Rhythm on the Range (1936)

Rhythm on the Range is a 1936 American Western musical film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Bing Crosby, Frances Farmer, and Bob Burns. Based on a story by Mervin J. Houser, the film is about a cowboy who meets a beautiful young woman while returning from a rodeo in the east, and invites her to stay at his California ranch to experience his simple, honest way of life. Rhythm on the Range was Crosby's only western film (apart from the 1966 remake of Stagecoach) and is notable for his introduction of two important western songs, "Empty Saddles" by Billy Hill and "I'm an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande" by Johnny Mercer, the latter becoming a national hit song for Crosby. The film played an important role in popularizing the singing cowboy and western music on a national level.



^ "Rhythm on the Range". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 21, 2012.

^ Bookbinder 1977, pp. 77–79.

^ Green 2002, p. 71.

^ Green 2002, p.

Synopsis

Doris Halliday (Frances Farmer), the daughter of a wealthy banker, is about to marry a man she doesn't love so the family will become richer. Her outspoken aunt Penelope Ryland (Lucile Gleason), the owner of the Frying Pan Ranch in Arizona, objects to their marriage, claiming people should only be married if they love each other. Doris starts to see Penelope's point and eventually runs away the night before the wedding.

Actors