''Home in Wyomin is a 1942 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

directed by William Morgan and starring

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

Smiley Burnette Lester Alvin Burnett (March 18, 1911 – February 16, 1967), better known as Smiley Burnette, was an American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, a ...

, and

Fay McKenzie Eunice Fay McKenzie (February 19, 1918 – April 16, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She starred in silent films as a child, and then sound films as an adult, but perhaps she is best known for her leading roles opposite Gene Autry ...

. Based on a story by Stuart Palmer, the film is about a singing cowboy who helps out a former employer in trouble with his failing rodeo while romancing a woman reporter. In ''Home in Wyomin, Autry sang his hit songs "Be Honest with Me", "Back in the Saddle Again", and "Tweedle O'Twill", as well as

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russi ...

's "Any Bonds Today", becoming the first major star to sing the official song of the U.S. Defense Bond campaign during the war.

Plot

Singing cowboy Gene Autry (

) appears on a radio program to promote U.S. Defense Bonds. In the audience, wisecracking photographer Clementine Benson (

) and reporter "Hack" Hackett ( Chick Chandler) make fun of the singer and his devoted fans. After the program, Clementine and Hack try to get an embarrassing story on Gene, who knows their game and eludes the pair, who previously ridiculed him in print. Gene is approached by Pop Harrison (

Forrest Taylor Edwin Forrest Taylor (December 29, 1883 – February 19, 1965) was an American character actor whose artistic career spanned six different decades, from silents through talkies to the advent of color films. Early years Taylor was born in Bl ...

), the owner of the rodeo troupe that gave Gene and his sidekick Frog Millhouse (

) their start. Pop is worried that his son Tex is destroying their rodeo through his irresponsible drinking and gambling. Always ready to help out a friend, Gene decides to drive to Gold Ridge, Wyoming to lend a hand with the rodeo and straighten Tex out. Frog and Frog's brother Tadpole accompany him to Wyoming. They are followed by Clementine and Hack, who were ordered to follow Gene. When they arrive at Bartlett's dude ranch in Wyoming, they watch Tex and the boys are preparing for their next rodeo. Hack's laughter at Tex's drunkenness provokes a fistfight, and Hack, a former prizefighter, easily beats up the drunken cowboy. Afterwards, Gene uses the incident as an opportunity to give Tex a stern lecture. Tex agrees to start acting more responsibly, and Gene tells him to attend that night's barbecue so the others can see that he's changed his ways. That night, Hack follows three suspicious ranch guests to a saloon, where he joins them in a card game along with Tex and Sunrise (

Olin Howland Olin Ross Howland (February 10, 1886 – September 20, 1959) was an American film and theatre actor. Life and career Howland was born in Denver, Colorado, to Joby A. Howland, one of the youngest enlisted participants in the Civil War, an ...

), an eccentric miner who shows off some gold he found. Hack quickly wins several hands, happy to take their money and Sunrise's gold. The leader of the three suspicious ranch guests, Crowley (George Douglas), is unnerved when Hack implies that he knows them from Chicago and is aware of Crowley's shady past. Gene comes to the saloon and retrieves Tex. After Hack leaves the saloon, Crowley, who is actually a gangster named Luigi Scalese, and his men follow him. On the road, someone takes a shot at Hack, nearly missing him. The following day, as Tex performs in a staged shootout during the rodeo, Hack is shot and killed in the audience by someone who then loads a real bullet in Tex's gun which was dropped during the confusion. When the sheriff (

Hal Price Harry Franklin "Hal" Price (June 24, 1886 – April 15, 1964) was an American film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 260 films between 1930 and 1952. He is the father of character actress and comedian Lu Leonard. On stage, Price ...

) investigates, he discovers the real bullet in Tex's gun and arrests him, despite the protests of Gene and his friends. Later, Clementine tells Gene about Hack's suspicion of Crowley, and Gene prevents Crowley and his men from leaving the ranch. Crowly sends letters to Clementine and Gene, making it appear that each is inviting the other on a date that evening. While Clementine is away, Crowley breaks into her room and steals her photograph case in order to destroy pictures of himself in the crowd. Later Gene sends the remaining photographs off for fingerprinting, and soon after, Pop receives a telegram identifying the fingerprints on the photographs as belonging to Chicago mobster Luigi Scalese, Crowley's true identity. Later that day, someone breaks into Pop's home, shoots him, and takes the incriminating telegram. Gene suspects Crowley and races off to arrest him. Clementine stays behind and learns from Pop that there is a secret entrance to a mine beneath his house. Clementine asks Sunrise to lead her through the tunnels of the mine, and quickly discovers that Sunrise is insane, and that he killed Hack and wounded Pop fearing they would divulge the location of his precious gold. As Sunrise attempts to kill Clementine, Gene arrives and saves her, as the crazy miner falls down a mine shaft to his death. Afterwards, as Pop recovers from his wound, Tex promises him that he will really straighten up this time, and Clementine and Gene ride off together singing a song.

