Mexicali Rose (1939 film)

Mexicali Rose is a 1939 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Noah Beery. Based on a story by Luci Ward and Connie Lee, the film is about a singing cowboy who fights corrupt oil men selling worthless stock from a nonexistent well located on land belonging to a poor Mexican orphanage.

Gene quits his job and travels down to Mexico to investigate. Along the way he meets a Mexican bandit named Valdez who, with Genes influence, comes to see himself as a modernday Robin Hood. At the orphanage, Gene is reunited with Anita and meets her uncle. The padre tells Gene that he leased the land to Carruthers on a royalty basis and that the company has no plans of drilling, content making money by selling worthless shares in a nonexistent well. Without the royalties, the orphanage will soon go bankrupt.At a fundraising dance held at the orphanage, Gene sings a romantic song to Anita. Valdez arrives and in keeping with his Robin Hood role, encourages those present to contribute to the donation box. Meanwhile, Carruthers men arrive and kidnap Alta Vistas lead engineer Blythe LeRoy Mason who intended to spill the beans on the companys scheme. Gene and Frog chase after them and rescue Blythe who confirms that there is oil in the area. ........

Source: Wikipedia