Red River Valley (1936) User Reviews (13)

"I'm beginning to smell a rat!"

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 21 May 2008]

The Red River Land and Irrigation Company is experiencing sabotage at a number of their project dams, so Gene Autry hires on to investigate the trouble. Smiley Burnette's on hand as Gene's sidekick Frog Millhouse, but this isn't one of his pictures where you get to hear that distinctive frog voice. That's OK, as Gene and Frog foil a nefarious group attempting to undermine the local ranchers by disrupting the dam operation, but it's never really made clear what the scheme is all about. You kind of have to figure out on your own that if the local ranchers fail, the mortgages on their properties would be ripe for picking by the local hoods.

There's a term introduced in the story that I've never heard before in an early Western, or any Western for that matter. Once Gene hires on with the locals, he's referred to as a 'ditch rider', presumably for patrolling the local dam sites to prevent their destruction. The term didn't seem to be particularly appropriate, but it sounded kind of cool, so I guess I can let it pass.

I had to do a double take when I watched that scene of Gene going over the cliff on his horse Champion to escape the bad guy posse. I would swear I'd seen the exact same scene before in a movie, and since the era is the mid 1930's, I would suspect it's from one of John Wayne's early Lone Star Westerns. It will probably take me some time to research the exact picture, but I'll get around to it some day. As for Smiley following Gene into the drink, that's a different story. I like to think of events like that as a warm up for that great scene where Butch and Sundance escape Lord Baltimore's posse by jumping into the river at the bottom of a canyon.

Unique for an Autry Western, I thought the inclusion of the black character Iodine (Eugene Jackson) to be pretty entertaining. I don't think I've seen him before in a picture, but I'll be more attentive now. He actually got to do a little more than just a bit part with that dance routine at the saloon, nicely done.

As for Gene's nominal love interest in the story, it blew by pretty quickly. Frances Grant portrayed the daughter of one of the local ranchers, and she almost got as far as holding hands with Gene. Not too shabby, but the one thing that really caught me by surprise in the picture had to do with Gene and Smiley closing in on the bad guys. I never saw it before in at least a couple dozen of Autry's flicks, but Smiley actually takes a bullet in the shoulder!

What's The Name Of That Song Again?

[boblipton · 5/10 · 6 August 2023]

With the threat of drought always in their minds, the ranchers and farmers of the Red River Valley have set up a company to dam the river and provide needed water at all times. It's almost ready to open, but some one keeps delaying it by dynamiting the works. Who would want such a thing?

This Gene Autry movie is clearly a B picture under the direction of B. Reeves Eason, but it keeps moving along, even with four or five renditions of the title song and four others, mostly written by and performed by Autry and Smiley Burnette. There are a couple played by a jug band, but my favorite of them is "Fetch Me Down My Trusty '45", sung by Burnette. It moves at a good pace, thanks to editing by Joseph H. Lewis and Carl Pierson, but it doesn't impress me particularly, despite a fine sequence when the dam opens up and almost drowns a couple of fellows.

An odd sort of plot for a western.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 24 November 2011]

The plot of "Red River Valley" is pretty odd for a western--and the film really doesn't seem like a western--just a movie that is set in the Western US. The film begins by talking about how important irrigation is to the land--and then you see the dam blown up and the project ruined. Frog and Gene (Smiley Burnett and Gene Autry) are hired on by the dam project to help them stop the sabotage. However, soon the thugs begin riling up the locals against the dam and getting the men to strike and stirring up other sorts of troubles. And, soon things get pretty violent. Can our two heroes find out who's behind all this and get this dam built? This film is pretty typical of an Autry film despite the unusual plot. It has the requisite pretty girl, the baddies, the loyal sidekick and the songs. Not surprisingly, you'll hear "Red River Valley" but fortunately there isn't too much singing to distract from the plot. Not bad--not great--but enjoyable.

Outstanding Autry Mix

[dougdoepke · 25 February 2014]

Wow, I love that torrential water rushing from the dam. Then too, director Eason shows why he was one of the best in the matinée business. He really knows how to stage action, whether jumping off sheer cliffs or fisticuffs atop a dam. I expect the concrete barrier was one of the many WPA public projects of the 30's, of which the TVA is the best known.

