Melody Trail (1935)

61 mins | Western | 21 October 1935

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HISTORY

Buck, a St. Bernard dog, appeared earlier in 1935 in The Call of the Wild (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.0568). ...

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Buck, a St. Bernard dog, appeared earlier in 1935 in The Call of the Wild (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40; F3.0568).

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PERSONAL & COMPANY INDEX CREDITS
CREDIT
SOURCE CITATIONS
SOURCE
DATE
PAGE
Film Daily
24 Sep 1935
p. 12
Hollywood Reporter
26 Aug 1935
p. 3
Hollywood Reporter
19 Sep 1935
p. 3
Motion Picture Daily
20 Sep 1935
p. 10
Motion Picture Herald
19 Oct 1935
p. 87
Variety
11 Dec 1935
p. 34
CAST
PRODUCTION CREDITS
NAME
PARENT COMPANY
PRODUCTION COMPANY
PRODUCTION TEXT
A Nat Levine Mascot Production
DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
NAME
CREDITED AS
CREDIT
DIRECTORS
Joseph Kane
Dir
Asst dir
PRODUCER
WRITERS
Story
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photog
Asst cam
FILM EDITORS
Film ed
Supv ed
SOUND
Sd eng
Sd eff
SOURCES
SONGS
"Western Lullaby," "Where Will the Wedding Supper Be?," "Hold on Little Dogies, Hold On," and "A Lone Cowboy on the Lone Prairie," words and music by Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette; "My Neighbor Hates Music," "Way Down on the Bottom" and "Melody Trail," words and music by Smiley Burnette.
SONGWRITER/COMPOSER
DETAILS
Release Date:
21 October 1935
Production Date:
ended 26 Aug 1935
Copyright Info
Claimant
Date
Copyright Number
Republic Pictures Corp.
14 October 1935
LP5858
Physical Properties:
Sound
Black and White
Duration(in mins):
61
Length(in feet):
5,470
Length(in reels):
6
Country:
United States
SYNOPSIS

Gene Autry, radio and phonograph star, and his friend, comedian Frog Millhouse, attend a rodeo where Gene falls for a spectator, Millicent Thomas. Millicent, who is being harassed by her father's former ranch hand, Matt Kirby, is delighted when Gene sings for the crowd, then beats Matt in a bucking bronco competition. That night, however, as Gene dreams of Millicent, his $1,000 in rodeo winnings are stolen by the gypsy Frantz, the husband of Perdita, a fortune-teller. The next day, while Millicent goes into town with her father, rancher Timothy Thomas, her dog, Souvenir, a compulsive thief, takes a detour into the gypsy camp and steals a basket containing Frantz and Perdita's baby daughter Rica. Millicent later discovers the infant and takes her in, not knowing who her parents are, and Frog and Gene, who end up going to work as cooks on the Thomas ranch, assume the baby to be hers. Gene, using the moniker "Arizona," captures two wild stallions to impress Millicent and the cowgirls she has hired to replace Matt and his men, who have defected. However, after Souvenir steals Gene's cookbook, his efforts in the kitchen are far less successful, and the meal that he and Frog prepare for the cowgirls makes them all ill. In the meantime, Matt plots to rustle the Thomas' cattle, and while the cowgirls bathe in a pond, he steals their clothes in order to prevent them from protecting the herd. Frantz, searching for Baby Rica, recovers her from Millicent, but Gene pursues him, believing him to be a kidnapper. Gene captures and ties up Frantz, and Frantz returns the money he earlier stole from ...

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Gene Autry, radio and phonograph star, and his friend, comedian Frog Millhouse, attend a rodeo where Gene falls for a spectator, Millicent Thomas. Millicent, who is being harassed by her father's former ranch hand, Matt Kirby, is delighted when Gene sings for the crowd, then beats Matt in a bucking bronco competition. That night, however, as Gene dreams of Millicent, his $1,000 in rodeo winnings are stolen by the gypsy Frantz, the husband of Perdita, a fortune-teller. The next day, while Millicent goes into town with her father, rancher Timothy Thomas, her dog, Souvenir, a compulsive thief, takes a detour into the gypsy camp and steals a basket containing Frantz and Perdita's baby daughter Rica. Millicent later discovers the infant and takes her in, not knowing who her parents are, and Frog and Gene, who end up going to work as cooks on the Thomas ranch, assume the baby to be hers. Gene, using the moniker "Arizona," captures two wild stallions to impress Millicent and the cowgirls she has hired to replace Matt and his men, who have defected. However, after Souvenir steals Gene's cookbook, his efforts in the kitchen are far less successful, and the meal that he and Frog prepare for the cowgirls makes them all ill. In the meantime, Matt plots to rustle the Thomas' cattle, and while the cowgirls bathe in a pond, he steals their clothes in order to prevent them from protecting the herd. Frantz, searching for Baby Rica, recovers her from Millicent, but Gene pursues him, believing him to be a kidnapper. Gene captures and ties up Frantz, and Frantz returns the money he earlier stole from Gene, after explaining that Rica is his daughter. Gene then sees Matt and his men stealing the cattle and apprehends all eight of them, including Matt, single-handedly. After Gene saves the ranch, he and Millicent, and Frog and Cuddles, one of the cowgirls, are wed in a large, musical ceremony along with the other cowboys and girls, but the wedding is interrupted by the realization that Souvenir has stolen all their wedding rings.

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Legend
Viewed by AFI
Partially Viewed
Offscreen Credit
Name Occurs Before Title
AFI Life Achievement Award

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