Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge

Although in the film Gene Autry is from the town of Pine Ridge and gets to sing quite a few numbers, I don't believe I heard a single yodel come from him in the Yodelin' Kid From Pine Ridge. He was not a yodeler, unlike his main singing cowboy rival who would soon be making his first starring western Roy Rogers. Now he yodeled in just about every film he made.

In Yodelin' Kid From Pine Ridge, Gene is cast as Gene Autry Jr., a sensitive young man who is devoted to the cattle business, but does not like to see the violence developing between the cattlemen and a group of turpentiners who are from the hills. These transplanted hillbillies headed by Russell Simpson like the pine forests because they strip the bark off the pine trees and make turpentine to sell.

The cattlemen however want more grass acreage for the cattle to graze and want to burn down the forest. And they don't like the hillbillies just taking cattle whenever they need a meal. Cattlemen LeRoy Mason and Charles Middleton want to lead the effort to burn the forest. And Middleton is Gene Autry, Sr. Talk about exotic casting, Gene Autry as the son of Ming The Merciless.

Anyway Gene is banished from the councils of the cattlemen and joins a Wild West show and many years go by before he returns to Pine Ridge and only as part of the Wild West show. But he's back involved as soon as he returns. Part of the reason of his involvement is Russell Simpson's stepdaughter, former silent screen star Betty Bronson.

In the 54 minute running time a lot of singing and riding gets mixed in with a lot of gunplay as Gene finally gets to the bottom of the feud between the cattlemen and turpentiners. Not much suspense as it is revealed pretty early in the film, but I won't reveal it.

Smiley Burnette plays the head of the Wild West Show, not the usual sidekick part with Gene. He's still getting a lot of laughs, but you will not hear one frog croak which was part of his screen persona.

For fans of the great singing cowboy tycoon, Yodelin' Kid From Pine Ridge should please them.

This Autry film is one of a hand full of his films that for years has been available to the public only in the 53 or 57 minute cut versions. Recently I had the opportunity to see the restored and uncut version on the Starz Westerns channel a few weeks back and what a difference the added 6 or 7 minutes make. The restored version includes a scene of Gene saddling up and singing a nice trail song as he leaves his ranch following his banishment by his father for warning the rival group. Along the way he meets Millie Branum ( Betty Bronson), a young starving girl he befriended earlier by giving her a calf. Millie gives him his rope back and asks him if he will ever return. Gene replies that he doesn't know and Millie blurts out that she will be waiting for him. As Gene rides away continuing his song you see Millie watching him leave as tears stream from her eyes. Also restored are scenes of newspaper headlines superimposed over rodeo footage of Autry's success on the rodeo circuit. Finally an announcement that he is coming back to Pine Ridge with a traveling show. There is more nice restored footage of the show's parade into town with Champion prancing and marching to the music. (The Champion shown in these scenes is not the original screen Champ since he had only three white stockings . The horse used in these scenes has four white stockings.)However, Gene spots his Dad from the parade route and rides over to him, sticks out his had and says " hello Dad". His father turns and walks away. This movie also contains some of Autry's best riding of all his movies. Many closeup chase scenes and running stirrup mounts that clearly show that it is in deed Gene performing these feats. In all a much more enjoyable movie in the restored version.

The film begins around the Georgia/Florida border. Ranchers and the 'Turpentines' (local hill people) are at odds with each other. In the middle is Gene Autry—who tries to get both sides to see reason and avoid an all out war. Unfortunately, he ends up ticking off both sides and Gene's father disowns him. As for Gene, he lands on his feet—becoming a rodeo champ and singing sensation. When he returns home after a few years, things have NOT improved but have become a lot worse. So, it's up to our star to find out who's behind the fight—who is stirring up BOTH sides as well as why.

The idea of setting a Gene Autry movie in the Georgia/Florida region was very good—a nice change of pace. After all, back in the 1930s (and even today) northern Florida is home to many ranches and horses are very common there. However, and this is a BIG however, the film looked exactly like any other Gene Autry film—with cowboys, dusty trails and even a canyon—yet there are no canyons in Florida or Georgia and they are also not dusty/desert locales. In fact, they have TONS of rain, foliage, palm trees and the like—none of which you see in "Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge"! It's obviously just another California back lot production and the filmmakers took no efforts to even try to make it look like the film was set in the East. To me, this was incredibly lazy and brings up a major problem with many B-westerns—they were produced so quickly that shabby mistakes are too common.

Another problem in the film is the singing. While Autry always had a very nice voice, one of the other singing groups (the ladies who sing at about 34 minutes into the film) are just terrible—and I found myself speeding past their performance. Autry's yodeling, while unpleasant, was at least quite skilled.

All in all, a very disappointing film with little to recommend it. After all, who wants to see a 'western' set in the East Coast where none of this clearly took place?!

Beats me why The Western Channel only rated this entry a 1 out of 4. It's easily one of Gene's best. Great mix of hard riding, fast shooting, big cast, and scenic location, plus Gene's way with a song. And get a load of that jug band. They could make music with a bathtub. Gene's trying to bring peace between cattlemen and turpentiners, all the while baddie LeRoy Mason is rustling and blaming it on the turpentiners. Got to admit this is first time I've seen turpentine trees involved in a plot, but it is a change from the standard formula. Look for some good stunt work, plus the grinning aside that the cowboys are just shooting blanks—a joke that I guess stayed in. Looks like one trip-wire episode with a horse going suddenly head over heels-- I hope I'm wrong. Anyhow, Frog gets to cut-up, this time as an impresario of a big time pageant show! And with a moustache, no less. All in all, a fine Autry mix, thanks to Republic. Next time The Western Channel ought to watch a movie before rating it.

A "9" on the matinée scale.

Gene Autry and Ol' Frog put on another great extravaganza which is well directed by Joseph Kane. Betty Bronson always gives a fine performance as the Juliet to Autry's Romeo. Her dad, Russell Simpson is the west's favorite curmudgeon. You can't have a hero without a villain well played by favorite western heavy, Leroy Mason. Great to see a cameo by Fred 'Snowflake' Toones who was a staple in these early westerns.