Gene Autry's willed a fifty-fifty inheritance in an old silver mine along with Barbara Erwin (Carol Hughes), the Eastern niece of deceased Pop Erwin. I can't say for sure if Gene's back story had ever been mentioned before, but in this one, he was orphaned as a child and raised by Pop. I'm sure there's another Western out there that contradicts Autry's origin, which wouldn't be so unusual, but Autry almost always plays a character using his own name.
Smiley Burnette's on hand again as Gene's sidekick Frog Millhouse, and this time he introduces his younger brother Tadpole to the viewing audience. Tad's a miniature version of big brother in virtually every respect, right down to the checkered shirt and floppy hat. Couldn't quite tell if his horse's eye had a circle painted around it, but I'd bet it did.
Speaking of horses, Gene sets out to ride a wild mustang named Thunderbolt as part of the rodeo show in the early going, and when led out by it's handlers, the horse kicked one of them in the head with his fore-hoof. Don't know if that was real or not, but it sure looked convincing and the guy went down and stayed there. Would love to know what happened there.
This is one of those stories where Gene's attention to his leading lady see-saws back and forth, not knowing if she's with him or against him relative to being partners in the silver mine. When she unknowingly hires on a couple of shyster lawyers (are there any other kind?), trouble ensues as they take it to Gene in an attempt to gain the mine for themselves. Followers of Autry's films already know that's not going to happen.
There's a couple of appropriate singing interludes with Gene, one on horseback where he offers 'When You're Smilin', which just seemed to fit nicely with the story. The title song 'Under Fiesta Stars' closes out the picture in a hacienda style setting in keeping with the theme of the picture. This was the first time in a whole passel of Westerns I've seen where a shingle on Benjamin Peabody's office declared 'Se Habla Espanol'.
Smiley Burnette's on hand again as Gene's sidekick Frog Millhouse, and this time he introduces his younger brother Tadpole to the viewing audience. Tad's a miniature version of big brother in virtually every respect, right down to the checkered shirt and floppy hat. Couldn't quite tell if his horse's eye had a circle painted around it, but I'd bet it did.
Speaking of horses, Gene sets out to ride a wild mustang named Thunderbolt as part of the rodeo show in the early going, and when led out by it's handlers, the horse kicked one of them in the head with his fore-hoof. Don't know if that was real or not, but it sure looked convincing and the guy went down and stayed there. Would love to know what happened there.
This is one of those stories where Gene's attention to his leading lady see-saws back and forth, not knowing if she's with him or against him relative to being partners in the silver mine. When she unknowingly hires on a couple of shyster lawyers (are there any other kind?), trouble ensues as they take it to Gene in an attempt to gain the mine for themselves. Followers of Autry's films already know that's not going to happen.
There's a couple of appropriate singing interludes with Gene, one on horseback where he offers 'When You're Smilin', which just seemed to fit nicely with the story. The title song 'Under Fiesta Stars' closes out the picture in a hacienda style setting in keeping with the theme of the picture. This was the first time in a whole passel of Westerns I've seen where a shingle on Benjamin Peabody's office declared 'Se Habla Espanol'.