The Kessler Theater is a historic entertainment venue, originally constructed in 1941, and located in the Winnetka Heights neighborhood of Oak Cliff , Dallas, Texas .
78-523: The Kessler initially served as a neighborhood movie house, providing entertainment to residents of Oak Cliff and surrounding areas. Gene Autry , who owned several theaters in Oak Cliff, bought it in 1945. A tornado hit the building in 1957, and a fire around 1960 put the theater out of commission. In 2010, the theatre underwent a major renovation led by preservationist Edwin Cabaniss and musician Jeff Liles, with
156-673: A Mutual radio series, The Adventures of Champion and a CBS-TV series of the same name . In response to his many young radio listeners aspiring to emulate him, Autry created the Cowboy Code, or Ten Cowboy Commandments. These tenets promoting an ethical, moral, and patriotic lifestyle that appealed to youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts , which developed similar doctrines. The Cowboy Code consisted of rules that were "a natural progression of Gene's philosophies going back to his first Melody Ranch programs—and early pictures." According to
234-482: A streamliner from 1947, ran from St. Louis to Dallas, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas , and San Antonio, Texas . The Frisco merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad on November 21, 1980. The city of Frisco, Texas , was named after the railroad and uses the former railroad's logo as its own logo. The logo is modeled after a stretched-out raccoon skin (giving rise to Frisco High School 's mascot,
312-497: A telegrapher for the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway . His talent at singing and playing guitar led to performing at local dances. While working as a telegraph operator in Chelsea, Oklahoma , Autry would sing and accompany himself on the guitar to pass the lonely hours, especially when he had the midnight shift. This later got him fired. One night, he was encouraged to sing professionally by
390-476: A 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason , as recorded on his headstone. On November 16, 1941, the town of Berwyn, Oklahoma, north of Ardmore , was renamed Gene Autry in his honor. Though Autry was born in Tioga, Texas , his family moved to Oklahoma while he was an infant. He was raised in the southern Oklahoma towns of Achille and Ravia . Autry had also worked as a telegraph operator near Berwyn. In 1939, he bought
468-509: A boiler pressure of 210 psi (1.4 MPa), and a tractive effort of 68,600 pounds-force (305 kN). Weighing in at 449,760 pounds (204.01 t), they were the heaviest Mountain-type locomotives ever built. Frisco’s first acquisition of diesel locomotives came in November 1941, when the line received five Baldwin VO-1000 switchers of a 1,000-horsepower (750 kW) each. Frisco started
546-441: A boiler pressure of 250 psi (1.7 MPa), and a tractive effort of 66,400 pounds-force (295 kN), weighing 431,110 pounds (195.55 t). Another twenty-three 4-8-2s were built using the boilers from 2-10-2s between 1939 and 1942. Units 4400 through 4412 were oil-burning, while units 4413 through 4422 burned coal. These locomotives had 29-by-32-inch (740 mm × 810 mm) cylinders, 70-inch (1,780 mm) drivers,
624-468: A capacity of approximately 400 guests. The interior displays original elements such as ornate moldings, vibrant murals, and a grand stage adorned with velvet curtains. 32°44′57″N 96°50′33″W / 32.7493°N 96.8425°W / 32.7493; -96.8425 Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy ,
702-561: A customer, humorist Will Rogers , who had heard him singing. As soon as he could save money to travel, he went to New York. In the autumn of 1928, he auditioned for the Victor Talking Machine Company , shortly before purchase by David Sarnoff 's Radio Corporation of America (RCA). According to Nathaniel Shilkret , director of Light Music for Victor at the time, Autry asked to speak to Shilkret after finding that he had been turned down. Shilkret explained to Autry that he
780-463: A few gas-mechanical models given 3000-series numbers. These railway vehicles were commonly known as " Doodlebugs " for their insect-like appearance and the slow speeds at which they would doddle or "doodle" down the tracks. These were used to service various low-volume branch lines in the Frisco organization. An initial order for ten was placed in 1910, with seven more arriving by 1913, putting Frisco in
858-622: A labor song, "The Death of Mother Jones ", in 1931. Autry also recorded many " hillbilly "-style records in 1930 and 1931 in New York City, which were certainly different in style and content from his later recordings. These were much closer in style to the Prairie Ramblers or Dick Justice , and included the "Do Right, Daddy Blues" and "Black Bottom Blues", both similar to " Deep Elem Blues ". These late Prohibition -era songs deal with bootlegging , corrupt police , and women whose occupation
