Arabella's Notes...

Gene Autry's Cowboy Code

1. A cowboy never takes unfair advantage -even of an enemy. 2. A cowboy never betrays a trust 3. A cowboy always tells the truth. 4. A cowboy is kind to small children, old folks and animals. 5. A cowboy is free of racial and religious prejudice. 6. A cowboy is helpful, and when anyone is in trouble, he lends a hand. 7. A cowboy is a good worker. 8. A cowboy is clean about his person, and in thought, word and deed. 9. A cowboy respects womanhood, his parents and the laws of his country. 10. A cowboy is a patriot.

Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935) Directed by Joseph Kane Republic B/W

"Play it again, Gene"

This was Gene's first starring role and the prototype for every one that followed...the
singing cowboy, the comic sidekick, and often the bleak, unrelenting mountains or desert.
It was just these locales that prompted one fan to write "What the hell do those cattle
eat, anyway? Rocks?"

Gene packed a mixed bag for all his movies: a good right hook..a six shooter and a fast horse...a guitar... a song.. and a penchant for comedy. For this film, he also used multiple tracks in the soundtrack to record the title song, allowing him to create his own harmony. He would continue to add his ideas to his films making them unique as later Autry classics while, at the same time, laying the groundwork for those who would follow.

Note: Gabby Hayes played the role of Dr. Parker, the medicine show promoter who was almost a
dead-ringer for Professor Fields, Gene's boss during that summer vacation when he was a teenager.

Melody Trail (1935) Directed by Joseph Kane Republic B/W

"Champion & friends!"

Something else was added in this one....girls! In his bio ("Back in the Saddle") Gene said: "My second feature film....had pretty gals hanging all over the corral...Whose idea this was, I don't recall. But I am willing to take the credit for it". In this movie, it is pretty Ann Rutherford who catches the hero's eye.

Another first: "Smiley" Burnette gets the name he would use in Gene's pictures for the next ten years..."Frog" Millhouse! Smiley would solidify and define the role of the comic sidekick in Westerns for all the saddle pals to come later.

The story involves Gene with a gypsy thief who stole his rodeo winnings. While he is tracking him, he also gets rid of some rustlers that have been causing a bit of trouble. And don't forget the pretty gal! It is essentially a comedy with an action-packed climax and Gene sings some great songs along the way.

Gene would make five screen appearances in 1935.

Comin' Round the Mountain (1936) Directed by Mack Wright Republic B/W

Gene and Ann Rutherford

Ann's back and Gene's got her! Gene gets his first on-screen kiss in this one. And little boys howled all over town.

This is only one of the two movies Gene made at Republic where he deserts the West of the 30's for the Old West of buckskin and covered wagons. Gene plays a rider on the Pony Express
( back when it was trail-mail and not snail-mail!) who comes to Ann's aid when she is about to lose her ranch. A wild stallion, a horse race and a job for the winner mixed together with beautiful music and her problem is solved. Now that's a great way to treat a lady!

The Big Show (1936) Directed by Mack Wright Republic B/W

"Smiley, Max and Gene talk it over'

For the first and only time Gene Autry plays the bad guy! Of course, he also plays the good guy!

The difference between them is morals( the good guy) and moustache ( the bad guy). This would be Gene's only dual role.

The film was billed and sold as an "Autry Special" to show that Republic had gone all out with colorful characters and elaborate setting (the Texas Centennial). It also meant they could charge distributors more money! There were five musical groups included in the cast: The Sons of the Pioneers (yup, that's Roy Rogers, by gum!), the SMU school band, the Lightcrust Doughboys, the Jones Boys and the Beverly Hillbillies (no, not Jed and Jethro!).

Best of all, Gene gets to kiss three, count 'em, three gals! There was his co-star (as bad Tom), Tom's fiancé (as good Gene) and , (now that Gene is the star)his co-star/lady love. That must have drove the little boys wild.

But Gene sings "Old Faithful" in this one and that makes it one of my favorites. It also made me cry.

Note: Max Terhune plays the ventriloquist, accompanied by his famous dummy, "Elmer Sneezewood". Max later became "Lullaby" one of the screen's "Three Mesquiteers"and later "Alibi" of "The Range Busters"!.

Public Cowboy No.1 Directed by Joseph Kane Republic B/W

"The 'old' West meets the 'new'"

The times they are a -changin'! The West grows up in this film as the rustlers resort to new ways....refrigerated trucks, two-way radios and planes to do their dirty work. No wonder one of the songs in this movie is titled "The West Ain't What It Used To Be"! To make matters worse, the townspeople fear that their sheriff is too "old West" to deal with all these new fangled tricks so they call his son, Gene, to help him modernize. Silent screen idol William Farnum plays the old sheriff and Ann Rutherford is back to motivate the sheriff's son! Of course, ingenious Gene foils the villains with a taste of their own medicine and a few new tricks up his sleeve.. and Smiley is along to help him and furnish the laughs!

This film was later re-created in a "Big Little Book"!

Facts:

...Smiley Burnette's horse, "Ring-eyed Nellie" was the combination of any all-white
horse on the studio lot plus a bottle of black shoe polish!

