Waste of time

One of my all time favorites.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

"The Man from Music Mountain" (1938) is available on Platinum Disc in a rather dark print copied from 16mm TV. Athough Gene is prominently featured on ads and credits, the movie actually stars Smiley Burnette, who not only has a slightly larger role - he even partners Gene at the action climax - but the best of the musical numbers, namely "She Works Third Tub at the Laundry" (one of Smiley's own compositions). What's worse for Autry fans is that Gene is very obviously doubled by a stunt expert zipping through the action at the start and at the finish. With all the songs and the comedy involving Smiley, Carol Hughes, Sally Payne, and a "cute" boy with buck teeth, the plot doesn't really get underway until ten minutes before the end title. At this breathless point, the heavies who have very cunningly presented themselves as Mr Nice Guys, suddenly fall out of character and commit a motiveless act of murder. Not one of Gene's best Republic outings by any means, yet it's one that most people remember. You have only to say, "Boulder Dam", and people instantly recall the revived ghost town, where cashed-up but feeble-brained homesteaders buy worthless land plots from a sleazy duo of obvious confidence men, who promise a bonanza when electricity and water are connected from the Dam - in the never-never!

Really good early Autry, an expert mix of story, music and action. I also learned what a difference electricity made to rural communities. We tend to take electric power for granted, but the movie is set in 1938, soon after Boulder Dam was built, and the bad guy is using the promise of electrification to scam Depression era folks. It's really worked well into the plot, better than any A-movie I've seen, and even produces a good laugh.Anyhow, Gene gets to do some hard riding in order to thwart their plans, along with an action-filled mine tunnel finale. Frog has a fairly straight role minus the usual clownish humor. What a fine versatile performer he was. There's also a did-I-really-see-that novelty act that beats out tunes on about everything but rocks. Include too a lovely Carol Hughes as eye-relief from all the ugly guys, and you've got a near perfect package of Autry entertainment.

If you see enough Gene Autry films, eventually you'll catch the same themes recycled from one picture to another. I don't know if the ghost town gold swindle was utilized in one of Gene's earlier films, but the idea was played out again in 1941's "Under Fiesta Stars" (using a silver mine), and then again in 1942's "Stardust on the Sage". No matter who the leading cowboy was, virtually all of these early oaters were written strictly to formula, and the fans loved it because they kept coming back for more.This time out, villains Scanlon (Ivan Miller) and Brady (Ed Cassidy) look to make a quick buck by enticing investors in Gold River property with the promise of electricity and water provided by the recently built Boulder Dam. To help the hoodwinked land buyers, Gene and Smiley conspire to trick the baddies into believing that there's newly discovered gold in the once tapped out Betsy Lee mine nearby so that they'll offer to buy the land shares back. In a reversal of fortune, the mine really DOES have an undiscovered vein running through it, and it's a down to the wire race against time for Gene to make the save for the locals.I have to say, I got a kick out of a cool move that I haven't seen done in a Western before. When a couple of Scanlon's henchmen light out after Gene, he makes his way up into a tree branch and lassos them both off their horses with a single rope! The odds against that have to be astronomical, but Gene's a pretty remarkable guy and he makes it look easy.There's another interesting visual treat later on in the story when Smiley's sweetheart Patsy (Sally Payne) shows off a new electric powered washing machine. Right there in bold letters is the name of the manufacturer - Maytag! At this stage of the game, I don't think there was a repair man yet.As usual, there's a nice helping of musical offerings throughout the story, including a real catchy rendition of the title tune to open the picture. Then there's Smiley having some fun with a novelty song called 'She Works Third Tub at the Laundry'. However the one thing that caused me to rewind the film had to do with a line Gene delivered when Smiley questioned him about hydraulics. Smiley not knowing what the term could possibly mean, Gene offers this sage description - 'a shahoo with a hanalon bo-dan'. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Gene Autry stars in this 1938 vintage musical western. Things get shady when crooked real estate developers 'hoodwink' poor honest cattle ranchers. Worthless mining stock is sold for the asking in a desert mining town. Gene and his sidekick Frog Millhouse(Smiley Burnette)put the kibosh on the white-wash, when word circulates that gold has been found. The guitar slinging cowpoke sings several tunes including "Love Burning Love" and "I'm Beginning To Care". Even Frog strains his vocal chords with "She Works Third Tub At The Laundry". Other cast members include: Carol Hughes, Ed Cassidy, Polly Jenkins, Ivan Miller and Sally Payne. All in all...the Autry movies are pretty much formulated.