Cowboy Serenade
Cast & Crew
William Morgan
Gene Autry
Smiley Burnette
Fay Mckenzie
Cecil Cunningham
Addison Richards
Film Details
Technical Specs
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com//img/global/logo-AFI.png)
Synopsis
Flagpole Cattlemen's Association president Gene Autry decides to entrust young Jimmy Agnew with the sale of the association's large cattle herd. Jimmy is thrilled with the opportunity and asks his girl friend, Millie Roades, to marry him. The next day, Jimmy and the cattle board the train bound for Hays City, but on the way, Jimmy is induced to join a poker game led by Dixie Trambeau and Joe Crowley. Jimmy does not want to play but relents when they promise that it will be a low stakes game. Their crooked playing soon ruins Jimmy, and he is forced at gun point to give them the power of attorney authorizing them to sell the cattle. Jimmy disappears, and the distraught cattlemen are about to swear out a warrant for his arrest when Gene and his pal, Frog Millhouse, offer to go to Hays City to find him. While there, Gene and Frog learn about Trambeau's crooked gambling ring, which has fleeced many ranchers, from District Attorney Stevens. Stevens explains that the spur line on which Trambeau and Crowley operate is out of his jurisdiction, and that he cannot investigate it without the permission of its owner, Asa Lock. Unknown to Stevens, Lock is the secret leader of the gamblers, and Trambeau and Crowley receive their orders directly from him. Gene and Frog proceed to Asa's office to ask for his help, but he is out of town and his unsuspecting daugther Stephanie, who is known as Steve, assumes that they are seeking work on his ranch and hires them. At the ranch, Gene strikes up a friendship with Steve, while Frog is pursued by her aunt, Priscilla Smythe. The romances come to an abrupt halt, however, when Asa arrives and Gene reveals his real purpose for being there when he asks Asa to allow an investigation of the spur line. Asa refuses, and while he is contacting Trambeau and Crowley, whom he orders to hide out near the ranch, Steve asserts to Gene that she can prove her father's innocence. To that end, she arranges for Stevens to conduct his investigation, and Jimmy finally comes out of hiding. Despite Asa's attempts to have Jimmy killed, the young man comes to the ranch with Gene and tells his story. Soon after, Gene and Frog find Trambeau's hideout, but they are captured by him and Crowley. They escape with the aid of Priscilla and Ling, the Locks' Chinese servant, and rush back to the ranch. There they discover that Asa has sent Jimmy a false message to go to Stevens' office. Asa has planned for a truck to run Jimmy off the road, but when he finds out that Steve is in the car with him, he rushes off to save her. Gene jumps into Steve's car and steers it away from the truck just as they are about to crash, but the truck goes on to collide with Asa's car. As Asa lays dying, Gene assures him that he will always take care of Steve. Later, the cattlemen's money has been returned, and Gene and Steve laugh together as Priscilla catches Millie's bouquet after she marries Jimmy.
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Director
William Morgan
Cast
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/GeneAutry.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Gene Autry
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/SmileyBurnett.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Smiley Burnette
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/FayMcKenzie.127962.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Fay Mckenzie
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/CecilCunningham.42174.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Cecil Cunningham
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/ADDISON-RICHARDS.161162.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Addison Richards
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/RandBrooks.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Rand Brooks
Tristam Coffin
Lloyd "slim" Andrews
Melinda Leighton
Johnnie Berkes
Champion
Otto Han
Forrest Taylor
Loren Raker
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/BudWolfe.208522.jpg?imwidth=188&height=141)
Bud Wolfe
Bud Geary
Forbes Murray
Hal Price
Si Jenks
Hank Worden
Frankie Marvin
Tom London
Ethan Laidlaw
Kenneth Terrell
Ken Cooper
Rick Anderson
Roger Kirby
Crew
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com//img/global/logo-AFI.png)
Film Details
Technical Specs
![](https://prod-images.tcm.com//img/global/logo-AFI.png)
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This film marked the screen debut of model Melinda Leighton. Modern sources include Ralph Kirby in the cast.
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