Springtime in the Rockies
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Joe Kane
Gene Autry
Smiley Burnette
Polly Rowles
Ula Love
Ruth Bacon
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
When Gene Autry, foreman of the Knight Ranch, learns that rancher Jed Thorpe is bringing a carload of sheep into the area, he hurries to Thorpe's ranch, afraid that Morgan, a hot-headed cattle rancher, might shoot Thorpe. Gene stops Morgan, who once was ruined financially by sheep ranching, from fighting Thorpe, and Thorpe agrees to ship the sheep back. Sandra Knight, who has inherited the Knight Ranch from her late uncle, arrives in town with three female friends, who went to agricultural college with her to study animal husbandry. Before Sandra gets to her ranch, Thorpe's partner Briggs sells her the sheep. On the road to the ranch, Sandra almost hits Gene and his horse Champion. When Gene learns about the sheep deal, he tries to dissuade Sandra, saying that sheep eat grass to the root so that it cannot grow back, but she doesn't listen. Gene then shows her to his own rocky ground and ramshackle cabin, which, he says, is her ranch. That night, as the girls try to sleep, Gene's friend, Frog Millhouse, makes noises imitating wild animals to scare the girls into leaving the next day. One such noise sends Sandra into Gene's arms, and she asks him to sleep on the porch. The next day, Gene takes Sandra riding. Having developed a romantic interest in her, he is about to tell her that the beautiful house and fertile land before them belongs to her, when she says that she wants to lease the land that she thinks is hers, but which is actually Gene's, for her sheep. After she does this, Morgan learns about the sheep on Gene's ranch, and he rides there to shoot them, but Gene appears and fights him. Gene agrees to the sheriff's demand that he get rid of the sheep in twenty-four hours, but when he sees Frog apply Mercurochrome to a wound, he gets the idea to paint the sheep so that it will appear that they have hoof-and-mouth disease. Briggs learns that Sandra thinks she owns Gene's ranch and offers her $5,000 for her property, a bargain for Gene's ranch, but far below the value of her own, estimated to be worth $100,000. With Thorpe, Briggs plans to keep Gene and Frog from interfering while Sandra signs over her ranch, without understanding the legal description. When Sandra sees the sheep with painted red goo on their mouths, noses and hooves, she accepts Briggs's offer to buy them. Briggs then delivers them to Morgan and, at the dance that night, tells Sandra about Gene's trick. She fires Gene, and when Morgan confronts Gene about the sheep and draws on him, Gene pulls out his gun, which he got earlier that evening from Thorpe. Because of Thorpe's manipulation, the gun fires before Gene pulls the trigger. Morgan is wounded and Gene is arrested. Sandra decides to take Briggs's offer to buy the ranch and tells the girls to pack. Frog relates this to Gene in jail. Frog then puts up a wrecking company sign in front of the jail and pays a truck driver to pull the wall off the jail. Gene escapes and, pursued by the sheriff and a mob, rides after Briggs and Sandra. After Sandra signs the deed over to Briggs, Gene pursues Briggs to the county seat and rips up the deed. The sheriff is told that Morgan, when he regained consciousness, said that Thorpe shot him. Gene then shakes hands with the sheriff and rides romantically with Sandra through her ranch.
Director
Joe Kane
Cast
Gene Autry
Smiley Burnette
Polly Rowles
Ula Love
Ruth Bacon
Jane Hunt
George Chesebro
Alan Bridge
Tom London
Edward Hearn
Frankie Marvin
William Hole
Edmund Cobb
Fred Burns
Jimmy's Saddle Pals
Crew
Gene Autry
Betty Burbridge
Smiley Burnette
Alberto Colombo
Frank Harford
Leon Leonardi
Johnny Marvin
Ernest Miller
Bill O'connor
Lester Orlebeck
Sol C. Siegel
Winston Tharp
Gilbert Wright
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, some scenes were shot on location near Palm Springs, CA. Modern sources add the following additional cast members: Lew Meehan, Jack Rockwell, Art Davis, Jack Kirk, Frank Ellis, George Letz, Oscar Gahan and Jim Corey.
