Western Jamboree (1938)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Ralph Staub

Writers:

Patricia Harper (story)
Gerald Geraghty (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 December 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Music | Romance | Western

Plot:

Knowing that is contains valuable helium gas, a gang of baguys first tries to purchase the ranch which Gene straw-bosses...

Plot Keywords:

Ranch | Gang | Gas | Helium | Outlaw Gang

Cast

Gene Autry	...	Gene Autry
Smiley Burnette	...	Frog Millhouse
Jean Rouverol	...	Betty Haskell
Esther Muir	...	Duchess
Joe Frisco	...	Frisco
Frank Darien	...	Dad Haskell
Margaret Armstrong	...	Mrs. Gregory
Harry Holman	...	Doc Trimble
Edward Raquello	...	Don Carlos
Ben Hewlett	...	Randolph Kimball (as Bentley Hewlett)
Kermit Maynard	...	Ranch Hand Slim
George Walcott	...	Walter Gregory
Ray Teal	...	McCall

Runtime:

54 min (edited version) | 56 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:Approved (PCA #4805) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ranch hand Slim: Sure hate to see this outfit bust up after all the years we've been together.
Gene Autry: Why do you say that?
Ranch hand Slim: Oh, anything can happen to us with a new owner coming in.
Gene Autry: Oh, I'll admit things have been unsettled since Old Man Marshall died, but I understand that Van Fleet is a pretty nice guy.
Frog Millhouse: What difference does it make who owns the place as long as I ear regular?

Soundtrack:

The Darktown Strutters' Ball

"Oh my, I see trouble lookin' us right in the face!"

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The science behind the plot of "Western Jamboree" is probably somewhat suspect, dealing as it does with the discovery of helium on land that Gene Autry ramrods for an absentee owner. Additionally, Gene and his hired hands agree to cover an old timer's tall tale to his daughter that he's the owner of a thriving dude ranch. Most of the story wouldn't hold up under a strong magnifying glass, but Gene makes it work with the help of his sidekick Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette) and a whole passel of tunes throughout the picture. Gene even goes for a traditional Mexican ballad sung in Spanish - "Cielito Lindo" - making me wonder if I've ever heard him do that before; I don't think so.

Without even trying, Gene also manages to move in on Dad Haskell's (Frank Darien) daughter Betty (Jean Rouverol). She arrives on the scene with high society fiancé Walter Gregory (George Walcott) and his mother (Margaret Armstrong) in tow, precipitating one of the flick's genuine insightful moments from one of Gene's partners - "The only difference between us and society is they wash more often". I had to think about that for a while.

Most of Gene Autry's pictures have their share of run ins with the outlaws, but this one wound up truly creative. When Gene and Smiley finally discover the location of the helium reserve, Smiley uses a gas pipe that the villains engineered to turn a standard kid's toy into a miniature hot air balloon. From his vantage point aloft, Smiley manages to gun down a couple of the charging outlaws before they figure out where all the shooting is coming from. One thing about Smiley, he always had that hot air thing going for him.

Autry fans will take it all in stride, made entertaining by the liberal use of tuneful melodies and the light hearted give and take between Gene and Betty through a number of misunderstandings. Gene even uses the old rope across the trail trick to inadvertently knock her off her horse. That seemed a little rough, but she handled it pretty well, making me wonder how a girl from 'back East' ever got to be so accomplished trading her society duds for Western gear.