| Oh, Susanna! | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Joseph Kane |
| Written by | Oliver Drake |
| Produced by | Nat Levine |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | William Nobles |
| Edited by | Lester Orlebeck |
| Music by | Harry Grey (supervisor) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 54 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Oh, Susanna! is a 1936 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Frances Grant. Written by Oliver Drake, the film is about a cowboy who is robbed and then thrown from a train by an escaped murderer who then takes on the cowboy's identity.[1]
Singing cowboy Gene Autry (Gene Autry) is traveling to Mineral Springs Ranch to visit an old friend, Jefferson Lee (Carl Stockdale), whom he hasn't seen in fifteen years. On the train, he is robbed and then thrown from the train by escaped murderer Wolf Benson (Boothe Howard). Believing Gene to be dead, Wolf plans to travel to Mineral Springs Ranch and pose as the radio celebrity in order to collect the $10,000 that Lee owes Gene.
Meanwhile, Gene is rescued by traveling actors Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette) and Professor Ezekial Daniels (Earle Hodgins). Together they travel to Sage City, where Gene gets into a fight with Sheriff Briggs (Walter James), who believes he is Wolf, and chokes the singing cowboy. Arrested for Wolf's crimes, Gene is unable to sing in order to prove his identity. At the trial, Gene mouths the words to his songs while a phonograph plays, and after the jury listens, Gene is set free.
Wolf arrives at Lee's Mineral Springs Ranch pretending to be Gene and asks for his money back. Knowing he is an impostor, Lee refuses to give him the money and Wolf shoots him and robs his safe. On his way to Mineral Springs, Gene comes across a posted reward for "Gene Autry", the murderer of Jefferson Lee. Gene meets Lee's niece Mary Ann (Frances Grant), who is riding with Flash Baldwin (Donald Kirke), Wolf's accomplice. Gene notices that Baldwin is wearing his own suit, and decides to pose as Tex Smith, offering to perform at the Lee ranch in place of Gene Autry. After finding his suitcase in Baldwin's room, Gene overhears Wolf's scheme to rob the ranch safe, but Baldwin recognizes Gene's voice by playing his record while he sings.
The next day, while the guests picnic, Wolf and his men crack the ranch safe. Gene pulls a gun on them, but Sheriff Briggs and his posse arrive with Frog and Daniels. He arrests Gene, instead of Wolf, still believing that Gene killed Lee. While the posse locates Mary Ann to implicate Wolf, he deserts his men and Gene overtakes him in his car. Mary Ann then testifies to Gene's innocence and they kiss.
