The Big Show

This was almost a guilty pleasure to like. Gene Autry plays.. Gene Autry, a stunt double for the famous cowboy Tom Ford in his movies. When Ford skips town to go fishing, his agent is in a pickle as Ford is scheduled to work the Texas National Exposition1 The agent gets a brilliant idea to send Autry instead, since they are EXACTLY alike. Well almost.. You see when Autry arrives in Dallas for the fair, he is caught singing and is put on the fair's radio for all to hear! This radio station is broadcast everywhere! Everyone hears it! The Hollywood studio where Ford works is amazed and wants to book singing cowboy pictures! Problem is.. Other people hear it too.. Like underworld types Ford owes money to and, well, Ford himself! Again, I have no idea why I found this as enjoyable as it was. Probably the main thing was the originality's of the darn thing. I mean, we find out how cowboy films are made! I wonder if Gene Autry, who is playing a stunt man, had a stunt man for his stunt scenes? (He risked life and death though, playing certain "danger" scenes in front of a laughably fake screen). I also loved the fact that they shot ½ the movie at the actual fair itself. I guess they had a wild west show there. LOVE the song he sings at the show when he sings about shooting his injured horse, Champion. I mean, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!

The Big Show is about the most enjoyable to watch of all his movies for several reasons: One, Mr. Autry plays a double role. Two, there is a lot of clever stunt work, including the famous under the coach and handover hand to the horses stunt. Three, The Big Show has a very different plot from the usual Autry Western. Four, The Big Show contains some very listen-able songs. Five, it is really fun to see Roy Rogers when he was still with the Sons of the Pioneers as Leanard Slye. Six, it is also fun to see behind the scenes of movie making, with some back views of the Republic lot. Seven, since this is an earlier Autry entry, Smiley Burnett is Mr. Autry's side kick rather than Pat Butram. Eight, it is exciting to see the Texas Centennial Celebration as a background. All in all, this is one is really fun.

"When cowboy star Tom Ford (Gene Autry) disappears, studio publicity man Wilson gets his double, Gene Autry, to impersonate him. Gene, posing as Ford and singing over the radio, is a sensation. Ford hears a broadcast, is peeved, and threatens to sue the studio. Meanwhile, a group of blackmailers demand $25,000 from the studio to keep quiet about the hoax," according to the DVD sleeve description. Autry attempting a dual role, the sometimes derivative (but pleasant) soundtrack, and a timely Texas Centennial location only give "The Big Show" a little bigness. It's nice to see the blinking, exasperated William Newell (as Lee Wilson) play a relatively large role, and odd to see Roy Rogers' profile (screen right, as one of the Sons of the Pioneers) in an Autry picture.

**** The Big Show (11/16/36) Mack V. Wright ~ Gene Autry, William Newell, Smiley Burnette, Kay Hughes

For one of eight films that Republic Pictures new singing cowboy star Gene Autry appeared in 1936, the studio did the unheard of thing and filmed part of the story at the Texas State Centennial at their state fairgrounds in Dallas. In fact the centennial was an integral part of the story.

In a film with plot elements similar to MGM's Callaway Went Thataway, Gene Autry plays two roles that of himself who is fearless stunt double who happens to sing to Tom Ford, arrogant movie cowboy who doesn't and also played by Autry.

In fact Ford has himself in some trouble with gamblers and has to lam out to parts unknown after his last pictures wraps. Which leaves the studio holding the bag because they promised an appearance by their star at the Texas Centennial. Studio head Charles Judel is nursing his growing ulcer as a result.

Then studio yes man William Newell gets the idea to get Autry to impersonate Ford and when he sings on the radio and in personal appearances, Mammoth Pictures figures it has a star with greater venues.

If you've seen Callaway Went Thataway you know what happens. The Big Show turned out to be one of Gene's better early westerns.

A lot of acts get in the act in this film and Gene has two special numbers, Nobody's Darlin' But Mine and Ole Faithful. The latter was a cowboyballad written in England and introduced in America by Bing Crosby on his radio show.

Gene gets to romance Kay Hughes and Smiley Burnette and Sally Payne are around for comic relief. One of Gene's better early Republic westerns.

Mammoth Pictures star Tom Ford decides to go on vacation, but the studio's press agent Wilson needs to get ahold of him so he can make a scheduled appearance at the Texas Centennial in Dallas. The problem is solved when Wilson convinces Ford's stuntman, Gene Autry (Autry also doubles as Ford here), to go to the event impersonating Ford. The ruse works, but things go wrong when Autry decides to go on the radio singing, which Ford can not do. This ticks off Ford, who comes back to the studio to get Autry fired, but some gangsters are at the Centennial hoping to collect some of Ford's gambling debts from Autry. This film is good, but nothing more than a promo film for both the Centennial and Autry & the singing groups at Republic, as well as the studio itself. There are some pretty good action scenes at the beginning with Autry as the stuntman. Autry as Ford, however, doesn't convince anyone since his thespian abilities were never great (especially this early in his career). Fun to watch. Rating, based on B westerns, 7.