Name: Twilight on the Prairie
Genre: Musical, Western
Released: 1944
Duration: 1 min 2 s
Cast: Johnny Downs, Vivian Austin, Leon Errol, Connie Haines, Eddie Quillan

Brief Synopsis

The Buckaroos, cowboy musicians, are forced down at Little Lip, Texas, while flying to Hollywood to make their first movie. Band members Bucky (Johnny Downs), Phil (Eddie Quillan), Jack (Jack Teagarden), Chuck (Jimmie Dodd) and Giner (Connie Haines)find a "no vacancy" sign at the hotel. A sudden mining boom has exploded the population and, in fact, lured the local cowhands to the mines, leaving the Bar-B ranch foreman, Cactus (Leon Errol), short-handed and short-tempered. Desperate for a place to sleep, the Buckaroos check their instruments and sign on as Bar-B ranch hands, planning to resign the next morning. They find the Bar-B owned by Sally Barton (Vivian Austin.) Their true identity is discovered and the town telegrapher tells the world that the Bucharoos are doing their war bit by helping out with the harvest. When Hollywood calls, and Bucky and his pals leave, Sally thinks Bucky used the Bar-B and her to gain publicity. But Bucky talks the producer into shooting the picture at the ranch so the harvest can be completed, and he and Sally are reconciled.

Cast & Crew

Film Details

Also Known As

Song of the Plains

Genre

Musical

Western

Release Date

Jul 14, 1944

Premiere Information

not available

Production Company

Universal Pictures Company, Inc.

Distribution Company

Universal Pictures Company, Inc.

Country

United States

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 2m

Sound

Mono

Color

Black and White

Theatrical Aspect Ratio

1.37 : 1

Film Length

6 reels

Synopsis

In the small town of Little Lip, Texas, several townsmen gather to listen to a radio broadcast of western singer Bucky Williams, his partner, Ginger Lee, and his band, the Buckaroos. At the end of the show, Bucky tells his listeners that next week, the band will be broadcasting from Mammoth Studios in Hollywood, where they will be appearing in a motion picture called Twilight on the Prairie . Later, onboard a plane bound for Hollywood, the band's manager, Jackson, coaches them on their western accent, which they have lost somewhat by living in New York City. Just then, a flight attendant explains that military officers, who have been in Little Lip examining a rich mine there, have commandeered the plane for a flight back to Washington, D.C. After the plane makes an emergency landing in Little Lip, the band searches for a hotel room, but all the rooms have been taken by prospectors drawn to town by news of the mine. When the band members overhear ranch hands from the Bar "B" ranch telling the owner, Cactus Barton, that they are quitting to work in the mine, they decide to offer themselves as replacements, in the hopes of gaining housing for the night. Planning to quit the next morning after breakfast, the band checks their instruments at the telegraph office in town, then heads out to the ranch. A short time later, a townsman named Jed wanders into the telegraph office, notices the band's name on the side of the bass drum, and tells the telegraph operator, Hank, that the band is in town. Hank immediately sends a note to a local news service, which broadcasts that the Buckaroos are working for the war effort by helping to bring in the harvest. Meanwhile, at the ranch, Cactus and his daughter Sally serve dinner to the band, after which Jed and Hank arrive with their instruments and reveal the group's identity. After the band agrees to sing a song, Bucky, who is rapidly falling in love with Sally, tries to convince her that their work at the ranch is not merely a publicity stunt. The next day, Bucky receives a call from the film's producer, Mr. Gainsworth, who also mistakes their stay at the ranch for a publicity stunt and proclaims it an act of genius. Gainsworth orders them to remain at the ranch until further notice, and over the next few days, the gang exasperates Cactus with their ineptitude around the farm. Finally, a plane arrives in Little Lip to transport the band to Hollywood, further convincing Sally that their stay was only a marketing ploy. The band begins work on the picture, but a lovestruck Bucky complains to Gainsworth about the stage settings and persuades him to move the production to the ranch for location shooting. The band's return to Little Lip pleases Cactus and Sally, who are paid for the use of their ranch and receive more help to complete the harvest. That evening, after Sally prepares a barbecue for the cast and crew, she and Bucky talk in the moonlight. When Cactus sees them, he becomes impatient for their romance to bloom and orders Bucky to kiss Sally, which Bucky gladly does.