The Old Barn Dance

Gene Autry was one of the most popular of stars in the 1930s and 1940s, in the movies,on radio, and on record. In his own way, a lot like Bing Crosby except he appealed to the folks in what now would be considered the red states.

His westerns were primarily musicals and had little plot line. But I have to confess that the villain here was truly unique. Tractor salesmen who are out to takeover a lot of land when farmers put up mortgages to get tractors.

Do you believe it? Gene Autry is hawking the virtue of using horses for ranch and farm work and he defeats the dastardly tractor people who have hornswoggled him to do a radio show for them.

With that kind of plot, can you take this film seriously. Of course not. So just listen to the singing.

By the way, the Old Barn Dance was a popular radio show at the time that featured country and western music and Gene made his start there