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#1732891972391936-467: A part of its line of iron toys. The toy was commissioned by Kenton vice-president Willard Bixler, who had conceptualized an iron cap revolver modeled after the pearl-handled gun used by Gene Autry. Selling at 50 cents per gun, the cap pistols were extremely popular and by 1939, two million units of the toy had been sold in the United States and abroad. Autry received a portion of all sales revenues. In
1014-563: A published story by Autry, the fire caused him to turn his attention to Griffith Park , where he would build his Museum of Western Heritage (now known as the Autry Museum of the American West ). In 1990, after his favorite horse Champion Three, which lived in retirement there, died, Autry put the remaining 12-acre ranch up for sale. It was purchased by the Veluzat family in 1991 and rebuilt. It
1092-724: A quarter share of the team to the Walt Disney Company and a controlling interest the following year, with the remaining share to be transferred after his death. Earlier, in 1982, he sold Los Angeles television station KTLA for $ 245 million. He also sold several radio stations he owned, including KSFO in San Francisco, KMPC in Los Angeles, KOGO in San Diego, and other stations in the Golden West radio network . The number 26
1170-683: A serious dieselization program in 1947, which took about five years. When the period of steam power ended for Frisco in February 1952 with the last run of steam engine 4018 , the Frisco’s diesel fleet included seventeen 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) passenger, six 2,000 hp (1,490 kW) passenger, twelve 1,500 hp (1,120 kW) combination freight and passenger, one hundred and twenty-three 1,500 hp freight, one hundred and thirty-three 1,500 hp general purpose, eleven 1,000 hp general purpose, and one hundred and five yard-switcher units, for
1248-621: A singing cowboy quartet; he was then given the starring role by Levine in 1935 in the 12-part serial The Phantom Empire . Shortly thereafter, Mascot was absorbed by the newly formed Republic Pictures Corp. and Autry went along to make a further 44 films up to 1940. Most were low-budget Westerns in which he played under his own name, rode his horse Champion , had Smiley Burnette as his regular sidekick , and had many opportunities to sing in each film. His films were tremendously successful, so much so that almost every other studio tried to compete by showcasing their own singing cowboys. By 1940 Autry
1326-466: A total of 407 diesel locomotives. At that time, the Frisco became the largest Class I railroad in the U.S. to be operating strictly with diesel power. The Frisco gave names to its 2000-series diesel passenger locomotives, EMD E7 and (mostly) EMD E8 units, using the theme of famous horses. These included racehorses such as Gallant Fox (No. 2011), Sea Biscuit (No. 2013), and Citation (No. 2016). However, other horses also made
1404-634: Is a street in Palm Springs, California named Gene Autry Trail . Autry was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2004, Starz joined forces with the Autry estate to restore all of his films, which have been shown on Starz's Encore Westerns channel on premium television on a regular basis to date since. St. Louis%E2%80%93San Francisco Railway The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway ( reporting mark SLSF ), commonly known as
1482-638: Is now known as the Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio and Melody Ranch Studios on 22 acres. The ranch has the Melody Ranch Museum open year-round; and one weekend a year, the entire ranch is open to the public during the Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival , another legacy of Autry's multiple talents. From 1940 to 1956, Autry had a huge hit with a weekly show on CBS Radio , Gene Autry's Melody Ranch . His horse, Champion, also had
1560-617: The Beaumont St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad Water Tank . Frisco Lake , a small lake in Rolla , Phelps County, Missouri , was named for and owned by the Frisco. The Frisco Building, being the former Frisco Operating Headquarters in Springfield built in 1910 and now known as the Landmark Building, is an official City of Springfield counsel-approved landmark. The Frisco Bridge at Memphis
1638-604: The Great Plains . After bankruptcy, the Frisco emerged as the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad , incorporated on June 29, 1896. It later also declared bankruptcy. In 1903, Frisco executives engaged in negotiations to purchase large tracts of land in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana "up to the Orleans Parish line" as part of plans of "gigantic scope" to further the expansion of the company's rail lines and operations facilities across
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#17328919723911716-656: The M-K-T ) authorized by the federal government to build across Indian Territory . The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (known simply as the Santa Fe), interested in the A&;P right of way across the Mojave Desert to California , took the road over but went bankrupt in 1893. The receivers retained the western right of way but divested the ATSF of the St. Louis–San Francisco mileage on
