Rancho Grande
Directed by Frank MacDonald
Written by Peter Milne, Connie Lee, Bradford Ropes et al
1940/USA
Republic Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] 1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage. 2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him. 3. He must always tell the truth. 4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals. 5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas. 6. He must help people in distress. 7. He must be a good worker. 8. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits. 9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation’s laws. 10. The Cowboy is a patriot. — “The Cowboy Code”, Gene Autry[/box]
As wholesome singing cowboy movies go, this was not too bad if you can handle some sophmoric humor..
Gene Autrey (character name) is foreman of Rancho Grande. Rancho Grande was recently inherited by a trio of young siblings from back east. The ranch is deeply in debt and the heirs must finish an irrigation project in short order to keep the property. Villain Emery Benson stands to gain if the ranch is foreclosed on and does everything possible to prevent completion. This is all too easy as the elder heirs are bored with ranch life and easily distracted. But Gene perseveres and the ending is a foregone conclusion. With Smiley Burnette as Gene’s comic sidekick.
This is more of a musical than a Western with plenty of songs. The singing is relieved by the seemingly obligatory bar fight and a gun battle between the forces of good and evil at the end. This is one of those pictures in which blacked-out teeth and funny glasses and hats are supposed to be humorous in and of themselves. Nonetheless, it is perfectly watchable if one is in the right frame of mind.
Clip – Autry singing “The Dude-Ranch Cowhand”
