Television
The Gene Autry Show

The Rangerette

Flying A Pictures
Season 5, Episode 12 (5-12)
Production #81
Network: CBS
Running Time: 30 minutes
Color

Original Air Date:
Saturday, December 17, 1955

Sponsor: Wrigley's Doublemint Chewing Gum

Part three of a trilogy.
Part one is Saddle Up and
part two is Ride Ranchero.

Brief Synopsis:

When Gene welcomes a girl to his ranch for underprivileged boys, he becomes involved with a hardened band of crooks who are trying to take the ranch back. Part three of a trilogy.

Detailed Synopsis:

Gene Autry and Pat Buttram replace the sign at the main gate of the Flying-A-Ranch, Home of Gene Autry's Rangers with a new one that adds the notation "Mrs. Mamie Weston Founder." Mrs. Weston's only son, the notorious outlaw Big Jim, violated his parole and resides in jail. He asks lawyer Martin Pickett to mail a letter to his only child Gerry Wentworth in Chicago, threatening Pickett to keep it a secret. Later, Gene goes to town to pick up a new ranger, who turns out to be none other than little Gerry, a girl. Gene's Rangers, including "Lefty" Legan and Pedro Gonzales, are skeptical of the girl, but Gene promises to start a new Rangerette troop. Suddenly, a man attacks Gene and a fight breaks out, which is a ruse to distract Gene, Pat, and the sheriff from a jailbreak. The disgruntled Stan Richter is freed from jail by one of his henchman so that he can continue his nefarious plan to sabotage Gene's ranch. Richter visits Pickett, who also wants the Flying A to fail for his own personal gain. The lawyer suggests starting a fire in the barn using a bow and arrow and pinning it on Pat by planting his corncob pipe as evidence. When Gene notices the fire from the classroom window, he calmly suggests to schoolteacher Miss Abby that the kids practice a fire drill. In the barn, Champion frees himself, Little Champ, and the little Pinto, while Gene frees the other animals. Gerry sees a man sneaking into the schoolhouse and tackles him. The man, Robson, talks and tells Gene about Pickett and Richter's plan, leading to a fierce shootout between Gene and the outlaws. Gerry, on Little Champ, follows Gene to help, but he sends her to the sheriff's office for safety. There, she meets her father, Big Jim, for the first time. Their heartfelt meeting leads to Jim's reformation, and he helps Gene defeat the heavies. Richter, Pickett, and the gang are finally rounded up and sent to jail for good. Big Jim must also return to prison for life, but he is satisfied that Gene will take good care of Gerry. Gene then returns to the Flying-A-Ranch with his swell bunch of youngsters, whose lives are just beginning.

Cast:

Character:	Performer:
Gene Autry	Gene Autry
Pat Buttram	Pat Buttram
Big Jim Weston	Emile Meyer
Miss Abby	Sally Mansfield
Martin Pickett	Leonard Penn
Gerry Wentworth	Nancy Gilbert
Pedro Gonzales	Peter Votrian
"Lefty" Legan	Sammy Ogg
Stan Richter	Gregg Barton
The Cass County Boys	The Cass County Boys
Little Champ	Little Champ
Champion	Champion, World's Wonder Horse

Songs:

'Neath the Blue Montana Sky	Gene Autry
Old MacDonald Had a Farm	Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys

Crew:

Executive in charge of Production	Armand Schaefer
Directed by	George Archainbaud
Teleplay by	John K. Butler
Producer	Louis Gray
Director of Photography	William Bradford, A.S.C.
Supervising Film Editor	Anthony Wollner
Film Editor	Bruce B. Pierce, A.C.E.
Musical Director	Carl Cotner
Music Supervisor	Irving Friedman
Musical Score	Walter Greene
Music Editor	Erma E. Levin
Sound Editor	Arthur E. Klein
Assistant Director	Stanley Neufeld
Recorded by	Glen Glenn Sound Company