1794-635: The Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1991. When the Anaheim Angels won their first World Series in 2002, much of the championship was dedicated to him. The interchange of Interstate 5 and State Route 134 , near the Autry National Center in Los Angeles, is signed as the "Gene Autry Memorial Interchange". There is also a street named after Autry in Anaheim, California , called Gene Autry Way , and there
1872-643: The attack on Pearl Harbor . Autry joined the military in 1942 and sold the ranch after the war. In 1972, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma . Autry was a life member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks , Burbank Lodge No. 1497. His 1976 autobiography, co-written by Mickey Herskowitz ,
1950-548: The " Frisco ", was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central United States from 1876 to November 21, 1980. At the end of 1970, it operated 4,547 miles (7,318 km) of road on 6,574 miles (10,580 km) of track, not including subsidiaries Quanah, Acme and Pacific Railway and the Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad ; that year, it reported 12,795 million ton-miles of revenue freight and no passengers. In 1980 it
2028-509: The 1,200-acre (4.9 km ) Flying A Ranch on the west edge of Berwyn, and the town decided to honor him by changing its name. Approximately 35,000 people attended the ceremonies broadcast live from the site on Autry's Melody Ranch radio show. Expectations that Autry would make his permanent home on the ranch were heightened when Autry's house in California burned down just 8 days before the name change ceremony, but dashed three weeks later with
2106-608: The 110-acre Monogram Ranch in 1953, in Placerita Canyon near Newhall, California , in the northern San Gabriel Mountains foothills. He renamed it the Melody Ranch after his movie Melody Ranch . Autry then sold 98 acres of the property, most of the original ranch. The Western town, adobes , and ranch cabin sets and open land for location shooting were retained as a movie ranch on 12 acres. Numerous "B" Westerns and TV shows were shot there during Autry's ownership, including
2184-419: The 1950s, Autry had been a minority owner of the minor-league Hollywood Stars . In 1960, when Major League Baseball announced plans to add an expansion team in Los Angeles, Autry—who had once declined an opportunity to play in the minor leagues —expressed an interest in acquiring the radio broadcast rights to the team's games. Baseball executives were so impressed by his approach that he was persuaded to become
2262-607: The Cowboys" in Gene's absence, which it did. Republic reissued old Autry westerns during the war years, to keep his name before the public. Autry's contract had been suspended for the duration of his military service, and he had tried to have it declared void after his discharge. The courts found in Republic's favor, and Autry returned to Republic after the war. He finished out his contract with four more features, with Autry now publicized as "King of
2340-572: The Fighting Raccoons). While the Texas Special may be the most famous passenger train operated by Frisco, it was just one of a fleet of named trains. These included: The core of the former Frisco system continues to be operated by BNSF Railway as high-density mainlines. Other secondary and branchlines have been sold to shortline operators or have been abandoned altogether. Multiple surviving buildings, structures and locations associated with
2418-684: The Frisco are on the National Register of Historic Places , including the St. Louis - San Francisco Railway Corporate Headquarters building; Frisco Building, 908 Olive St, St. Louis, Mo , St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad Building in Joplin, Missouri , the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad Depot in Poplar Bluff, Missouri , the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway Depot in Comanche, Texas , the Beaumont St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad Retention Pond , and
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2496-459: The Frisco had 159 4-4-0's in service, built by twenty-five different companies. Frisco renumbered its units in that year, assigning the 4-4-0's either numbers between 1-299 (140 units), or 2200-series numbers (19 units). The oldest Frisco 4-4-0 locomotive was No. 47, built in 1869 by Hinkley Locomotive Works . The last serving 4-4-0's were retired in 1951. Even more numerous on the Frisco were 4-6-0 "Ten-wheelers." The first such engines entered
2574-481: The Frisco system in 1870. By 1903, Frisco had a fleet of 430 such locomotives, which were renumbered that year into seven class series, using 400, 500, 600, 700, 1100, 1400, and 2600-series numbers. The last 4-6-0s on the Frisco roster were the 1400 series, with the last engine to be retired from service being #1409, dismantled and sold for scrap in November, 1951. Frisco-series 2100 equipment consisted of self-propelled rail motor-cars, mostly gas-electric models, with
