As a cattle inspector for the state, Gene Autry finds himself in the middle of a dilemma when Smiley Burnette finds a dead calf, and all shipments to market have to be stopped to prevent the spread of hoof and mouth disease. This puts Gene at odds with pretty Martha Wheeler (June Storey), daughter of rancher Jim Wheeler (George Cleveland), because even though their cattle are disease free, he has to play fair by all the other cattlemen.
I always enjoy seeing Earl Hodgins show up in an Autry flick, this time he's accompanied by an elephant sidekick that proves instrumental later in the story. With Gene incarcerated for assaulting the area commissioner, Smiley uses the old peanut on the end of a string trick to lure Nepaw over to the jail house window, whereby the ponderous pachyderm literally pulls down the entire window and wall of the jail.
It doesn't take long for Gene and Smiley to zero in on villains Belknap (Walter Miller) and Shelby (Gordon Hart), who conspire to ship off Belknap's infected cattle to market before they show signs of disease. It's one of those stories where Gene and the local sheriff all wind up on the same page by the end of the picture, so Gene can wrap things up with the leading lady by his side.
As usual, Gene and Smiley offer up an entertaining mix of tunes, starting out with 'There's Nothing Like Work', the theme of which Smiley attempts to emulate as the story progresses. There's also a cowboy band called the Sherven Brothers Rodeoliers who present a lively instrumental, appearing more like a novelty act as the members play an assortment of homemade instruments in addition to your standard accordion and bass fiddle.
I always enjoy seeing Earl Hodgins show up in an Autry flick, this time he's accompanied by an elephant sidekick that proves instrumental later in the story. With Gene incarcerated for assaulting the area commissioner, Smiley uses the old peanut on the end of a string trick to lure Nepaw over to the jail house window, whereby the ponderous pachyderm literally pulls down the entire window and wall of the jail.
It doesn't take long for Gene and Smiley to zero in on villains Belknap (Walter Miller) and Shelby (Gordon Hart), who conspire to ship off Belknap's infected cattle to market before they show signs of disease. It's one of those stories where Gene and the local sheriff all wind up on the same page by the end of the picture, so Gene can wrap things up with the leading lady by his side.
As usual, Gene and Smiley offer up an entertaining mix of tunes, starting out with 'There's Nothing Like Work', the theme of which Smiley attempts to emulate as the story progresses. There's also a cowboy band called the Sherven Brothers Rodeoliers who present a lively instrumental, appearing more like a novelty act as the members play an assortment of homemade instruments in addition to your standard accordion and bass fiddle.