  melody ranch is a 1940 western musical film directed by joseph santley and starring gene autry, jimmy durante, and ann miller. written by jack moffitt, f. hugh herbert, bradford ropes, and betty burbridge, the film is about a singing cowboy who returns to his hometown to restore order when his former childhood enemies take over the frontier town.magers 2007, p. 175. in 2002, the film was added to the national film registry by the national film preservation board and selected for preservation as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." ==plot== gene autry (gene autry) returns to his hometown of torpedo as guest of honor at the frontier days celebration, where he meets his childhood enemies, the wildhack brothersâmark (barton maclane), jasper (joe sawyer), and bud (horace mcmahon)âwho are now local gangsters. the wildhacks own a saloon next door to the school, and when their shooting and brawling endangers the safety of the children, gene protests and threatens to expose them during his next radio broadcast. the wildhacks stop the broadcast and beat gene up. realizing that hollywood life has softened him to the extent that he can't hold his own against three assailants, gene decides to remain in torpedo and get into shape again. he is encouraged by his friend cornelius j. "corney" courtney (jimmy durante) and pop laramie (george "gabby" hayes). refusing to return to hollywood, gene now broadcasts his radio shows from torpedo. julie sheldon (ann miller), a debutante with theatrical aspirations, sees gene in his natural setting and begins to take an interest in the cowboy she formerly scorned. meanwhile, gene rounds up the wildhacks and fights them single-handed, forcing them to sing on his broadcast. when the brothers become determined to get revenge, gene 
1940_films 1940s_Western_(genre)_films American_Western_(genre)_films American_films Black-and-white_films English-language_films Films_directed_by_Joseph_Santley Films_shot_in_Lone_Pine,_California Republic_Pictures_films United_States_National_Film_Registry_films