Romance, Fun, Music, & Action
15 November 2009
This is a fun-filled romp for Gene and Smiley, and there's plenty of action to go along with the shenanigans. Gene & his leading lady, Judith Allen (Doris Maxwell), are a good match with a seemingly love-hate relationship that naturally ends in love. In the meantime, Gene and Judith keep the audience guessing as to what next crazy trick one will play on the other. Smiley is along to provide the juvenile comedy. This outing he also provides some fine music, showing off his versatility by playing both the piano and the accordion (his favored musical instrument). Smiley "Frog" Burnette was also adept at inventing musical contraptions. This time around it's the Maple City Boys who play on some of these concoctions. Smiley provides one of the songs, "Honey Bringing Honey To You," a clever play on words, written by Frog. Though mostly traditional music from the time period (using authentic western music was mainly the reserve of Tex Ritter in those days), the soundtrack is a winner. "Git Along Little Dogies," the title of the movie (Gene often used song names - usually his latest hit - for his film titles) is a true song of the cattle drive and has several variations. The one Gene, Frog, and the Mape City Boys sing during the opening credits is the standard version.

The story has Gene at first promoting the cattlemen's water rights over the oil company's rights to drill, which is polluting the streams where the cows drink. Influenced by his attraction to Judith, who has a radio station above a Chinese restaurant (yes, that's right) that is sponsored by the oil company, and by a new revelation, Gene begins to have second thoughts.

The Chinese restaurant is run by Sing Low (Willie Fong)who steals part of the show from Frog, especially when Sing Low sings high his version of "Git Along Little Dogie," with a Chinese "Woopie Tie Ya Yo." Gene even sings "China, My Chinatown," at least a sliver of it.

Added attractions are The Cabin Kids, sort of a precursor do-wop harmony group, and a song and dance from Gladys and Will Ahern. The "Stock Selling Song (We're the Boys From the Circle A)" by the Maple City Boys may be a bit much, but does foreshadow later musical innovations such as the opening number in "The Music Man." This oater has romance, fun, music, and action. Who could ask for anything more?
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