Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette are joined by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers, in the 1937 black and white classic western, The Old Corral.
The Main Characters
Gene Autry plays the sheriff and Smiley Burnette plays the part of Deputy Frog Millhouse. The two heroes involve themselves in saving a young woman, Eleanor Spencer, played by Irene Manning, from gangsters, who are trying to find her after she witnesses the head of the gang, Scarlotti, murder a man.
The Plot
After Eleanor witnesses the murder, she heads west to hide from the gang, and winds up in the small town where Gene is the sheriff. Gene discovers that Eleanor is in hiding when he sees her picture in a newspaper headline. Unfortunately, the saloon owner who has hired Eleanor has also seen Eleanor’s picture in the paper, and writes to Scarlatti in hopes of making some money in a deal. But, when Scarlotti and his gang arrive in town, Gene is ready for them. The plot is intertwined with the romance between Gene and Eleanor, musical performances of the Sons of the Pioneers, with Roy Rogers as a bad guy, and Smiley Burnette chiming in with his famous frog voice.
Early performances of Great Western Stars, With a Few Surprises
The music is superb, and it is worth watching this classic film just to experience the combinations of voices and instruments, and see these great western musicians when they were just starting out.
Seeing Roy Rogers play a bad guy in a movie with Gene Autry is a rarity. Roy is very young in this movie, and is so new, that he isn’t listed separately in the cast, but is included as one of the Sons of the Pioneers. Another great bonus is that Lon Chaney plays the part of the cowardly saloon owner, for whom the gangster, Scarlatti has no respect. Scarlatti has no intention of paying the saloon owner for the information on Eleanor’s whereabouts.
A Great Historical Record
The country setting for the horse and car chases were possibly filmed on the old Iverson Ranch where the Lone Ranger was filmed, in what is now Chatsworth, California. Gene’s small town was set in the Republic Studios lot, which later was reworked into the back lot location for the CBS Studio Center in the 1960’s for westerns like Gunsmoke, The Wild,Wild West, and The Big Valley. Republic Studios began as the Keystone Studios, headed by Mack Sennet in 1928, and is located in Studio City, California.
This film is a great historical record.
Yana Marshall - Yana Ungermann-Marshall is a writer, artist and Information Professional currently working at Altadena Public Library as a Reference ...
