Home on the Prairie

Gene and Smiley are cattle inspectors, who get mixed up with infected herds and slippery owners.

I've seen a ton of matinees, but this is the first where an elephant, yes an elephant, is complicit in a jailbreak. Now let's see the sheriff lock Him up. Pretty good Autry oater, some hard riding, but not many flying fists, nor much fast shooting. Still, the plot's unusual, dealing as it does with a common cattle disease—hoof & mouth-- that's seldom mentioned in oaters. Not much in the way of scenery, looks like Big Bear woods east of LA, at least for some of the shots. I'm constantly amazed by Burnette's low-key versatility. Watch him twirl the six- shooters, maybe comically, but as expertly as anyone. Here he also gets a big part in shaping events. What an underrated comic sidekick he was. Anyway, Storey's fetching, while blowhard Hodgins gets to peddle his patented snake-oil in amusing fashion. Too bad, the song selections are pretty undistinguished, but who cares when we've got Storey to ogle. All in all, it's a decent Autry package, with Gene in the spiffiest outfit this side of uptown Dallas.

A "5" on the Matinée Scale