2652-510: The Frisco was Springfield, Missouri . There were three separate back shop facilities in and around the city: North Side, which handled light locomotive repairs; South Side, inherited from the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis, for heavy locomotive repairs and overhauls; and West Side, which were the primary car shops for the railroad. In 1912 a new facility was built in Memphis, Tennessee to handle
2730-704: The Red-Nosed Reindeer ", " Frosty the Snowman ", and " Here Comes Santa Claus ". Autry is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame . He is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , for film, television, music, radio, and live performance. The town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma was named in his honor, as
2808-544: The Saddle Again ". Autry made 640 recordings, including more than 300 songs written or co-written by himself. His records sold more than 100 million copies and he has more than a dozen gold and platinum records, including the first record ever certified gold. Today's listeners associate Gene Autry with Christmas songs, which are played perennially during each holiday season. These include " Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town ", his own composition " Here Comes Santa Claus ", " Frosty
2886-563: The Singing Cowboys". In 1947 Autry left Republic for Columbia Pictures , which offered him his own production unit. He chose a new sidekick, Pat Buttram , recently returned from his World War II service. Buttram would co-star with Gene Autry in more than 40 films and in more than 100 episodes of Autry's television show . In 1951, Autry formed his own company (Flying A Productions) to make westerns under his own control, and Columbia continued to distribute them through 1953. Autry purchased
2964-550: The Snowman ", and his biggest hit, " Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer ". He wrote "Here Comes Santa Claus" after being the Grand Marshal of the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade (now the Hollywood Christmas Parade ). He heard all of the spectators watching the parade saying, "Here comes Santa Claus!" virtually handing him the title for his song. He recorded his version of the song in 1947 and it became an instant classic. In
3042-420: The U. S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Part of his military service included his broadcast of a radio show for one year; it involved music and true stories. Several decades ago on an early afternoon show featuring Republic westerns, one of Gene's sidekicks said that when Gene told Republic Pictures of his intentions to join the military during World War II, Republic threatened to promote Roy Rogers as "King of
3120-538: The actress who played Annie Oakley in the television series of the same name that Autry produced. After Spivey died in 1980, he married Jacqueline Ellam , who had been his banker, in 1981. While Autry was quiet about his political views during his life, his voting records listed him as a registered Republican, and he supported the Civil Rights Movement. Autry was raised into Freemasonry in 1927 at Catoosa Lodge No. 185, Catoosa Oklahoma. He later became
3198-530: The code: Beginning in 1950, he produced and starred in his own television show on [CBS through his Flying A Productions studio. In the late 1950s, Autry also made several appearances on ABC-TV 's Jubilee USA . During World War II, Autry enlisted in the United States Army in 1942, and became a tech sergeant in the United States Army Air Corps. Holding a private pilot certificate , he
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3276-485: The country, and supplied construction help to the Park, along with the rails and ties, back when this line was being built in 1962. Perhaps for these reasons, the trains sport the Frisco name and logo. However, this was never an actual Frisco rail line, and the steam locomotives started life as industrial engines on German intraplant railroads, not as actual rolling stock on the Frisco. The following companies were predecessors of
3354-547: The eastern section of the system, consisting of a yard, roundhouse terminal, and car shops. At Kansas City, Missouri was another substantial back shop site, consisting of a roundhouse terminal and several shop buildings served by a transfer table. From March 1917 through January 1959, the Frisco, in a joint venture with the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad , operated the Texas Special . This luxurious train,
3432-484: The estate of Leo J. Cremer Sr., and put Canadian saddle bronc riding champion Harry Knight in charge of the operation. A merger with the World Championship Rodeo Company in 1956 made Autry the sole owner. He moved the entire company to a 24,000-acre (97 km ) ranch near Fowler, Colorado , with Knight as the working partner in the operation. For the next 12 years, they provided livestock for most of
