McKenzie also toured extensively entertaining the troops alongside Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Cary Grant, James Cagney, and old family friends Laurel and Hardy. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. ), Decades of failures leave L.A. County facing up to $3 billion in sex abuse claims, Lakers vs. Warriors: What scouts expect in playoff series, L.A. Affairs: I had my reasons for not dating white men. His parents, Delbert Autry and Elnora Ozment, moved in the 1920s to Ravia in Johnston County in southern Oklahoma. In the early days of Western serials, when the good guys wore white hats and the bad guys wore black, Gene Autry was always the hero, with his horse, Champion, and a song that needed to be sung. or Best Offer. Mr. Autry helped spark a national interest in country music and helped define the Western style of singing. Viewed as the kindly gentleman in the white hat, Autry was the only entertainer to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame--one each for films (more than 90 of them), recordings (635), television (91 episodes of The Gene Autry Show) and radio (16 seasons of Melody Ranch), and one for live performance. Autry himself always tried to keep things simple, just like his movies. Actor and singerknown as The Singing Cowboy for his appearances in ninety-three movies and ninety-one TV productions. He had tremendous appeal throughout small towns. The West has been very kind to me over the years," Mr. Autry said at the time. He organized a national Smiley Burnette Fan Club, aimed mostly at the juvenile audience, and sold autographed photos and souvenirs to club members. Shortly thereafter, he acquired a television station in Phoenix, KOOL. Expand your options of fun home activities with the largest online selection at eBay.com. Singing Cowboy Gene Autry Dies - October 2, 1998 - Songfacts Born: September 29, 1907. Autry wrote many of the songs he performed. . The radio station was owned by Sears, Roebuck, which began featuring Mr. Autry's records, songbooks and guitar in its catalogues. Roy Rogers, Singing Cowboy, Dies at 86 - The New York Times At the time, he was looking for a radio show for Doublemint gum to sponsor. The said museum honored the kind of cowboys Autry had played onscreen. I could hit good, but wasnt very fast. He made his first record two years later, a version of his idol Jimmie Rodgers's "Blue Yodel No. I had to learn to figure freight rates, he said. I got better as I went along. Singing cowboy Gene Autry dies of lymphoma at 91.. Autry, born in 1907, got his start singing on the radio in 1928. (1981) as a favor to her old family friend Blake Edwards. He was 91. Stars on the weekly Melody Ranch Show on the CBS Radio Network until 1956. [3] In the 1960s, McKenzie returned to film in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) in a minor role and The Party (1968) as Alice Clutterbuck. It was the heyday of the Western, and Autry was ranked top Western star at the box office from 1937-43, and in 1940-42 he was in the Top 10 of all movie box-office favorites. Three years ago, the Walt Disney Co. bought an interest in the team and then took operating control. Burnette is mentioned in the Statler Brothers' 1973 country music hit "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?" Years before, when he was still a railroad telegrapher, Autry had taken a correspondence course in business administration. Opened in December 1988, one of his greatest legacies, The Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, opened. September 30, 2007 / 12:24 PM / CBS. Gene Autry - Celebrity Death - Obituaries at Tributes.com Gail Davis. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. That 10 acres was sold to a film production company in 1990, after Champion III died and was buried there. In just about that way I eased out of my life as a performer and began to devote my full energy to business. I wasnt crazy about it, but she thought the kids would really like it.. He was ranked the top cowboy movie star from 1937 to 1943, heyday of the Western. In the world of baseball, he was the Cowboy, one of the most popular owners in sports, who purchased the rights to the expansion Angels, spending his vast millions on players who made the club a winner if not a world champion. Mascot was soon absorbed by Republic Pictures, and Republic enjoyed enormous success with its musical Western features starring Autry. Gene Autry Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family "Back in the Saddle" was back on the charts five years ago as part of the soundtrack of the movie "Sleepless in Seattle." He was honored by his songwriting peers with a lifetime achievement award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). In a statement released Friday, Jackie Autry said: My husband was a remarkable man, and I will always treasure each and every day I had with him. Young people like Sturt, lying but we can t have illusions he and his colleagues are just a small minority. If it hadnt been for royalties from such things as