Melody Ranch (1940)

Best movie of this year hands down!

That was an excellent one.

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

In the 1930s and early 1940s, Gene Autry was America's number one cowboy on the silver screen. At the same time Melody Ranch was the name of his weekly radio variety show. As was already pointed out, these two themes were united in Republic's big picture of feature length (84 min.), which includes a nice supporting cast. In the movie, Gene has a weekly radio show on station KRL in LA. His cast includes Cornelius J. Courtney (Jimmy Durante) and Julie Shelton (teenaged Ann Miller). There is also Penny Curtis (Mary Lee), but no Smiley Burnette in this one.During Frontier Days celebration in Torpedo, Arizona, Gene Autry has been named honorary sheriff and he accepts the town's invitation to bring his radio show there. Torpedo looks like an 1895 western town, except that it is electrified, has pay telephone and radio, and a few automobiles. The trolley line is electrified, a plausible setting for the period. Folks wear a combination of western and eastern clothing, and there are 1930-style majorettes in the welcoming parade. A thrilling stagecoach race is featured, and there is a spectacular crash where a stagecoach crashes into the horse water trough while turning a corner; the stunt man (Yakima Canutt?) did a nice job of jumping in time and not getting killed. That scene has been used in other western movies.Torpedo is mostly run by the uncultivated Wildhack Brothers (Jasper, Mack, and Bud). As the school adjoins the active saloon (to say the least), classrooms are often disrupted by loud noise, rowdiness, and discharged firearms. When the Wildhacks disturb the class in the presence of Gene and Pop Laramie (Gabby Hayes), charges are brought against them. A judge dismisses the charges. A funny scene is Cornelius playing the role of defendant and lawyer, resulting in a fine of $25. Nevertheless, Gene exposes the brothers' shenanigans on his radio broadcast. As the Wildhacks attempt to stop the show, there is a fist fight. Although outnumbered Gene holds his own fighting two Wildhacks (Jasper and Bud), Jasper (Joe Sawyer) clubs him over the head from behind and knocks him out. (Mack – Barton Maclane – is passive, wears business clothing, and does not engage in the fist fighting.) Nevertheless Pop says that Gene lost because he is out of shape and needs toughening up on his spread, called Melody Ranch. Gene agrees, and begins his routine of rising at 5:00 AM and working the ranch. Later Gene gets his revenge when he fights Bud (Horace MacMahon) and Jasper Wildhack individually on Pop's Torpedo trolley and wins. Cornelius calls the rounds. Now the humiliated Wildhacks are forced to sing on Gene's radio show, and they do not do a bad job. During an earlier show Ann Miller did a routine that showed off her shapely dancing legs. Originally scorning Gene, Julie begins to take a liking to him.Meanwhile Gene decides to runs for sheriff against the corrupt Barstow, backed by the Wildhack political bloc. "A vote for Gene Autry is a vote for clean government." The bad guys try to keep out the honest faction by erecting a barricade across the main street, near the town hall. Understanding that the days of the "Wild West" are over, Mack instructs the shooters to aim high so as to avoid bloodshed (Just "scare 'em until the polls close at 7:00 PM!"). But Bud, who has already killed one of Gene's friends, aims low with intent on shooting directly at Gene's assembled relief force. Noting that the trolley track is perpendicular to the barricade (and town hall), Gene singlehandedly boards the trolley, operates it, and smashes into the barricade. Jasper Wildhack rallies his desperadoes who retreat into the town hall and shoot a stream of hot lead at the posse. But Gene sends the trolley crashing into the building, ending the Wildhack dominance of Torpedo. Cornelius helps round up the bad guys.Of all of Gene Autry's movies, this film is deemed by The American Film Institute to be worthy of permanent movie preservation. While some viewers may feel that there are several better and more action packed Autry films, this one is worth seeing. It has better production values than the typical Gene Autry western. The back-up casting is fine all-around. Jimmy Durante, already a well-known comedian and movie actor, had his own TV show in the 1950s. Ann Miller and Gabby Hayes also made their marks in the entertainment world. Even the bad guys (Joe Sawyer, Barton Maclane, Horace MacMahon) do their best to be appropriately mean. So stake your claim on Melody Ranch!

Just shy of seeming like a big time MGM musical. I'm happy to settle for this short black & white Gene Autry sagebrush saga. A very talented group assembled to appear in one of Autry's best. Gene comes home to Torpedo, Arizona and is declared honorary sheriff during a Frontier Days Celebration. He does have enough authority to clean up the town and rid Torpedo of some of the worst law breakers in the Old West. Gene gets to sing the title tune "Melody Ranch" as well as "Call of the Canyon" and a very likable "We Never Dream the Same Dream Twice".This round up of talent features: Ann Miller, Jimmy Durante, Horace McMahon and 'Gabby' Hayes as Pop Laramie and Barbara Jo Allen as 'Vera Vague'.

"Melody Ranch" (1940) is one of Gene Autry's best-known and most popular Oaters. In reality,while not his best, it's still entertaining as all get-out! The only neative is the screenplay by Jack Moffitt, F. Hugh Herbet (norelation to the comic character actor), Bradford Ropes and Betty Burbridge: It's got a little too much comic corn. The film boasts an unusually strong cast,including Gabby Hayes, Gene's love interest Ann Miller (who never ever looked more stunning - she's a total knockout here at age 17), bad guy Barton MacLane, and Jerome Cowan (a year before Mary Astor bumps him off when he played Bogie's Sam Spade partner Miles Archer near the beginning of "The Maltese Falcon"). Serving as Gene's back-up band...Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys! The fella who gets the lion's share of the corny jokes is that wonderful legend, Jimmy Durante. His role is similar to his Banjo in "The Man Who Came to Dinner" four years later, in 1944. I absolutely love the two-reel B film "Oater" westerns of the '30 & '40s and the western TV series of the '50s. This one comes close to being included among them but the high corn factor keeps it off the list. But Ann Miller is really great to look at here.

A rather interesting Republic western with Gene Autry. This one is long 83 minutes for one, and although it has a plot done numerous times before is interesting due to the comic relief of Jimmy Durante and Vera Vague, who normally wouldn't be seen in B westerns. In addition a 17 year old Ann Miller plays his love interest and does one of her customary tap numbers. Why it almost seems like a small MGM musical.