Oh, Susanna!

My Review

Gene Autry runs into trouble when he is robbed and thrown from a train by an escaped murder who then assumes his identity in “Oh, Susanna!” Director Joseph Kane, producer Nat Levine, and screenwriter Oliver Drake all collaborate to create fun entertainment and great escapist programming. The film features the music of Stephen Foster, not the least of which is the title song.

The cast includes Gene Autry, Smiley Burnett, Frances Grant, Earle Hodgins, Clara Kimball Young, Edward Peil, Fred Snowflake Toones, and the Light Crust Doughboys. Yakima Canutt was in charge of the stuntmen, with filming taking place in Lone Pine, Kernville, and Saugus, California.

A humorous line from “Oh, Susanna!” (from Republic Pictures) has Autry exclaiming “But I tell you, I’m Gene Autry!” The sheriff replies “And I’m Bing Crosby.”