In his first full year of turning out B-Westerns, Gene stars in this one that has a different slant than many of his films. He is knocked out early by a prison escapee and thrown off a train; the escapee, Wolf Benson, then heads for a ranch operated by a friend of Autry's from many years before, to masquerade as Gene Autry and try to wheedle a big "loan" from the man.
Meanwhile, Gene is found, just coming back to consciousness, by Smiley Burnette and Earle Hodgins, a two-man traveling medicine show. They take Autry to the nearest town, where he was heading anyway, with them being unaware (and evidently Gene is, too) that Benson changed clothes with Autry while he was unconscious, and that the clothing he is now wearing is depicted on a "wanted" poster of Benson. Autry winds up being arrested and thrown in jail as "Wolf Benson".
The story goes on from there, with Gene and the "good folks" from his friend's ranch coming out on top at the end -- naturally.
This movie has some fine music of the early Western Swing variety, including two songs by the famous band the Light Crust Doughboys. In addition, Gene does a brief riding stunt about halfway through, standing up in his saddle as Champion gallops alone. Did he do it himself? Or was it "obviously a stunt man," as the Autry haters who post most of the reviews of his movies would insist? I don't know; could have been either way.
And for the first, but not the last, time in his movies, Gene displays his ability to spin a lariat, a la Will Rogers. Not as well as Rogers could, but he does it. Autry often used his lariat in movies, usually to lasso an escaping bad guy.
As I said above, this is a "different" B-Western. But then, most of Gene's were, with a mix between the "Old" and the "New" Wests. Of course, the Autry haters voice frequent dislike of this. But it's just what makes Autry's movies unique -- an element of fantasy. And the American people loved it, with Gene being the leading movie cowboy for six straight years, from 1937 to 1942. They loved the Singing Cowboy. Some of the people who post on here, obviously don't. Well, that's their problem. Gene cried all the way to the bank.
