Autry and "Frog" are experts on weed control and staunch advocates of herbicide use in this fast-paced oater. Brought in to help control an epidemic of "devil weed" that's killing cattle, they must overcome opposition to chemical solutions and figure out which one of them gets the girl (Autry, of course). Along the way there are some pretty amusing scenes, including one where Frog's shot out of a cannon to impress the gal. When one angry ranch hand shoots down the airplane Autry and Co. are spraying with, it's up to Gene to stop the stampede that ensues and save the day for a chemical future.
4 Reviews
"It isn't every man who could double for a rocket"!
classicsoncall11 December 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This is the second time I've seen Gene Autry in a flick where he could be considered on the wrong side of an environmental issue. The other was "Riders of the Whistling Pines" in which DDT is mentioned by name, and where Gene sounds like an apologist for the chemical industry. DDT was eventually banned, but the offending chemical is never mentioned by name here.
Fay McKenzie appeared fairly regularly in Gene's pictures during the early Forties, and she shows up here as well as the daughter of George Larrabee (Robert Homans), one of the ranchers opposed to chemical spraying. However the threat of a poisonous 'devil weed' has him and his neighbors boxed into a system of burning rangeland, only to have the noxious plant return with a vengeance. There didn't seem to be any other solution besides the spraying though, and the Larrabee's fell in line by the end of the story, thanking Gene for his perseverance.
Sierra Sue - that would be McKenzie - as well as the title song. Gene gets in a few other tunes, along with 'Ridin' the Range', but Smiley Burnette turns in the best with 'I Got the Heebie-Jeebie Blues' while spending the day in jail with Gene over a robbery misunderstanding. Now that I think about it, nothing ever came of those bags of money the boys found in the crashed plane. What's up with that?
For all his effort, Smiley has just the toughest time in the romance department, but he goes the extra mile to impress Sierra Sue with the old cannonball gimmick. The way he sailed through the air was a well done effect, and I'd be curious to know how they did that. Still, Gene gets the title girl at the end of the picture, but Smiley's Frog Millhouse didn't do so bad winding up with the psychic Miss Featherstone (Dorothy Christy). I wonder if she saw it coming?
Fay McKenzie appeared fairly regularly in Gene's pictures during the early Forties, and she shows up here as well as the daughter of George Larrabee (Robert Homans), one of the ranchers opposed to chemical spraying. However the threat of a poisonous 'devil weed' has him and his neighbors boxed into a system of burning rangeland, only to have the noxious plant return with a vengeance. There didn't seem to be any other solution besides the spraying though, and the Larrabee's fell in line by the end of the story, thanking Gene for his perseverance.
Sierra Sue - that would be McKenzie - as well as the title song. Gene gets in a few other tunes, along with 'Ridin' the Range', but Smiley Burnette turns in the best with 'I Got the Heebie-Jeebie Blues' while spending the day in jail with Gene over a robbery misunderstanding. Now that I think about it, nothing ever came of those bags of money the boys found in the crashed plane. What's up with that?
For all his effort, Smiley has just the toughest time in the romance department, but he goes the extra mile to impress Sierra Sue with the old cannonball gimmick. The way he sailed through the air was a well done effect, and I'd be curious to know how they did that. Still, Gene gets the title girl at the end of the picture, but Smiley's Frog Millhouse didn't do so bad winding up with the psychic Miss Featherstone (Dorothy Christy). I wonder if she saw it coming?
Air Power to the Rescue
dougdoepke30 September 2007
Better than average Autry programmer. Producers are an often overlooked item in the production crew. However, whoever produced this 60 minutes for Republic (not listed by IMDb) deserves real commendation. There are more thoughtful and expensive touches than usual. The location scenes are excellent with a minimum of process shots. The stampede sequence is central to the action and surprisingly is a real stampede with an actual herd on location. No stock shots, although there are a few shots of Gene against a back projection screen. Also, the aerial shots appear real, without the usual shortcuts. Great location photography of mountains, sky, and clouds-- after all, what else do cowboy movies celebrate but the great American outdoors.
The plot's an interesting mix of old and new. The appeal of the New Deal's federal government is in evidence here. Autry represents the capacity of the feds with their research labs to help the stubbornly independent ranching industry deal with a menace (killer weeds) beyond their usual skills. None of this is meant to take away from the easy-going humor and charm of this Saturday afternoon special that kept me enthralled as a boy and still does as a gray-beard adult.
The plot's an interesting mix of old and new. The appeal of the New Deal's federal government is in evidence here. Autry represents the capacity of the feds with their research labs to help the stubbornly independent ranching industry deal with a menace (killer weeds) beyond their usual skills. None of this is meant to take away from the easy-going humor and charm of this Saturday afternoon special that kept me enthralled as a boy and still does as a gray-beard adult.
I was surprised when I discovered there really IS something called 'Devil Weed'....but the plot didn't always make sense.
planktonrules4 March 2023
"Sierra Sue" is a Gene Autry western with a most unusual plot. Apparently, there's an infestation of 'Devil-Weed' and it's deadly to cattle if they eat it. I read up on it and there actually IS something called 'Devil-Weed', though it's more commonly called 'Jimsonweed' and indeed kills cattle. This is indeed an unusual plot but where it goes next isn't exactly logical!
The valley is infested with Devil-Weed and attempts to control it by burning the grass haven't helped. But when a government agent (Gene Autry) suggests spraying the range to eradicate the pest, Mr. Larrabee insists it won't work and wants to keep burning...even though it's ineffective. Now this is a problem with the plot...that Larrabee was so against the spraying but you never really understood why...nor why his opinion at the end changes so much! Also illogical is Larrabee's daughter...and she's a pretty typical inexplicably angry woman that you too often see in B-westerns.
So despite not being especially logical, is there much to enjoy about the film? Well, the scenery around Mammoth Lakes is gorgeous...even prettier than Lone Pine (which is just south of Mammoth Lakes), a very popular site for old westerns. And, the plot is original. But the story still doesn't make a ton of sense and Frog (Smiley Burnett) is a bit annoying in this one as well. Clearly not one of Autry's better films.
By the way, perhaps this plot involving airplanes was created because Autry was himself a pilot and serves in the Army Air Corps during WWII as a flight instructor.
The valley is infested with Devil-Weed and attempts to control it by burning the grass haven't helped. But when a government agent (Gene Autry) suggests spraying the range to eradicate the pest, Mr. Larrabee insists it won't work and wants to keep burning...even though it's ineffective. Now this is a problem with the plot...that Larrabee was so against the spraying but you never really understood why...nor why his opinion at the end changes so much! Also illogical is Larrabee's daughter...and she's a pretty typical inexplicably angry woman that you too often see in B-westerns.
So despite not being especially logical, is there much to enjoy about the film? Well, the scenery around Mammoth Lakes is gorgeous...even prettier than Lone Pine (which is just south of Mammoth Lakes), a very popular site for old westerns. And, the plot is original. But the story still doesn't make a ton of sense and Frog (Smiley Burnett) is a bit annoying in this one as well. Clearly not one of Autry's better films.
By the way, perhaps this plot involving airplanes was created because Autry was himself a pilot and serves in the Army Air Corps during WWII as a flight instructor.
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