The Big Show (1936)

Director:

Mack V. Wright
(more)

Writers:

Dorrell McGowan (screenplay) &
Stuart E. McGowan (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 November 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Music | Romance | Western

Tagline:

A Roundup of action actually filmed at the Texas Centennial!

Plot:

At the Texas Centennial in Dallas Autry confuses two girls by being himself and his own stunt double.

Plot Keywords:

Texas | Centennial | Double | Cattle | Cowboy

Cast

Gene Autry	...	Gene Autry / Tom Ford
Smiley Burnette	...	Frog
Kay Hughes	...	Marion Hill
Sally Payne	...	Toodles Brown
William Newell	...	Lee Wilson
Max Terhune	...	Ventriloquist
Charles Judels	...	Swartz - Studio Head
Sons of the Pioneers	...	Musicians
The Jones Boys	...	Singers (as Jones Boys)
The Beverly Hillbillies	...	Musicians (as Beverly Hill Billies)
The Light Crust Doughboys	...	Musicians (as Light Crust Dough Boys)
Champion	...	Champion - Studio Horse
Rex King	...	Fred Collins
Harry Worth	...	Tony Rico
Mary Russell	...	Mary
Christine Maple	...	Miss Van Every - Ford's Fiancee
Jerry Larkin	...	Henchman Blackie
Jack O'Shea	...	Henchman Joe (as Jack O'Shay)
Wedgwood Nowell	...	Movie Director (as Wedgewood Nowell)
Antrim Short	...	Studio Assistant
June Johnson	...	Studio Secretary
Grace Durkin	...	Studio Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Beach	...	Studio Assistant (uncredited)
Elton Britt	...	Musician with Beverly Hill Billies Band (uncredited)
Yakima Canutt	...	Driver of Cattle Truck (uncredited)
Horace B. Carpenter	...	Studio Gateman (uncredited)
George Chesebro	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Elmer	...	Elmer, Max's Dummy (uncredited)
Hugh Farr	...	Sons of the Pioneers Violinist (uncredited)
Karl Farr	...	Sons of the Pioneers Guitarist (uncredited)
Aleth Hansen	...	Musician with Beverly Hill Billies Band (uncredited)
Edward Hearn	...	Studio Man (uncredited)
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Parade Extra (uncredited)
Cornelius Keefe	...	Studio Actor (uncredited)
Jeanne Lafayette	...	Studio Actress (uncredited)
Tracy Layne	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Frankie Marvin	...	Movie Lot Cowboy (uncredited)
Art Mix	...	Studio Stunt Double (uncredited)
Marvin 'Smokey' Montgomery	...	Musician with The Light Crust Doughboys (uncredited)
Frances Morris	...	Studio Script Girl (uncredited)
Bob Nolan	...	Sons of the Pioneers Bassist (uncredited)
Leonard Pack	...	Himself (uncredited)
Jack Rockwell	...	Studio Actor (uncredited)
Roy Rogers	...	Sons of the Pioneers Guitarist (uncredited)
Helen Servis	...	Studio Actress (uncredited)
The SMU 50	...	Southern Methodist University Marching Band (uncredited)
Rudy Sooter	...	Musician with Beverly Hill Billies Band (uncredited)
Tim Spencer	...	Sons of the Pioneers Singer (uncredited)
Martin Stevenson	...	Studio Actor (uncredited)
Slim Whitaker	...	Henchman (uncredited)

Directed by
Mack V. Wright
Joseph Kane		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Dorrell McGowan		(screenplay and original story) &
Stuart E. McGowan		(screenplay and original story)

Produced by
Nat Levine	....	producer
Armand Schaefer	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Edgar Lyons		(photographed by)
William Nobles		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Robert Jahns

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Louis Germonprez	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Harry Jones	....	sound engineer

Stunts
Cliff Lyons	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Bill Yrigoyen	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Nels Mathias	....	grip (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Murray Seldeen	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Harry Grey	....	music supervisor
Ted Koehler	....	composer: songs
Sam H. Stept	....	composer: songs
Ned Washington	....	composer: songs
Arthur Kay	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Hugo Riesenfeld	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Republic Pictures (I)

Distributors

• Republic Pictures (I) (1936) (USA) (theatrical)
• FilmAnnex (2006) (worldwide) (all media)
• Gene Autry Entertainment (1999) (USA) (TV) (1999 restoration)
• Hollywood Television Service (1955) (USA) (TV) (edited version)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)

Other Companies

• Autry Museum of Western Heritage Research Center  additional funding (1999 restoration)
• Autry Qualified Interest Trust and the Autry Foundation  copyright holders (1999 restoration)
• RPG Productions  restoration (1999 restoration) (as RPG)
• Westerns  funding (1999 restoration) (as Encore Westerns)

Runtime:

54 min (edited version) | 71 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2727) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Fair Park, Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Trivia:

Almost all the scenes were filmed on location at the (then) brand-new Fair Park in Dallas, TX, which served as the location of the 1936 Texas Centennial and has served as the location of the Texas State Fair since. Many of the buildings in the film still exist in what has been called the largest collection of art deco buildings in the world. Also seen is the Gulf Radio Studios building (this is not the WRR Studios; WRR is the only city-owned radio station in the country and still broadcasts from new studios adjacent to Science Place II). The lagoon was pretty barren back then, and Dallas trolley cars which served downtown at the time had just been expanded to Fair Park to service the Centennial. The Cotton Bowl, which was constructed in 1930 and renamed The Cotton Bowl for the Centennial, is seen briefly in the background as Gene Autry rides out of the Cavalcade set in the chase scene.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The Light Crust Doughboys and The Jones Boys appear in the credits, but do not appear in the shortened (54 minutes) version, but along with some additional action they appear in the original (71 minutes) movie.

Quotes:

Lee Wilson:Now you have made a mess of things. You know Ford can't sing a note!
Gene Autry:Don't blame me, blame Collins.
Lee Wilson:Oh, I could ring his neck for this!
Fred Collins:[Collins enters] They're clamoring for an encore, Mr. Ford. Will you do another song?
Gene Autry:I'd be glad to.
Fred Collins:He's a sensation, and you've got me to thank for it!
Lee Wilson:Thanks.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Ole Faithful

Doubling Gene Autry

"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