Round-Up Time in Texas: Why is Gene Autry in Africa?

The Cowboy Who Went to Africa

You should probably watch this if you have a soft spot for the 1930s *singing cowboy* era or if you find the idea of a Western set in South Africa hilarious. If you want a gritty, realistic story about the frontier, you are going to absolutely hate this movie. 🤠

It’s one of those films where the title is basically a lie. Only the first few minutes really feel like Texas before everyone hops on a boat.

Gene Autry plays himself, which he always did, and he brings along Smiley Burnette as "Frog." They are supposed to deliver horses to Gene's brother, Tex, who is apparently a diamond prospector now.

I found it funny how quickly they just accepted going to another continent. Like, "Hey, want to go to Africa?" "Sure, let me grab my guitar." 🎸

The movie doesn't really care about geography or logic. The South Africa depicted here looks suspiciously like the same California hills they used for every other movie, just with a few extra palm trees thrown in.

There is a scene where Gene is singing on a ship that feels like it goes on for an eternity. It’s a good song, don't get me wrong, but you can see the extras in the background starting to look a bit stiff.

One thing that really stuck out to me was The Cabin Kids. They are a group of young African American singers who show up and just start performing.

Their energy is way higher than anyone else in the cast. Honestly, the movie gets about 20% better whenever they are on screen because they actually look like they're having fun. 🎤

The plot with the "bad guys" trying to steal the diamonds is pretty thin. You can tell who the villain is immediately because he looks like he’s practicing his *evil sneer* in every mirror he passes.

There’s a lot of running around in the brush and some very clunky fistfights. Gene Autry was many things, but a world-class action star wasn't really one of them.

I noticed a moment where a horse looks directly at the camera for a solid three seconds. It felt like the horse was asking the audience, "Why am I in this jungle?" 🐴

The dialogue is very simple, almost like it was written in an afternoon. It reminds me a bit of the pacing in Hot Biskits, where the music takes priority over the actual script.

Maxine Doyle is the leading lady here, and she does what she can with a role that is mostly just "standing near Gene." She’s fine, but the movie is much more interested in the horses and the songs.

It’s definitely not as weird as something like The Black Panther's Cub, but it’s still a strange artifact of its time.

The way they handle the local tribes in the movie is... well, it’s 1937. It’s exactly as awkward and dated as you’d imagine it would be. 😬

I liked the part where Frog gets into trouble with his usual slapstick routine. Smiley Burnette had this way of making even the dumbest jokes feel sort of charming because he was so committed to the bit.

One reaction shot of a villain realizing he’s been caught lingers so long it actually becomes funny. He just stands there with his mouth open while Gene walks toward him slowly.

The movie is only about an hour long, which is its saving grace. It doesn't overstay its welcome, even if the "African" setting is just a thin coat of paint over a standard B-Western.

If you've seen things like A Fool and His Money, you know that these older films often rely on a very specific kind of broad humor that doesn't always land today.

But there is something cozy about it. It’s like a warm blanket of predictable tropes and acoustic guitar strumming.

The ending is rushed, like they realized they were running out of film and needed to wrap up the diamond sub-plot in two minutes. Everyone just kind of shakes hands and the movie stops.

Random Notes from my Notepad:

• Gene’s hat stays perfectly clean even after a trek through the "jungle."
• The horses look very confused by the fake tropical plants. 🌴
• I’m pretty sure the "diamond mine" is just a cave with some shiny rocks glued to the wall.
• Smiley Burnette’s hat is a character of its own.
• The music is actually pretty catchy if you like that old-timey western swing.

Overall, it’s a decent enough way to spend an hour if you aren't looking for anything deep. It’s just Gene being Gene, but with a slightly different hat for a few scenes.

It’s not a masterpiece, and it’s definitely not the best Gene Autry movie out there. But it’s got a weirdness factor that makes it stand out from the hundreds of other identical Westerns from that decade. 🤠✨