In Old Santa Fe

Singing cowboy Kentucky (Ken Maynard) and his sidekick cranky Cactus (Gabby Hayes) run into a couple of crooks in suits bent on framing Kentucky for everything except kidnapping. Framing was a favorite device in a lot of old westerns. When in doubt of a plot, just frame someone and watch them try to wriggle out from under the charge. In this case, Kentucky is framed twice for murder and once for robbery. He had sucker written all over his face. As singing cowboys go, Ken Maynard was pretty good…considering his voice was dubbed by Bob Nolan!!! Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette show up to entertain party guests with a couple of novelty songs. Otherwise, this movie contained nothing but clichés: a runaway stagecoach, a damsel in distress, fistfights, gunfights, a rigged horse race, typical bad guys, fancy cowboy costumes…

Because I'm a lifelong Gene Autry fan, I purchased this DVD to see "The Singing Cowboy's" first screen appearance. He appears for about seven minutes along with sidekick Smiley Burnette as members of a band entertaining at a dance.The appearance was so short and Autry and Burnette were so unknown that they're not credited as cast members. Ken Maynard and George "Gabby" Hayes were listed as stars of "In Old Santa Fe" -- a 1934 B-Western.The trouble with this Sinister Cinema DVD is its very poor quality. If you enjoy seeing projection lines in your movies and poor sound is OK with you, then go ahead and buy this DVD.But if you're interested in quality, wait for Gene Autry's people to put out a remastered -- and authorized -- version of this historic flick.

Enjoyed it

Nowadays, when advertising “In Old Santa Fe,” Gene Autry is given top billing even though this is not his film. This 1934 film is the first film where Gene makes an appearance. The top star in Ken Maynard, looking good, slimmer than in later films and singing two songs. Gene is not even mentioned in the list of actors. His sole role was to sing two songs during a dance in the film. George Hayes, later called Gabby Hayes, has a large comedic role. He plays Ken’s partner. Both Gorge and Ken are very good in the film.In the film, Ken and George come to a vacation ranch where the owner has, in addition to the ranch, a gold mine that is giving him much gold, and a lovely daughter. He also has a secret past. A man and his stooge come to the ranch to blackmail the owner and force him to give the man half of his ranch and gold mine as well as his daughter. There is a horse race in the film and the man cheats, a murder, and a robbery.

