This might be the only time you'll ever catch Smiley Burnette in a suit and tie, and topped off with a derby no less. That's certainly one of the ways the film keeps things interesting, as Gene Autry and his sidekick head off to Hays City to find the villains who hoodwinked young Jimmy Agnew (Rand Brooks) out of five hundred head of cattle. You know, if you think about that for a while, how many head of cattle would Jimmy be gambling at a time in order to lose the whole bunch in a poker game? But I digress.
Besides Smiley, you have a couple other comedy relief characters, one is Slim Andrews going by the name of Pappy. I must have seen him before, but can't really place him; his role was a bit more distinctive here. The other was Cecil Cunningham as Priscilla Locke, a dubious romantic foil for Smiley, as she appeared to be about twenty years his senior. I might be reading a bit more into that than necessary, but she sure did like his slumgullion.
Gene also has a romantic interest in the story, and it turns out 'Steve' Lock is the daughter of the principal bad guy. She must have made quite an impression, because Gene lets her ride Champ. As for the main heavy, he's played by Addison Richards, and I finally figured out a way to recall who he is whenever he turns up in these oaters - he's the one that resembles a young Gene Hackman.
You know, I can't resist picking up on those reminders of a simpler time in pictures of the era. When a driver gets a fill up at Hemmingway's General Store and Gas Station, the bill comes to a dollar eighty for ten gallons of gas!
Gene and Smiley get to mix it up with the baddies quite often in the picture, and they leave a lot of broken furniture in their wake. In a cool chase sequence, Gene and Champ make a get away from the bad guy posse by clearing a ravine, leaving the henchmen to pull up short. It always made me wonder why only the hero's horse could make the jump.
Besides Smiley, you have a couple other comedy relief characters, one is Slim Andrews going by the name of Pappy. I must have seen him before, but can't really place him; his role was a bit more distinctive here. The other was Cecil Cunningham as Priscilla Locke, a dubious romantic foil for Smiley, as she appeared to be about twenty years his senior. I might be reading a bit more into that than necessary, but she sure did like his slumgullion.
Gene also has a romantic interest in the story, and it turns out 'Steve' Lock is the daughter of the principal bad guy. She must have made quite an impression, because Gene lets her ride Champ. As for the main heavy, he's played by Addison Richards, and I finally figured out a way to recall who he is whenever he turns up in these oaters - he's the one that resembles a young Gene Hackman.
You know, I can't resist picking up on those reminders of a simpler time in pictures of the era. When a driver gets a fill up at Hemmingway's General Store and Gas Station, the bill comes to a dollar eighty for ten gallons of gas!
Gene and Smiley get to mix it up with the baddies quite often in the picture, and they leave a lot of broken furniture in their wake. In a cool chase sequence, Gene and Champ make a get away from the bad guy posse by clearing a ravine, leaving the henchmen to pull up short. It always made me wonder why only the hero's horse could make the jump.