This is one of Gene's earliest and it's a doozy, really well produced by Republic with lots and lots of extras, locations in Yuma, AZ, and an unusual storyline. So who's trying to sabotage the dam and keep the farmers out. Gene and Frog work to find out, and you know they will since our hero is decked out in his best finery. But can Autry get the payroll money to the men in time—it's a nail-biter as Gene struggles across the barren flats. Music-wise, I couldn't get enough of the title song and ended up croaking it out til the wife left the room. And how about that jug band, just about everything but the proverbial kitchen sink. All in all, it's a great Autry mix that I expect helped put him on the matinée map.

A "9" on the matinée schedule.

About what you'd expect from a low-budget 30s oater

[JoeytheBrit · 4/10 · 23 December 2008]

A typical low-budget 30s western which is entertaining enough when taken on its own terms. Probably aimed at young boys, it focuses more on action than anything else, and quickly dispenses with the obligatory romancing of a fetching wench so that it can concentrate on the ultimate foiling of a dastardly plan by the bad guys to ruin local farmers in order to benefit on the foreclosure of their mortgages. Memorable moments are few and far between, but here are a few that might linger: Autry and his comedy sidekick launching their horses over the edge of a cliff into a river below; mine workers singing a curious ditty and performing a shuffling sort of step as they stroll through town to collect their wages; the (then) present-day costumes worn by half of the characters; the complete absence of music during a chase scene

Gene Autry As The Ditch Rider

[FightingWesterner · 7/10 · 16 June 2014]

When dynamite-wielding mystery men repeatedly sabotage the construction of a new reservoir and kill the "ditch rider" responsible for the site's security, cowboy Gene Autry is hired to replace him and bring the saboteurs to justice.

A typically entertaining Republic Pictures production, this has some good action and stunt work, with the always likable Smiley Burnette backing up Gene and offering some comic relief to the proceedings.

One interesting sequence (that should have been longer) involves Autry tracking the villains to an abandoned territorial prison in the middle of the desert.

Keen viewers will recognize future Producers' Releasing Corporation contract villain Charles King, who figures prominently in the film's climactic riot!

Musical interludes are few this time around, though Gene does get to sing his big hit version of the title song.

From This Valley They Say You Are Going

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 2 June 2009]

In Red River Valley, Gene Autry delivers a herd of cattle to the camp of a group of construction workers and then saves a couple of children from a charging steer which of course nears and endears him to the boss's daughter Frances Grant. The workers are constructing a kind of Tennessee Valley Authority on the Red River, but someone has been regularly sabotaging the job. Gene and Smiley Burnette take jobs as ditch riders which is the expression for security guards to patrol the dams and river. It's a job that's been fatal for the last few riders.

Of course the bad guys are now dealing with America's number one singing cowboy so we know things will be set right. The most interesting performance in the film is that of George Chesebro who acts as an agitator among the workers, but he's really in cahoots with the one trying to sabotage the job for his own nefarious ends.

If you've seen a gazillion B westerns on the big screen and small you know exactly who's behind the dirty work. Gene sings a couple of forgettable songs and of course the unforgettable title song. As for the identity of the villain, just remember these are the years of the New Deal and certain professions inevitably were villains.

A masterpiece when compared with Blazing Saddles!

[Spondonman · 7/10 · 27 December 2004]

This was an incisive indictment of American capitalist greed in a similar vein to Battleship Potemkin ... sorry, I've got my notes mixed up. This is much better than Potemkin! The print I watched needed some of the same TLC however, but I guess and reckon that won't happen.

Gene delivers his herd of steers to the railroad, only to change his job into that of the more exciting sounding "ditch rider" for the dam builders. I don't know, I suppose I could have missed it but what the heck is a ditch rider's duties, apart from thwarting the baddies at every turn? They're trying to stop construction on the dam, but not destroy it - a fine line in movies like this! The acting and screenplay is what you would expect; the title song is sung suitably downbeat throughout, with a little help from Smiley and a Novelty Hillbilly Band in the starkly lit saloon.

I loved it - not recommended for the serious.

Singing cowboy Gene Autry enlivens an otherwise dull B-grade Western.

