Memorable, crazy movie

Best movie of this year hands down!

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

In "The Old Corral" (1936), Republic managed to assemble such a fine cast into the fast-moving yet laden-with-musical-numbers script that even director Joe Kane was inspired to contribute some unusually stylish and super-competent work. Mind you, this is a favorite Autry vehicle not only with me but with Roy Rogers' fans (the scene in which Gene forces Roy to sing is a classic). Lon Chaney, Junior's fans are cheering too, although in point of fact, Lon has actually little to do. Although cramming an unusual number of songs into 56 minutes (fourteen to be precise), a fair bit of action is also center stage, featuring fast inserts and exciting stunt work. (Formerly available both on an excellent Echo Bridge and Platinum Disc DVD).

Chicago gangsters arrive in town in their limousine looking for songstress Eleanore Spenser(Hope Manning). They want to silence the songbird, because she can finger them for murder. Local sheriff Autry will do his best to straighten things out. Deputy Frog Millhouse(Smiley Burnette)tries to find a safe place to hide the singer; while Gene is rounding up the singing O'Keefe brothers(Sons of the Pioneers), who were previously arrested and released to help in taking on the gangsters and run them out of Turquoise City.There is always time for song during an Autry flick: Eleanore will sing "With All My Heart", "Sons of the Pioneers" will vocalize on "Down Along the Rio Grande" and Gene will sing "Money Ain't No Use Anyhow" and the title song "Old Corral". Note that another singing cowboy Roy Rogers is a member of the Sons of the Pioneers. Also in the cast: Lon Chaney, Jr., John Bradford, Charles Sullivan and Merrill McCormick.

The Old Corral starts out a whole lot like the Bing Crosby Paramount classic, She Loves Me Not. If you'll remember chorus girl Miriam Hopkins witnesses a gangland murder and flees from the mob. Here it's Irene Manning who's a nightclub entertainer who sees John Bradford do the same thing and flees out west.Well, those big city gangsters are way out of their element when they're tangling with Gene Autry. Of course not everyone in the west is as friendly as Autry. There's Cornelius Keefe and Lon Chaney, Jr. who recognize who Manning is before Autry does. They own the local saloon and under the guise of giving her a break, hire Manning to entertain, but in the mean time call Bradford hoping to curry favor with the gangland boss.If that's not enough sheriff Gene has to contend with the Sons of the Pioneers and their lead singer, one Leonard Slye who play a brother singing group who take to being outlaws as a way to gain notoriety and a radio contract. Of course in two years that lead singer left the group and started putting out his own westerns for Republic and Herbert J. Yates under the name of Roy Rogers.I agree with a previous reviewer that Manning's soprano and Autry's western twang don't exactly mesh. It might be why Gene mostly didn't go in for singing co-stars throughout his career, unlike his famous rival at Republic. Of course Gene didn't marry a co-star the way Roy did.The scene where Manning is trying to make a go of saloon singing and falling on her derrière until Gene helps out is reminiscent of Jeanette MacDonald trying to sing for her supper in Rose Marie. Jeanette had a co-star though who was more suitable to her voice.The Old Corral is kind of dopey, especially the bit about The Sons of the Pioneers. Still it's a great bit of history, an historic meeting between Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.

"The Old Corral" has most of what you could ask for in one of these old Westerns, with good action and interesting characters, as well as the variety entertainment that you expect in a Gene Autry feature. It has Autry as a sheriff having to contend with a family of outlaws at the same time that he is trying to protect a woman on the run, and while the plot often lacks credibility, it's entertaining and moves at a good pace. Besides Autry, it has Smiley Burnette in one of his usual roles, and the supporting cast features brief appearances by Lon Chaney, Jr., Roy Rogers, and Edward Platt - quite an assortment. Certainly there's nothing remarkable here, but it's good entertainment that most fans of older Westerns will find enjoyable.