Melody Ranch
1940 · Movie · 84 min. · United States
With a longer-than-usual running time on original release and booked and sold to the exhibitors as a "Gene Autry Special", which Republic would do once a year from 1939-1943 in order to get higher rates than on the regular series entries from the theatre owners. Hey, Jimmy Durante and Ann Miler cost more than Smiley Burnette and June Storey. This "special",(which alternates between tongue-in-cheek and for-real and hard to distinguish which is which since there was very little for-real in most of the fantasy-land settings Autry's Republic films were laid in), finds Gene returning to his hometown of Torpedo as guest of honor at the Frontier Days Celebraion, Once there, he encounters his childhood enemies, the Wildhack brothers (Barton MacLane, Joe Sawyer and Horace MacMahon in pecking order), now the local gangsters (and playing it with relish.) The Wildhacks own a saloon next door to the school, and when their shooting and brawling endangers the safety of the children, Gene protests...
Direction Joseph Santley
Cast Gene Autry · Jimmy Durante · Ann Miller · Barton MacLane · Barbara Jo Allen · George 'Gabby' Hayes · Jerome Cowan · Mary Lee · Joe Sawyer · Horace McMahon · Clarence Wilson · William 'Billy' Benedict · The Kidoodlers
Soundtrack William Lava · Paul Sawtell
Screenplay Jack Moffitt · F. Hugh Herbert · Bradford Ropes · Betty Burbridge · Sid Kuller · Ray Golden
Cinematography Joseph H. August
Original title Melody Ranch
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Not rated (FilmAffinity)
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