sweatshirts, pistols, boots, hats and records, I would have been a mess. Where would I get my income? Alan Autry Death Fact Check, Birthday & Age | Dead or Kicking He not only co-wrote his trademark tune, "Back in the Saddle Again," but garnered gold records for such non-standard favorites as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Peter Cottontail" and "You Are My Sunshine.". While working as a telegraph agent for the railroad, Autry journeyed briefly to New York City, where he tried unsuccessfully to become a professional singer. I had to be able to keep the books balanced.. Cause of Death. He touched so many peoples hearts, and their lives are better for it.. My friend Pat Buttram once said, Autry used to ride off into the sunset; now he owns it. Pat exaggerates. In his film debut he sang a song in the Ken Maynard vehicle In Old Santa Fe (1934), and it launched his career as a cowboy actor. It is considered the classic Autry movie. "He said his were kind of fantasies so you couldn't really believe them, but you could be entertained by them.". ". . Mr. Autry, who had once played minor league baseball with the Tulsa Oilers, became owner of the Angels when the team was formed as an expansion franchise in 1961. Burnette donated his original hat and shirt to the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1962. But rural America was another story. Gene Autry - Society for American Baseball Research In 1952, when Monogram Studios folded, Autry bought the 110-acre Santa Clarita ranch where he had made his early movies in the 1930s. From 1950-56, he was host of The Gene Autry Show on CBS-TV, one of the first television series made by a motion picture star. Gene Autry Was Worth an Astounding Amount at the Time of His Death Even His death came less than three months after the death of his great rival, Roy Rogers. P.K. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Singing Cowboy Gene Autry Dies - CBS News He was always interested in music and played 100 instruments proficiently. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry (left), a book that opens the door wide on the phenomenon and the man, Orvon Gene Autry, who would have turned 100 on September 29 (Autry died in 1998). Autry hung up his performing spurs in 1956, but continued to own four radio stations, the Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs, and several other properties. I knew I could make good money as long as I could work. The 2023 Met Gala theme explained, Met Gala 2023 looks: See photos of the show-stopping red carpet arrivals, Mother stung over 75 times by bees but her "quick thinking" saves kids. It was mean work for a wiry boy, but ambition made me strong.. Showing his ability to capitalize on his success, Autry became the first star to endorse a mail order product--a guitar. He also recorded popular Rodgers songs, but Autrys first hit single, in 1931, was one that he had cowritten, That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine.. She said that when she was packing up his office items at the KTLA building on Sunset Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue after Autry sold KTLA, she was sitting on the floor sorting records. But it was feature films and a movie serial titled The Phantom Empire in 1935 that catapulted Autry from an obscure telegraph operator in Oklahoma to one of Hollywoods most successful and best-loved entertainers. Other compositions included "On the Strings of My Lonesome Guitar" (Jimmy Wakely's theme song in the 1940s), "Fetch Me Down My Trusty .45", "Ridin' All Day", and "It's Indian Summer" as well as "The Wind Sings a Cowboy Song," "The Old Covered Wagon," and "Western Lullaby." He made additional money by making personal appearances at theaters showing his films. Remembering Gene Autry: The 'Singing Cowboy' and - SurvivorNet . A pilot film with Mahoney and Burnette was completed, but never released; Columbia then reassigned Burnette to its Gene Autry series, reuniting Burnette with his former partner. My movies were always clean. He ranked for many years on the Forbes magazine list of the 400 richest Americans, before he fell in 1995 to the magazine's "near miss" category with an estimated net worth of $320 million. His Western classic, "Ridin' Down the Canyon (To Watch the Sun Go Down)", was later recorded by Willie Nelson, Riders in the Sky, and Johnnie Lee Wills. 1978: Autrys biography Back in the Saddle Again hits bookstores. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. . He was my first musical influence. (Ringo Starr), Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans these people are giants, legends; their names are household words. In 1931, he sold 500,000 copies of his breakthrough record, "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine." Among the items in the $54 million museum are an 1870s-era steam fire engine from Nevada, guns owned by Annie Oakley and Wyatt Earp, and costumes of TV's Lone Ranger and Tonto. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? I had no illusions about my films, nor did I consider myself anything special as an actor or a singer. "So often, we've caught ourselves humming Back in the Saddle Again,' a song that will always bring back warm memories of Gene," the Reagans said. 1940: Stars on the weekly Melody Ranch radio show on CBS Radio Network until 1956 and becomes the fourth biggest box office attraction behind Mickey Rooney, Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. 1991: The City of Anaheim names a street running into the stadium Gene Autry Way. "You're good," Rogers is said to have told Autry. The note from producer Al He had other small parts until a secondary, but more prominent role in the 1935 serial The Adventures of Rex and Rinty. Gene Autry was previously married to Jacqueline Ellam (1981) and Ina Mae Spivey (1932).. Gene Autry was in a relationship with Nan Leslie.. About. External sites are notendorsed by CNN Interactive. 1981: Autry, 73, marries bank executive Jackie Ellam, 39. Even though I was only 15 years old! 12 Autry is credited as co-writer on more than 300 songs, but many of those are "star credits." Singing stars often took . I could do more than smile and wave at the cowboy! Local color. In 1938, Autry starred in Melody Ranch with Jimmy Durante, Ann Miller and George Gabby Hayes. Autry's Undying Legacy. Mr. Autry was the only entertainer with five stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, one each for radio, records, movies, television and live theater. Most Facebook users can now claim settlement money. Gene passed away on October 2, 1998 at the age of 91 in Los Angeles, CA. "I was the first singing cowboy in that picture," Autry once said. Gene Vincent was born in Norfolk. (CNN) -- Just two days after his 91st birthday, singer and actor Gene Autry has died. Cause of Death; Date of Death; Year of Death; Age of Death; Lists; Facts about Gene Autry. This placed him in a friendly rivalry with the other singing cowboy, Roy Rogers, who died three months ago. ", Autry's response: "A lot of that is true. Prairie hay, used as feed for the cattle in winter. 1982: Sells KTLA-TV for $245 million and acquires the liquidity to buy out the Signal Co., the California Angels minority owner. He was reading Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" at the time, which included a character named Jim Smiley. He served in the Air Transport Command as a flight officer until the war ended in 1945. Gene Autry Death. 1998 The Associated Press. [3] She appeared in the television series The Millionaire (1959) as Ruth Spencer, Mr. Lucky (1960) as Sheila Wells, The Tom Ewell Show (1960) as Emma Franklin, and Bonanza (1961) as Victoria Gates. In the movies, I never lost a fight. Gene Autry - Wikipedia He was married to Jimmy Longs niece, May Spivey, from 1932 until her death in 1980. The actor is married to Kimberlee Autry , his starsign is Leo and he is now 70 years of age. Though his popularity had begun to wane, he had hits with holiday classics such as Here Comes Santa Claus (1947), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1949), and Frosty the Snow Man (1950). His team never won a World Series in his lifetime, but he did leave behind another legacy for all the world to see. His horse through all this went through three name changes; Black-eyed Nellie, Ring-eyed Nellie and finally just Ring Eye. By then, Jackie Autry and Joanne Hale, wife of friend and Western star Monte Hale, had moved the Autry memorabilia and collections to the new Autry Museum, a 148,000-square-foot structure near the Los Angeles Zoo. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Former president and ex-movie star Ronald Reagan issued a statement with his wife, Nancy, saying that Mr. Autry had "delighted and touched millions through many careers, as cowboy, singer, actor, radio star, baseball owner, art collector, philanthropist, businessman and good and caring citizen. A full body orgasm at the L.A. Phil? I played semi-pro baseball in Oklahoma. My friends kidded me about going so far on such modest talent, Autry said. [3], McKenzie appeared in numerous uncredited roles throughout the 1930s, with occasional credited roles in films such as The Boss Cowboy (1934) as Sally Nolan, and the anti-cannabis propaganda film Assassin of Youth (1937) as Linda Clayton. A group headed by Hank Greenberg [the former baseball player] seemed in line for a new [expansion] American League franchise, but its bid collapsed. Autry, who had homes in Studio City and Palm Springs, Calif., hung up his performing spurs in 1956, but continued to own four radio stations, the Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs, and several other properties. The 1996 baseball season ended as all seasons have ended for the Angels, with Autry and wife, Jackie, still awaiting the team's first World Series appearance. Herbert Rawlinson Wikipdia Singing Cowboy Gene Autry Dies 1998. View Site In the mid-1920s, McKenzie took a ten-year break from acting in order to focus on her education. He was best known for being a Pop Singer. October 12, 1971. But the kind of "B" movies he had made were fading in popularity, and he failed to regain his status as one of the top 10 moneymakers. They became the Anaheim Angels in 1997. [2] Ida Mae also played the character of Sarah Lincoln in The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln, in the part of the film where she had become a teenager.