3510-407: The forefront of gas-electric operation at that time. The initial batch, numbered 2100 to 2109, included nine baggage-coach combinations, as well as one baggage-mail-coach unit. Frisco's peak year for motor-car mileage was 1931, and its fleet at that time included twenty-three gas-electrics, five gas-mechanical cars, four trailer coaches, and six mail-baggage units. The final Frisco run of a Doodlebug
3588-474: The goal of restoring its original condition and transforming it into a live music venue. The renovation project received widespread community support and funding from various sources, including private donors and government grants. The Kessler Theater was designed by renowned Dallas architect George Dahl and built in the Art Deco style; it features a distinctive marquee, intricate detailing, and an auditorium with
3666-433: The heyday of Western-themed comics , the 1940s and 1950s. The Register and Tribune Syndicate comic strip Gene Autry Rides by Till Goodan was the first entry, lasting from 1940 to 1941. From 1941 to 1943, Autry was the subject of a comic book initially published by Fawcett Comics and then picked up by Dell Comics that ran 12 issues. Dell then published 101 issues of Gene Autry Comics from 1946 to 1955. That title
3744-463: The initial years of Gunsmoke with James Arness . A decade after he purchased Melody Ranch, a brushfire swept through in August 1962, destroying most of the original standing sets and dashing Autry's plans to turn it into a museum. However, the devastated landscape did prove useful for productions such as Combat! . A complete adobe ranch survived at the northeast section of the ranch. According to
3822-606: The late 1950s he began recording other artists, as the original owner of Challenge Records . The label's biggest hit was " Tequila " by The Champs in 1958, which started the rock and roll instrumental craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He sold the label soon after, but the maroon (later green) label has the "GA" in a shield above the label name. Autry and Burnette were discovered by film producer Nat Levine in 1934. Together, Autry and Burnette made their film debut for Mascot Pictures Corp. in In Old Santa Fe as part of
3900-497: The late 1960s Republic was barely operational, managing only its film library. Gene Autry, correctly assessing the company's cash-poor situation, made a cash offer for the rights and negatives to his Republic films. The company accepted Autry's terms, and Autry now controlled the film materials for home-movie reprints and home-video tapes and discs. Autry died of lymphoma on October 2, 1998, at his home in Studio City, California . He
3978-524: The latter. However, after the Frisco entered bankruptcy in 1913, it made no further extensions of the FW&;RG, which in most years failed to make a net profit . In 1937 the Frisco sold the FW&RG to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway for $ 1.5 million, giving the latter an entry into Fort Worth from the west. On August 24, 1916, the Frisco was reorganized as the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway , though
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#17328919723914056-532: The line never went west of Texas , terminating more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from San Francisco. The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway had two main lines: St. Louis – Tulsa – Oklahoma City - Floydada, Texas , and Kansas City – Memphis – Birmingham . The junction of the two lines was in Springfield, Missouri , home to the company's main shop facility. The corporate headquarters was at 906 Olive Street, St. Louis. Other lines included: The base of operations for
4134-547: The list: for instance, when No. 2022 was rebuilt after a wreck, it was given the name of Champion , after ex-Frisco-employee Gene Autry’s trusty steed in the movies. The amusement park Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri , runs multiple diesel-fired or heating oil-fired steam trains around the park on its 2-foot-gauge rail line , known as the Frisco Silver Dollar Line . The Frisco operated in that part of
4212-536: The major rodeos in Texas, Colorado, Montana, and Nebraska. When the company was sold in 1968, both men continued to be active in rodeo. For his work as a livestock contractor, Autry was inducted into the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association 's ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979. Autry received several honors for his contributions to rodeo. Gene Autry was often portrayed in the comics, primarily during
4290-700: The on-field celebration, and the public address system played his hit song, " Back in the Saddle Again ". He invested in property, owning by 1964 the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco; the Hotel Continental in Hollywood; the Sahara Inn, a $ 12-million motel near Chicago; plus property in Palm Springs . Autry retired from show business in 1964, having made almost 100 films up to 1955 and over 600 records. He
4368-413: The owner of the franchise rather than simply its broadcast partner. The team, initially called the Los Angeles Angels upon its 1961 debut, moved to suburban Anaheim in 1966, and was renamed the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels from 1997 until 2005, when it became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Autry served as vice president of the American League from 1983 until his death. In 1995, he sold
