call of the canyon is a 1942 american western film directed by joseph santley and starring gene autry, smiley burnette, the sons of the pioneers, and ruth terry. based on a story by maurice rapf and olive cooper, the film is about a singing cowboy who leads a group of cattlemen against the corrupt agent of a large packing company looking to swindle them by undercutting the buying price for beef. the film features three songs by autry and the sons of the pioneers, including the classic "take me back to my boots and saddle".