Rootin' Tootin' Rhythm (1937)

A lot of fun.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Rootin' Tootin' Rhythm has Gene Autry and his favorite sidekick Smiley Burnette on the trail of cattle rustlers. They've got a special interest in going after these because it's Gene's cattle they've stolen.Unfortunately what was supposed to be comedy in this film is just general silliness. Gene and Smiley finding some abandoned clothing belonging to some notorious rustlers decide to shed their outfits and go incognito to get a line on the gang. That little bit of undercover work gets them nearly killed because the outlaws they thought were dead show up most inconveniently.As for how they get out of it, Smiley Burnette has developed a new line of practical joke items like squirting flowers, exploding cigars and whoopee cushions. One of those actually saves Gene and Smiley.Despite the silliness Gene has some good songs to sing including Mexicali Rose. That was a big hit in 1937 with Bing Crosby gaining one of his gold records with his version of it. But the Autry version here is OK too, especially since we get to hear the verse as well.Gene's fans will like the movie and everyone will like the song.

With so many Gene Autry Westerns restored and played on the Encore Western Channel, seeing this one on DVD was something of a let down, kind of grainy with a story that rambles back and forth a bit. The Apache Kid (Max Hoffman Jr) and Black Jim (Charles King) are a pair of cattle rustlers who make their getaway by shooting a couple of deputies and exchanging clothes with them. In turn, Gene and Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette) come upon the dead lawmen and don their gear to impersonate the bad guys. As an outlaw, Gene draws a lot of attention with that gaudy vest that belonged to the Apache Kid. Seems to me one would want to keep a lower profile if you were on the wrong side of the law.Along the way, Gene and Smiley mix it up with a couple of senoritas at the Stafford adobe. The girls mistake them for the real rustlers and hogtie the boys before they realize their mistake. The intended match-ups between Gene and Armida (Rosa Montero) and Frog with Mary Ellen (Ann Pendleton) come off a bit awkward, and there's no romance to speak of even when Gene serenades his gal at the end of the story.With a title like "Rootin' Tootin' Rhythm" you would expect a fair number of tunes and the boys deliver on that score. Al Clauser and His Oklahoma Outlaws provide some of the music along with lending a hand as a good guy posse. This is one of the very few films with Gene where I've seen him yodel and he sounded pretty good to my ear. Frog provides his usual entertaining antics, including gimmicks with sneezing powder and exploding cigars he uses to good advantage.

Pleasant enough Autry film but with no special musical or comedic qualities to distinguish it from the herd.Gene Autry and Frog (Smiley Burnette) are cattle ranchers who must track down their stolen 400 heads of cattle, but Gene has bigger fish to fry as he convinces Frog to don the clothing of the 2 criminal rustlers to infiltrate the cattlemen's association and discover the corrupt officials who are allowing the theft to happen. Along the way of course they meet 2 lovely ladies who refuse to believe they are not the bandits. Buffalo Brady makes a very interesting supporting performance as a hired gunman who takes Gene's men out of camp after the rustlers against his orders.Some singing, not much dancing, typical novelty tunes from Burnette. Not much to distinguish it but should be fun for kiddies and fans of oaters on the light side.

1st watched 10/7/2001 - 6 out of 10(Dir-Mack V. Wright): Light-hearted western fare with Gene Autry and his sidekick 'Frog' mistakenly seen as outlaws who restled cattled, but end up being the heroes in the end. Good combination of music, action, a little romance, and the good repertoire between Autry and Frog make for a good time had for all. This is the 1st Gene Autry flick that I've seen and I'm hooked. Without the music, it would be pretty boring and the plot isn't that detailed but we don't really care because we know the good guys will win out in the end. Autry isn't the greatest actor but he has a good set of side kicks that help out this flaw, and besides when things start looking rough he can just pick up the guitar and get us all singing and toe-tapping. I see why my dad used to like this guy, and I'm glad they've preserved some of his films for us new guys to see.