[5]. His company included such actors as Broncho Billy Anderson, Ben Turpin, and Victor Potel. Alan Autry was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on July 31, 1952, and grew up as a migrant farm worker in the fields of San Joaquin Valley in California. Born September 29, 1907, on a ranch. Mr. Autry and his chestnut "wonder horse" Champion began withdrawing from show business in the mid-1950s. After World War II, McKenzie retired from films to raise her two children. Two years later, Autry made his first salable record, That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine, a tune he co-wrote with Jimmy Long. His roles as honest American heros earned him a reputation as one of country musics most prominent figures. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "Westerns were it. At his death he had acquired vast real estate holdings, several broadcast stations, and the American League Anaheim Angels baseball team. Gene Vincent's Death - Cause and Date - The Celebrity Deaths Gene Autry | Who2 Autry released 635 records during his career. Their association produced 62 feature-length musical Westerns. Gene Autry's Death - Cause and Date Born (Birthday) Sep 29, 1907 Death Date October 2, 1998 Age of Death 91 years Cause of Death Lymphoma Profession Movie Actor The movie actor Gene Autry died at the age of 91. Gene Autry, who parlayed a $5 mail order guitar into a career as Hollywood's first singing cowboy, died Friday. Burnette's movie horse, white with a black-ringed left eye, also became famous, first as Black-eyed Nellie, then as Ring-eyed Nellie, and finally as just Ring Eye.[2]. Disney purchased 25% and assumed control, with an agreement to acquire the remaining rights to the team at Autrys death. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0ef8ea3ad70168 Gene Autry, 91, who parlayed his movie and record earnings as Hollywood's first singing cowboy into a financial empire that included the California Angels baseball team, died Oct. 2 at his home in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles. He sang in only one scene, but it was the most popular of the movie. She also appeared on Broadway, radio, and television, having appeared on screen at ten weeks old in 1918. He had been ill for some time, but the cause of death was not reported. Age of Death. Performance & security by Cloudflare. He went back to his advertising department in Chicago and told them he had just seen a singing cowboy draw 200,000 in Ireland. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Gene Autry died at 91 years old. Gene Autry, the singing cowboy superstar of the silver screen, media entrepreneur and original owner of the Anaheim Angels, died Friday. . At one point, Autry owned a string of hotels, including the Mark Hopkins in San Francisco, the Ocotillo Inn and Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs, the Sahara Inn in Chicago and the Hotel Continental in Hollywood. Though a pennant for his Angels eluded him, Autry succeeded at just about everything else he undertook: radio, records, songwriting, movies, TV, real estate and business. LOS ANGELES, Oct. 2 -- Gene Autry, the legendary singing cowboy of radio, television and movies who became a wealthy radio and TV station mogul and major league baseball team owner, has died at . Autry, who also founded the 10-year-old Autry Museum of Western Heritage, died at his home in Studio City after a long illness, according to Karla Buhlman, vice president of Gene Autry Entertainment. [10] Her second marriage to the screenwriter Tom Waldman lasted from 1948 to his death on July 23, 1985. Disney had an agreement to acquire Autry's remaining share of the team at his death. . Roy Rogers replaced Autry as Republic Studios' top cowboy when Autry took time out to serve as a flier in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Gene Autry - Back in the Saddle Again (from Back in the - YouTube preliminary acting course was "evidently wasted" and that the Western lore was as much of a passion for Autry as sports. There was nothing noble about it. After leaving Republic in June 1944, he became the sidekick to Charles Starrett at Columbia Pictures in the new Durango Kid series. Gene Autry for sale | eBay Her parents' disapproval of him was cited as one of the reasons. She starred in silent films as a child, and then sound films as an adult, but perhaps she is best known for her leading roles opposite Gene Autry in the early 1940s in five horse opera features. Click to reveal Gene Autry | Military Wiki | Fandom Mr. Autry was also founder in Los Angeles 10 years ago of the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, built largely with funds from his foundations. The 2023 Met Gala theme explained Gene Autry was a singing cowboy star of radio, television and the