Copyright 23 August 1937 by Republic Pictures Corp. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: 23 August 1937. U.K. release through British Lion. Australian release through British Empire Films: 18 May 1939. 6 reels. 60 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: The movie opens with a sequence showing big city crooks bringing modern cattle rustling techniques to the prairies. In a scene that must have seemed then like a sophisticated James Bond caper, we see rustlers operating a mobile slaughter house. A plane spots the herd and radios its location to trucks hauling men and horses. Riders quickly round up the cattle and butchers clout them over the head as they come through a chute. They remove their hides, quarter them and load the beef aboard refrigerated trucks for shipping to a packing house. Then, it's a quick fadeout before Sheriff Matt Doniphon (William Farnum) and Gene Autry, his first deputy, come to the scene.
The slick operation has brought mounting headaches to the sheriff. The raids, combined with a rancher's killing, have brought a storm of protests. Headlines in the Prairie County Courier blare: "Rustlers Strike Again. Another Herd Vanishes Overnight." "Reign of Terror Sweeps Prairie County." "Sheriff Doniphon No Match for Modern Rustlers."
Newspaper editor Helen Morgan (Ann Rutherford) thinks the sheriff's old-time methods are outmoded. She is campaigning to have him ousted.
COMMENT: Kane's 21st film as a director, but he was still young enough here to experiment a bit with the camera, what with whip pans, running inserts, diagonal angles, dollying-back shots, even a combination whip pan and running insert. True a lot of his direction is expectedly routine and some of it is even a bit rough around the edges, but overall it has a vigor lacking in his later more polished (if still thoroughly routine) efforts.
Fortunately the accent is firmly on action in this Public Cowboy, though Gene does get to sing four or five songs, including happily "The Old Buckaroo". The budget is high with lots of extras, plus location shooting. Our only complaint is that the long-anticipated big action climax starts off big enough but ends rather tamely.
Autry is as personable and ingratiating as ever, whilst Burnette provides amusing support. Miss Rutherford is much more appealing here than in her childish impressions over at M-G-M's Andy Hardy stables. Silent star William Farnum has a meaty role. Arthur Loft is okay as the villain, James C. Morton equally acceptable as an additional comedy relief.
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