Complete credited cast: | |||
Gene Autry | ... | Gene Autry | |
Champion | ... | Champ - Gene's Horse (as Champion World's Wonder Horse) | |
Lynne Roberts | ... | Helen Ellis | |
Anne Gwynne | ... | Kitty | |
Edward Norris | ... | Doc Larry Taylor | |
Kenne Duncan | ... | Al Bartlett & Mark Bartlett | |
Alan Hale Jr. | ... | Ben Luber | |
Gregg Barton | ... | Al Bartlett's Partner | |
Steve Darrell | ... | Sheriff Phillips | |
Tom London | ... | Tom Ellis | |
Pat Buttram | ... | Mike |
Gene Autry hunts bank robbers Al Bartlett and Trot Lucas with his old friend Mike. Bartlett, to throw off his pursuers, kills Trot and his own brother. When Kitty Bartlett comes to town claiming to be the slain Bartlett's widow, Gene has to save her from the irate townspeople who are not aware that her name isn't Bartlett but she really is the daughter of a law officer slain by Al Bartlett. Ben Luder, a local hood, tricks Bartlett back into town by saying he has to fixed to have Doc Larry Taylor do plastic surgery on him. En route they meet Doc and his assistant Helen Ellis and Ben's ruse is exposed. Bartlett kills Ben and forces Doc to drive him to the railroad. Gene, in a fight atop a runaway train, captures Bartlett. Written by Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Crackling good Autry, full of action, scenery, and two girls to ogle instead of just one. The plot's more complex than usual, but nicely worked out. The stunt work atop the train is an eye- catcher, and I think Gene did his own. Much of the action is woven into that great Lone Pine backdrop of the Southern Sierras, so there's a lot to look at. Then too, sidekick Buttram has a more serious role than usual, with little buffoonery.
Maybe the hardest thing is seeing Alan Hale Jr., the genial Captain from Gilligan's Island, playing a devious bad guy. Good to see Tom London (Tom) a veteran of a thousand and one oaters picking up another payday. He always looked so right for a cowboy part. Gene manages a couple of solo songs, both familiar western standards, so this is primarily an action feature, not an Autry musical. Anyway, as the movie title tells you, it's a grittier story than usual, and a good one it is.