[Kieran_Kenney · 5/10 · 10 June 2003]

Gene Autry is essentially the only reason to watch Red River Valley (aka Man of the Frontier). He's a pretty good actor, an even better singer, and looks good in his cowboy costume. He's an interesting person to watch. Unfortunately, he's about the only thing to recommend this film. I found the whole affair dull and, quite frankly, uninteresting. Granted, the makers of this film weren't trying to create a masterpiece. It's pretty clear that their primary objective was to quickly and cheaply make a picture with a story that would appeal to most people and that would exploit the vocal abilities of their star. Autry doesn't arrive onto the scene until several minutes into the film. When he does, he waits around for twice as long until he gets to sing. Why wait so long to have him get back to doing what he does best? I don't know. As for the rest of the cast, few of them aspire to even slightly memorable portrayals of their roles. Smiley Burnette is probably the only exception to this. The townspeople, the judge, the romantic interest, all of them are totally forgettable in their roles. Not having see any of Autry's other western vehicles, I can't honestly say that I have anything to compare this film to. This is just my first impression. Still, despite it's numerous flaws, it's still fun to watch Autry do his stuff on screen.

B-Western

[StrictlyConfidential · 5/10 · 1 November 2021]

Red River Valley" was originally released back in 1936.

Anyway - As the story goes - Baxter is building a dam that will bring prosperity to the surrounding land, but Bull and his gang have been directed by an unnamed leader to sabotage the construction and halt the progress. Gene takes the job of ditch rider, his predecessors having been killed on the job. When Bull and company rob the payroll, Gene hunts them down, but when he returns, he finds the unpaid and angry workers ready to blow up the dam.

Gene and Frog Fight the Dam Busters

[frank4122 · 10/10 · 14 April 2019]

I loved this early Gene Autry action packed western. The music of course is wonderful and Smiley adds a doozy of his own. The singing cowboy is not only interested in saving the dam but he has a love interest in Mary Baxter played by the beautiful Frances Grant. Dancer and dance teacher Eugene Jackson who was signed by Hal Roach in the Our Gang series, has a great dance scene that can't be missed. Dancing, singing, love, and great riding and shooting make Red River Valley one of my favorite Singing Cowboy films.

One of Gene's best!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 29 January 2018]

Of Gene Autry's 1936 releases, "Guns and Guitars" was certainly one of the best on offer. But better still was an entry made earlier in 1936, "Red River Valley" (known on TV as "Man of the Frontier"). In this one, Smiley Burnette not only actively assists Gene at the climax, but even gets himself wounded! True, some of the earlier action punch-ups fail because of weak direction, but the widely acclaimed action specialist, Breezy Eason, improves no end as the movie progresses. Two stuntmen and their horses take a spectacular dive from a cliff into the river and much of the actual location shooting is cleverly set up at a real dam. How about that breathtaking scene of Gene Autry and his prisoner wading across the spillway as the floodgates are actually opened? And what about the tremendous riot scenes commencing with that spectacular image of the train, loaded with a gang of opposing workers, careering through the center of the rioters and smashing a wagon directly in line of the camera?

In fact, it really doesn't matter too much what has gone before, because the last two reels of "Red River Valley" are virtually nothing but solid action all the way, what with Gene fighting George Chesebro and Charles King, then the chase and the dive off the cliff, followed by the stalking in a deserted fort (another superbly utilized location). Breezy Eason was rarely at home with dialogue, but his handling of such scenes here seems less stiff than usual. As Red River Valley is one of the few "B" pictures he directed in toto that benefits from his remarkable second unit abilities, it must rank as one of his best films.

The photography also evidences more creative craftsman-ship than usual. Lewis' film editing comes across as admirably sharp, lending the picture plenty of pace. However, while Autry and Burnette display plenty of vitality, the heroine, Frances Grant, although pretty enough, is not only drably dressed but comes over like a damp doll. It's George Chesebro who steals the acting honors from the stars with his delightful performance as one of the villains. Charles King has a much smaller role as his unwitting accomplice. ( Available on both Alpha and Mill Creek DVDs).

Man of the Frontier (Red River Valley)

[everchanges · 9/10 · 13 January 2007]

Champion runs, Gene sings. A mixture of modern day cowboys (with Damsand stuff) and old time cowboys. Plus some pretty decent non -Health & Safety action. Gene is a ditch rider and Champion knows he is really the Star ! Sabotage and dirty works at the irrigation plant, involving dynamite and songs along the way.

There is such an aura of dust bowl and emigration around this film. Jug blowing novelty acts, Woody Guthrie chord breaks in songs. When is a strike not a strike - when there's baddies and guns.

The usual shoot-em up finale and a few bars of Red River Valley.The film was marketed under the title Man of the Frontier, around the world, and that may be because of the clash with the other, more violent and more mediocre, film of the same name.

Champion runs, Gene Sings, nearly perfect in this movie.