If "The Old Barn Dance" seems somewhat lacking in sympathetic appeal to a modern-day audience, the same cannot be said for McConville's earlier script, "Ride, Ranger, Ride" (1936).
In this one, an army martinet (Robert Homans) is the villain - a piece of putty in the hands of super-bad renegade, Monte Blue - while Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette and a remarkably personable Max Terhune (minus "Elmer", I'm glad to say) lead the good guys in this elaborately produced (although helped out with some obvious stock footage) Nat Levine production.
Director Kane keeps the movie moving, but Gene himself often seems oddly subdued. It's the other players who have all the good lines and handle most of the action. Even the songs are sparse!
(Echo Bridge used to handle DVD discs of the 16mm TV cutdown).
In this one, an army martinet (Robert Homans) is the villain - a piece of putty in the hands of super-bad renegade, Monte Blue - while Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette and a remarkably personable Max Terhune (minus "Elmer", I'm glad to say) lead the good guys in this elaborately produced (although helped out with some obvious stock footage) Nat Levine production.
Director Kane keeps the movie moving, but Gene himself often seems oddly subdued. It's the other players who have all the good lines and handle most of the action. Even the songs are sparse!
(Echo Bridge used to handle DVD discs of the 16mm TV cutdown).