No Velho Rancho

I wonder what theatergoers in 1936 thought when they expected cowboys and instead were greeted in the opening scenes by an urban nightclub. Good thing action soon transfers to cowboy country. Eleanor (Manning) is on the run after witnessing a murder in the city, and now fortunately she has Sheriff Gene looking after her. But there are baddies in cowboy country too. So Gene ends up battling two gangs instead of the usual one.

This is a very early Autry western, before, for example, Frog (Burnette) settled into his clownish comedy relief. Here he plays a deputy in fairly straightforward fashion. It's weird, however, seeing cowboys alongside the old-timey four-wheel flivvers. Nothing special about the 60-minutes. Just a pretty good mix of action and song. Still, I wish it were a better selection of tunes since the Sons Of The Pioneers are on hand to vocalize along with Gene. Also look fast for Roy Rogers as a cowboy henchman, along with Lon Chaney Jr. in a sizable baddie role before he became the definitive Wolf Man (1941). All in all, it's a decent Autry programmer with some interesting features of its own.

Only a year after starring in the action serial THE PHANTOM EMPIRE, Gene Autry was already a singing cowboy star. In this film he costars with sidekick Smiley Burnette and a young Roy Rogers, who does not get individual billing but is grouped along with the Sons of the Pioneers. A highpoint of this film is Good Guy Gene ordering Bad Guy Roy to yodel at gunpoint! Also in the movie is a young (29) Lon Chaney as the manager of a gambling hall who shows a very wide yellow streak when some big city gangsters decide to muscle in. Don't worry, Gene and Smiley will save the day and have time to sing a few songs too.

It is fun to watch this old movie and see a young Roy Rogers as well as Gene Autry. Sure, by today's standards it is corny, but that is a lot of the fun. Plus, it is a history lesson of autos and buses of the time.

I like to guess where the outdoor scenes were done. Looks like some Lone Pine background in much of it. The music is uncomplicated and harmonic whichseems unappreciated today.

Another fun aspect of this era of Westerns is the blending of "modern" technology with the old west. A curious technical "error" can be seen when the brothers are behind bars in jail with their guns on.

"The Old Corral" became famous for its fight scene between Gene Autry and his future competitor at Republic, Roy Rogers, known at that time as Dick Weston. Rogers was part of the Sons of the Pioneers musical group featured in Autry's pictures. In this film, they play highwaymen (overland bus robbers) who also known how to warble a tune. While most of them are captured and put in jail, young Weston gets away and Autry has to go after him, not only for the robbery but because the group needs his harmony. After he is subdued, Autry asks him to yodel. Rogers then learns why he was captured. In the next scene, the group is shown singing "Silent Trail," a moving ballad about the passing of the old West. The sincere expressions on their faces as they sing compliments their harmonious treatment. They always gave their songs a bit more class than the usual "hillbilly" groups Autry had in his films, who had been taken from the National Barn Dance radio show.

"The Old Corral" has most of what you could ask for in one of these old Westerns, with good action and interesting characters, as well as the variety entertainment that you expect in a Gene Autry feature. It has Autry as a sheriff having to contend with a family of outlaws at the same time that he is trying to protect a woman on the run, and while the plot often lacks credibility, it's entertaining and moves at a good pace. Besides Autry, it has Smiley Burnette in one of his usual roles, and the supporting cast features brief appearances by Lon Chaney, Jr., Roy Rogers, and Edward Platt - quite an assortment. Certainly there's nothing remarkable here, but it's good entertainment that most fans of older Westerns will find enjoyable.