''Cowboy Serenade'' is a 1942 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

William Morgan William Morgan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * William De Morgan (1839–1917), pottery and tile designer in Britain * William Morgan (director) (1899–1964), English film director and editor * William Michael Morgan (born 1993), American ...

and starring

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

Smiley Burnette Lester Alvin Burnett (March 18, 1911 – February 16, 1967), better known as Smiley Burnette, was an American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and ...

, and

Fay McKenzie Eunice Fay McKenzie (February 19, 1918 – April 16, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She starred in silent films as a child, and then sound films as an adult, but perhaps she is best known for her leading roles opposite Gene Autry in ...

. Written by

Olive Cooper Olivette "Olive" Cooper (1892–1987) was a prolific American screenwriter known for movies like '' Cocoanut Grove'', ''Bandit King of Texas'' and ''Three Little Sisters''. She wrote many of the screenplays for Roy Rogers and Gene Autry vehicles. ...

, the film is about a singing cowboy and cattleman who goes after a gambling ring after they fleece the cattlemen association's representative of their cattle. The film features the songs "Nobody Knows", and "Sweethearts or Strangers", and the title song.

Plot

As president of the Flagpole Cattlemen's Association, singing cowboy Gene Autry (

) entrusts the sale of the association's large cattle herd to young Jimmy Agnew (

Rand Brooks Arlington Rand Brooks Jr. (September 21, 1918 – September 1, 2003) was an American film and television actor. Early life Brooks was born in Wright City, Missouri. He was the son of Arlington Rand Brooks, a farmer. His mother and he moved ...

), who is so thrilled with the opportunity that he proposes marriage to his girlfriend, Millie Jackson (Linda Leighton). The next day, while traveling to Hays City with the cattle, Jimmy is persuaded to join a poker game by two crooked gamblers, Dixie Trambeau ( Tristram Coffin) and Joe Crowley (John Berkes), who fleece the naive cattleman and force him at gun point to turn over the power of attorney authorizing them to sell the cattle. Ashamed at his blunder, Jimmy goes into hiding. Back in town, the distraught cattlemen prepare to swear out a warrant for Jimmy's arrest. Gene and his sidekick Frog Millhouse (

) ask them to hold off, offering to go to Hays City to search for him. At Hays City, Gene and Frog meet with District Attorney Stevens (Forbes Murray), who tells them about Trambeau's crooked gambling ring, which is responsible for fleecing many ranchers. Stevens explains that the spur railway line on which Trambeau and Crowley operate is out of his jurisdiction, and that he cannot investigate it without the permission of the line's owner, Asa Lock (

Addison Richards Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. (October 20, 1902 – March 22, 1964) was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than 300 films between 1933 and his death in 1964. Biography A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Richard ...

). Stevens does not know that Trambeau and Crowley receive their orders directly from Asa, the secret leader of the gambling ring. Gene and Frog go to Asa's office seeking his help, but learn he is out of town. They meet his daughter Stephanie (

), who hires them as ranchhands, assuming they are looking for work. Soon, Gene is romancing Stephanie, while her aunt, Priscilla Smythe (

Cecil Cunningham Edna Cecil Cunningham (August 2, 1888 – April 17, 1959) was an American film and stage actress, singer, and comedienne. Early years A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Cunningham was one of at least six children born to Sarah Hunter and Patric ...

), pursues Frog. The romancing is interrupted, however, when Asa returns to the ranch. Gene reveals the purpose of his visit and asks Asa to allow an investigation of the spur line. Asa refuses to cooperate, and goes off to contact Trambeau and Crowley, ordering them to hide out near the ranch. Unaware of her father's criminality, Stephanie tells Gene that she can prove her father's innocence, and soon gives Stevens permission to conduct his investigation. Despite several attempts by Asa to have him killed, Jimmy finally comes out of hiding and rides to the ranch with Gene to tell his story. Later, Gene and Frog discover the gamblers' hideout, but Trambeau and Crowley are able to escape with the help of Priscilla and the Locks' Chinese servant and ride back to the ranch. There they learn that Asa sent Jimmy a false message directing him to Stevens' office, having planned for a truck to run Jimmy off the road. When Asa finds out that Stephanie is in the car with Jimmy, he rushes off to save her. Just before the collision, Gene jumps into Stephanie's car and steers it away from the oncoming truck, which then collides with Asa's car. As Asa lays dying, Gene assures him that he will take care of his daughter. Afterwards, at Jimmy and Millie's wedding, Priscilla catches the bouquet from the bride as Gene and Stephanie look on in laughter.

