Rodeo Day

Frank Luther is all duded up in chaps and such for his performance in this musical short about western music.

Frank sings 'Tumbling Tumbleweeds' and is in as good voice as I've ever heard him on recordings.

Luther was born Frank Luther Crow. He had a long and varied musical career, from organizing church choirs during his brief period as an active minister -- he quit because he had trouble with his sermons -- to being an early exponent of what is now known as a country and western. He recorded in many genres, but is probably best remembered for his recordings of children's songs. He died in 1980 at the age of 81.

Frank Luther was a famous country music* singer back in the 1930s. As a result of this success, he was able to make a few films...though he never became anything other than a very minor star except on the radio and on records.

Like another Luther film I watched today, there isn't a ton of plot in this short and what plot there is seems to be an excuse for all sorts of musical performances. However, the acts are interrupted by a bearded baddie, Black Pete...a rather comical bad guy.

So is this song-fest worth seeing? Well, it all depends on your taste. If you love old B-westerns, especially those of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers with the Sons of the Pioneers, you really should see this picture. Otherwise, it represents a mostly lost style of music that is from bygone days.

*Back in the 1930s, country music was mostly either cowboy music or hillbilly bands (more akin to bluegrass). This isn't a complaint....just showing how the genre has changed over the decades.