Gaucho Serenade (1940)

A bunch of businessmen are out to kidnap a former partner's son so he won't squeal on them. Guess who must stop them.

Director:

Frank McDonald

Writers:

Betty Burbridge (original screenplay), Bradford Ropes (original screenplay)

Stars:

Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, June Storey

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Autry	...	Gene Autry
Smiley Burnette	...	Frog Millhouse
June Storey	...	Joyce Halloway
Duncan Renaldo	...	Gaucho Don José
Mary Lee	...	Patsy Halloway
Clifford Severn	...	Ronnie Willoughby (as Clifford Severn Jr.)
Lester Matthews	...	Frederick Willoughby
Smith Ballew	...	Buck Benson
Joseph Crehan	...	Edward Martin
William Ruhl	...	Henchman Carter
Wade Boteler	...	Rancher
Ted Adams	...	E.J. Jenkins
Wendell Niles	...	Radio Announcer
The Velascos	...	Mexican Dancers
José Eslava's Orchestra	...	Cantina Musicians (as Jose Estava's Orchestra)

Storyline

Gene Autry and sidekick Frog Millhouse depart Madison Square Garden and NYC heading west for home in their car and a horse trailer carrying Gene's horse, Champion. They discover that Ronnie Willoughby, a young boy just off the boat from school in England, has hitched a ride, thinking that Gene and Frog were sent by his father to meet him. Ronnie thinks his father is a big rancher in the west and doesn't know that his father, Alfred Willoughby, is serving time in San Quentin prison because of a frame-up by the officials of a packing company. To keep the father from testifying against them, the packing company officials, Carter, Jenkins and Martin, have arranged for the boy to be kidnapped. Along the way a runaway bride, Joyce Halloway, and her young sister Patsy join the troupe. Various members of the cast sing and dance their way through The Singing Hills, Gaucho Serenade, Give Out With a Song, Heading For the Wide Open Spaces, 'Tis Be, Keep Rollin' and A Song of Sunset before every ...

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Plot Keywords:

horse | song | bride | singing | rancher | 

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Taglines:

GENE AUTRY...THE SIX-GUN ACTION KING...BACK IN ANOTHER RANGELAND HIT! (original pint ad-all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Music | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

10 May 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Keep Rollin'

Filming Locations:

Jack Garner Ranch - State Highway 74, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

66 min 66 min (1998 restoration) 54 min (edited) 66 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Patsy Halloway: I wonder if we'll have to walk all the way to the ranch.
Joyce Halloway: Oh, it's only two or three thousand miles.
Patsy Halloway: Two or three thousand miles! You got me into this...
Joyce Halloway: Listen, Rebecca of Sunstroke Farm, coming along was your idea.

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Soundtracks

"A Song at Sunset"
(uncredited)
Music by Gene Autry and Johnny Marvin
Lyrics by Harry Tobias
Performed by Gene Autry and Mary Lee with an offscreen orchestra

User Reviews

Sweet Road Western

As Gene and Frog cross the USA they meet up with 2 sets of stowaways, two sisters running away from a wedding ceremony and a boy being chased by criminals. As Gene sings several pleasant songs the movie moves at a rapid pace never dragging and includes a great railroad hijacking sequence. The new print from the Autry museum is perfect in every way and makes this movie indeed a serenade As b-westerns go this a 10.