4446-434: The poll ceased. He appeared in the similar Boxoffice poll from 1936 to 1955, holding first place from 1936 to 1942 and second place (after Rogers) from 1943 to 1952. While these two polls are really an indication only of the popularity of series stars, Autry also appeared in the Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll of all films from 1940 to 1942, His Gene Autry Flying "A" Ranch Rodeo show debuted in 1940. Autry served in
4524-460: The railway's financial offers. According to one of the newspapers which reported on those plans, "The Frisco road cannot obtain title to the National Cemetery, but is after all the rest of the river front, and wants to cross the present public road practically at grade in many public places." In 1901, the Frisco took control of the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway , which it operated as an independent subsidiary, and constructed several extensions of
4602-414: The second major influential artist of the genre's development after Jimmie Rodgers . His films were the first media vehicle to carry Western music to a nationwide audience. In addition to his signature song " Back in the Saddle Again ", as well as his recording hit " At Mail Call Today ", Autry is still remembered for his association with Christmas music , having debuted the seasonal standards " Rudolph,
4680-449: The state. As part of this plan, the executives proposed relocation of the residents of the historically Black community of Fazendeville to the much smaller, neighboring village of Versailles , which was described as a "settlement consist[ing] merely of a row of very small properties along a public road running at right angles from the river to the railroad track"; however, many of Fazendeville's residents resisted and then ultimately refused
4758-481: The vocal duet of Jimmie Long and Gene Autry with two Hawaiian guitars , directed by L. L. Watson, recorded "My Dreaming of You" (Matrix 56761) and "My Alabama Home" (Matrix 56762). Autry signed a recording deal with Columbia Records in 1929. He worked in Chicago on the WLS-AM radio show National Barn Dance for four years, and with his own show, where he met singer-songwriter Smiley Burnette . In his early recording career, Autry covered various genres, including
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#17328919723914836-476: Was Republic's biggest star, and his films became more costly and more elaborate. They played first-run in large cities, unlike the usual "B" westerns that played in neighborhood theaters. In the Motion Picture Herald Top Ten Money-Making Western Stars poll, Autry was listed every year from the first poll in 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1954 (he was serving in the AAF 1943–45), holding first place 1937 to 1942, and second place (after Roy Rogers ) 1947 to 1954, when
4914-464: Was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a crooning style on radio , in films , and on television for more than three decades, beginning in the early 1930s. During that time, he personified the straight-shooting hero — honest, brave, and true. Autry was the owner of a television station and several radio stations in Southern California. From 1961 to 1997, he
4992-405: Was awarded the American Patriots Medal by Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania . Johnny Cash recorded a song in 1978 about Autry called "Who is Gene Autry?" Cash also got Autry to sign his famous black Martin D-35 guitar, which he plays in the video of " Hurt ". In 1983, Autry received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement . Autry was inducted into
5070-428: Was buried at the Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. His epitaph read, "America's Favorite Cowboy ... American Hero, Philanthropist, Patriot and Veteran, Movie Star, Singer, Composer, Baseball Fan and Owner, 33rd Degree Mason, Media Entrepreneur, Loving Husband, Gentleman". In 1932, Autry married Ina Mae Spivey, the niece of Jimmy Long. During this marriage he had a sustained affair with Gail Davis ,
5148-413: Was certainly vice. These recordings are generally not heard today, but are available on European import labels, such as JSP Records . His first hit was in 1932 with " That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine ", a duet with fellow railroad man Jimmy Long that Autry and Long co-wrote. As Autry's movie career flourished, so did his record sales. His unofficial theme song became the Ray Whitley composition " Back in
5226-578: Was changed to Gene Autry and Champion , and ran an additional 20 issues from 1955 to 1959, making it the longest-running (by number of issues) cowboy actor comic book. Meanwhile, Autry was the subject of an "Air-Western-Adventure Strip" comic strip syndicated by General Features from 1952 to 1955. The strip was produced in association with Whitman Publishing . The Mexican publisher Editorial Novaro released 423 issues of Gene Autry comics from 1954 to 1984. In 1937, Kenton Hardware Company of Kenton, Ohio , began producing Gene Autry cast-iron cap guns as