..."South of the Border" was written by two young Englishmen about a country they had never seen for a movie cowboy they had never met!

...Gene Autry was the childhood idol of...Ringo Starr!

Mexicali Rose (1939) Directed by George Sherman Republic B/W

"Even Noah Beery, Sr. coughs up a few pesos"

As often happened at Republic, a song title and a story line got together and created a movie!
Besides the title song, Gene also sings a song of his own with a funny story connected to it.
You see, Gene was being plagued off-screen by a groupie at every turn..she came, she wrote, she called. But, with Gene's phenomenal luck, one mash note contained the words "You're the Only Star in My Blue Heaven".I wonder if that gal knew she was the source for a hit song!

Noah Beery, Sr. plays the role of Valdez and , as Gene recalls, he"chewed up the scenery"!
William Farnum does his usual great job as a mission padre who tries to help the poor Mexican children of his parish and keep from losing the church property to swindlers. Gene comes to his aid on both counts. Luana Walters is Gene's lovely leading lady in this one and, of course, Smiley keeps everyone in good spirits.

In Old Monterey (1939) Directed by Joseph Kane Republic B/W

Gene and Billy Lee (Jimmy)

Gene is in the army! But the army sends him home to sweet-talk a group of irate ranchers (led by the irascible Gabby Hayes) into allowing the government right of way on some land needed for bombing maneuvers. But someone sabotages the army exercises and a small boy gets killed. It is this part of the movie that caused some critics to protest that it was too much melodrama for a Western, especially an Autry Western. Gene gets the saboteurs, pacifies the townspeople and even gets the girl (June Storey who is back for the 5th time as Gene's leading lady).

Comedy is provided by Smiley, Gabby and the Hoosier Hot Shots (remember their later hit "I've Got Tears In My Ears From Lying On My Back In Bed While I Cry Over You"!).

This was one of the movies Gene and Republic turned out quickly in the first half of 1939 so that Gene could start his tour of the British Isles (before Hitler could start his!)

South of the Border (1939) Directed by George Sherman Republic B/W

"Gene and the kind, old padre"

The title song says it all..Gene loves and loses as the beautiful senorita saves her family's honor, atones for her brother's crimes and ...becomes a nun! And he was forewarned by a gypsy fortune-teller! She even looked into her crystal ball and knew that Gene and Smiley were government agents! Unfortunately she forgot to tell them who the bad guys were and that they were plotting against the government! You just can't rely on those crystal balls! But while Gene doesn't get the girl, the romance is still there and it was hankies all around for the gals in the audience. And, romantic that I am, it is one of my favorites.

This was Gene's first film after his tour of Britain and his triumphant acclaim in Dublin. Lupita Tovar plays the senorita but June Storey is there to keep her eye on things. Peppy Mary Lee makes her debut, adding her lovely singing voice to the harmony and that familiar face as the bad brother is Duncan Renaldo who would later star as "Zorro" and "The Cisco Kid"!

Rancho Grande Directed by Frank McDonald Republic B/W

"Gene, Dick and the 'madcap' heiress!"

Gene was in big trouble!, He was the foreman of a ranch with its new owner, a madcap Eastern heiress, on his hands. But he manages to handle the bad guys and tame the heiress all in one
maneuver (or two)! June Storey and Mary Lee are back, along with Dick Hogan as the heiress and her two siblings who want to make the ranch into a resort for their snooty friends. But grandpa had mortgaged the place to put in an irrigation system and it was facing foreclosure..you guessed it..by some greedy businessmen led by the family lawyer, played so well by Ferris Taylor. But Gene foils the bad guys and saves the ranch insuring his job and the gal, too!. Even if you don't usually like westerns, this may be up your alley!

This was billed as an "Autry Special" so the location shots were a little more lush. The music was great, as always with Gene singing the title song as well as "I Don't Belong In Your World" (Autry- Rose) and "There'll Never Be Another Pal Like You" (Autry-Marvin-Tobias).

Gaucho Serenade (1940) Directed by Frank McDonald Republic B/W

"The wedding's off!"

Take one English lad being followed by two hired thugs, mix well with an errant bride and her sister in a stolen car and then add gene and Smiley and a car with no gas! It adds up to a funny, action-packed story with music to match.

New faces include Clifford Severn, Jr who played Ronnie (he would later get the role of Mervyn in "How Green Was My Valley" ) and Smith Ballew, all 6'5" of him, who played Buck."
Ballew (formerly a vocalist with several popular bands of the day) dubbed for John Wayne in two "Singing Sandy" films and went on to do singing cowboy roles himself at Paramount and 20th Century Fox.And, yes, that was Duncan Renaldo again as Don Jose!

Did you know that....

...In Columbia, Tennessee (billed as "The Mule Capital Of The World"), Gene ran into a bit of trouble with the sound system in the theater where he was to appear. After looking far and wide for a technician to get it fixed before show time, Gene's press agent discovered only one man in town could do the job..but he was working at Western Union and couldn't leave his post. The press agent asked if he could get him a relief operator, would he be able to do the job? "Yup, I'll do it..but I'm the only one in town." When railroad telegrapher-turned- movie star Gene himself came to relieve him, the guy was flabbergasted. But the repair was made and Western Union never missed a beat!

