Oh, Susanna! (1936). In this unusual but even more ridiculously far-fetched plot, Gene Autry, would you believe, is wanted for murder? Perhaps Republic boss, Herb Yates, firmly believed that Texas lawmen were not only corrupt but incredibly stupid? Never mind, just sit back and enjoy the fast action. Director Joe Kane even has a couple of speeding cars run over the camera! This time, Smiley Burnette teams up with Earle Hodgins to provide not only comedy relief but acting support for Autry's rather stoic hunted man. And railroad buffs will have a ball at the beginning of the movie when the villain's very obvious double boards a moving train from horseback!

In this early Gene Autry film, Gene's identity is assumed by outlaw Wolf Benson (Boothe Howard) and he spends the rest of the story attempting to clear his name. Helping him out are Smiley Burnette as Frog Millhouse, and Earle Hodgins as Professor Ezekial Daniels, together forming the Millhouse-Daniels Entertainment Company. Smiley's comedy relief efforts go without saying, but having Hodgins around is always a bonus because you never know what his character is going to do. To distract the folks of Sage City while Frog springs Gene from jail, he bites off a chunk of soap and goes into a mad dog act that's just classic.Another bonus for this picture occurs early when the trio first arrive in Sage City, and Gene walks through town with all the citizens thinking he's Wolf Benson. Passing a local general store, the viewer gets a great view of some vintage commercial ads for products like Mobiloil, Morton's Salt, and Lipton's Tea (retaining the 's'). I've seen those before, but was startled to see a couple more for Butterfinger and get this - Champion Spark Plugs! You could have stopped the picture for me right there! There's also a great 'in' joke for folks like me who've been around a while. When Gene insists to the Sage City sheriff that he's really singing star Autry, one of the deputies replies "Yeah, and I'm Bing Crosby". I wonder if Autry had a handshake deal with Crosby to mention each other's names in their pictures; in his 1947 film with Bob Hope, "Road to Rio", Crosby name drops Autry and Bogart while on the run from angry fathers of jilted females the boys have left behind.As far as the story here goes, there's not a lot new for fans who've seen a bunch of B Westerns, with or without Gene Autry. The good guys smoke out the bandits in fine fashion, and manage to throw in at least six songs by my count. Gene does a couple of duets with female lead Frances Grant, and the Light Crust Doughboys send up a spirited rendition of 'Hold That Tiger'. Smiley appears in drag, believe it or not, in a vaudeville type skit with Hodgins while riding a bicycle-like contraption. I could tell what a good idea Hodgins thought it was when I saw him spike his beer with a shot of whiskey from his vest flask.

According to the records this was Gene's 12th film - with June Storey nowhere in sight yet but with the formula of chasing baddies with a few songs and a tiny romance that wouldn't bother the kids well in place.It starts with a baddie being chased by the law, jumping onto a moving train, immediately coshing the unsuspecting Autry, thieving his identity and dumping him overboard to his supposed death. All in a minute's work! However, the dazed Gene gets picked up by two travelling entertainers, one of them Frog, and the hunt is on to track the baddie and his gang down who are using his name and not in vain. Favorite songs: Dear Old Western Skies and Water Wheel, while the Light Crust Doughboys got to do a breakneck Tiger Rag and As Our Pals Ride By that put me in mind of La Golondrina from The Wild Bunch. Gene has his usual whirlwind romance, this time with Frances Grant for their 2nd time.At only 53 minutes long a lot gets packed in here, whether you think it was worth it is up to you, but personally I've always enjoyed Autry's films - nothing heavy to ponder about during or afterwards. I have no problem enjoying things meant to be pleasant. It's freely available as public domain on the internet too, the only cost to really consider being your time.

An outlaw named Wolf Benson escaping from a posse boards a train from horseback. On the train is radio singing cowboy Gene Autry on the way to an engagement. Benson slugs Gene and changes clothes with him and throws the unconscious Gene off the moving train.Fortunately our singing hero doesn't break his neck from the fall and he gets rescued by a couple of itinerant actors played by Smiley Burnette and Earl Hodgins. From then on it's a merry chase through the west as Gene tries to prove who he is and foil the dastardly plans of the man who's stolen his identity.One of the funnier scenes in the film is when all three of them, Autry, Burnette, and Hodgins are locked up in jail with Autry insisting who he is and one of the deputies saying if you're Gene Autry, I'm Bing Crosby. But the plot situations are forced to say the least and I can't believe the folks out west are such a gang of rubes they don't know Gene Autry.But Gene does get to warble a couple of nice, but forgettable cowboy ballads and he even gets a duet partner in the form of co-star Frances Grant. Unlike Roy Rogers who married his regular co-star Dale Evans and sang many a duet with her, Gene was usually a solo act in the musical department.Strictly for those who love Gene and the singing cowboy genre.