Song Of The Gringo

2090. SONG OF THE GRINGO (1936-usa). WITH Tex Ritter, Joan Woodbury, Fuzzy KNIGHT, MONTE BLUE, AL JENNINGS. Popular singing cowboy and Grand Ole Opry star Tex (father of John) Ritter came to be known as “America’s Most Beloved Cowboy.” He made his screen debut in this fine Western drama. You can see why Ritter was to become so popular. He is at once stalwart and appealing, and his singing voice (which he gets to amply display) is nothing short of sensational. Ritter is cast in the role of Tex, a quick-on-the-draw good guy who is assigned to go undercover and infiltrate a gang of bad guys, a job he is to complete “in his own way.” He disguises himself as an ornery desperado who, as he explains, “blowed in from a long ways,” and sets about getting the goods on the gang. The film additionally offers a special treat. Most cowboy movie actors were of course performers who had no first-hand knowledge of the real West. Al Jennings was an exception. He was born in Virginia in 1864 and died 97 years later. In his youth he was an honest- to-goodness Western gunslinger, train robber and cattle rustler. Later on he ended up in Hollywood where be acted in a number of films. Here Jennings appears at the finale, where he is most ironicalÂly cast in the role of a judge. 61 minutes. Western