Mountain Rhythm

Cavanaugh and McCauley plan to buy at auction all the nearby ranches so that they can extend their resort and turn it into a city and thereby larger tourist attraction. Gene and the other neighboring ranchers plan to save their ranch by pooling their money together. Gene is robbed of the money, but plans to have the ranchers round up their cattle for market in order to raise the cash. However Cavanaugh has plans to stop this as well. Its up to Gene, Frog, Ma Hutchins, and a band of hobos to save the day. Fun Autry movie from his early Republic period, with a bit more action and fight scenes than you would expect from one of Gene's movies, however there is a bit more music (5 songs, plus one medley sung during a hayride) but it doesn't slow down the pacing of the film (good direction by Eason) that much. At times the film seems to have reached what it could, but lo and behold, there's more. Smiley is not annoying (thank heavens) as he sometimes can be, as the comic relief (scant, if any) is provided by Ferris Taylor and Jack Pennick as two hobos. Rating, based on B westerns, 7.

The summary on IMDB calls "Mountain Rhythm" 'standard western fare', and I have to agree. In B-westerns, most films fall into about three plots...and they repeat these themes again and again. The most familiar of these is the baddie who wants to throw all the ranchers or miners off their land. In many cases, it's because the person is greedy and wants all the grazing land to themselves. In "Mountain Rhythm" it's an odd motivation....as the baddie wants to force everyone off the land so that they can build a gigantic luxury resort!! It's odd, as when the story begins, they already have a giant luxury resort! but, I guess being baddies, they just want it bigger and all to themselves. So, they use all sorts of underhanded tactics to try to get the ranchers to go. And, when that doesn't work, they resort to stealing the money the ranchers have collected in order to buy the range! So, it's up to Frog and Gene (Smiley Burnette and Gene Autry) to get the evidence and bring goodness to the not so old west. I say 'not so old' because like many of Autry's films, it's set in modern times...with buses and telephones and the like....as well as horses and cowboys.

Even though this is a very standard plot, it is handled pretty well. Maude Eburne is wonderful as Aunt Matilda (Ma Hutchins) and I did love the song "Hobo's Dream"...it was very catchy. But otherwise, it was all very typical of most Bs of the era....not bad at all but also a certain sameness to all this.

Sub-par 60-minutes for Gene's premier Republic period. The story's pretty good even if familiar—ranchers being cheated out of their land. But putting their land up for auction does make for an exciting climax as Gene races against time. One reason I like these early Autry entries is that Frog gets to be more than comic relief. Here he does acrobatic fisticuffs with the best of them. He was really a very talented guy. Too bad the production doesn't leave the non-scenic San Fernando Valley for maybe scenic Lone Pine and the Sierras. After all, the title is Mountain Rhythm, not Valley Rhythm. Anyway, catch how the guys start that cattle stampede—it's funny as heck. The songs, unfortunately, are pretty undistinguished, except for a couple familiar ones. All in all, Gene's done better.

A standard b western - highly enjoyable in other words. Although this one packs it into 58 minutes there's still room for Gene to sing 4 songs (3 of them before the action had really got started), a hayride medley, and still leaving time for one from the hoboes.

Land that ranchers have been using is put up for auction by the Government; they pool their resources to try to buy it back but are faced with the machinations of baddies who want to turn the whole place into a bustling tourist destination. Gene and Smiley help the ranchers collect the money but have it stolen … the chase is on to stop the baddies and win that auction. Do they make it? Be prepared for surprises! Plenty of stirring horse and gun action over the beautiful Republic countryside, gentle atmosphere, young June Storey sadly underused as usual but never looking lovelier, and some nice songs – especially Highways Are Happy Ways and It Makes No Difference Now – what more could a fan want? Except maybe a 2 hour Directors Cut.

I can watch these Autry films till the cows come home, stampeded or otherwise.