Cast

as Gene Autry *

as Frog Millhouse *

as Stephanie "Steve" Lock *

as Priscilla Smythe *

as Asa Lock *

as Jim Agnew * Tristram Coffin as Dixie Trambeau * Slim Andrews as Pappy Vanderpyle * Linda Leighton as Millie Jackson * John Berkes as Joe Crowley * Otto Han as Ling (uncredited) * Forbes Murray as District Attorney Stevens (uncredited) * Champion as Gene's Horse (uncredited)

Production

Filming and budget

''Cowboy Serenade'' was filmed November 24 to December 10, 1941. The film had an operating budget of $83,486 (equal to $ today), and a

negative cost Negative cost is the net expense to produce and shoot a film, excluding such expenditures as distribution and promotion. Low-budget movies, for example '' The Blair Witch Project'', can have promotional expenses that are much larger than the ne ...

of (equal to $ today).

Filming locations

Agoura, California Agoura () is an unincorporated community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located southeast of the city of Agoura Hills and adjacent to the city of Calabasas, Agoura was the historical name of the area before much of the area ...

, USA * Beale's Cut,

Newhall Pass Newhall Pass is a low mountain pass in Los Angeles County, California. Historically called Fremont Pass and San Fernando Pass, with Beale's Cut, it separates the Santa Susana Mountains from the San Gabriel Mountains. Although the pass was visi ...

, California, USA * Chatsworth Railroad Station,

Chatsworth, California Chatsworth is a suburban neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. The area around the town was home to Native Americans, who left caves containing rock art. Chatsworth was explored and colonized by the Spanish beginn ...

, USA *

Crowley Lake Crowley Lake is a reservoir on the upper Owens River in southern Mono County, California, in the United States. Crowley Lake is south of Mammoth Lakes. The lake was created in 1941 by the building of the Long Valley Dam by the Los Angeles Depa ...

, California, USA *

Iverson Ranch A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated for use as a set in the creation and production of motion pictures and television shows. These were developed in the United States in southern California, because of the climate. Movi ...

, 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA * Republic Pictures Backlot, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Stuntwork

* Yakima Cunutt * Ken Cooper * Evelyn Finley (Fay McKenzie's stunt double) * Bud Geary * Clara Strong (Cecil Cunningham's stunt double) * Ken Terrell *

Tex Terry Edward Earl Terry (August 22, 1902 – May 18, 1985), known professionally as Tex Terry, was an American film actor who often played a henchman in B-movie Westerns during the 1940s and 1950s. Biography Terry was born in Coxville, Indiana. In 1 ...

(Smiley Burnette's stunt double) * Bud Wolfe * Joe Yrigoyen (Gene Autry's stunt double)

Soundtrack

* "Cowboy Serenade" (Rich Hall) by Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and cowboys, reprised with Fay McKenzie * "Nobody Knows" (George R. Brown, Jule Styne) by Gene Autry * "

Tahiti Honey ''Tahiti Honey'' is a 1943 American musical comedy film directed by John H. Auer and starring Simone Simon, Dennis O'Keefe and Michael Whalen.Martin p.199 The film's sets were designed by the art director Russell Kimball. Plot A new female ...

" (George R. Brown, Jule Styne, Sol Meyer) by Fay McKenzie * "Sweethearts or Strangers" (Jimmie Davis, Lou Wayne) by Gene Autry

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * *

External links

* * {{William Morgan (director) 1942 films 1942 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Republic Pictures films Films directed by William Morgan (director) Films scored by Raoul Kraushaar 1940s American films English-language Western (genre) films