Poverty Row Pictures presents "IN OLD SANTA FE" (15 November 1934) (64 mins/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- . Ken Maynard was an American motion picture stuntman and actor --- Born Kenneth Olin Maynard in Vevay, Indiana, he was an accomplished horseman --- As a young man, he performed in rodeos and was a trick rider with Buffalo Bill 's Wild West Show and a circus rider with Ringling Brothers --- During World War I, he served in the United States Army.He first appeared in silent motion pictures in 1923 and in addition to acting also did stunt work --- Maynard became one of the first singing cowboys with Columbia Records --- Also one of the first to make a star out of his white stallion named "Tarzan", a half-Arabian, half-American Saddle horse. Maynard bought him in the mid-1920's --- With his white cowboy hat, fancy shirt, and pair of six-shooters, from the 1920s to the mid-1940s --- Maynard appeared in more than 90 films --- However, his alcoholism severely impacted his life and his career ended in 1944. He owned a small circus operation featuring rodeo riders but eventually lost it to creditors.The significant amount of money he had earned vanished and he lived a desolate life in a rundown mobile home --- During these years, Maynard was supported by an unknown admirer - long thought to be Gene Autry --- More than 25 years after his last starring role, Maynard returned to two small parts in films in 1970 and 1972 --- Ken Maynard died penniless in 1973 at the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills, California. He was interred at Forest Lawn Cypress Cemetery in Cypress, California. Maynard's funeral is described in detail in James Horwitz's book They Went Thataway --- His brother, Kermit Maynard, was also an actor and stuntmanFor his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ken Maynard has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6751 Hollywood Blvd -- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)Under the production staff of:David Howard - DirectorJoseph Kane - DirectorNat Levine - ProducerColbert Clark - ScreenwriterJames Gruen - ScreenwriterWallace MacDonald - Screen StoryJohn Rathmell - Screen StoryErnest W. Miller - CinematographerWilliam Nobles - CinematographerThomas Scott - EditorOur story line and plot, Gangster Chandler (Kenneth Thomson) and his accomplice Tracy (Wheeler Oakman) arrive at a dude ranch --- Our hero cowboy Kentucky (Ken Maynard) arrives at the same time --- When Tracy double-crosses his boss and has the stage robbed, Kentucky finds the outlaws and brings them in --- Tracy frames him for the murder of the driver but his pal Cactus (George "Gabby" Hayes) gets him out of jail --- He returns just as Chandler shoots Tracy and Kentucky finds himself arrested for another murder --- This film is essentially Gene Autry's screen test --- And after Ken Maynard's quarrelsomeness got him fired by studio head Nat Levine, Autry won his first starring role in "The Phantom Empire (1935), originally intended to star Maynard --- Autry later helped quietly support Maynard when he was old and alcoholic.the cast includes:Ken Maynard ... Ken aka 'Kentucky' Tarzan ... Tarzan (Ken's horse) Evalyn Knapp ... Lila Miller H.B. Warner ... Charlie Miller Kenneth Thomson ... Matt Korber, alias Mr. Chandler Wheeler Oakman ... Tracy George 'Gabby' Hayes ... Cactus (as George Hayes) George Burton ... Henchman Red George Chesebro ... Henchman Nick Gene Autry ... Gene Autry, Guest Singer Silver Tip Baker ... Party Guest Stanley Blystone ... Outlaw Hank Dick Botiller ... Party Guest (uncredited) Charles Brinley ... Wounded Stage Driver Smiley Burnette ... Accordionist-Singer Horace B. Carpenter ... Guest Jim Corey ... Scrawny Deputy Art Dillard ... Cowhand Frank Ellis ... Burly Deputy Herman Hack ... Man at Dance Jack Kirk ... Cowhand Tracy Layne ... Deputy Ed Cliff Lyons ... Cowhand Frankie Marvin ... Band musician Jack Rockwell ... Sheriff Wally West ... Cowhand at PartySPECIAL FEATURES:BIO:1. Ken Maynard (aka: Kenneth Olin Maynard)Date of Birth: 21 July 1895 - Vevay, IndianaDate of Death: 23 March 1973 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, CaliforniaIf you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure check out other western double features --- Ask Amazon.Com to carry the volumes as they are not available on Amazon as of yet --- you can order and pick up your copy now from VCI EntertainmentKEN MAYNARD WESTERN DOUBLE FEATUREVol 1: Phantom Thunderbolt & Lightning Strikes West (VCI #7240) (DVD)Vol 2: Dynamite Ranch & Death Rides the Range (VCI #7295) (DVD)Vol 3: Drum Taps & Two Gun Man (VCI #7300) (DVD)Vol 4: Fargo Express & Harmony Trail (VCI #7284) (DVD)Vol 5: Western Courage & Whistlin' Dan (VCI #7307) (DVD)Vol 6: In Old Santa Fe & Come On Tarzan (VCI #7346) (DVD)Vol 7: Boots of Destiny & Flamin' Lead (VCI #7348) (DVD)Vol 8: Six Shootin' Sheriff & Trailin' Trouble (VCI #7350) (DVD)Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc) and Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- If you're into the memories of B-Westerns with high drama, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- please stand up and take a bow Western Classics --- all my heroes have been cowboys!Total Time: 64 min on VHS/DVD ~ Poverty Row Pictures ~ (5/27/2008)

This pivotal "B" Western marked the film debut of Gene Autry, whose rapid success as a singing cowboy was partially due to the self-destructive decline of Ken Maynard (now working at Mascot Pictures after being fired from Universal). "In Old Santa Fe" (1934) remains a good showcase for Ken, Tarzan the Wonder Horse and Gabby Hayes with its entertaining mix of hard riding, romance, fisticuffs, comedy and music. Gene and Smiley Burnette perform the title song during their brief screen time. Mascot boss Nat Levine replaced the difficult (though popular) Maynard with an unproven Autry in the genre-bending 1935 serial "The Phantom Empire." And the rest is Saturday Matinee history.

The film debut of Gene Autry. ‘Nuff said

Rubbish. I bought this on behalf of my Dad and he said it played for about five minutes and then stopped. He tried it in another player and it did the same thing. Total waste of money. He was very disappointed. Only give it one star because I can't give it less.