The beginning of Sante Fe Saddlemates packed more action in the first five minutes than most westerns of this period. Sunset Carson has to fight three men, one after the other, in order to prove his worthiness as an undercover agent. A similar scene was later used in a Lash Larue film at PRC. Some of the gunfight scenes from Sante Fe Saddlemates were used in the opening of Sunset's Western Theater for PBS. Made in 1945, the film helped establish Sunset as a leading western star at Republic. His country boy smile and rugged figure made him popular among young girls and grown women alike. In some parts of the South, Sunset is said to have drawn more fan mail than Roy Rogers.