StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Myron Clemons
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Fulke
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
corporalko
This story, from one of Gene's peak years before he fell victim to Republic's obsession with "spoiled Eastern heiresses," not only has an interesting plot, but a couple of differences besides.For one, this is the first Autry Western with June Storey as Gene's leading lady. In the early scenes together, they each have an air of, "Wow! Where have you been all my life?!" In addition, they have a scene "in the moonlight" early on where they sing a duet (well, sort of; Gene does most of the singing), and Gene's vocalizing causes June to close her eyes in rapture at one point. Closest you'll come to anything "sensual" in a Gene Autry movie!In this flick where Gene and his buddy Frog Millhouse are cattle inspectors, Storey's father, George Cleveland, needs to get his herd to market as soon as possible due to financial difficulties. But he is stymied because Gene has had to halt all cattle shipments due to an outbreak of hoof and mouth in the area. Of course, the outbreak was manipulated by the bad guys so that they can clean up at the market with their OWN cattle.Enter snake-oil salesman Earle Hodgins with his elephant, Neepaw. The beast becomes a giant pet for Frog, and manages to free Gene, Frog and Hodgins from jail as we lead up to the climactic scene.Autry appears to do all his own stunts in this film, showing that he was capable of same, when permitted by the director. The stunts include a transfer from Champ's back to the last car in a speeding train to catch the head baddie who is fleeing. As Champion is catching up to the train, Gene reaches up and settles his stetson more firmly on his head. There is a cut to a different camera from a slightly different angle, but the hat is positioned in that shot exactly as when Gene's hand left it, a few seconds before. Looks like Gene all the way to me. Besides, numerous people who worked with him in movies have said that he liked doing his own stunts -- just wasn't allowed to sometimes, for safety reasons.Anyway, this is an excellent Gene Autry Western, with hard riding, fighting, pleasant music, and Gene's first scenes with one of his best-known leading ladies.
dougdoepke
Gene and Smiley are cattle inspectors, who get mixed up with infected herds and slippery owners.I've seen a ton of matinees, but this is the first where an elephant, yes an elephant, is complicit in a jailbreak. Now let's see the sheriff lock Him up. Pretty good Autry oater, some hard riding, but not many flying fists, nor much fast shooting. Still, the plot's unusual, dealing as it does with a common cattle disease—hoof & mouth-- that's seldom mentioned in oaters. Not much in the way of scenery, looks like Big Bear woods east of LA, at least for some of the shots. I'm constantly amazed by Burnette's low-key versatility. Watch him twirl the six- shooters, maybe comically, but as expertly as anyone. Here he also gets a big part in shaping events. What an underrated comic sidekick he was. Anyway, Storey's fetching, while blowhard Hodgins gets to peddle his patented snake-oil in amusing fashion. Too bad, the song selections are pretty undistinguished, but who cares when we've got Storey to ogle. All in all, it's a decent Autry package, with Gene in the spiffiest outfit this side of uptown Dallas.A "5" on the Matinée Scale
bkoganbing
Home On The Prarie casts Gene Autry as a cattle inspector checking various herds for hoof and mouth disease and other various and sundry ailments that affect the bovine. But a dead calf with hoof and mouth disease is found on the spread of his good friend George Cleveland and his daughter June Storey. Gene's romantic plans with Storey may get a real crimp in it if he has to have their herd destroyed.But it's not Cleveland's herd that's the problem. That calf is planted there by the real villain who wants to get his cattle to market before they're discovered to be diseased.Gene and Smiley Burnette take on a third and fourth partner in this one. Medicine show man Earle Hodgins and his elephant who come in mighty handy in the pinch. Think of Gunga Din as you reflect on my last remark.Good paced Gene Autry western, even some grownups might like it.
classicsoncall
As a cattle inspector for the state, Gene Autry finds himself in the middle of a dilemma when Smiley Burnette finds a dead calf, and all shipments to market have to be stopped to prevent the spread of hoof and mouth disease. This puts Gene at odds with pretty Martha Wheeler (June Storey), daughter of rancher Jim Wheeler (George Cleveland), because even though their cattle are disease free, he has to play fair by all the other cattlemen.I always enjoy seeing Earl Hodgins show up in an Autry flick, this time he's accompanied by an elephant sidekick that proves instrumental later in the story. With Gene incarcerated for assaulting the area commissioner, Smiley uses the old peanut on the end of a string trick to lure Nepaw over to the jail house window, whereby the ponderous pachyderm literally pulls down the entire window and wall of the jail.It doesn't take long for Gene and Smiley to zero in on villains Belknap (Walter Miller) and Shelby (Gordon Hart), who conspire to ship off Belknap's infected cattle to market before they show signs of disease. It's one of those stories where Gene and the local sheriff all wind up on the same page by the end of the picture, so Gene can wrap things up with the leading lady by his side.As usual, Gene and Smiley offer up an entertaining mix of tunes, starting out with 'There's Nothing Like Work', the theme of which Smiley attempts to emulate as the story progresses. There's also a cowboy band called the Sherven Brothers Rodeoliers who present a lively instrumental, appearing more like a novelty act as the members play an assortment of homemade instruments in addition to your standard accordion and bass fiddle.