Melody Ranch (1940) Directed by Joseph Santley Republic B/W

"Is this horse friendly?"

Another big "Autry Special" with top guest stars and big budget! The title came from Gene's radio show but Jule Styne sat right down and wrote a song to match the title. Gene thanked him kindly and then also introduced the song he wanted as the theme of his radio show! Later it, too, would become a movie.."Back In The Saddle Again"!

The storyline has radio singing star Gene going back home to be honorary sheriff. Of course, we all know the honorary wouldn't be temporary too long with skulduggery afoot back home. Along for the ride is the announcer( played to the comedic hilt by Jimmy Durante ) and the snooty singer with rhythm in her feet, Ann Miller. Jerome Cowan plays the boss and the on again-off again rival for Ann's affections. There was a real, knockout kissing scene planned for this one but when some lowdown snitch leaked that to the press, a howl went up from little boys all over the country. The studio cut the scene.

Fortunately they didn't cut Gene's rendition of "We Never Dream The Same Dream Twice" or "Call Of The Canyon" two more of my favorites.

Note...Durante ad-libbed that entire court scene. They re-shot the scene but changed the script to fit his new dialogue and let him play both crook and counselor!

Ridin' on a Rainbow (1941) Directed by Lew Landers Republic B/W

"I have a little something for you"

This is the Western version of "Showboat" with Gene and Smiley joining the crew of a floating stage show in hopes of catching some local bank robbers. Mary Lee is back as the young girl singer with a weak-livered daddy(played so well by character actor Ferris Taylor) and it doesn't take long before everyone suspects he is in cahoots with the thieves. And while Gene is tracking the hombres he gets to sing on stage with the cast including the Oscar-nominated song"Be Honest With Me". But "Carry Me Back To The Lone Prairie" and "I Am The Only Lonely One" are great, too.

This was the first of the 1941 films and set the pace for the pictures Gene would make
that year blending top hits with strong storylines. By year's end we would be at war!

Bells of Capistrano (1942) Directed by William Morgan Republic B/W

"Aren't you glad I came along?')

When Ma and Pa are vandals, what's a gal to do? Virginia Grey seriously considered selling the rodeo show to keep her foster parents out of the hoosegow! But Gene suspects that sweet-talkin' feller with the ready cash had larceny on his mind. Virginia is ably supported by Lucien Littlefield (Pa McCracken) and Claire Du Brey (Ma McCracken), two character actors with resumes that date back to the early silents. Joe Strauch, Jr. Makes his 5th appearance as "Tadpole", Frog's nephew and lookalike!

This was Gene's last film before he went off to war! However, it was the basis for a story Gene tells about his terrible memory for names!.....
As Gene tells it, in one scene he had to gallop up to a border guard and, in one breath, ask a question that required him to wrap his tongue around three difficult Spanish names. No matter how many times he tried to say it, he fluffed the line. It went something like this (Gene's words) "Did Father so-and-so from the town of such-and-such pass by here carrying a bell to Capistrano?" As he recalls it, they must have shot that scene 15 times but it never came out right. So finally, they changed the line to "Did a priest go by here carrying a bell?"
Now that was Gene's story..... I have watched that movie three times and I can't even find that scene!

The Last Roundup (1947) Directed by John English Columbia B/W

A sad parting.

This film marks Gene's first work on the Columbia lot and also the first movie done under the banner of his own company... Gene Autry Productions. He brought producer Armand Schaefer along with him for good measure. It was also one of Gene's favorites but he was disappointed when it wasn't shot in color. Since the new company processing color was already a year behind schedule, that idea was shelved. They had plenty of stock footage in black and white. However, since the West was now so up to date, television sets were included in some of the scenes!

The movie brought together the old and the young of filmdom..Ralph Morgan, a versatile character actor, plays Mason the banker and Bobby Blake, the bratty Mickey of the "Our Gang" series and "Little Beaver" of Red Ryder fame, plays Mike. As Robert Blake, he would later gain fame as 'Baretta" and as one of the killers in Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood".

The Strawberry Roan (1948) Directed by John English Columbia Color

"Let's go after 'em, fella!"

Color at last..but only one more of Gene's movies would be in color ("The Big Sombrero" in 1949) because the costs went through the roof! But some other new things were added to this film besides Cinecolor....Pat Buttram and Little Champ.

Pat Buttram, the staple side-kick of Gene's radio show "Melody Ranch", joins him on film. It would happen in 13 more of Gene's films, too, before Smiley returned. Little Champ, the son of Champion, Jr., also makes his debut. Gene bought his daddy for $1500, the most he had ever paid for a horse ( that whirring sound Gene must have heard at the time was his father spinning in his grave!) . Little Champ looked just like the original Champion who died in 1947.

But in this film, Champion, Jr. was the star of the show as the wild stallion Gene finds out on the range. It would be the only time someone besides Gene rode Champion in a film and so he handpicked Dick Jones for the role because of Dick's expert horsemanship.

Gene would make 28 more films for Columbia before he hung up his movie spurs and rode off into TV land! Look for more of his films on your classic Western channels.