Public Cowboy No. 1 (1937)

Rustlers using modern technology (airplanes, shortwave radios, refrigerated trucks) are Gene's target.

Director:

Joseph Kane (as Joe Kane)

Writers:

Oliver Drake (screen play), Bernard McConville (original story)

Stars:

Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Ann Rutherford

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Autry	...	Deputy Sheriff Gene Autry
Smiley Burnette	...	Frog Millhouse
Ann Rutherford	...	Helen Morgan
William Farnum	...	Sheriff Matt Doniphon
Arthur Loft	...	Jack Shannon
Frankie Marvin	...	Deputy Stubby
House Peters Jr.	...	Jim Shannon
James C. Morton	...	Eustace P. Quackenbush
Maston Williams	...	Thad Slaughter
Frank LaRue	...	The Judge (as Frank La Rue)
Milburn Morante	...	Ezra

Storyline

Shannon is running a modern rustling operation using an airplane to spot the cattle, short wave radio to alert the rustlers, and trucks to haul away the beef. When the aging Sheriff Doniphan is unable to bring them in, he is replaced by an eastern detective. But Doniphan's deputy Gene suspects Shannon and sets a trap to nab him and his gang.

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Plot Keywords:

b movie | double feature film | actor shares first and last name with character | actor shares last name with character | song | 

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Taglines:

NO.1 SINGER! NO. 1 RIDER! NO.1 ACTION STAR! In the No.1 picture of his thrill-filled screen successes! (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Lyric Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - May 6, 1938)

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Music | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Goofs

After Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette) falls off the refrigerated meat truck where he was dangling on a meat hook, the back of his jacket no longer has a hole in it where the hook would have been.

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Quotes

Deputy Sheriff Gene Autry: Thanks a lot, folks. Speeches are not exactly my strong point so maybe I better sing. I'm dedicating this number to a man we should all be mighty grateful to. You old timers remember about 30 years ago this town was pretty wild. Gunfights took place in this very street that claimed the lives of my folks and some of yours. Then a young fella named Doniphon was elected sheriff. He didn't have much equipment - just his guns and his nerves. He still carries the scars of those battles, but he made ...

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Wanderers
(1937) (uncredited)
(also known as "Wanderers of the Wasteland")
Written by Felix Bernard and Paul Francis Webster
Sung by Gene Autry, William Farnum, and others
Reprised by them at the end

User Reviews

Another odd anachronistic western with Autry

"Rustlers using modern technology (airplanes, shortwave radios, refrigerated trucks) are Gene's target."--IMDb Summary The version of "Public Cowbiy No. 1" I saw was only 53 minutes long instead of the time listed on IMDb. This is most likely because in the early days of TV they cut down many B-westerns to make them fit TV time slots. However, it's odd that this abbreviated version STILL has so many songs in it, as usually they shortened the films by clipping off a few songs. Actually, clipping a song or two isn't a bad thing, as it tended to speed up the films and keep them much more coherent! But, with ALL the songs seemingly intact in this film, it's not among Autry's best.

The film begins with Gene Autry doing what he does best--singing a song. Soon you see the most amazingly ridiculous cattle rustlers strike nearby. Although this is a western, the baddies drive up in a HUGE modern truck--one that was awfully ridiculous. With meticulous precision, folks pop out of the truck and they quickly butcher and skin the cattle--and hide them in this refrigerated truck! What sort of western would have this any many other oddities in the old west? Yep...a Gene Autry film! You'll also see Gene's Sidekick, Frog (Smiley Burnett) using a shortwave radio, Gene chasing a truck down a highway...with his horse and airplanes! It's the weird sort of melange that even Roy Rogers films tended to avoid--and Autry films abounded with over the years.

So is it any good? Well, not particularly. But, it's also pleasant enough as a time-passer...and it IS funny to see all these modern devices along with so many old fashioned at the same time.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cow-Boy Público nº 1

Filming Locations:

Kernville, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

61 min (copyright length) (restored) 53 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono (R.C.A. Victor 'High Fidelity' Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1