Rhythm on the Range: Bing being Bing

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school musicals where the plot is basically just a clothesline for songs, then sure. It’s light, it’s breezy, and it doesn't try to change your life. If you need grit or logic, look elsewhere.

Fans of 1930s fluff will eat this up. People who want a serious western should probably go watch Apache Kid instead.

Bing Crosby is just doing his thing here. You know that relaxed, half-asleep charisma he had? It’s front and center. He spends most of the movie looking like he just wandered onto the set and decided to stay for a song or two. It works, though. It’s hard to dislike him even when the script is clearly running on fumes.

Frances Farmer is in this too. She’s got this intense energy that feels like it belongs in a totally different movie. Sometimes she looks like she’s trying to ground the film while everyone else is busy winking at the camera. It’s a bit jarring, honestly.

The whole ranch-owner-is-a-woman plot is a bit dusty. We get it, she’s tough, he’s a cowboy. The chemistry isn't exactly burning down the barn, but it’s fine for a Sunday afternoon.

Odd bits I noticed:

• There’s a scene involving a prize bull that feels like it lasts for three days.
• The music stops abruptly sometimes, like someone hit a mute button in the middle of a sentence.
• Martha Raye shows up and just starts yelling, which is honestly the highlight of the second act.
• The gangsters are so cartoonish they might as well be wearing signs that say 'I AM A BAD GUY'.

I couldn't help but think about how much different the tone is compared to something like Five Star Final. That movie had teeth. Rhythm on the Range is basically a warm glass of milk.

The movie gets noticeably better once the singing starts, mostly because the dialogue is so stiff it hurts. Don’t go looking for deep themes. It’s just people riding horses and falling in love because that’s what they do in these pictures.

The pacing is a disaster. It stops, it starts, it drifts into a song, then it remembers there are villains to deal with. It doesn't matter much. It’s just a nice, weird, slightly messy relic. 🤠