Round-Up Time in Texas – Cowboys, jugglers, and a heap of old-school charm

So, Thursday evening, I pop on “Round-Up Time in Texas” (1937) since I got this weird cowpoke mood after dinner. And man… talk about a lasso around your ears! Gene Autry, the singing cowboy himself, leading the charge. Can’t help but chuckle – it’s like someone mashed together wild west, musicals, and a travelogue, all with that sweet black-and-white flicker that gives the whole thing a whiff of kanelbulle and nostalgia.

Gene Autry’s always got that sparkle, and Smiley Burnette – the goofy buddy, you know him – keeps the thing bouncing. Joseph Kane directs, and honestly, with Republic Pictures stuff, you kinda know shenanigans are coming. It’s classic vira långfilm, you half-expect someone’s grandma to walk in and knit through half the movie.

Now, the plot. Cowboys herding horses… to Africa?? (Still not sure about the geography-champions behind that.) And there’s diamonds and drumming, some proper 30s ethnocentric weirdness that’s… yeah, not great in 2024. A part of me’s screaming “But varför så konstigt?” as random people break into song in the middle of the jungle. Pure bananas.

Personal detour – Horseplay in Småland

It actually threw me back to that scoutläger outside Växjö in ’96, when Johan tried to yodel after three cups of O’boy and a licorice shot. Felt like Gene Autry’s spirit possessed him, but all he got was a sore throat and a very angry moose. Strange what movies can trigger, right?

So, sure, the story’s bonkers by modern standards, and it’s rough at the edges, but the songs are catchy and the cowboy manners are comforting in a slottsruin-on-a-rainy-day way. If you want sense – look elsewhere. If you want charm and a bit of old-school bizarro? Well, saddle up, polare!

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

please note that there may be geographical blocking implemented.