movies and one of the top box office stars of the 1940s. [2], In the 1940s, he invented and patented an early home audiovisual system called Cinevision Talkies. Also known as " Gene Autry "Born: 29-Sep-1907 Place of Birth: Tioga, TX Gender: M Father: Delbert Autry Mother: Elnora Ozmont. Rogers and his wife, Dale Evans, were among those honoring Autry at his 90th birthday party a year ago. At the time of the Disney purchase agreement, the team was valued at $120 million. He was 91. [12], Fay McKenzie, in a publicity photo c. 1940s, List of centenarians (actors, filmmakers and entertainers), "Fay McKenzie Dies at 101, Almost the Length of Her Screen Career", "Fay McKenzie, Gene Autry's Co-Star in 5 Movie Westerns, Dies at 101", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fay_McKenzie&oldid=1151700906, This page was last edited on 25 April 2023, at 17:57. In the 1950s, she traveled to New York to study with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, appeared on radio shows with Groucho Marx, and toured with the songwriter Harry Ruby. Gene Autry went to the big ranch in the sky in 1998; he was 91. In 1939, Autry took his show to Dublin, Ireland, where a crowd of more than 200,000 lined the streets to see the American cowboy star. [3] In 2018, McKenzie had a cameo appearance in the film "Kill A Better Mousetrap," which resulted in her film appearances spanning 100 years. He became the majority owner of the Angels in 1960. Eunice Fay McKenzie (February 19, 1918 - April 16, 2019) was an American actress and singer. Smiley Burnett was popular as Autry's comic sidekick, and Autry's horse, Champion, also was an audience favorite. Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Los . Burnette came by his nickname while creating a character for a WDZ children's program. He also spent time with Roy Rogers and Sunset Carson. Roy Rogers, a shoe factory worker's son from Cincinnati who rode a golden palomino and a harmonious voice to fame as Hollywood's most beloved and quintessential singing cowboy, died yesterday at. It houses a 1870s-era steam fire engine from Nevada, guns owned by Annie Oakley and Wyatt Earp, and costumes of TV's Lone Ranger and Tonto. [3] She had a small part in the 1939 film Gunga Din, which was inducted by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1999 with the motivation of being "culturally significant". When Rogers died last July, Autry called it "a terrible loss for me. Actress: Six Gun Mesa. Burnette's base of operations was Springfield, Missouri, where he produced and hosted a nationally syndicated 15-minute radio program, The Smiley Burnette Show, through RadiOzark Enterprises. Of course, sos Jell-O. (Norm Crosby), Copyright 2023 /The Celebrity Deaths.com/All Rights Reserved. Autry began singing on radio shows in 1928 as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy." Gene Autry had an incredibly busy music and film career . Gene Autry Death Fact Check, Birthday & Date of Death - Dead or Kicking He was my best friend, and my dearest love. Autry was born Sept. 29, 1907, in Tioga, Texas, and grew up in the small Oklahoma town of Ravia. In Old Santa Fe (1934) $100 per week. It was good advice. Wrigley saw him in Dublin, George Goodale, a late Angels aide, once said. I was fortunate to have kept my name and played myself on the screen. Ahead of the second Live in Front of a Studio Audience special, here's what you need to know about when and how Carroll O'Connor passed away. To moviegoers in the 1930s and 40s, Autry was a red-blooded American hero whose films featured a dashing horse, Champion, a flood of happy endings and simple Western songs. One dream went unfulfilled, however: The Angels never won the American League pennant, for which he had long yearned. 1953: Retires from films after appearing in 93 feature films, including Phantom Empire (1934) and Tumblin Tumbleweeds (1935). He became a full-time businessman, with four radio stations, interests in newspapers, oil wells, ranches and hotels such as the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. His success was unusual in that his early pictures were not popular in major metropolitan areas. But World War II erupted and Autry decided to enlist in the Army Air Corps. Each year he made personal appearances at as many local fairs as he could pack into his schedule. In the early '30s, he was a success on the popular WLS Barn Dance in Chicago. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 - October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Survivors include his wife, Jackie Autry, and a sister. "It was an era," said Evans. Alan Autry - Family, Football & Movies - Biography "Stick to it, young fellow, and you'll make something of yourself.". a real treasure. #inline-recirc-item--id-91bbf1f4-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91bbf1f4-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { His songs were recorded by a wide range of singers, including Bing Crosby, Ferlin Husky, and Leon Russell. No cowboy had ever done as well. UPI Focus: Gene Autry dies at 91 - UPI Archives