Riders in the Sky (1949)

Director:

John English

Writers:

Herbert A. Woodbury (story)
Gerald Geraghty (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 February 1953 (West Germany)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Gene and Champion Ride To Glory!... as the range echoes to the stirring strains of the great cowboy ballad!

Plot:

When asked about the Ghost Riders song he sings, Gene Autry tells this legend: Gene is about to resign...

Plot Keywords:

Singing Cowboy | Singer | Horse | Cowboy | Beautiful Woman

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Gene Autry	...	Gene Autry
Champion	...	Champion, Gene's Horse
Gloria Henry	...	Anne Lawson
Pat Buttram	...	'Chuckwalla' Jones
Mary Beth Hughes	...	Saloon girl Julie
Robert Livingston	...	'Rock' McCleary
Steve Darrell	...	Ralph Lawson
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Marshal Riggs
Tom London	...	Old Man Roberts
Hank Patterson	...	Stage Driver
Ben Welden	...	Bartender Dave
Dennis Moore	...	Henchman Bud Dwyer
Joseph Forte	...	Engineer Agnew (as Joe Forte)
Kenne Duncan	...	Henchman Travis
Frank Jaquet	...	Coroner

Also Known As:

Beyond the Purple Hills (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #14063)

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Gene Autry Productions

Trivia:

Former Forest Ranger Stan Jones wrote "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky," a hit big enough that it crossed over from country-western charts to standard pop music. A chance meeting with Jones led Gene Autry to buy the rights to the song, and he gave Jones a part in the film. A nearly-complete Autry movie, "Beyond the Purple Hills," was quickly retooled to include the song. Jones himself appears as a cowboy riding herd with Autry in the opening and closing scenes, singing along with Gene's rendition of the spooky song. That same year, Vaughn Monroe had topped the charts with his version (#1 US Pop for 22 weeks). Over the years, many others have recorded it including Peggy Lee, Willie Nelson , Frankie Laine, Johnny Cash, The Marshall Tucker Band and The Doors.

Quotes:

Chuckwalla Jones: Oh, ah, say Gene, you didn't have no trouble gettin' the, ah...
[makes money sign with thumb and forefinger]
Gene Autry: Got the money right here in my pocket - a roll big enough to choke Champ on.
Chuckwalla Jones: Oh, don't give him no ideas. He'd eat it, too, if it was green enough.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Gene Autry: White Hat, Silver Screen (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Ghost Riders In The Sky

A MEMORABLE SCENE AND A MEMORABLE SONG

I was never a Gene Autry fan, being a Roy Rogers fan from age 5, but of all the Autry movies, I recall this one. Tom London who plays the dying prospector tells Gene that the "Ghost Riders" are coming after him. Autry goes to the window and looks out to see the image of shadowy riders coming through the clouds. At this point, Gene sings the song. It is introduced more logically into the plot than any of his other songs. There is also a reprisal at the end of the movie. Even today, when I look up into a stormy sky, the song comes immediately to mind. It was written by Stan Jones, an ex-park ranger, who appeared in Autry's films and who also wrote another Autry hit, "Whirlwind." Tom London, who had appeared in several Republic films as Sunset Carson's sidekick, has said that this particular scene got him other parts in movies and television.