Back in the Saddle (1941)

Intro.
Although it's Monday, this review is a tad bit late for "Fridays with the Flying A."  Nevertheless, Back in the Saddle proved to be another fine Gene Autry film.  I had seen a clip of the film on Encore Westerns during an interview with (I think) Douglas Green.  He talked about the man who wrote "Back in the Saddle" - apparently Ray Whitley was the guy, and as they worked on the film he said he needed one last song.  Somehow he said he was getting "back in the saddle" to go to work and a song (and a legend) was born.

Overview
The song, "Back in the Saddle," opens up the film as we see Gene backstage after a rodeo at Madison Square Gardens.  His character is literally going back to his work saddle by leaving the tour and going back to work out West.  While in New York, however, his job is to find Tom Bennet, the man who just inherited Gene's boss's ranch.  Gene and Frog Millhouse find Tom alright and make their way West.  But once they hit town, they find that the copper mine has had a strike and their humble cow town has exploded into a huge mining town.  And at its head is E. G. Blaine, who has the whole town in his pocket.  When Gene and his men discover that Blaine's mine is dumping their runoff into the main river, which is killing their cattle, he tries to put an end to it - first by way of the law.  As Gene tries to get an impartial judge out of town, Tom takes action, resulting in a shootout between the cattlemen and the miners.  In the crossfire, Tom shoots a miner in self-defense.  He is arrested and held with the understanding that as long as Gene doesn't try to stop the mining company, they won't hang Tom.  What results is a battle of wills, which involves two lovely ladies (Julie Bishop and Mary Lee), a gambler who switches to Gene's side, a stampede of cattle and a firey shootout to the end. 

Highlights
I just can't resist Mary Lee and Gene Autry.  They sing so well together, and in this film they are paired for "I'm an Old Cowhand."  Apart from their singing, this film is a pretty standard Western - that is, right up until the last part.  As soon as Tom is taken into custody and Gene is given the ultimatum, the film started to remind me more and more of Rio Bravo (which, ironically enough, stars Dean Martin as a singing cowboy).  That's when the film really starts to turn from a lighthearted oater to a more serious film.  The scene where Gene rides into town to serve the papers to get Tom transferred to another town is breathtaking.  You can feel the tension as he slowly makes his way to the jailhouse at the end of the street.  There's literally no escape.  You know it and Gene knows it.  And that's all I'll say for fear of spoiling it!

Review and Recommendation
While not one of my all time favorite Gene Autry films, Back in the Saddle still deserves a good rating.  It's fun, enjoyable, suspenseful and action-packed.  Plus a few classic songs (I mean, at least watch the first 5 minutes to see where Gene's theme song began!)  It's a well-rounded film with Gene at the top of his game.  Oh yeah, and Mary Lee saves the day - how great is that??