Hoedown (1950) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

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Cowboy movie star Stoney Rhodes (Jock Mahoney as Jock O'Mahoney) has made one western film and thinks he is on a personal appearance tour paid for by the studio, but he and his film were so bad that the studio, unknown to Stoney, has cancelled his contract, and his mother has mortgaged her home to supply the funds necessary for the tour and expenses of Stoney and his agent. (Stoney is shown in front of two theatres where Columbia, missing no bets, has displays of one-sheet posters from "Strawberry Roan" with Gene Autry and "The Undercover Man" with Glenn Ford.) Reporter Vera Wright (Jeff Donnell), following him to get a story of a failure, informs Stoney that he is a never-was has-been, and they find themselves stranded in the hometown of Eddy Arnold, where Eddy's film "cousin" Carolina Cotton (Carolina Cotton) quickly takes a shine to the shy and clumsy Stoney. Eddy sees a print of Stoney's film in which the character is singing "I Can't Shake the Sands of Texas From My Shoes" and is impressed and telephones his agent Sam Baker (Fred Sears) to come there quickly and sign Stoney to a contract, especially since he sounds like Gene Autry. Meanwhile, some bank robbers and gangsters get involved and have their eyes on the proceeds from a charity fund-raiser Eddy is doing. When the agent shows up to sign Stoney to a recording contract because "you sound like Gene Autry", Stoney says that is because it was Gene Autry doing the singing in the film. The film is somewhat of an inside joke built around ace stuntman Mahoney, in that his Stoney role is the opposite of his real-life abilities, and most of the males in the cast, Big Boy Williams, Douglas Fowley, Don Harvey and Charles Sullivan, takes turns beating him up and knocking him out...when he isn't falling out of hay lofts or involved in accidents. But a kiss from Carolina makes a new man out of him and the gangsters are rounded up in a one-man blitz, and Stoney ends up with eight studios bidding for his services. Eddy performs most of his best-selling hits of the day, with the exception of "Cattle Call", the vastly-underrated Carolina Cotton (as a performer and actress with a personality) yodels up a storm, and this overall turns out to be a pretty fair little sleeper, especially in regards to films where Hollywood takes a poke at itself.And probably unknown to those who go around compiling such lists.

Cast & Crew

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Ray Nazarro

Eddy Arnold

Jeff Donnell

Jock O'mahoney

Guinn "big Boy" Williams

Carolina Cotton

Carolina Cotton

Film Details

Genre

Musical

Western

Release Date

Jun 6, 1950

Premiere Information

not available

Production Company

Columbia Pictures Corp.

Distribution Company

Columbia Pictures Corp.

Country

United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 4m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

5,675ft (7 reels)

Synopsis

Reporter Vera Wright is assigned to write a "sob" story about failed cowboy movie star Stoney Rhodes, whose mother is on the verge of losing her home. After Stoney learns that his last public appearance has been canceled for lack of interest, Vera agrees to drive him to the bus station. Her car runs out of gas near a farm belonging to singer Eddy Arnold, and Vera asks Stoney to buy some gas from him. Stoney arrives in the middle of amateur tryouts for the big hospital benefit that Eddy is hosting. Instead of gas, the inarticulate Stoney buys a ticket for the show with the last of his money. He then tries to steal it back, but Eddy's farm foreman, Small Potatoes, thwarts his efforts. Stoney is finally rescued from Small Potatoes by the arrival of Vera, who has grown tired of waiting for him. When singer Carolina Cotton, who has taken a liking to Stoney, learns of his mother's plight, she suggests that he capture some wanted bank robbers for the reward. Then Eddy offers Stoney a job as a farmhand. Later, Eddy asks Vera to accompany him to a theater which is showing one of Stoney's movies. They discover that Stoney has a wonderful singing voice, and Eddy calls his agent Sam, who has been looking for a new cowboy singer. Back at the farm, a smitten Carolina has been doing Stoney's work for him, even after Stoney discloses that he has a crush on Vera. Meanwhile, the escaping bank robbers commandeer Sam's car and force him to drive them to the farm. After Sam and the men arrive, Stoney reveals that Gene Autry dubbed his singing voice in the movie. Privately, Sam lets Eddy know that the other men are the escaped robbers. The robbers decide to steal the receipts from the benefit performance and, realizing that Stoney is the weakest of the men, send him to collect the money. In the meantime, Carolina gives Stoney his first kiss, and suddenly, he realizes that he loves Carolina, which makes him courageous. After a complicated battle, Stoney singlehandedly rounds up the robbers, and now that he is a hero, eight different movie studios offer him a contract. His money problems solved, Stoney embraces Carolina.

Director

Ray Nazarro

Cast

Eddy Arnold

Jeff Donnell

Jock O'mahoney

Guinn "big Boy" Williams

Carolina Cotton

Carolina Cotton

The Pied Pipers

The Oklahoma Wranglers

Fred Sears

Don Harvey

Charles Sullivan

Douglas Fowley

Ray Walker

Harry Harvey

Robert H. Robinson

Myron Welton

Gene Roth

Mike Jeffers

Crew

Gert Anderson

Eddy Arnold

Mischa Bakaleinikoff

Eddie Blaisdell

Paul Borofsky

Fayte Brown

Director of Photography

Don Christie

Charles Clague

Colbert Clark

Frances Clark

Zeke Clements

Stephen Collins Foster

Frank Goodwin

Bob Hilliard

Billy Hughes

Diane Johnston

Gilbert Kay

Assistant Director

Al Later

Pearl Leiter

Script Supervisor

Paul Mertz

Music Supervisor

George Montgomery

Steve Nelson

Ed Nelson, Jr.

Barry Shipman

Fred Stryker

Septimus Winner

Film Details

Genre

Musical

Western

Release Date

Jun 6, 1950

Premiere Information

not available

Production Company

Columbia Pictures Corp.

Distribution Company

Columbia Pictures Corp.

Country

United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 4m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

5,675ft (7 reels)

Quotes

Trivia

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