Like many Hollywood stars, Gene Autry put his acting aside in order to serve in the military. In his case, Autry was already a pilot and so he served domestically training young pilots...a most admirable job considering some stars just stayed home and kept making movies. Sadly, as a result of his being gone from the screens for several years, when he returned he no longer was the number one cowboy actor. "Heart of the Rio Grande" is one of the last films Autry made before he went on this hiatus.
The story begins with Connie (Edith Fellows) running away from her boarding school because she doesn't want to go on an outing with her class to a dude ranch. This apparently is Connie's m.o.....if she doesn't want to do something, she runs away or simply refuses. This is because she's a very spoiled girl whose rich father doesn't take time to parent and discipline her.
When she is forced to go to the dude ranch, at first Connie is a little monster. But instead of sending her home or punishing her, Gene tries to be very patient and caring towards this brat. The problem is that even if she does eventually behave for Gene, she still has a problem...a father who simply won't take time away from his job to be her father. Can Connie possibly get what she needs or is she destined to be a spoiled jerk-face.
This is a nice film, but if you are expecting a western, forget it. It's about the least western-like of any of Autry's films of the era. I am not complaining so much as pointing it out so you know what to expect.
Overall, a good film. Not exactly brilliant but enjoyable and it's a welcome change of pace from the usual western fare.
By the way, you can tell that this was made after the US entered WWII because there' s a not very subtle portion where Gene is encouraging the ranch hands all to invest in US Defense Bonds!
