Gaucho Serenade (1940)

I meant to post this yesterday in honor of "Fridays with the Flying A," but as Fridays are usually busy, the weekly Gene Autry post will now be on or around Friday instead. :-)

Intro.
So often Gene Autry films are overlooked in the history of American film; most academics scoff at the mention of "singing cowboy" pictures.  I've heard a few colorful names for them, like oaters and B-Westerns.  But if it wasn't for Gene Autry and the introduction of music to the films, the Western genre may very well have died off back in the 30s.  Adding a rising radio singing star like Autry made Westerns appeal to more people, specifically women.  More people meant more business and more money.  Soon all kinds of singing cowboy pictures turned up, even with stars like Bing Crosby and John Wayne (needless to say, John Wayne had his singing dubbed!)

But it was the Lavender Cowboy himself, Gene Autry, that really led the charge.  And of all the films he made prior to his enlistment in World War II, I think that Gaucho Serenade (1940) is arguably one of the best.  The premise is similar to many of the "road" pictures common at that time (think It Happened One Night and Without Reservations) - strangers meet on the road West, join together through some outside cause, and at first fight then become friends. 

Overview
This film starts with corrupt businessmen having framed a man for murder.  As he is about to testify in a case against them, they decide to convince his 12 yr old son to come home from England to reunite with his father.  They of course plan to hold him as a bit of blackmail.  Anyway, the boy comes over, but mistakes Gene and Smiley Burnett for the businessmen and falls asleep in the back of their car.  They don't have the heart to tell the boy that there's no such thing as "Rancho San Quentin" like his father wrote him about.  Things get more complicated when the guys unknowingly pick up two women - one of which is a runaway bride (who stole the bridegroom's car no less).  What follows is pure entertainment - from the girls and guys bickering, to dodging the cops and the crooked businessmen, to a runaway trailer and hold up, to a shootout on a moving train and even a jail break!  It all works out, though: father and son reunite, justice is served to the bad guys and Gene gets the girl.

Review
What I like the most about this film is that it comes right at the middle of Gene's film years - he's learned a lot about acting since those 1936 pictures, but still has that vigor and lighthearted spirit that seemed to dim after the war.  Perhaps it was because he wasn't competing with Roy Rogers quite yet.  And his role is unusual - not only is he a bit out of his environment (on the road and in cities instead of on a ranch and in some frontier town), but his attitude is more spunky.  I love the banter between him and the would-be bride Joyce (played by June Storey).  I also love the songs - they fit a little better in the plot, and Gene's duets with Joyce's sister Patsy (played by Mary Lee) are superb.

Recommendation
All in all, if you ever want to see a Gene Autry film, I would recommend starting with this one.  It's light, it's funny, has great songs and a great cast.  What a great way to start off "Fridays with the Flying A!"


Interested in singing cowboy films?  Check out the book Singing in the Saddle by Douglas B. Green and Back in the Saddle Again: Essays on the Western by Edward Buscombe and Roberta E. Pearson.  You can also read more about Gene, Smiley and the rest of the cast at IMdB.