''Melody Ranch'' is a 1940

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 ...

musical film directed by

Joseph Santley Joseph Mansfield Santley (born Joseph Ishmael Mansfield, January 10, 1890 – August 8, 1971) was an American actor, singer, dancer, writer, director, and producer of musical theatrical plays motion pictures and television shows. He adopte ...

and starring

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

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

, and

Ann Miller Ann Miller (born Johnnie Lucille Collier; April 12, 1923 – January 22, 2004) was an American retired actress and former dancer. She is best remembered for her work in the Classical Hollywood cinema musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Her early ...

. Written by Jack Moffitt, F. Hugh Herbert,

Bradford Ropes Bradford Ropes (January 1, 1905 – November 21, 1966) was a prolific novelist and screenwriter whose work includes the novel ''42nd Street'' that was adapted for the 1933 film of the same name and then a Tony Award winning musical, also of the ...

, and

Betty Burbridge Elizabeth Burbridge (December 7, 1895 – September 19, 1987) was an American screenwriter and actress, best known for her Western screenplays. Biography Elizabeth Burbridge was born in San Diego, California on December 7, 1895, the gran ...

, the film is about a singing cowboy who returns to his hometown to restore order when his former childhood enemies take over the frontier town.Magers 2007, p. 175. In 2002, the film was added to the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

by the National Film Preservation Board and selected for preservation as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Plot

Gene Autry (

) returns to his hometown of Torpedo as guest of honor at the Frontier Days Celebration, where he meets his childhood enemies, the Wildhack brothers—Mark (Barton MacLane), Jasper (Joe Sawyer), and Bud (Horace McMahon)—who are now local gangsters. The Wildhacks own a saloon next door to the school, and when their shooting and brawling endangers the safety of the children, Gene protests and threatens to expose them during his next radio broadcast. The Wildhacks stop the broadcast and beat Gene up. Realizing that Hollywood life has softened him to the extent that he can't hold his own against three assailants, Gene decides to remain in Torpedo and get into shape again. He is encouraged by his friend Cornelius J. "Corney" Courtney (

) and Pop Laramie ( George "Gabby" Hayes). Refusing to return to Hollywood, Gene now broadcasts his radio shows from Torpedo. Julie Sheldon (

), a debutante with theatrical aspirations, sees Gene in his natural setting and begins to take an interest in the cowboy she formerly scorned. Meanwhile, Gene rounds up the Wildhacks and fights them single-handed, forcing them to sing on his broadcast. When the brothers become determined to get revenge, Gene runs for sheriff so he will be in position to clean up the Wildhack political machine for good, and also make use of the "Vote for Autry" song. During the battles that ensue, one of Gene's friends is killed. Gene discovers evidence that identifies the Wildhacks as the killers.Magers 2007, pp. 174–175.

Cast

Production

Casting

''Melody Ranch'' marks the first romantic leading lady role for dancer

. In one love scene Miller and Autry kiss. Negative advance publicity, however, led Republic Pictures to cut the kiss from the final print.Magers 2007, p. 176. Autry later recalled, Miller would later claim incorrectly that she received Gene's first screen kiss, a distinction that belongs to

Barbara Pepper Barbara Pepper (born Marion Pepper; May 31, 1915 – July 18, 1969) was an American stage, television, radio, and film actress. She is best known as the first Doris Ziffel on the sitcom '' Green Acres''. Early life and career Marion Pepper ...

and Ann Rutherford.

Filming and budget

''Melody Ranch'' was filmed September 16 to October 5, 1940. The film had an operating budget of $181,275 (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 ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American supernatural ho ...

of $177,520.

Stuntwork

* Yakima Canutt * Wally West * Joe Yrigoyen (Gene Autry's stunt double)

Filming locations

Alabama Hills The Alabama Hills are a range of hills and rock formations near the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in the Owens Valley, west of Lone Pine in Inyo County, California. Though geographically separate from the Sierra Nevada, they are part o ...

, Lone Pine, California, USA * Mammoth Lakes, California, USA * Red Rock Canyon State Park, Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA * Republic Studios, 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Soundtracks

* "Stake Your Claim on Melody Ranch" (Jule Styne, Eddie Cherkose) by Gene Autry and cowboys * "Stake Your Claim on Melody Ranch" (reprise) by Gene Autry and Ann Miller * "Rodeo Rose" (Jule Styne, Eddie Cherkose) by Gene Autry and musicians * "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair" (Stephen Foster) * "Welcome Home" by the children * "Torpedo Joe" (Jule Styne, Eddie Cherkose) by Mary Lee with piano accompaniment * "We Never Dream the Same Dream Twice" (Gene Autry, Fred Rose) by Gene Autry and Ann Miller * "My Gal Sal" (Paul Dresser) by Ann Miller (vocals and tap dance) and male chorus * "William Tell Overture" (Gioachino Rossini) * "Back to the City Again" (Ray Whitley, Jule Styne, Eddie Cherkose) by Joe Sawyer and Horace McMahon * "Call of the Canyon" (Billy Hill) by Gene Autry * "What Are Cowboys Made Of" (Jule Styne, Eddie Cherkose) by Joe Sawyer and Horace McMahon * "Vote for Autry" (Jule Styne, Eddie Cherkose) by Jimmy Durante and Mary Lee * "Silver Threads Among the Gold" (H.P. Danks, Eben E. Rexford) by Barbara Jo Allen (a cappella)Magers, pp. 173–174.

Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio

In 1953, Gene Autry purchased the

movie 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. The ...

, the Monogram Pictures Ranch property in Placerita Canyon State Park near Newhall, California and renamed it the Melody Ranch after this film.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * *

External links

* * *
Melody Ranch Information

{{Authority control 1940 films 1940s Western (genre) musical films American Western (genre) musical films Republic Pictures films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Joseph Santley Films shot in Lone Pine, California United States National Film Registry films Films produced by Sol C. Siegel Films scored by Raoul Kraushaar Films with screenplays by F. Hugh Herbert 1940s American films