Singing Sci-Fi Cowboys: Gene Autry And Genre Amalgamation In The Phantom Empire (1935)

Abstract

This essay examines how The Phantom Empire (1935) – a twelve-part Poverty Row serial starring Gene Autry – combines the musical, western and science fiction genres. While several attempts were made at amalgamating the musical with science-fiction in 1930s Hollywood, such efforts did not ultimately lead to a sustained sub-genre. Comparisons are drawn with the major studio musical/sci-fi efforts Just Imagine (1930) and It’s Great to Be Alive (1933) as a way of contrasting how the musical intersects with science-fiction between Poverty Row and the major studios, as well as how the additional genre of the western affects the dynamic between generic categories in The Phantom Empire. By examining how these films used particular generic elements within their narratives, how they were positioned for exhibitors and audiences at the time, and how film scholarship has subsequently understood the theoretical functions of various generic elements in these films, this essay attempts to find new perspectives on how the generic conventions of the musical, science-fiction, and western genres affected one another in 1930s cinema.