Gene Autry’s first starring role in a feature (after the weird and wonderful serial The Phantom Empire for Mascot Pictures) and first picture for Republic (though originally filmed by Mascot) is this musical western. Gene plays a young man who, disowned by his father for opposing the latter’s contentiousness and now performing with a medicine show that is heading toward his old home town, discovers both that his father has been murdered and that an old friend (Cornelius Keefe) is wanted for the killing. Gene undertakes to determine what really happened, assisted by his pal Smiley (Smiley Burnette), and eventually works out a ruse to get the bad guys to betray themselves. Able support from Smiley (who does some sleuthing and shows a willingness to confront the bad guys, too) and from George “Gabby” Hayes as Dr. Parker, owner of the medicine show, an effective romantic subplot, and excellent musical performances (not just singing, with Gene doing the title song and his big hit, “That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine,” but dancing as well, courtesy of Eugene Jackson as part of the medicine show) make this an auspicious start to Gene’s feature film career.

  Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax.

Movie 317 for 2021.