Mountain Rhythm (1939 film)

This article is about the 1939 American film. For 1943 American film, see Mountain Rhythm (1943 film).

Mountain Rhythm
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	B. Reeves Eason
Screenplay by	Gerald Geraghty
Story by	Connie Lee
Produced by	Harry Grey (associate)
Starring	Gene Autry Smiley Burnette June Storey
Cinematography	Ernest Miller
Edited by	Lester Orlebeck
Music by	Raoul Kraushaar (supervisor)
Production company	Republic Pictures
Distributed by	Republic Pictures
Release date	June 9, 1939 (1939-06-09) (U.S.)
Running time	59 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English

Mountain Rhythm is a 1939 American Western film directed by B. Reeves Eason and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and June Storey. Based on a story by Connie Lee, the film is about a cowboy who organizes his fellow ranchers to oppose an Eastern promoter's land grab scheme.^[2]

Plot

Aunt Mathilde "Ma" Hutchins (Maude Eburne) and the other ranchers of the valley are in danger of losing her ranches. Mr. Cavanaugh (Walter Fenner), an Eastern promoter, wants to develop a dude ranch on their land. In order to get their land, Cavanaugh arranges for the government to put up nearby public lands for auction—lands the ranchers use to graze their cattle. The auction would drive the ranchers out of business and allow Cavanaugh to acquire the land at a cheap price.

Gene Autry (Gene Autry) and Ma's nephew Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette) come to the rescue. Gene organizes the ranchers to pool their funds and sell their herds in order to raise enough money to bid on the land at auction. As Gene and Frog return with the proceeds of the cattle sale, they are ambushed by Cavanaugh's men, who steal the money. With the help of the hoboes in the valley, who are led by Judge Homer Worthington (Ferris Taylor) and Rocky (Jack Pennick), Gene stages another roundup using the hoboes as ranch hands. They round up enough cattle to buy the land at auction and save their valley.

Cast

• Gene Autry as Gene Autry
• Smiley Burnette as Frog Millhouse
• Maude Eburne as Aunt Mathilde "Ma" Hutchins
• Ferris Taylor as Judge Homer Worthington
• Walter Fenner as Mr. Cavanaugh
• Jack Pennick as Rocky
• Hooper Atchley as Mr. Daniels
• Bernard Suss as MacCauley
• Ed Cassidy as Sheriff Dalrimple
• Jack Ingram as Henchman Ed Carney
• Tom London as Deputy Tom
• Roger Williams as Rancher Kimball
• Frankie Marvin as Cowhand Burt
• Slim Whitaker as Deputy Slim (uncredited)
• Champion as Gene's Horse (uncredited)^[1]

Production

Stuntwork

• Ken Cooper (Gene's double)
• Jack Kirk (Smiley's double)
• Nellie Walker
• Joe Yrigoyen^[3]

Filming locations

• Iverson Ranch, 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
• Walker Ranch
• Andy Jauregui Ranch, Placerita Canyon Road, Newhall, California, USA
• Barney Oldfield's Resort^[1]

Soundtrack

• "Highways Are Happy Ways (When They Lead the Way to Home)" (Larry Shay, Harry Harris, Tommie Malie) by Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Ferris Taylor, and Jack Pennick
• "It Makes No Difference Now" (Jimmie Davis, Floyd Tillman) by Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette in jail
• "It Was Only a Hobo's Dream" (Gene Autry, Johnny Marvin, Fred Rose) by Gene Autry (vocal) and Smiley Burnette (vocal and concertina)
• "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (Traditional) by Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, June Storey, and hotel guests on the hayride
• "The Old Grey Mare" (Traditional) by Gene Autry and hotel guests on the hayride
• "Long, Long Ago" (Thomas Haynes Bayley) by Gene Autry and hotel guests on the hayride
• "Oh, Dem Golden Slippers!" (James Allen Bland) by Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and hotel guests on the hayride
• "Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet" (Percy Wenrich, Stanley Murphy) by Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, June Storey, and hotel guests on the hayride
• "Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet" (Reprise) by Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, June Storey, Maude Eburne, Ferris Taylor, and Jack Pennick at the end
• "Gold Mine in Your Heart" (Gene Autry, Johnny Marvin, Fred Rose) by Gene Autry (vocal and guitar)
• "Knights of the Open Road" (Gene Autry, Johnny Marvin, Fred Rose) by the Hoboes, with Smiley Burnette on the concertina^[1]

References

Citations

1. Magers, p. 136.
2. Magers, pp. 136–137.
3. Magers, p. 137.

Bibliography

• George-Warren, Holly (2007). Public Cowboy no. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195177466.
• Green, Douglas B. (2002). Singing in the Saddle: The History of the Singing Cowboy. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN 978-0826514127.
• Magers, Boyd (2007). Gene Autry Westerns. Madison, NC: Empire Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-0944019498.

External links

• Mountain Rhythm at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Mountain Rhythm at IMDb
• Mountain Rhythm at the TCM Movie Database