Warner Brothers really worked Dick Powell. Between 1933 and 1935, he made 17 movies. In 1938, he "only" made four. And they are stinkers. This is the worst of the lot, one of the most silly and sappy Hollywood musicals ever made. The script is dreadful, the music is forgettable, the sets are embarrassing, and the acting is merely passable. Powell deserves an award of some sort for agreeing to appear in this turkey. But then, he was under contract. Moreover, he had worked with Ruby Keeler, so he was capable of great self-sacrifice.
The opening scene sets the gravity of the film: three musicians singing on a moving train and being thrown off, piano and all. They find their way to a dude ranch, Powell sings, a visiting New York agent hears him, and he is on his way to New York and fame and glory. But first he has to appear to be an authentic westerner. He is not. And he is mortally afraid of all animals. So a local hypnotist, in New York at the time, gets him to briefly become the world's champion steer slinger. Happy ending.
Pat O'Brien plays his stereotyped role. Ann Sheridan, all of 23, makes a very brief appearance. And Ronald Reagan is on hand, playing O'Brien's fast-talking press agent. Priscilla Lane tries to speak with a "western" accent. A disaster for all.
The opening scene sets the gravity of the film: three musicians singing on a moving train and being thrown off, piano and all. They find their way to a dude ranch, Powell sings, a visiting New York agent hears him, and he is on his way to New York and fame and glory. But first he has to appear to be an authentic westerner. He is not. And he is mortally afraid of all animals. So a local hypnotist, in New York at the time, gets him to briefly become the world's champion steer slinger. Happy ending.
Pat O'Brien plays his stereotyped role. Ann Sheridan, all of 23, makes a very brief appearance. And Ronald Reagan is on hand, playing O'Brien's fast-talking press agent. Priscilla Lane tries to speak with a "western" accent. A disaster for all.