Riders of the Whistling Pines

New science has made this particular Gene Autry western quite out of date. Seems as though the rumors those outlaws were spreading about DDT was right after all. The government did ban its use many years later.

But for Riders Of The Whistling Pines Gene is cast as a recently discharged forest ranger who is accused of killing another forest service ranger. The death is ruled accidental.

Why he was killed was that he discovered a kind of moth that can devastate the timber. Gene later discovers it and persuades the Interior Department in the form of his forest service buddies to spray DDT and save the timber.

But that doesn't help villain Douglass Dumbrille who wants the moths to kill the trees because he can strip the forest of dead trees and make a real windfall profit.

There's quite a bit more plot to this horse opera than is the case for one aimed at the Saturday Matinée crowd. There's also Jimmy Lloyd who is Autry's pal and drinking a lot because he got through World War II without a scratch and his wife died at home. Lloyd does something you would not see normally in a B picture kid's western.

Sad to say though that science really renders Riders Of The Whistling Pines quite obsolete.

Scenic Autry western with a few surprises. The plot is a little complex for me, and I had trouble keeping some of the look-alike characters straight. But that's probably just me. Anyhow, the story involves aerial spraying of DDT and who stands to gain or lose. In that surprising sense, the movie involves contemporary environmental issues, even in 1949. The 70-minutes is also notable for there being no Autry sidekick (Burnette or Buttram) for comedy relief. So it's pretty much straight melodrama the whole way.

Then too, as leading lady, there's the luscious Patricia Barry who later went on to a pretty extensive TV career, along with familiar baddie Douglass Dumbrille, and future Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore, in a supporting role. Also, catch that very last scene, an unusually thoughtful one for a horse opera of any kind. All in all, it adds up to a different kind of Autry programmer with more noisy winged conveyances than Gene's usual 4-footed friends.

Gene Autry works for the Forestry Service. He shoots at a wildcat with his new rifle, but misses. Meanwhile Damian O'Flynn shoots and kills forest ranger Jason Robards Sr, who has been lax in enforcing regulations, but has reached his limit. Gene thinks he killed Robards, until it later turns out that he couldn't have. Time to investigate. Meanwhile, moths are infesting the forest, killing the trees, which suits loggers Douglas Dumbrille, O'Flynn, and company just fine. If the trees are dead, they can harvest them all. When Autry starts supervising dousing everything in DDT, they spread rumors about its deadliness, and poison animals nearby to make the lie look better.

It's a well written episode in Autry's films for Columbia, even if the evidence of DDT's major problems became evident in the decade following. Jimmy Lloyd is on hand as Gene's frequently depressed assistant; his wife, played by a picture of Marilyn Monroe, died while he was at war. Clayton Moore is a henchman, and Leon Weaver is present to please fans who missed his appearances in Republic Pictures movies. Gene sings several songs, including "It's My Lazy Day" and "Hair of Gold", backed by the Cass County Boys, and we can be assured that everything will turn out all right within 70 minutes.

As a huge fan of The Lone Ranger, watching this, I couldn't help saying, "Oh, no, Lone! What made you go wrong?" It was odd to hear Clayton Moore's voice as a baddie. Apparently, this movie was released only months before the Lone Ranger series on TV began in 1949. So, in the end, Lone turned to the good side, and everything was right in the Force.

Gene Autry and Hopalong Cassidy were OK, but The Lone Ranger, Tonto and Roy Rogers were my TV cowboy show heroes. Hi yo, Silver! ... c'mon Bullet.

This is an unusual Gene Autry film because it really is NOT a western. It is set out in the western United States but aside from that and the presence of a few horses, it's not at all what you'd expect from Autry. This is not really a complaint--just an observation about the type of film it is.

When the film begins, Gene has just left the rangers. No, not the type they have from Texas--FOREST rangers. In recognition of his work, they gave him a rifle and Gene uses it to kill a mountain lion that isn't doing anyone any harm. However, at the same time, a baddie shoots another ranger--and Gene assumes his errant shot killed the guy! Well, this plot actually was resolved reasonably quickly and folks realized Gene wasn't a killer--though they didn't catch the baddie responsible until late in the film.

The same jerk-face that killed the ranger is also trying to take advantage of an outbreak of moths that will destroy the timber industry. So, when Gene comes up with a plan to use crop dusters and the miracle pesticide DDT, this evil jerk starts poisoning animals and blaming Gene! What's next? See the film.

This is a reasonably entertaining B-movie. It's also of particular interest to music historians, as in addition to Gene's contributions to early country music, there also is some very early gospel music in this one. Overall, worth seeing if you are a fan.