Bells of Capistrano

A great Gene Autry film that is really carried by the talented Virginia Grey. Grey is struggling with a dying business, caught between the affections of the screen's first Dick Tracey (Morgan Conway) and parents played by Lucien Littlefield and the versatile Claire Du Brey. Smiley Burnette even has his own sidekick Tadpole (Joe Strauch Jr). There's a lot of sideshows under the big show. The Johnson Brothers Rodeo is trying to shut down and gain control of the World-Wide Wild West Show. Autry and Conway are vying for the affections of the gorgeous Virginia Grey and her parents are itching for a fight with the Johnsons. Charles Cane as Tex North plays a great role as the World-Wide foreman. One of the best scenes is when Cane comes out swinging against Autry to send him packing. Of course Autry has many wonderful songs in this one. He temporary leaves the industry on a very high note before doing his patriotic duty for our country in WWll.

Gene Autry has a special talent that makes his movies so appealing. A warm voice and a honest performance and Republic's skill at action makes this a winner. Virginia Gray is very good looking and talented actress to boot.

You can't go wrong with this one. 7 out of 10

IMDB indicates that "Bells of Capistrano" is 78 minutes. However, the restored version runs 73 minutes and I have no idea if it ever actually ran for 78 or not.

One problem I often see in B-westerns, particularly Gene Autry and Roy Rogers films, is the way too many women are written...particularly love interests for the heroes. Too often, the women are hot-headed and annoying....as if the writers are trying to say that these so-called liberated women need to have a he-man to tame them! Wow...talk about sexist. Now for me the problem is that these cliched women come just too often in the stories and are two one-dimensional. About the worst of them is here in "Bells of Capistrano"...and Jennifer Benton (Virginia Grey) is unbelievably angry at Gene....so much so that my wife kept complaining about the writing of the film.

When the story begins, Gene is fighting with some jerks who attacked him and ends up being briefly jailed. There he meets the McCrackens, two older show people who have fallen on hard times. So, Gene volunteers to be a crooner for the outfit the McCrackens work for...and soon he's a huge success. But Jennifer Benton is the idiot owner of this rodeo and again and again, she's inexplicably angry at Gene. For example, Johnson is a nasty brute with a rival rodeo...and he attacks Gene. Gene defends himself and soon Benton is yelling at Gene!!! Later, Johnson returns with many armed thugs and destroys much of Benton's show...and she then yells at Gene! Now these thugs had clubs and guns and are destroying everything...and she yells at Gene?!?! Huh?!? I'm REALLY confused! Oh, and did I mention that she is also dating Johnson's boss?! I also knew as I watched that the formula also means Gene will just put up with it until, ultimately, this angry wench gives in to his charms and she realizes her boyfriend is a putz!

Despite some very bad writing, is it worth seeing? Well, if you just want to watch Gene sing some nice tunes and punch people, then you can enjoy it on that level. But for lovers of his films, you can't help but feel disappointed by this one...all because of that bizarro woman that was, apparently, written by gophers!

When Gene Autry finds little old Lucien Littlefield and his wife, Claire DuBrey fighting against two young men, he steps in. The sheriff happens along and throws them all in jail, where Autry sings a song and Littlefield hires him for his wild west show. The actual owner, Virginia Grey goes along, but the show is failing, and she's planning to sell out to the competition, Morgan Conway, who also keeps asking her to marry him. But Autry's participation perks up the gate receipts, and they think they can keep going, with maybe a successful blow-off in Capistrano. They don't know that Miss Grey plans to sell, so she can pay off the hands and provide for the old people. Neither do Conway's associates, who aren't above trying to sabotage the show. With Smiley Burnette, of course.

Gene Autry's last released movie before he volunteered for the Army is a good effort, with a nice view of the traveling show business, which had been in contraction and amalgamation mode since the turn of the century. It ends with a big patriotic number, and Autry joined the Army Air Corp -- he had been a pilot for several years. He spent a year doing shows for the troops, but in June 1944, he got his wings as a C-109 pilot, making several flights over the Hump between India and China. While he was there, he tried to have the remainder of his Republic contract cancelled, but the Courts ruled against him. When he returned to civilian life, he would be making pictures for Republic.... for a while.

Gene Autry's last film for Republic Pictures before leaving for war service in the Army Air Corps is this item. Bells Of Capistrano finds him and sidekicks Smiley Burnette and Joe Strauch getting involved in helping to save a rodeo from going bankrupt and being taken over by a competitor.

The show is being run by boss lady Virginia Grey and when her adoptive parents Lucien Littlefield and Claire DuBrey hire Autry as a singer, she's skeptical feeling they need some hard riding cowboys for the various events. But Gene shows he's up to that and his singing all of a sudden starts bringing in the cash customers.

Which is of concern to villains Tris Coffin and Morgan Conway. Coffin opts for traditional villainy, but Conway is opening up an all fronts offensive which includes romancing Grey. That does not sit well with his girlfriend, Marla Shelton.

Gene sings some nice songs in this which include that old Ruth Etting favorite At Sundown. And in keeping with the times and Autry's personal decision to enlist in the Armed Forces there is a rousing patriotic cowboy finale.

Gene Autry went to war on a relatively high note cinema wise. Bells Of Capistrano should please his legion of fans.