Blue Canadian Rockies (1952)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Even in black and white, the film looks gorgeous with it's outdoor settings, as Gene and partner Rawhide (Pat Buttram) head north from Montana into the Canadian wilderness. They've been sent by employer Cyrus Higbee (Don Beddoe) to his daughter's newly formed dude ranch on property he gave her on a whim, but is now sorry for since he had hoped it would operate as a successful timber operation. Gail Davis portrays Sandy Higbee, and though I'm sure I've seen her in a dress before, she never looked prettier than she does here, about a half dozen years before starring as Annie Oakley in the late Fifties TV show.Pat Buttram usually went by his real name when teaming up with Autry, but this time out he's Rawhide. Is it just me, or would that have been someone else playing Rawhide's shadow before the Cass County Boys arrived? Later on, Pat dons the buckskin jacket and skunk-like fur hat that sets up a look-alike gimmick with Higbee's arrival in the same kind of outfit. They almost went for the mirror image bit; if they had they would have beaten Lucy and Harpo by a few years.I was curious about the singer Carolina Cotton, so when I checked the film credits, it turns out she was really Carolina Cotton! Not only that, but in most of her film appearances she's using her real name. Interesting how you get to pick up that kind of trivia simply watching old movies.I'm not sure if anything was really resolved by the end of the picture as far as the story line went. Gail Davis' character was a pretty avid conservationist and wouldn't allow any timber harvesting on her property. The opposing Mitchell Lumber Company operated as the villain bunch, but even though Gene uncovered the 'real' bad guy by the film's end, that didn't really change anything to my way of thinking. Gene might have solved one problem, but life would have to go on once the picture ended, wouldn't it?

A change of settings - at least story-wise - makes this Gene Autry entry interesting to watch. Though actually shot at Big Bear Lake, California, the scenery looks Canadian to some degree although the mountains are a bit low. Gene and comical sidekick Pat Buttram (Rawhide), are sent northward to check on the boss' daughter, Sandra Higbee (played by Arkansas' own Gail Davis, TV's "Annie Oakley), who has opened a dude ranch must to the chagrin of the local lumber jacks. Gene and Rawhide uncover more than just a feud between the lumber company and the dude ranch and must find the real culprit behind the shady goings-on. There is a hilarious fisticuffs among Gene, Rawhide and two lumberjacks, played by veteran character actors, Gene Roth and John Merton, when Gene and Rawhide first arrive at the dude ranch, that's not to be missed.Another gal from Arkansas, Carolina Cotton, gets to strut her stuff and even sings two songs she composed, "Yodel, Yodel, Yodel" and "Lovin Ducky Daddy," showcasing her talents as an early rockabilly performer. But, alas, this was her final film. Gene gets to croon the Eddy Arnold standard, "Anytime," and performs the title tune written by the legendary songwriter, Cindy Walker. The Cass County Boys are in good form singing a modernized version of the authentic trail driving folksong, "The Old Chishom Trail." Gene joins them in "Mama Don't Allow No Music," one of the "Honey Babe" variations that permits each member of the band to show off his musical talents on different instruments.This was one of the last films Gene would make (he made only six more), but it still holds up well and Pat Buttram is always a treat to watch. There's a funny skit in this one when he and the boss show up at a masquerade party unknowingly wearing similar Jim Bridger outfits including a skunk-skin cap and a fake beard.