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

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Music | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

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

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

Ezra - Newspaper Printer: I'm ready for that lead article.
Helen Morgan: Well, I had it here a minute ago.
[looks at Gene]
Helen Morgan: What did you do with it?
Deputy Sheriff Gene Autry: Is this it?
[Gene tosses Helen a string of paper dolls]
Helen Morgan: Why, you belong in a kindergarten or a padded cell. Now get out of here!

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Old Buck-A-Roo
(1937) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Fleming Allen
Sung by Gene Autry on the radio

User Reviews

Most Bizarre Opening Scene in a Western

This is a pretty typical early Gene Autry Western. Cowpokes and cattle and horses and cars/trucks/airplanes ... yeehaw.

Anyway, the most unusual scene in this movie, very subtle indeed, is the opening sequence. Gene, ridin' and singin' along, the titles rolling by. Check out behind him and see if you see anything odd.

What's that? Looks like a dummy or something. No, it's Smiley Burnette, riding backwards with a forward facing mask on the back of his head. Even funnier, once the titles and song are finished, Gene and another guy have a long conversation before they even mention the bizarre Smiley and his "disguise" ...

His explanation: It was a disguise so that he could keep an eye out so no one could sneak up on them from behind. Ah, Smiley. Ah, humanity.