Git Along Little Dogies (1937)
“A singing cowboy caught between cattle and oil.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
A Republic singing-western built around Gene Autry's recording-star appeal, packed with more than a dozen musical numbers. Autry first opposes oil drilling that he fears will poison the ranchers' water, then reverses course when he learns the strike will bring the railroad to town. Sidekick Smiley Burnette supplies comedy as Frog Millhouse, with the Maple City Four and the Cabin Kids filling out the music. Romance with radio-station owner Doris Maxwell (Judith Allen) provides the through-line between songs.
Cast
About the Director
Joseph Kane — Joseph Kane was Republic's workhorse director and the architect of Gene Autry's and later Roy Rogers's screen formula: songs, comedy, and just enough hard riding. He cranked out these musical westerns on tight schedules with practiced efficiency. His pacing keeps the plot moving between the many numbers.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
A Republic Pictures production whose original copyright was never renewed at the 28-year mark, sending it into the US public domain in 1965. The Republic copyright-and-renewal records list this title explicitly as "no renewal."
Behind the Scenes
Released March 27, 1937, and known in Britain as Serenade of the West. It typifies the mid-1930s Autry vehicle, trading on his hit-record fame with a western drama sandwiched between the songs. The film was later syndicated to television by MCA-TV between 1955 and 1960.
Did You Know?
- Released in the UK under the title Serenade of the West.
- Features the Maple City Four, the Cabin Kids, and vaudevillians Will and Gladys Ahern.
- Autry sings roughly half a dozen numbers, including "If You Want to Be a Cowboy."
- Autry's horse Champion is a plot point: Doris takes him during the couple's running feud.
Reception & Legacy
Then and now it is seen as agreeable, formulaic Autry fare: lots of music, a touch of action, and a tidy romance. Reviewers note the drama is thin but the songs are plentiful and pleasant. It endures as a representative slice of the singing-cowboy craze.
Paradise Canyon
The Great Train Robbery
The Lawless Frontier
Billy the Kid Returns