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Okla-homey
9/29/2006, 08:13 AM
This guy was a mega-star in the 1940's and 50's kids!

Sept 29, 1907: Beloved actor, singer, cowboy, entrepreneur extraordinaire, Gene Autry is born.

A texan by birth, but an Okie by choice, Autry was born in Tioga, texass, in 1907. His pappy was a livestock and horse trader who was also a Baptist minister. The family moved to Oklahoma in 1908 while Gene was still a baby.

Autry was raised in the southern Oklahoma towns of Achille and Ravia. In high school, Autry worked as a railway telegrapher at the local railroad depot, where he spent slow moments strumming his $8 guitar and singing.

Passing through the depot one day, a stranger, who turned out to be Will Rogers, suggested that Autry try singing on the radio. Inspired, Autry traveled to New York City to look for a singing job but had no luck.

Back home, he began working for a local radio station and found success as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy."

Eventually, Autry and railroad dispatcher Jim Long wrote several country songs, including the world's first gold record, "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine." Autry became a regular on National Barn Dance, the forerunner of the Grand Ole Opry.

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Gene and his famous movie horse "Champion"

In 1934, producer Nat Levine was looking for an actor who could sing and ride a horse. Autry wasn't an actor but had already established a loyal radio audience, so Levine put him in numerous B-grade westerns. Playing the lead role in a long-running series of Saturday matinee films, Autry truly became America and the world's favorite singing cowboy.

In 1940, his musical-variety radio show, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch, debuted; it ran until 1956. He became America's favorite TV cowboy in 1950 when he debuted The Gene Autry Show, which ran through 1956. In each episode, he and his sidekick, Pat Buttram, rode from town to town, maintaining law and order.

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Of note to geography buffs, the little southern Oklahoma town which would ultimately bear the star's name was originally named Lou for the postmasters wife when the local post office was established July 11, 1883. On November 22, 1883, it was renamed Dresden. The name was changed to Berwyn on September 1, 1887. In 1939, because Gene loved Oklahoma, Autry bought the 1,200 acre "Flying A" Ranch on the west edge of Berwyn and the town decided to honor him by changing its name.

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Approximately 50,000 people crowded into the tiny town to attend the November 16, 1941 ceremonies broadcast live from the site on Autry's Melody Ranch radio show. Attendees came from all over Oklahoma and north texass, among them your correspondent's grandfather who hitched a ride from his home in Lone Grove!

There is a splendid little museum in Gene Autry and they also have a very cool little western movie and music festival each year. For more info on the festival each September,
click here (http://www.cow-boy.com/festival.htm)

Gene Autry's fame was a product of "old" Hollywood in which actors and motion picture companies were patriotic and had no aversion to military service. When the US war against the original and officially non-sectarian fascists came, the megastar Gene Autry signed up to serve in the Army Air Corps (precursor to the USAF).

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Sergeant Gene Autry served his country as a flight engineer in the US Army Air Corps' Air Transport Command. From 1943 until 1945, he flew C-46 planes in the China-Burma-India theater. When the war ended, Autry was assigned to Special Services, where he toured with a USO troupe in the South Pacific before resuming his movie career in 1946.

Gene's fans remembered him and like Elvis, his popularity was unaffected by his three year hiatus from the airwaves.

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Gene and Roy

From "Back in the Saddle Again" to yuletide mainstays such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman," Autry's music became part of American life. In fact, it just wouldn't be Christmas without songs Gene made famous, especially Rudolph and Here Comes Santa Claus

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/4470/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzuntitledtl3.png (http://imageshack.us)

Gene was also an entrepreneur, owning hotels, gas stations, and the California Angels baseball team (now the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" or something equally absurd), among other ventures.

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He also owned a television production company and was proud of discovering "Annie Oakley" star Gail Davis, whom he featured in dozens of his movies and television program episodes and who had performed in his traveling rodeo. Her appearances spun off into her own series, which Autry's company produced. Autry was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969. Gene Autry died in 1998 and is buried in Hollywood.

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Gene Autry's Cowboy Code

1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.
3. He must always tell the truth.
4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
6. He must help people in distress.
7. He must be a good worker.
8.. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits.
9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation's laws.
10. The Cowboy is a patriot.

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SoonerJack
9/29/2006, 08:22 AM
Another awesome Okla-homey post.

TUSooner
9/29/2006, 08:46 AM
Yeeeeee Haww!!
Way to go Homey. Great jorb.

Preservation Parcels
9/29/2006, 10:08 AM
My father thought he was great. He played his record with a song about tumbling tumbleweeds. Thanks, Homey!

Mixer!
9/30/2006, 12:46 AM
Terrific post as always, Homey. He also owned Channel 43 for a time (KAUT).



1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
http://www.ocolly.com/issues/2006_Spring/020706/pix/plan.jpg

Nope, we're gonna have to get rid of that one. Same goes for having working farmers being regents.
:texan: :stunned: :les: