Happy Holidays!

Gene Autry: The Sagebrush Troubadour (1935)

"Gene Autry's Vagabond Troubadors" (that would be Gene, Frog and a donkey loaded with instruments) are yodeling through the sagebrush when they reveal that they have evidence that will hang somebody....and it's their job to track that man down! (The evidence is a broken-down swaybacked horse...and a guitar string.) Why, they're not wandering troubadors at all!  They're Rangers, sent out to solve the murder of "old" Frank Martin.

On their way to the Martin ranch, they're forced off the road by a coach being driven recklessly by a young lady; Gene jumps aboard, pulls the wagon to a stop and then gives the young lady a paddling!

This is what you get when you are reckless with good horses.

But it seems he's made a bit of a faux pas when they discover the young lady is Joan Martin, the granddaughter of the murder victim (she's returning to the area after being back East for a long time, apparently since she was a young girl). As Smiley says, "That just proves that you shouldn't spank girls before you're introduced to 'em."

In town, Joan is practically barraged by men -- her uncle John, greets her, old friend Lon Dillon declares his intention to start courting her, and then she's whisked off to see lawyer Nolan. He tells her that her grandfather had secrets, which he was murdered for. He then reads the will and John, who was the foster son of Frank Martin, is shocked to learn that he gets just $5,000 while Joan gets the rest of the estate, including the ranch. However! If she dies, John gets everything. And if she and John die? Lawyer Nolan gets everything! Intrigue ahoy!

Meanwhile, Gene and Frog have caught up and gotten into town, where they immediately begin to get offers for the swayback horse...because everyone believes that Frank Martin discovered gold on his ranch and that the horse can lead them to it. (Don't forget the guitar string, though -- because somewhere there is a guitar missing a string and clearly, it will lead to the murderer!) They turn everyone down, which results in Uncle John telling Joan that he insists she throw a dance party and hire Gene and Frog as musicians for it. She thinks this is not super-appropriate, considering that her grandfather was just murdered, but Uncle John insists, claiming that Gene is the murder suspect. (Because he plays the guitar, and somehow everyone knows that old man Martin was killed with a guitar string, even though Gene has it in his pocket!) She asks them, and they agree to follow them to the ranch right away and perform that night.

A weird bit of business follows - someone is shown loosening the wheel of the wagon that Joan is sitting on, and all we see is a male hand and jacket sleeve. It can't be the lawyer, he's by his office. It can't be John's henchman Pablo, he's on the other side of the wagon and is wearing something totally different. It's not Gene or Frog, obviously, and it's neither the "boyfriend" nor the stable owner. And Uncle John's sleeve is different as well. Who can it be? Pablo appears to know what's about to happen, he looks at the wheel as it loosens and jumps from the wagon before it comes off. And when Gene rescues Joan, he takes a shot at the two of them. (Which Uncle John and Lawyer Nolan seem to find funny.) My guess is that you're supposed to think it's Pablo, but when you attempt intrigue in a low-budget film with sloppy continuity sometimes you raise more questions than you mean to!

 Gene serenades Joan while she....hides behind that tree branch?

Gene tells everyone he's locking the horse in the barn (to see who makes the first move), but he actually rides off with it to find out just where it does go. When he gets back, all the men trying to get to the mine have joined forces and have called the sheriff and accused him of the murder. He pulls a nifty bit of business to rescue Frog and they ride off to try and figure out how to sneak back into the party that night. Luckily, Lon Dillon and Hank the stable owner (part of the new partnership) are drafted into playing for the dance, and they happen to be just Gene and Frog's sizes! Gene and Frog take their places during a helpful distraction number, "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (song by a little boy in a monkey suit, seated on an organ grinder's music box!) so they can keep an eye on Joan.

Got 'em! Now to steal their clothes!

 Luckily, this insanely cute number was going on , so no-one noticed.

When he sees someone sneaking around, Gene reveals his identity to Joan, then asks to dance with her so he can explain what's going on - seems that because old man Martin was practically blind, he needed the horse to know the way to the valuable gold mine he discovered; and now anyone that gets the horse can follow it to the mine, which has not yet been registered. She actually responds with the line, "Grandad depended so on that wise, old horse...."

It's hat versus hat on the dance floor!

Lawyer Nolan correctly observes "Hmm, I never saw Lon dance like that before!" Joan goes out for some fresh air and gets attacked by....well, once again the low budget makes this confusing, but I think you're supposed to think it's her Uncle John. Gene rescues her from the attempted strangulation (of course), but then needs rescuing himself -- when he goes back inside he's asked to sing and, well, Lon never sang like that before either!

An adoring Joan has mysteriously lost her strangulation marks and gained a huge bruise on her arm.

Then the party is told to unmask; and then Hank and Lon show up and point them out. Yes, their identities are revealed three times, just in case you missed a reveal, I suppose. A guitar is smashed over Uncle John's head and Gene and Frog take off with the posse in hot pursuit, Uncle John and Pablo following the swayback horse to the mine, and Joan locked in the barn. Gene heads back to get evidence from the ranch and releases Joan but tells her to stay put. But remember that she drives wagons like a crazy person? So she follows him and lots of action ensues as everyone heads to the mine for a classic "now that we're all locked in here I'll tell you that one of you is....the...murderer!" moments.

 "The killer is among us! And no-one is allowed to crack a smile at my outfit!"

Gene reveals to our assembled suspects that he's a Ranger, assigned to the murder case - and that his fellow Ranger Frog is...a fingerprint expert! (He seems to actually have a little trouble getting that tidbit of news out). And not only that, but the murder weapon/guitar string shows signs of being played....with a pick! And this conclusively reveals that the murderer is...."You'll never take me alive!" shouts the murderer, attacking Gene and totally falling for Gene's bluff. The ensuing fisticuffs reveal the entrance to the actual gold mine, and the remaining suspects begin to fight over who will get to town first to register the claim. As the culprit is arrested, the rest of the gang races off to town to try and get the mine -- but the last laugh will be on them, as Gene has had the mine registered in Joan's name already!

Happy ending all around, as Ranger Gene proposes to Joan in song and she accepts. Gene kisses Joan, Frog kisses the swayback horse, and we fade out.

 Gene proposes in song....

Joan accepts! And Gene gets his first screen kiss!

And so does the swayback horse.

More than one source (including Gene himself) claims that he only had one screen kiss, and that it was with Ann Rutherford. But no, this is his first kiss, and he definitely had more than one.

You may be wondering if the reveal of the murderer's identity clears up the previous confusion cause by sloppy continuity....well the answer is no. I still could not figure out who on earth was supposed to have actually loosened that wagon wheel or attacked Joan. Presumably the villain had at least one confederate/henchman, but the movie doesn't bother to clear that up.

Barbara Pepper plays Joan Martin with a sort of low-rent Jean Harlow vibe, I thought she was okay here, but only okay. She is replaced with a double in a good bit of the movie, so that doesn't help. Her story is a sad one, she never really succeeded in films despite a bright start as a Follies Girl and favored ingenue. She had a less-than happy personal life and ends up running a laundromat by the 1950s. She did end up with one last major role - Doris Ziffel on Green Acres. The transformation from deco starlet to ravaged tv "hillbilly housewife" tells you all you need to know about how her life went, really.

She was truly stunning, wasn't she?

The cute kid in the monkey suit is Tommy Gene Fairey, who sings a song written by Smiley Burnette. He was a 4-year old from Texas who made just this one film and then went back home. He didn't vanish though, and he had a very good life! I always wonder what happened to kids who pop up in just a film or two, but in this case I actually know - I've recently exchanged emails with Mr. Fairey and I hope he'll let me post some of the amazing photos he has of his days on set and after!

Difficult moments: there is an offhand remark (by bad guy Hank the stable owner) that "the boys killed a chinaman the other day" but no more is said about it. And at the party, if you look closely (I didn't even see it the first time - he's always in the background and the scene is a little murky) one of the guests is in costume as Jolson. In blackface. Both of these moments are brief and went completely over the kid's head, but they did make us wince.

Gene Autry: Melody Trail (1935)

Another modern setting, and another movie we really enjoyed. Singing star Gene wins a bronco-riding contest at a rodeo and $1,000 -- but that night, while he and Smiley are asleep (and Gene is dreaming about marrying a girl he saw in the stands at the rodeo), bad "gypsy" Black Frantz sneaks in and steals all the dough. And even though Gene is a nationally famous singing star who performed at the rodeo....somehow they are flat broke and don't know what to do next.

He doesn't stay bummed out for long though, because the next morning they meet Gene's dream girl! She's local ranch owner daughter Millicent, who's in town with her dad and her kleptomaniac dog Souvenir (who is played by Buck the Wonder Dog). Gene is mad for her, so he and Frog go and apply for jobs as cook and bull cook at her ranch, even though they of course cannot cook at all. Meanwhile, the ranch's cowboys have all been suspended on suspicion of rustling the ranch's cows, and Millicent has hired herself a full complement of cowgirls! And to complicate things further...Souvenir has actually stolen a baby from the gypsy camp! Holy smokes!

 Even broke Gene is a sharp dresser. I love this simple piped gingham shirt. 

Also, how handsome is he here?

When Gene discovers the baby at the ranch, Millicent lets him think she is the mother (she thinks this is funny) so he's put off a bit since he can't figure out if she's a widow, divorced or.....what. He and Frog need the money, so they ask for the job anyway. Millicent's dad says no, but after Gene catches a pony going bonkers he relents. Probably a mistake, because when Souvenir steals their only cookbook, they improvise and nearly kill all the cowgirls. But they warm up to him eventually when they find him singing a lullaby to the baby.

A little role reversal as the cowboys dish up dinner for the cowgirls....

 ooh, don't ever let Gene and Frog cook for you....

Black Frantz tracks down the baby and tries to take him (her?) home, but Gene thinks Frantz is kidnapping Millicent's baby and goes after him....in the ensuing confusion Black Frantz wrecks his car, thinks Gene's after the money and returns almost all of it to Gene (who seems suprised, as if he's completely forgotten losing a thousand dollars, which is something like $16,000 in today's money!) who then takes the baby back to the ranch.

 A rare look at the gentle side of Smiley Burnette.

But oh wait! There are cattle rustlers, remember? They steal the cowgirls' clothes to keep them busy while they get down to some more cattle rustling. But, they're bad so they're not going to win -- Gene chases the ringleader (a neighboring rancher who wants their land, I think....) in a car (?!?) and the cowboys are vindicated, because of course they were unjustly accused. When everyone gets back to the ranch, Black Frantz is there to collect his baby and everyone's relieved -- Millicent's happy to return the baby, Frantz and his wife are happy to have their baby back, and Gene's relieved to find out that Millicent is not a mother after all.

Millicent's dad is still cranky though, and he fires Gene and Frog, then fires the cowgirls because they still haven't come back. They then turn up, wearing boxes and barrels (really! the Post Toasties box was my favorite). Millicent's dad hires the cowboys back, but Millicent wants the cowgirls to agree first. Finally, everything is settled by a giant mass wedding of all the cowboys and cowgirls, including Gene and Frog!

 Amazingly, the comedy relief sidekick does not get the comedy relief girl!

Most of the rodeo sequence is shot on location at an actual rodeo (with some weird matched clips from the announcer's booth -- notice the random bottle of milk that seems the be there only because someone noticed that in the location footage there is a bottle of milk sitting on that rail) so there's a lot of rodeo action in the beginning. And the cowgirls are a lot of fun to see, I loved their outfits. And their forewoman, Nell, is a riot. The gypsies are ridiculous, of course, but they are such over-the-top Hollywood creations they don't seem like they have any connection to real people and it didn't raise any questions.

Ann Rutherford plays Millicent and is pretty cool, running around in jodphurs and bossing the ranch. She's in a few more Autry films, but this is her best appearance as far as I'm concerned. This movie also introduces Smiley's fully formed "Frog Millhouse" character, who he will continue to play throughout his  Republic career. And Buck the Wonder Dog is actually a great dog actor - when he stole the cookbook it just about killed me! I was surprised to see that this film is not out on DVD yet, I think it's much more enjoyable than some of the films that have been released.

Gene Autry: Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935)

Gene's first starring role, and his first film under the newly formed Republic banner. From the opening titles and montage of stock footage (cows! and shooting! and cows! and -- wait, is that a cannon?), we learn that there is a range war going on between the original cattlemen in the West and the recently arrived Nesters (or homesteaders). Gene's dad is one of the cattlemen, but when all-out war is declared Gene doesn't want to fight. He just wants to live in peace, play the guitar and sing, and....well, seems he's in love with a Nester gal. But Gene does show up during the fight, saving his father's life and preventing anyone from being hurt by a runaway load of explosives. Unfortunately, no-one can be bothered to tell Gene's dad that Gene did any of this, and his dad kicks him out of town and disowns him for being a weak sister. He rides out of town and we dissolve to...

...Five Years Later, as Gene returns a radio and recording star, and part of Dr Parker's medicine show (Purveyors of Phun Phrolic and Painless Panacea!) -- along with Dr Parker (played by Gabby Hayes in a rare non-Gabby performance), Smiley, Frankie Marvin, and Eugene Jackson. On their way into town, they find Gene's old pal Harry -- wearing an odd shirt with little horseshoes all over it and the strangest drawn-on mustache I've ever seen -- who's badly injured and wanted for murder...the murder of Gene's father!! And....he married Gene's girl!! They head on into town, give a great show (lots of numbers, including Gene's first hit "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine" and a swell tap-dance number from Eugene Jackson) and try and sell some of Dr Parker's Panacea while Gene tries to solve the mystery of his father's murder (because of course he doesn't believe Harry did it).

There's some extremely complicated business about a land sale or transfer and a stolen receipt that meant that Gene's Silver-Haired Daddy was finally making peace with the Nesters, which the bad guys tried to stop and cover up by killing him and stealing some papers -- a plan which the bad guys couldn't possibly have actually gotten away with -- but really it doesn't matter since the good guys save the day, Harry is reunited with his wife and Gene realizes that his former crush's little sister has grown up to be quite a cutie as well.

 Sorry Gene, I married Harry while you were gone....

...but it's okay! Remember me, the little sister? I grew up cute!

This movie confused us a bit - the opening crawl mentions the "Old West" and how the range wars broke out  when settlers (the Nesters) showed up. Historically, this should set the movie in the 1880s or so (see some background here)....but once we got past the stock footage it looked like everyone was wearing modern clothes. But I thought, well, men's clothes don't change so much, so they're just being sloppy. And Gene joins a medicine show, which seemed to place it in the 1800s. But then, he has a record out! And the women in town are all wearing 1930s clothes! Did this range war last 50 years? 

Much to my surprise, it turned out that while this movie definitely takes place in the never-never-land West of Autry's and Republic's imaginations, there were still disputes going on over grazing rights and land management in the 1930s, enough so that the Taylor Grazing Act was passed in 1934 to help regulate the use of public lands. (And technically, range wars still go on today in disputes over grazing rights and land management -- although with less shooting and guitar playing, I think.) Another surprise? Medicine shows were still around in the 1930s -- in fact, they were common until WWII and the last well-known travelling show ran up until 1951. So the world of Tumbling Tumbleweeds is sort of, slightly, probable.

Definitely a good one to start with -- everyone's still a little unformed but the basic pattern and characters for the whole series is set, there's lots of action and music, and because it's a low-budget modern setting, you get to see lots of real-life 1930s dresses and hairstyles on the women.

Nice mustache, Harry. You draw that yourself?

Note: Yes, the Phantom Empire comes before this, but the Little Cowgirl refuses to watch it. I think because of the science-fiction parts - and maybe the weird robots. So we're going through it on the side. I'll post about it when we finally finish it up!

skipped: Gene Autry in Mystery Mountain (1934)

Gene Autry's second film appearance is as a wagon train driver (with Smiley) in this Ken Maynard serial from 1934. Looks like they are briefly in chapter six, no singing, just a shootout. If it was online somewhere, I'd have looked for his scene, but I couldn't find it. The library might have it but...I really didn't care. Onward!!

Gene Autry: In Old Santa Fe (1934)

Gene makes his film debut in this Ken Maynard film as a musician in a dude ranch party scene. (At least I think it's a dude ranch, I can't actually watch Ken Maynard long enough to be sure what's going on). Smiley Burnette is here as well, and I think I see series regular Frankie Marvin in the band as well.

Scoot ahead to 29:30 and you'll see Gene call a square dance, then sing "Someday In Wyoming", followed by Smiley doing his hit "Mama Don't Allow No Music", and then both of them sing "Down in Santa Fe" (with audience participation!). As a bonus, you get to see Ken Maynard glowering and emoting, and Gabby Hayes doing....I have no idea what he's doing. Also, lots of very pretty 1930 evening gowns on the guests (although, shouldn't they be in western getups at a dude ranch?) Look! Gene is so young he almost sparkles! And I love his little tie.

We didn't watch this whole film, the Little Cowgirl has no interest in Ken -- neither did I. So no clue what else happened in this one. Just zip ahead and enjoy the music!