Cowboy from Brooklyn

Wyoming Steve Gibson has wavy hair, a pleasant tenor and a really neat cowboy outfit. He's sure to hit it big as Hollywood's next Singing Cowboy, as long as nobody figures out Wyoming Steve is really an East Coast city slicker who's scared silly by animals (even gophers).

Backed by a stable of '30s screen favorites -- Pat O'Brien, Priscilla Lane, Ann Sheridan and up-and-comer Ronald Reagan -- Dick Powell saddles up for comedy and song as the Cowboy from Brooklyn. The faux buckaroo manages to pull off the ruse until he's challenged to ride in a Madison Square Garden rodeo. On a horse! What's a terrified tenderfoot to do? Full of sprightly songs by lyricist Johnny Mercer and melodists Richard Whiting and Harry Warren, this playful spoof was remade in 1948 as Two Guys from Texas, starring Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson.

Dick Powell stars as a Brooklynite who becomes a cowboy in spite of himself. Drifting into a small western town, Powell takes the only job available as a ranch hand. He likes to sing in his spare time, which attracts the attention of talent scout Pat O'Brien. Before you can say Gene Autry, Powell is promoted into America's favorite singing cowboy--though he's hard pressed to prove his western skills when the plot situations demand it. Rather condescending in its attitude towards western stars (as non-western movies tended to be in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s), COWBOY FROM BROOKLYN was another step backward in the (temporarily) fading career of Dick Powell. The only good thing to come out of the film was the song "Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride", which became the leitmotif of many a Warner Bros. cartoon short.