Rhythm on the Range (1936)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Mervin J. Houser (story)
Walter DeLeon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 July 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Romance | Western

Tagline:

A whirlwind round-up of romance, songs and gags, with Bing singin' and Bob Burns tootin' on the old Bazooka!

Plot:

Cowboy Jeff Larabee returns from the east and meets Doris Halloway, a young girl, that he regards as a vagabond...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Train | Arizona | Singer | Barbecue

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Jeff Larabee
Frances Farmer	...	Doris Halliday
Bob Burns	...	Buck
Martha Raye	...	Emma Mazda
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Robert Halliday
Warren Hymer	...	Big Brain
Lucile Gleason	...	Penelope Ryland (as Lucille Webster Gleason)
George E. Stone	...	Shorty
James Burke	...	Wabash
Martha Sleeper	...	Constance
Clem Bevans	...	Gila Bend
Leonid Kinskey	...	Mischa
Charles Williams	...	Gopher Mazda
Beau Baldwin	...	Cuddles, the Bull
Emmett Vogan	...	Clerk (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | Finland:K-3 | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Film debut of Martha Raye.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Pardners (1956)

Soundtrack:

If You Can't Sing It (You'll Have to Swing It)

Dated, but the first half of Frances Farmer's 1936 one-two punch to stardom

Several of the preceding comments have gone into great detail about the film and its pleasures. "Rhythm on the Range" is, to our modern jaded eyes and ears, obviously dated, but it has a charm and sly humor that are abundant enough that even 21st century sophisticates can enjoy it. I concur that the major reason to watch the film is for the wonderful performance of Frances Farmer, here somewhat eschewing her early haughty characterizations for an almost subversive comedic performance. This was Frances' first "A" production, after receiving top billing in two very well received Paramount "B"'s, "Too Many Parents" and "Border Flight." Frances went straight from this film to her legendary role(s) in Goldwyn's "Come and Get It," so from late summer, when "Rhythm" was released, through the end of 1936, when "Come and Get It" premiered, she was arguably the hottest, and certainly one of the most talked about, new stars of that era.

The duet one of the previous commenters mentioned, "The House Jack Built for Jill," was in fact filmed but was not, as that commenter stated, slated for the end of the film, but rather for the scene where Bing and Frances escape the rainstorm and find shelter in the farmhouse. I have Norman Taurog's original shooting script and the scene is still extant in the script, including Taurog's blue line through the pages indicating it was filmed.

One of the previous commenters repeated some unfortunately commonly believed misinformation about Frances. Though Frances' institutionalization was certainly no picnic (to say the least), the most horrifyingly sensationalized allegations about her treatment (found in both her ghost-written autobiography and the largely fictionalized "Shadowland") never happened, including the spurious claim that she was lobotomized. My article detailing the truth about these allegations, "Shedding Light on Shadowland," is linked under the Miscellaneous section on the IMDb listing for Frances Farmer. Or you can find it by using a search engine and searching for "Shedding Light on Shadowland."