The song Silver On The Sage was introduced in 1938 in a big budget Paramount western The Texans that starred Randolph Scott and Joan Bennett. The following year it serves as the title to this Hopalong Cassidy western. In fact you can hear the song on a lot of subsequent Hoppy films.However this film finds Hoppy turning over the herd they are selling to Russell Hayden and Gabby Hayes. But that Bar 20 herd is stolen before the buyer counts and takes possession. Hayden is on the hook for the price of the herd.The villain of the story is Stanley Ridges playing a dual role. Very handy to have a twin when you need an alibi. Hoppy goes incognito as a tinhorn gambler to get the evidence needed.These rustlers have quite a racket going with their twin bosses. The shootout climax is one of the better ones from Hoppy series.Nice title song and the movie is enough to make anyone a Hopalong Cassidy fan.

Very entertaining movie. Nice pace; moves along to something fresh as it progresses. Very pretty, well-spoken leading lady, Ruth Rogers. Russell Hayden (along with James Ellison) are my favorite young sidekicks, and Gabby Hayes is by far my favorite comic sidekick for Hoppy (Andy Clyde is like fingernails scraping a blackboard, to me). I liked the humor and banter between Ellison and Hayes. It was very funny and cute when twice Happy fired from behind when Hayes was shooting, giving the credit to Hayes. The story was interesting. All the actors were fine. I enjoyed the understated humor, like: seeing one juror at the inquest sleeping; the bar tender trying to break up a brawl by saying "I got some good liquor here; they made a mistake in the shipment this time;" and Gabby haplessly trying to be seen as an outlaw by handing out phony wanted posters with his picture on it (at one point the Marshall turned over one of the posters to use the paper for making notes!). Other good scenes involved Hoppy playing poker, and his noticing who was Talbot and who was the alibi by observing which one licked his thumb while dealing.***spoilers***I liked the movie even with these silly director and screenplay mistakes: (1) in one scene I noticed to myself how slow Hoppy was in drawing his gun during a poker game. An then shortly later, I almost fell off my chair when one bad guy commented that it must be Hopalong Cassidy because only three people could draw that fast: Hoppy and two others that he knew. (2) the Owner of the Lazy J Ranch (Hamilton) ordered his foreman, Talbot, to go to the ranch to work, but Talbot went to town. Shortly thereafter, Lucky brings Talbot to the ranch, and Hamilton says he and Lucky will bring Talbot to the Marshall for questioning. Why? Hardly a good reason. (3) On the way to the Marshall, the bad guys have Hamilton killed. Why? I couldn't see a good reason. (4) Unbelievable coincidence: The bad guys ride out to the range and happened to stop to talk right next to where Lucky and Hayes are camping, and the two secretly hear an important conversation! (5) Similar to the above, the bad guys happen to leave one guy behind on the range. And he secretly hears Hoppy's plan that Hoppy will mark his trail (with ribbons) so his friends can follow him. (6) at a close distance, as Hoppy is riding away, Talbot draws and fires at Hoppy, and misses!

With Windy and Lucky getting more of a featured play in this movie lent itself to take on a much different feel. I really enjoyed the way that these two characters developed and you really identified more with them in this film, than most of the Hoppy adventures. Of course the main part of the Hero was played well by Boyd and I got the feeling he really enjoyed watching Lucky and Windy step up to featured roles for part of the film! Great Movie!

One of the last Hopalong Cassidy movies to feature Gabby Hayes (as "Windy"). Gabby & Russell Hayden (as "Lucky") have larger roles than usual in this film, & Hoppy appears only after the first 9 minutes have gone by! There isn't too much action until near the end of the film, but this movie is well done & interesting. Windy claims to be the well known stagecoach robber named Black Bart, & even has "Wanted" posters printed with his photo on them. For Hoppy completists, we learn that Windy carries a Remington 1876 reissue revolver (unloaded!). For added fun, there's also a quite noticeable blooper at the end. Windy leaves on his horse, & Hoppy mounts Topper to follow him, but Topper's first step is into a bucket of water! William Boyd (as "Hopalong Cassidy"), a pro with many years of acting experience, looks down to see what happened on both sides of Topper, with a startled expression, but continues the scene as written! His laughter is on cue for Windy's departure, but also fits Topper's accidentally stepping into the bucket of water. I give it 8/10.