So-so satire of the singing cowboys of the era, notably Gene Autry. Powell is a Brooklyn-born crooner who arrives at a Dude Ranch and scores with the way he warbles sagebrush songs. As a New Yorker, he has farmophobia, which is an unlikely fear of any animal larger than a cockroach. This
causes him to be very nervous around little critters like chickens, and a donkey almost sends him off the deep end. O'Brien is a fast-talking talent scout who signs up Powell and sends him to the big town masquerading as a real range rider. Powell hits the nation's ears on the radio and is an
overnight sensation but now he has to appear at Madison Square Garden and prove to his fans that he is what he is: a true cowboy. To facilitate that, Powell is hypnotized with the help of pretty Priscilla Lane, and all ends with a clinch and a chorus. Reagan played O'Brien's con-man pal and had a
bit of trouble at first because he chose a drawling, slow-talking style as a contrast to O'Brien's rat-a-tat manner of speech. That decision threw the pacing off and Reagan's lines kept being cut, until O'Brien explained what the problem was and Reagan was able to pick it up immediately. It was a
brief two years later that Reagan gave his all for O'Brien who pleaded for the team to "Win one for the Gipper" in KNUTE ROCKNE, ALL-AMERICAN. Songs: "I've Got A Heartful of Music," "I'll Dream Tonight," "Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride," (Johnny Mercer, Richard A. Whiting), "Cowboy From Brooklyn" (Mercer,
Harry Warren). Film was remade as TWO GUYS FROM TEXAS.
