Melody Trail

Looks like this is Gene's third movie and second for Republic. Unfortunately, it's not a very good one, at least in my little book. Follow the story if you can. It's something about hired hands rustling cattle from their owner. But the narrative's so spotty, it's hard to tell. Then there's the Gypsy baby, stolen by a friendly dog (Buck). The baby's carrier gets handled like a bundle of sticks, so we know it's really empty. Gene has to sort all this out, with the help of an all girl posse (!) and, of course, Frog.

The action finally picks up toward the end, with lots of hard riding. No flying fists, however, nor any fast shooting. Even Gene's songs are not very tuneful. Maybe the only memorable part is the Gypsy hoedown that's not exactly a Western staple. Then too, Ann Rutherford does make a winsome young woman. All in all, my advice is to catch the same year's Tumbling Tumbleweeds, which manages just the right Autry mix.