Wagon Team (1952)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

George Archainbaud

Writer:

Gerald Geraghty (written by)

Release Date:

30 September 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

GENE'S IN A SHOWDOWN WITH THE WEST'S SHARPEST SHOOTERS! He and Champ show bordertown boss the way out of town -- and a teen-age bandit the way off that crooked trail!

Plot:

When badguys steal a US Army payroll, stagecoach agent Gene goes undercover as a medicine-show entertainer to smoke them out.

Plot Keywords:

Payroll | Army | Robbery | Horse | Actor Shares First Name With Character

Cast

Gene Autry	...	Gene Autry
Champion	...	Champ, Gene's horse (as Champion World's Wonder Horse)
Gail Davis	...	Connie Weldon
Dickie Jones	...	Dave Weldon, aka The Apache Kid (as Dick Jones)
Gordon Jones	...	Marshal Sam Taplin
Harry Harvey	...	Daniel 'Doc' Weldon
Henry Rowland	...	Mike McClure
George J. Lewis	...	Carlos de la Torre
John L. Cason	...	Henchman Slim (as John Cason)
The Cass County Boys	...	Medicine show performers
Pat Buttram	...	Deputy Pat Buttram

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #15945)

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Gene Autry Productions

Trivia:

The big fight sequence between Gene Autry, George J. Lewis and John L. Cason was originally used in The Big Sombrero (1949).

Goofs:

Continuity: Halfway through the film, the Apache Kid's prominent white gun belt disappears and reappears between shots during the escape sequence.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Back in the Saddle Again

Gene Goes After the Stolen Payroll

Stageline Agent Gene Autry goes undercover to help recover the Army payroll stolen from his company by the Apache Kid (Dick Jones) Gene has himself placed in jail as the Kid's cell mate over the objections of the crotchety Sheriff (Gordon Jones), who resents Gene's interference. When the Kid escapes jail Autry follows the clues to the Kid's Father(Harry Harvey) and Sister's (Gail Davis) Traveling Medicine Show, followed by the sheriff and Deputy Pat Buttram who is in line to collect reward money upon the Kid's conviction. Gene must work around the suspicions of the Kid and his family as well as having to battle Bad Guy Mike Mcclure (Henry Rowland) and his henchmen for the stolen loot.

This later Autry Movie has more singing than most of that era. Gene reworks "In and Out of the Jailhouse" and his signature tune "Back in the Saddle Again". The Cass County Boys provide some toe-tapping old time gospel with "Jubilee". The cast is almost entirely comprised of "Gene Autry Show" regulars (ex-Gordon Jones) putting in some overtime for the Big Screen. Add to that the stock footage and you have a fairly uninspired B-Western. The movie definitely has a feel of corner cutting, which is unusual since Gene's B's tended to have higher production values compared to the competition. Lucky for us fans though, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts in this case. While certainly not Gene's best work, most Autry Fans won't ask for their 61 minutes back.

Showing up in this as the sheriff, veteran actor Gordon Jones had his only big screen appearance with Autry in "Wagon Team" though he had previously appeared in a couple of the Autry television episodes. Not only was Jones prolific, he was also one of the most versatile actors to hit the saddle. He was equally at home as the sidekick, the lawman or playing the bad guy. Jones familiar face appeared throughout the 1950's in episodic television with occasional big screen appearances, ending in 1963 with John Wayne in "McLintock.

Slightly flawed but Worth a watch -- 5 out of 10*