Springtime in the Rockies (1937) User Reviews

"I'm the doctor now and I'm prescribing a little song."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 29 September 2007]

"Springtime in the Rockies" is probably one of the more romantic sounding titles in Gene Autry's filmography, but the story boils down to a fairly standard cattle men versus sheep men plot. Better make that sheep women though, as new college graduate Sandra Knight (Polly Rowles) heads West to assume her role as the head of the Knight Ranch, managed by Gene. Sandra brings along three of her college gal pals, all graduates with degrees in animal husbandry, but you'd think by their conversation that they have a different type of husbandry on their minds.

While Gene tries to walk a tightrope between the cattle and sheep factions for the sake of the story, it's pretty clear he's on the side of the cattle ranchers. However to be sure Sandra Knight gets a fair shake, he makes sure she doesn't become the victim of a slick land grab by villain Briggs (Al Bridge). Still, that was a pretty shady move with the mercurochrome trick. For a while there, I thought Smiley might become the victim of a smallpox ruse as well. What made me wonder though was why one of the college grads didn't figure out the whole 'hoof and mouth' scheme.

I haven't seen a whole lot of Autry's Westerns for Republic Pictures, so I can't say for sure if he was as lucky with the ladies as John Wayne was in his early films, where he almost always closes out a picture in a clinch with his leading lady. But Gene does so here, proving as he stated earlier in the story, that it was hard to sing and be mean at the same time.

One of the best of the series that Autry made for Republic.

[rsoonsa · 7/10 · 26 September 2002]

Gene Autry plays himself as foreman of a cattle ranch in this engaging modern B western faced with a problem as the new owner of the ranch, Sandra Knight (Polly Rowles), a recent college graduate in animal husbandry who decides to move from the East to her inherited property, brings with her a flock of sheep that she has been gulled into purchasing by an unscrupulous local rancher. Sandra also brings three of her lady college classmates with her to vacation during the summer on her new spread and their attempts to adjust to Western life provides comic effects thanks to a well-written script and the very competent direction of Joe Kane, who always works well with his cast, in this instance abetted by the presence of three veteran cowboy villains: Al Bridge, Edward Hearn and George Chesebro. There is plenty of good riding and roping, notably by Autry upon his splendid jumper, Champion, and the action is fast-paced with an interesting plot, comedic interludes and the customary musical numbers by Gene, who takes a properly strong stance against destructive sheep grazing in this delightful low budget effort, marked by the normal rushed ending when production money is depleted.

Good Enough Autry Vehicle

[FightingWesterner · 6/10 · 1 April 2010]

After talking an angry mob out of killing a rancher for bringing sheep into the community, Gene Autry is alarmed to find out that the livestock in question has been pawned off on his employer, an eastern tenderfoot, who's never even been to the ranch and who happens to be a lady. Gene tries to scare her back east before the neighbors discover the sheep, while nasty villains plot to swindle her out of her spread.

After scores of movies that leave the viewer (at least the ones who don't know anything about ranching) wondering why cowboys always want to kill sheep farmers, finally a film comes along that gives us the answer, Autry: "cause the sheep eat the ruts!"

As far as the movie goes, it's pretty typical, but pleasant enough entertainment. The cast, including Smiley Burnette, sings some good songs and female lead Polly Rowles is quite appealing.

Don't Sign That Deed

[dougdoepke · 29 September 2007]

Better than average programmer. Good action, classic plot and personable leading lady (Polly Rowles). College girl Rowles inherits spread in ranching country with three college friends. Naturally everybody's looking to take advantage of these greenhorns, even Gene when he finds out they want to graze root-eating sheep instead of less destructive beeves. Complications fly thick and fast and maybe you can follow the twists better than I could. But it doesn't really matter because the appeal of these cowboy quickies lies elsewhere than in the logic of the plots. Some good scenery, hard riding, and the great Tom London and George Chesbro in featured parts. Highlights include scaring the girls until one decides to shoot, singing the meanness out of Chesbro (a nifty little scene), and the classic title tune. It may not be High Noon, but for me, it's a darn entertaining 60 minutes.

Cowboy Prankster

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 27 May 2011]

I did a review of a Roy Rogers/Dale Evans film Utah and I said at the time that it wasn't one of their best. Before seeing Springtime In The Rockies I saw that Utah was a remake of this film. In terms of the story it isn't any better than Utah was.

Mainly because Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette decide to pull a dumb prank on Polly Rowles who's come west with some friends and thinks that a beat up piece of scrub land that Gene owns is her ranch. She actually owns a pretty nice spread that Gene is foreman of. But in her ignorance of the code of the west, Polly's bought some sheep and intends to raise them in cattle country.

Gene and Smiley get hoisted on their own petards as a very shrewd Al Bridge decides he can trick Rowles as well into selling the only piece of land she can legally sell. It was as dumb here as it was with Roy and Dale in Utah.

What makes this film better than Utah was the presence of the title song and another Autry standard You're The Only Star In My Blue Heaven that Gene sings in the film. Both sold quite a few 78 RPMs back in the day.

Gene's hardly a cowboy hero in this one, just an overage juvenile prankster who should have known better.

