Sioux City Sue (1946)

• Directors
  • Frank McDonald
  • Walter Lantz(animation sequences)
• Writer
  • Olive Cooper(original screenplay)
• Stars
  • Gene Autry
  • Champion Jr.
  • Lynne Roberts

  In his first film after four-years of military duty, Gene Autry returns to a familiar setting: a modern western musical-comedy with accent on music and comedy. Crooning Jimmie Hodges' lilting "Someday You'll Want Me to Want You", cattle rancher Gene Autry is discovered by Hollywood talent scouts Sue Warner (Lynne Roberts) and Nelson "Nellie" Bly (Sterling Holloway), who convince him to give up ranching in favor of movie stardom. But unbeknownst to Gene only his voice is needed -- to flesh out cartoon character Ding Dong Donkey -- and the results prove highly embarrassing. Ashamed of her own part in the deception, Sue quits her job and obtains a position as Gene's ranch cook. Back at Paragon Pictures, a surreptitiously produced screen-test brings Autry's unquestionable talents to the attention of studio boss G.W. Rhodes (Pierre Watkin), who assigns former cartoon producer Jefferson Lang (Richard Lane) to lure the cattle rancher back to Hollywood. Desperate to get out of the animated movie business, Lang forms an alliance with Gene's sworn enemy, Big Gulliver (Ralph Sanford), but the resulting near-disaster is prevented in the nick of time by Sue and the ranch hands. Nearly wiped out, Gene signs a contract with Paragon and becomes a huge success as Hollywood's newest singing cowboy. Backed by the Cass County Boys, Autry performs Dick Thomas & Ray Freedman's title tune; "Oklahoma Hills" by Leon Guthrie; "Riding Double" by John Rox; and "Yours" by Gonzalo Roig and Jack Sherr. In accordance with a then new Republic Pictures policy, the latter is sung in both English and Spanish. A restored version of Sioux City Sue was released in 2001 by Gene Autry Entertainment.