Cast

as Gene Autry *

as Frog Millhouse *

as Clementine Benson *

as Sunrise * Chick Chandler as "Hack" Hackett * Joe Strauch Jr. as Tadpole *

as Pop Harrison *

James Seay James Seay (September 9, 1914 – October 10, 1992) was an American character actor who often played minor supporting roles as government officials. Early years Seay demonstrated an interest in acting at an early age, as he and his mothe ...

as Tex Harrison * George Douglas as Luigi Scalese aka Crowley * Charles Lane as Newspaper Editor *

as Sheriff *

Spade Cooley Donnell Clyde "Spade" Cooley (December 17, 1910 – November 23, 1969) was an American convicted murderer and former Western swing musician, big band leader, actor, and television personality. In 1961 he was arrested and convicted for the Ap ...

as First Fiddle Player (uncredited) * Tom Hanlon as Radio Announcer (uncredited) *

Rex Lease Rex Lloyd Lease (February 11, 1903 – January 3, 1966) was an American actor. He appeared in over 300 films, mainly in Poverty Row westerns. Biography Lease arrived in Hollywood in 1924. He found bit and supporting parts at Film Booking O ...

as Poker Player (uncredited) * Cactus Mack as Cowhand, Rodeo Rider (uncredited) * Frankie Marvin as Rodeo Hand, Musician (uncredited) *

Kermit Maynard Kermit Maynard (September 20, 1897 – January 16, 1971) was an American actor and stuntman. Early years Born in Vevay, Indiana, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Maynard and a lookalike younger brother of actor Ken Maynard; they were ...

as Sam Hatcher (uncredited) * James McNamara as Bartlett (uncredited) * Champion as Gene's Horse (uncredited)

Production

Casting

Between 1941 and 1942,

appeared as the leading lady in five Gene Autry films: ''Down Mexico Way'' (1941), ''Sierra Sue'' (1941), ''Cowboy Serenade'' (1942), ''Heart of the Rio Grande'' (1942), and ''Home in Wyomin (1942).Magers 2007, pp. 198–199. She would later remember Autry with fondness, "Gene was a bright and marvelous man, a joy and inspiration to work with. It was wonderful for the whole family to be able to go and enjoy his films. It was such a privilege to work with Gene. It was the high point for me; a happy time." Tom Hanlon, who plays a radio announcer in the film, was actually the announcer on Autry's Sunday night ''

Melody Ranch ''Melody Ranch'' is a 1940 Western musical film directed by Joseph Santley and starring Gene Autry, Jimmy Durante, and Ann Miller. Written by Jack Moffitt, F. Hugh Herbert, Bradford Ropes, and Betty Burbridge, the film is about a singing cowbo ...

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

radio program.

Filming and budget

''Home in Wyomin was filmed February 25 to March 14, 1942. The film had an operating budget of $84,006 (equal to $ today), and a

negative cost Negative cost is the net expense to produce and shoot a film, excluding such expenditures as distribution and promotion. Low-budget movies, for example ''The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American supernatural h ...

of $85,024.

Filming locations

* Russell Ranch,

Westlake Village, California Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County on its western border with Ventura County. The City of Westlake Village incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks Westlake Vill ...

, USA * Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA

Stuntwork

* Ken Cooper * Bud Geary *

Ted Mapes Ted Mapes (November 25, 1901 – September 9, 1984) was an American character actor, who was also a prolific stuntman and body double. Born on November 25, 1901, in St. Edward, Nebraska, he moved to Los Angeles in his mid-20s, and entered the fi ...

* Kermit Maynard * Joe Yrigoyen (Gene Autry's stunt double)

Soundtrack

* "Be Honest with Me" (Gene Autry, Fred Rose) by Gene Autry * "Any Bonds Today" (Irving Berlin) by Gene Autry * "Back in the Saddle" (Gene Autry, Ray Whitley) by Gene Autry * "Tweedle O'Twill" (Gene Autry, Fred Rose) by Gene Autry * "Modern Design" (Smiley Burnette) by Smiley Burnette * "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" (A.P. Carter, Don Marcotte) by Gene Autry * "Twilight in Old Wyomin'" (Fred Rose, Johnny Marvin) by Gene Autry * "(Oh My Darling) Clementine" (Percy Montrose, H.S. Thompson, arr. Tex Ritter) by Gene AutryMagers 2007, pp. 210–211.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * *

External links

* * * {{allmovie title, 95471, Home in Wyomin' 1942 films 1942 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films American black-and-white films Republic Pictures films Films directed by William Morgan (director) Films scored by Raoul Kraushaar 1940s English-language films 1940s American films