Good Autry western

[funkyfry · 7/10 · 4 November 2002]

Pleasing oater with music has Rowles as a young woman who inherits the ranch Autry takes care of, then on impulse decides to ranch sheep there. All the other ranchers complain, and Autry manages to trick her into thinking she owns a much smaller ranch to contain the damage. Trouble comes when one whiley rancher uncovers the plan and tries to exploit it to get her to sell the land.

Minimal plot, but good action and a very nice setting well photographed. Autry sings some songs.

Not Typical Behavior for Genial Gene

[Chance2000esl · 4/10 · 29 September 2008]

Westerns up to the post World War II years were about good versus evil. The more heroic the hero, the better. It also didn't hurt if he were not only genial and charming, but as tough as nails. 'Genial Gene' Autry certainly had charm, but his star was soon to be eclipsed by the more handsome and more charming Roy Rogers. A film like this didn't really add to Gene's luster. Instead of being a stalwart hero, he tries to play a trick throughout the entire movie on the female lead.

Although at the time the picture was made, perhaps no one gave a thought to the fact that sheep ranching was viable or allowable near cattle country, any more than that the killing of Indians was wrong. In this movie Gene (now playing himself) tries to trick his new female ranch boss, Shirley Knight (played by stage actress Polly Rowles) out of keeping sheep she unwittingly buys for the cattle ranch, and even worse, he tries to get her to leave by convincing her that her $100,000 ranch is really the $500 totally run down 'Poker Ranch' next to it. When you see this summary written here, it makes it sound worse than it comes off in the film. He definitely feels that sheep don't belong in cattle country. Gene acts like he's just playing a little joke on her for her own good, and there's nothing wrong with that (!) -- but that's pretty much the whole movie, except for the singing.

His scheme backfires when she tries to sell the scrub ranch to the evil Briggs (Al Bridges, a villain in countless westerns). Gene has to save the day, tear up the bill of sale, and tell her the truth, so that they can ride off into the sunset together.

The songs are often the high point in Gene's movies which aren't jammed with action. We get 'Springtime in the Rockies', but not a full blown decent version, and a short rendition of 'Buffalo Gals'. Otherwise, the songs are not much. Smiley Burnette does one solo about his 'Frog' voice, and joins in on another. Even if his broad humor doesn't appeal to you, his comic skill shouldn't be underestimated, nor should the fact that since he was a song writing musician, he was actually the best and most versatile of western sidekicks (even above the more limited efforts of Andy Clyde, Andy Devine or Gabby Hayes).

Because it's mostly about Gene trying to trick Polly, rather than his being a 'standing tall' hero, I'll have to give the movie just a four.

Note: Polly Rowles gives a noteworthy performance in the 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' half hour 'The Older Sister' in 1956.

Fun but also kind of shallow and sexist.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 3 May 2013]

"Springtime in the Rockies" is a light-weight B-movie starring Gene Autry--the singing cowboy. As you'd expect, he sang a few songs during this hour-long film. However, one of them (the first in the film) had a rather strange setup. When the ranchers are angry at someone because he brought sheep onto the range, Gene breaks into song. Why? Because, according to him, "It's hard to sing and be mean at the same time"--among the lamest reasons I can recall in a cowboy film! Such is the sort of stuff you'll see and hear in this silly but enjoyable film.

Soon after this kerfuffle settles, the woman who owns the ranch where Gene is a foreman arrives from back East. She has never been to the ranch and she and her college friends are occasionally annoying caricatures--and Gene decides to have fun at their expense. So, instead of showing them to the beautiful ranch house, he takes them to a broken-down shack which he tells them IS the ranch house. Before he can tell them about his big joke, however, the goofy owner buys sheep! What's Gene to do? While the film is a bit fun in spots and is a rather inconsequential film, it may offend some. Again and again, the young women are the butt of jokes, as they are 'silly feminists'. While it's true that sometimes Gene and his friend Frog (Smiley Burnett) get theirs sometimes, in the end it's up to the men to save these poor women. And, the resolution to the problems seems to come way too quickly and easily. But, the songs are generally nice, Burnett makes for a nice sidekick and the film has a few good moments. On balance, a decent time-passer but not much more.

Sheep

[StrictlyConfidential · 5/10 · 30 October 2021]

"Springtime In The Rockies" was originally released back in 1937.

A lady rancher and her girlfriends arrive from the East to take possession of her new spread. Gene sends them to a dilapidated shack in hopes of making them go back where they came from. The ploy backfires when the villainous Briggs learns of Gene's ruse and persuades the rancher to sell her property for a fraction of its value. To eliminate any loose ends, he then frames Gene for murder.

Autry trying to pull the wool over her eyes

[frank4122 · 10/10 · 27 April 2020]

It all begins when Gene and Smiley pull some tricks in trying to save their boss lady, the beautiful and talented Polly Rowles from sheep herding in cattle country. Seasoned performer George Chesebro superbly plays the overzealous cowpoke enforcing the law of the land. One of the great villains and infantry man Al Bridge does great in playing the unscrupulous business man as does Edward Hearn in trying to frame Gene. Frog has probably his best song (and funniest) singing 'And How'. Ula Love flawlessly adds the comic relief in breaking down the resistance of the hired hands, "Well, pards, I reckon you hombres are figgerin' on a rip-snortin' bang-up shindig tonight".Joseph Kane does another admirable directing job and Champion has some well-earned scene stealing moments.