Round-Up Time in Texas (1937)

Gene and Frog arrive with a herd of horses for Gene'e brother, a diamond prospector whose work has attracted the interest of a bunch of badguys.

Director:

Joseph Kane

Writer:

Oliver Drake (original screenplay)

Stars:

Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Maxine Doyle

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Autry	...	Gene Autry
Smiley Burnette	...	Frog
Maxine Doyle	...	Gwen Barkley
The Cabin Kids	...	Chief Bosuto's Children (as Cabin Kids)
Champion	...	Gene's Horse
LeRoy Mason	...	John Cardigan (as Le Roy Mason)
Earle Hodgins	...	Barkey McCusky
Dick Wessel	...	Henchman Craig Johnson
Buddy Williams	...	Chief Bosuto
Elmer Fain	...	Chief Bosuto's Son
Corny Anderson	...	Namba (as Cornie Anderson)
Frankie Marvin	...	Cowboy / Soldier
Ken Cooper	...	Tex Autry

Storyline

Gene and Frog head for South Africa where Gene's brother Tex has found diamonds. Arriving they find Tex missing. Heading into the jungle, they are captured by a local tribe. Frog's magic gets Gene's release and Gene finds Tex. But Tex is a prisoner and Gene quickly finds himself a prisoner also.

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Plot Keywords:

magic | south africa | horse | native bearer | false murder charge | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cowboy na África

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

61 min 61 min (2004 restored) 54 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Bill: Here's a cablegram for you, Gene. I reckon it came from your brother in South Africa.
Frog Milhouse: South Africa!
Gene Autry: Yeah, it's from Tex all right, fellas. Listen to this! "Dear Gene, Barkley and I discovered a rich diamond mine in the Valley of Superstition. Stop. Need horses badly, but impossible to buy. Stop. Bring at once as many as you can round up. Stop. We can auction off those not needed at big profit. Cable your plans immediately care of John Cardigan - Dunbar, South Africa."
Ranch hand: Diamonds, huh?
Frog Milhouse: He's got a ...
[...]

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Soundtracks

"Uncle Noah's Ark"
(1937) (uncredited)
Written by Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette and Nick Manoloff
Performed by Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette

User Reviews

Entirely wild and surreal

The title of this astonishingly silly farce is somewhat misleading as the vast majority of the action, after the initial five minutes, continues in South Africa's Cape Colony, to which Gene Autry and his customary 1930s sidekick Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette) have travelled in order to deliver a herd of wild horses to Gene's brother, a diamond miner who requires the steeds for his mining activity and who apparently can find no saddle horses nearer than Texas. From the moment the two cowboys arrive in Africa, there are few scenes that make any sense at all, as we see the pair captured by a native tribe, after escaping an attack by lions, and while in captivity Frog instructs a young tribal quintet (The Cabin Kids, stars of many Hal Roach shorts) in Western rhythm songs, which the youngsters sing in instantly acquired English, one of many welcome musical interludes. The title song, also known as "When the Bloom is on the Sage" is warbled by Autry and others, beautiful mezzo Maxine Doyle, Gene's love interest, sings a South African drinking song, and the grotesque tale obeys a pull into musical moments at nearly any time, yet it is the hilarious voodoo chanting by the feckless tribe and an amorous gorilla suited character which boggle, whereas to state that this is an off-beat venture is a feeble description of a film that one must see to believe, but that one probably mustn't.