Melody Trail

There's much entertainment in this wonderful Joseph Kane directed western. For Autry, It's love at first sight gazing at the most beautiful and versatile actress Ann Rutherford. But Gypsy Frantz (Willy Castello) gets the jump on him and steals his rodeo prize money. But scene stealing wonder dog Buck gets the jump on Frantz and steals his baby. Wade Boteler fires his cowhands and Fern Emmett and the ladies take over in glorious fashion. The fired foreman, Al Bridge is not to be denied as the flamboyant cattle rustler. Gene and Frog have some great tunes and one even the baby enjoys. Gertrude Messinger and Marie Quillan play great supporting roles and Champion is always there when you need him.

"Melody Trail" is one of the strangest Gene Autry films I've seen. It seems to violate the usual formula in 1001 different ways, though it's still enjoyable. How is it different? Read on....

The story begins with Gene performing and winning at a rodeo. Later that night, a Gypsy* sneaks into Gene and Frog's room and steals all of their money. Without money, the pair go out to look for work the next day and they get jobs as cooks on the ranch of a very grouchy man. They are complete busts, as they don't know how to cook AND the dog, Souvenir, is a klepto and stole the cookbook. But to make it worse, that accursed Saint Bernard has stolen all sorts of things...including a baby!!!! I am not kidding. This becomes a problem for many reasons. First, Gene incorrectly assumes that the girl he is smitten with (Ann Rutherford) is a mother...and this cools off his ardor. Second, the baby's real father turns out to be the evil Gypsy who stole Gene's rodeo winnings! What's next? See the film.

Nearly all of Gene Autry's films center on some baddie--who usually is involved in cattle rustling or perhaps running the territory. In this case, however, the emphasis is on humor...such as the kleptomaniac dog! It's a huge departure from the usual...possibly because it's an early Autry film developed before the formula became hard and fast. Regardless, it's strange and also features a gang of sexy cowgirls as well as the weirdest ending I can recall! See the very end...see what I mean.

This is an enjoyable movie with less suspense than usual and more comedy. Not a bad mix...but also one which is a weaker Autry effort. Still, a weak Autry film is still awfully good.

Souvenir in the movie is billed because it happens to be a famous dog--Buck from "Call of the Wild". And, with Champion (Gene's horse) also getting billing, it's as I've said...a most unusual film!

*I know 'Gypsy' is not the most politically correct term...it's the one they used in the film. Today, Romani or Roma is a much more acceptable term.

Looks like this is Gene's third movie and second for Republic. Unfortunately, it's not a very good one, at least in my little book. Follow the story if you can. It's something about hired hands rustling cattle from their owner. But the narrative's so spotty, it's hard to tell. Then there's the Gypsy baby, stolen by a friendly dog (Buck). The baby's carrier gets handled like a bundle of sticks, so we know it's really empty. Gene has to sort all this out, with the help of an all girl posse (!) and, of course, Frog.

The action finally picks up toward the end, with lots of hard riding. No flying fists, however, nor any fast shooting. Even Gene's songs are not very tuneful. Maybe the only memorable part is the Gypsy hoedown that's not exactly a Western staple. Then too, Ann Rutherford does make a winsome young woman. All in all, my advice is to catch the same year's Tumbling Tumbleweeds, which manages just the right Autry mix.