Santa Clarita Valley History In Pictures
Roy Rogers in Mentryville
Scenes from "Days of Jesse James" (Republic 1939)


Both exteriors and, apparently, interiors of Alex Mentry's 13-room mansion in Pico Canyon serve as the stage for Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes in two scenes from "Days of Jesse James" (Republic Pictures 1939).

We get a double dose of "Echo Mountain," which Rogers sings inside the house in both clips, near the beginning and at the end of the picture.

The house is featured as the home of the love interest, Mary Whittaker (played by Pauline Moore), and Whittaker's grandfather (Hayes).

Moore (1914-2001) started out as a magazine cover model (Cosmopolitan, McCall's, Ladies Home Journal) and was still a teenager when she launched a film career that spanned more than a quarter century, beginning with 1931's "Frankenstein" with Boris Karloff (she played an uncredited bridesmaid). Moore appeared in five Roy Rogers pictures.

Under contract with Republic, she was paid a grand total of $300 for her work in this film.

The lawman who wrongly accuses Rogers in the second clip is played by Harry Woods (1889-1968).

Not seen here, 2019 Newhall Walk of Western Stars inductee Dan White is uncredited but has a couple of lines in the film.

Most of the picture was filmed at the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth.

Directed by Joseph Kane, "Days of Jesse James" was written for the screen by Earle Snell from an original story by Jack Natteford.

Rounding out the credited cast: Don "Red" Barry (as Jesse James), Arthur Loft, Wade Boteler, Ethel Wales, Scotty Beckett, Harry Worth, Glenn Strange, Olin Howland, Monte Blue, Jack Rockwell and Fred Burns.

Uncredited cast includes Rogers' stunt double, Bill Yrigoyen; fellow stunt performer Bob Woodward; and Rogers' horse, Trigger; along with Eddie Acuff, Lynton Brent, Bob Card, Horace B. Carpenter, Forrest Dillon, Harrison Greene, Jack Ingram, Cactus Mack, Louis Mason, Merrill McCormick, Sam McDaniel, George Morrell, Horace Murphy, Bud Osborne, Pascale Perry, Lee Prather, Herbert Rawlinson, Dorothy Sebastian, Carl Sepulveda, Tom Smith, Hansel Warner, Cecil Weston and Charles Williams.

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