro. Even Yakima Canutt turns up in an unbilled bit as the bartender. Steele always made a better villain than hero and in my humble opinion, takes the picture away from Rogers.To be fair, Roy was just getting started and didn't do that bad of a job. The Carson City Kid remains one of Roy's better early westerns.