An unusual blend of western and gangster movie genres though about as perfunctory and silly as they come, "Secret Valley" is an obscure Western picture with its only real saving grace being Virginia Grey.
Virginia is Joan who has married someone in Reno for only two hours (!) before realizing her husband is a gangster, meaning more of a ruthless businessman than a regular businessman. Joan consults two different attorneys to file a divorce. Geez, was she so ditsy as to not realize who her husband was? Apparently, the first attorney is aware of this man's reputation but says no to helping her. The second attorney is a go and sets her up in some dude ranch rather than a hotel. The dude ranch's owner, Lee Rogers (Richard Arlen), wants nothing to do with her. When Joan goes out for a cattle drive, he insists she wash dishes rather than ride a horse. Joan is so ditsy that she inadvertently opens the fence and lets all the cattle out roaming the desert.
So we get shots of cattle being hoarded up (something B westerns have featured ad nauseam), lovely Virginia Grey acting foolish yet loving the outdoors, Lee Rogers losing his cool with Joan's presence, and a climactic shooting also involving fistfights with the gangsters, Lee, and the FBI while Joan yells "Watch out!" Added to the mix is an Asian cook (Willie Fung) occasionally barking in Chinese and cackling with laughter and you've got one ridiculous western that is fun in a very remote, childish kind of way.
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