5304-463: Was determined to become a military pilot and earned his Service Pilot rating in June 1944, serving as a C-109 transport pilot with the rank of flight officer . Assigned to a unit of the Air Transport Command , he flew as part of the dangerous airlift operation over the Himalayas between India and China, nicknamed the Hump . In 1941, at the height of his screen popularity, Autry had a string of rodeo stock based north of Ardmore, Oklahoma . It
5382-471: Was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969 and to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. After retiring, he invested widely in real estate, radio, and television. He also invested in ownership of the KOOL-TV CBS-affiliate (now Fox affiliate KSAZ-TV ) in Phoenix, Arizona , which created local shows such as the weekly bilingual children's show Niños Contentos . Republic Pictures, its finances failing, had shut down production in 1957. By
5460-458: Was known as the Flying A Ranch and encompassed 1200 acres. It served as headquarters for his traveling rodeo. The nearby town of Berwyn, then honored Autry by naming the town after him. Thirty Five thousand people attended the ceremony on November 16, 1941. A year later, he became a partner in the World Championship Rodeo Company, which furnished livestock for many of the country's major rodeos. In 1954, he acquired Montana's top bucking string from
5538-502: Was on November 8, 1953, when No. 2128 traveled from Ardmore, Oklahoma , for the four hour trip to Hugo, Oklahoma . Two series of Frisco locomotives not surviving were Frisco 4300s and 4400s. These were all 4-8-2 units assembled by Frisco itself in the late 1930s to the early 1940s from other locomotives. Eleven, being units 4300 through 4310, were built in 1936 and 1937 from used 2-10-2 parts. They had 27-by-30-inch (690 mm × 760 mm) cylinders, 70-inch (1,780 mm) drivers,
5616-577: Was purchased by and absorbed into the Burlington Northern Railroad . Despite its name, it never came close to San Francisco . The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway, commonly called the Frisco, was incorporated in Missouri on September 7, 1876. It was formed from the Missouri Division and Central Division of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad . This land grant line was one of two railroads (the other being
5694-460: Was retired by the Angels in Autry's honor. The chosen number reflected that baseball's rosters (at the time) had 25 men, so Autry's unflagging support for his team made him the "26th man" (see also the 12th man , a similar concept in football). When the Angels finally won their first (and to date, only) World Series championship in 2002 , star outfielder Tim Salmon held Autry's cowboy hat aloft during
5772-664: Was the Gene Autry precinct in Mesa, Arizona . Autry was born September 29, 1907, near Tioga in Grayson County, Texas , the grandson of a Methodist preacher. His parents, Delbert Autry and Elnora Ozment, moved in the 1920s to Ravia in Johnston County in southern Oklahoma. Gene Autry worked on his father's ranch while growing up and going to school. In 1925, Autry left the family ranch. With only his high school education, Autry became
5850-562: Was the first bridge over the Mississippi River south of St. Louis, and the third longest bridge in the world at the time of its dedication on May 12, 1892; it is now listed as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark . Locomotives with 4-4-0 wheel arrangements, known as the "American" type because they were considered for many years to be the standard in American locomotives, originally served Frisco in great numbers. In July, 1903,
5928-462: Was the founding owner of the California Angels franchise of Major League Baseball (MLB). From 1934 to 1953, Autry appeared in 93 motion pictures. Between 1950 and 1956, he hosted The Gene Autry Show television series. In many of them, he appeared with Champion , his Morgan horse . Autry was also one of the most important pioneering figures in the history of country music , considered
6006-445: Was titled Back in the Saddle Again after his 1939 hit and signature tune . He is also featured year after year, on radio and " shopping mall music" at the holiday season, by his recording of " Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer ". "Rudolph" became the first No. 1 hit of the 1950s. In 2003, he was ranked No. 38 in CMT 's list of the 40 Greatest Men of Country Music . In 1977, Autry
6084-419: Was turned down not because of his voice, but because Victor had just made contracts with two similar singers. Autry left with a letter of introduction from Shilkret and the advice to sing on radio to gain experience and to come back in a year or two. In 1928, Autry was singing on Tulsa radio station KVOO (now KOTV ) as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy". The Victor archives show an October 9, 1929, entry stating that
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