(1937)
3
Hans J. Wollstein
An extremely entertaining Gene Autry Western, Boots and Saddles goes a long way to explain the "Autry phenomenon, " a Depression-era quirk that tends to puzzle many a modern viewer. As opposed to the majority of low-budget oaters, this fast-paced Autry effort simply has everything -- good songs, including Autry's own "Give Me My Boots and Saddles"; eye-popping stunts, such as a branch-snapping "mistake" that turns out to be an indigenous method of disabling two henchmen in one fell swoop; and best of all, true comedy, not the usual sidekick routines that tended to bring a B-Western to a screeching halt. In one hilarious scene, Autry, William Elliott, and Guy Usher deliver their lines at the top of their lungs after Gene has been convinced by a duplicitous Judith Allen that her father, the colonel, is hard of hearing. Autry even takes a pratfall or two! Boy violinist Ra Hould later changed his name to Ronald Sinclair and became a film editor for low-budget producer/director Roger Corman. A Freddie Bartholomew type with a penchant for stuffiness, even Hould is fairly tolerable here.
cast-crew for Boots and Saddles on AllMovie
Boots and Saddles (1937)
