Mountain Rhythm (1939 film)

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

1939 American 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
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.

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)

Production

Stuntwork

Ken Cooper (Gene's double)
Jack Kirk (Smiley's double)
Nellie Walker
Joe Yrigoyen

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

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

References

Citations

^ Magers, p. 136.
Magers, pp. 136–137.
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
Mountain Rhythm at AllMovie

v t e Films directed by B. Reeves Eason
The Adventures of Rex and Rinty After the Storm Alimony Madness Around the World in 18 Days The Assayer of Lone Gap The Barren Gain Behind Jury Doors The Big Adventure Black Arrow The Blot on the Shield Blue Montana Skies Blue Streak McCoy The Bluffers Call of the Yukon Clearing the Trail Colorado Competition Cornered The Crow Dance Hall Hostess Daredevil Drivers Darkest Africa The Day of Reckoning The Denver Dude The Desert Hawk Drawing the Line Empty Holsters The Exile of Bar-K Ranch A Fight to the Finish The Fighting Heart The Fighting Line The Fighting Marines Fighting the Flames Fighting Youth The Fire Eater Flashing Spurs The Flyin' Cowboy The Four-Bit Man Galloping Fury The Galloping Ghost Give Me Liberty A Good Business Deal Hair Trigger Stuff The Heart Punch Hearts in Shadow Held Up for the Makin's Her Resale Value His Last Race His Nose in the Book The Honor of the District Attorney The Honor of the Press Human Stuff In Trust The Jack of Hearts Johnny Get Your Hair Cut The Kid and the Cowboy The Kid Comes Back King of the Wild Land Beyond the Law The Lariat Kid The Last of the Mohicans The Law of the Wild The Little Lady Next Door Lone Hand Saunders The Lone Hand Matching Dreams Men of the Sky Midnight Morals The Miracle Rider The Moon Riders Mountain Mary Mountain Rhythm Murder in the Big House Murder on the Waterfront Mystery Mountain Neighbors' Wives 'Neath Canadian Skies The New Champion The Newer Way Nine-Tenths of the Law North of the Border Painted Ponies The Phantom The Phantom Empire Pink Tights The Poet of the Peaks The Prairie King Prairie Thunder Profit from Loss The Prospector's Vengeance A Question of Honor The Rattler's Hiss Red Courage Red River Valley Revenge at Monte Carlo Riding for Fame Rimfire Roaring Ranch Roughshod A Sanitarium Scramble Sergeant Murphy Service with the Colors The Shadow of the Eagle The Shadow on the Wall Shadows The Silver Lining The Smuggler's Cave The Solution to the Mystery The Spirit of Adventure Spurs Spy Ship The Substitute Minister The Sunset Trail The Tanks Are Coming The Tell Tale Wire The Test of Donald Norton The Texas Bearcat The Sign of the Claw Through Thick and Thin Tiger Thompson Time and Tide To Melody a Soul Responds To Rent Furnished A Trick of Hearts Trigger Fingers Trigger Tricks Truck Busters Two Kinds of Love Undersea Kingdom The Vanishing Legion Viviana The Wasp The Winged Horseman Women First

Films directed by B. Reeves Eason

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