Rhythm on the Range (1936)

Frances Farmer is rehearsing her wedding, to a wealthy Wall Street heir.  It is obvious that Farmer is not overly enthused about the match. Lucille Gleason is her aunt, from the West. She is in NY for the rodeo at Madison Square Garden. Bing Crosby is a cowboy in the rodeo. He works for Gleason on her ranch. Goofy Bob Burns is his sidekick. (Burns was born about 20 miles from here in Greenwood, Ark.) Gleason is introduced at the rodeo as a "true pioneer woman." She makes a short speech, and it is obvious that Farmer is affected by it. Crosby is trying to win enough money to buy a bull named Cuddles. They just make it because Burns does a sidewalk performance with a bazooka, a homemade trombone.

In the meantime, Farmer has stowed away on the cattle train on which they are traveling back to Arizona. She falls when the train lurches to a start and is knocked out. She wakes up when Crosby accidentally stabs her with a pitchfork. He sings as he works on the boxcar and, of course, she falls for him in spite of the that he treats the bull much better than he does her. She gives a telegram to her dad to a hobo to send for her, but the bull follows her off the car and they get stranded. In the meantime the hobos figure out who she is and figure there is money to be made. Farmer buys a car, and she and Bing make their way west (Bing still singing, of course). He tells Farmer that he once broke up with a rich girl because he wouldn't be willing to let his father-in-law support him. The hobos lock them in a barn, but Bing lets the bull knock down the door. On the train, Burns has hooked up with Martha Raye, the corny combination of which is almost too much to take. Bing and Farmer get stuck in a muddy road, and have to spend the night in an old house, where they hook up with Raye and Burns. Farmer confesses to Burns that she is in love with Bing. He advises her to marry him first and tell him she is rich later. Burns sets up Bing to propose at a party at the ranch, while the hobos punch holes in all the gas tanks of the cars.

Gleason shows up and accuses Bing of being a gold digger. He angrily leaves. Farmer hires the hobos to go after him. He goes to the old house at which they stopped on the way in. Farmer and Cuddles show up, and the rest is history.

This movie introduced the song, "I'm An Old Cowhand." Roy Rogers has a bit part.



 
Bob Burns


Gleason