a5c7b9f00b Gene goes after the badguys after they kidnap the baby he should have been babysitting. After Gene has his watch stolen by the Gypsy he takes a job on the Thomas ranch. Thomas' dog has brought home the cradle with the Gypsy's baby and when the Gypsy retrieves his baby, Gene thinks he is a kidnaper. But as he chases after him he now sees that Thomas' cattle are being rustled. It didn't take long to establish the Autry formula. Admittedly, his 5th movie, namely "Melody Trail" (1935), does present an unusual conclusion in which Gene actually marries heroine Ann Rutherford (looking much older here than in her later "Andy Hardy" movies), while Smiley is hitched with the even more attractive Gertrude Messinger. <br/><br/>And would you believe, there's a dog in the cast too - "Buck, the wonder dog!" - who competes with Champion for the audience's attention. <br/><br/>As with all the Hoppy movies, all the action is saved for the last reel, nut it's good stuff: Autry's double performs three thrilling leaps - from horseback into a speeding car, a tree-branch fall to clobber a villain in the saddle, and an acrobatic somersault down an incline.<br/><br/>I wish we knew the double's name, but more likely there were at least three of them! Looks like this is Gene's third movie and second for Republic. Unfortunately, it's not a very good one, at least in my little book. Follow the story if you can. It's something about hired hands rustling cattle from their owner. But the narrative's so spotty, it's hard to tell. Then there's the Gypsy baby, stolen by a friendly dog (Buck). The baby's carrier gets handled like a bundle of sticks, so we know it's really empty. Gene has to sort all this out, with the help of an all girl posse (!) and, of course, Frog. <br/><br/>The action finally picks up toward the end, with lots of hard riding. No flying fists, however, nor any fast shooting. Even Gene's songs are not very tuneful. Maybe the only memorable part is the Gypsy hoedown that's not exactly a Western staple. Then too, Ann Rutherford does make a winsome young woman. All in all, my advice is to catch the same year's Tumbling Tumbleweeds, which manages just the right Autry mix.
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