I was somewhat taken aback to see Jimmy Durante in this picture backing up Gene Autry. No Smiley Burnette or Pat Buttram on hand, and even though having Gabby Hayes around wasn't such a big surprise, he didn't have his usual comedic sidekick role. In fact, when you get right down to it, this picture had some fairly big name supporting players for a B Western. Barton MacLane and Ann Miller had headlined pictures of their own, and the rest of the cast were well recognized character actors of the era. It was cool to see all the disparate personalities in a film together.
I got the biggest kick though out of Durante, playing up his persona as the 'man who knowses noses'. I couldn't quite figure out what the whole idea of the Nose Posse was all about, but with Durante you don't have to. He'll just misdirect you with his lively patter, like the hilarious cross examination of himself during the courtroom scene.
Aside from your standard round the campfire songs, this picture also offered some lively alternative entertainment, like Ann Miller's energetic tap dance routine and the surprising duet by two thirds of the Wildhack Brothers - Sawyer (Jasper) and Horace McMahon (Bud) in a duet of 'Go Back to the City Again'. It actually sounded pretty good to my tin ear.
Unusually lengthy for an Autry flick at eighty four minutes, it would have been interesting if Republic got through the entire thing without resorting to the shoot 'em up action at the finale. But that's what the matinée fans turned out to see back in the Forties, and on that score they weren't disappointed. I'm wondering though, did they ever get around to counting the final votes?
I got the biggest kick though out of Durante, playing up his persona as the 'man who knowses noses'. I couldn't quite figure out what the whole idea of the Nose Posse was all about, but with Durante you don't have to. He'll just misdirect you with his lively patter, like the hilarious cross examination of himself during the courtroom scene.
Aside from your standard round the campfire songs, this picture also offered some lively alternative entertainment, like Ann Miller's energetic tap dance routine and the surprising duet by two thirds of the Wildhack Brothers - Sawyer (Jasper) and Horace McMahon (Bud) in a duet of 'Go Back to the City Again'. It actually sounded pretty good to my tin ear.
Unusually lengthy for an Autry flick at eighty four minutes, it would have been interesting if Republic got through the entire thing without resorting to the shoot 'em up action at the finale. But that's what the matinée fans turned out to see back in the Forties, and on that score they weren't disappointed. I'm wondering though, did they ever get around to counting the final votes?