Le Champion

Gene Autry goes through the "Save the Ranch for some one else" plot, in this case for Ronald Sinclair, doing his Freddie Bartholomew routine. It's decently performed and there are no mechanical men living beneath the Melody Ranch. Judith Allen is the very muted love interest and there is some nice comedy there, besides the songs and Smiley Burnette.

Nonetheless, I didn't find it particularly compelling. Autry may have been the king of Republic's singing cowboys at the time, but producer Sol Siegel wasn't spending enough money on music for him, and it shows. Soon enough Autry would balk, and Roy Rogers would get his chance.