Gene Autry Books

I bought Gene Autry's book after seeing him on the TV show Hee-Ha, way back in the early 80's. He was being interviewed by Roy Clark, I believe and during this interview Mr. Autry stated that he recently had published his auto-biography ( Back In The Saddle Again ) with the help of Mikey Herkowitz. I was living in West Plains, Mo. at the time and I didn't have any Idea of how to purchase his book, so I wrote to Gene, in care of the California Angels Baseball Team, in Anaheim, California to ask him were I might find a copy of his book. About 6 weeks had past when I received a letter from Mr. Autry and he had enclosed an autographed Bookplate, an 8x10 Black and White picture of some of the Angels baseball players, some Angels Decals and a very nice letter from him on his Golden West Letterhead paper. He was very nice and happy to know that he still had Fans that were still interested in his career and will being. I found out were I could order his book and did so and I read it immediately upon receiving it and of course put his autographed bookplate in it and I will charish it forever. About his book, it was very interesting, informative and very humorous. I enjoyed reading it very much, so much so that my husband got very ercked with me because I didn't want to put it down. I personally will miss Gene Autry very much. His songs, His acting and his personna on and off the Wide Screen will never be equaled by another. The fact that he took the time out of his busy schedule to write to me and included an autographed Bookplate, which said, personally autographed for Catherine LeBarron " Back In The Saddle Again" is the story of my life. I hope you enjoy reading it. Of course I did leave some parts out. With very best wishes, Gene Autry

Just a short note. Ihave this book in my liberary it is one ifavor. GENE AUTRY WAS WITHOUT QUESTION THE BEST PERSON/SINGER/STAR/IDOL OF MY GENERATION. i have read the book several times.and learn some thing to better myself each time.just last week reading it to my grandson. HE WAS SO IMPRESSED he took my gene plate to hang in his bedroom THANK FOR THE MEMORIES

This book is an absolute masterpiece. It is filled with thrilling insight, and I have read at least ten times through. It is great for film fans both young and old. There is no collection that is complete without it.

This book is a "must have" for any Gene Autry Fan. It has great pictures from his movies and personal appearances. You also have a list and plot summary of all the movies, tv shows and a listing of all the songs he recorded. If you are into learning about America Favorite Cowboy, the trivia questions and answers are great. I highly recommend this book if you love Gene Autry. As the author says in his introduction, "chances are that you are an avid Autry Fan if you purchased this book". A Fitting Tribute to the Legendary Singing Cowboy.

This coffee-table book details every movie and TV show in which Gene Autry ever appeared, with casts, crew, plot, locations, writers, backgrounds, you name it. Author Boyd Magers has written many books and articles on vintage westerns, and draws on his own researchers and others, all footnoted, in this compendium of the man who almost single-handedly created the singing cowboy. Each movie writeup contains bonus material highlighting another star, director, sidekick or some other key person involved in the picture. Gene Autry fans will love it; non-fans will learn from it.

Empire Publishing presents "GENE AUTRY WESTERNS" (Hardcover) - by author Boyd Magers, like no other book on Gene Autry --- all of Gene's Mascot, Republic and Columbia westerns included, as well as his half-hour TV Episodes --- each segment contains the release date on each film ... major production credits ... complete cast (including character played) ... all songs included, songwriter and who performed them in the film ... running time of each film ... dates of the filming ... bios on the cast and major players (Smiley, Pat Buttram, Cass County Boys, Herbert J. Yates, directors, leading ladies, songwriters and various heavies, etc.) ... locations that were used ... budgets and negative cost ... stunt people involved ... analysis and synopsis on each film ... notes and comments (including film and cast background info, salaries paid, working titles, etc) ... comments from Gene and many other cast members on each film ... theater exhibitors comments at the time of the films release ...this tribute was written from the heart and it shows.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: (Chapter, Title and Page Numbers)
Acknowledgments - 7
Foreword by Dick Jones - 9
Rockin' To and Fro ... A Few Words Before Saddling Up - 11
Gene Autry Beginnings - 13
The Films (Chronologically) - 15
Shorts/Cameos/Guest Appearances - 337
"The Gene Autry Show" (TV Log) - 345
Ridin' Down the Trail - 392
Gene's Top Tens - 395
Gene's Movie/TV Sidekicks at a Glance - 400
Gene's Movie/TV leading Ladies at a Glance - 402
Musical Groups and Singers in Gene's Westerns at a Glance - 405
Songs in Gene's Westerns and Where to find Them - 407
Gene's Story and Screenwriters at a Glance - 414
Gene's Directors at a Glance - 418
Locations Where Gene Filmed - 420
Gene's Movie Jobs - 430
Recurrent Themes in Gene's Westerns - 432
Champion - 434
Gene in Print - 438
Afterword by Jimmy Hawkins - 440
Bibliography - 442
Index - 444

BIOS:
1. Gene Autry
Date of Birth: 29 September 1907 - Near Tioga, Texas
Date of Death: 2 October 1998 - Studio City, Los Angeles, California

Special footnote, Orvon Gene Autry was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television --- Discovered by film producer Nat Levine in 1934, he and Burnette made their film debut for Mascot Pictures Corp, Ken Maynard's "In Old Santa Fe" (November 1934) as part of 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 formation of Republic Pictures Corp. and Autry went along to make a further 44 films up to 1940, all B westerns in which he played under his own name, rode his horse Champion, had Burnette as his regular sidekick and had many opportunities to sing in each film --- Autry became the top Western star at the box-office by 1937, reaching his national peak of popularity from 1940 to 1942 --- His Gene Autry Flying "A" Ranch Rodeo show debuted in 1940 --- Gene Autry is the only celebrity to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one in each of the five categories maintained by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce --- Radio, Films, Recordings, Television and Live Theater.

SPECIAL BONUS MATERIAL:
1. Where to find individual songs in Gene's films
2. Recurrent themes in Gene's westerns
3. Gene in print
4. Gene's appearances in film short subjects and various TV shows
5. Songs written by Gene used in other movies
6. Gene's "Top 10s" as selected by 13 noted Autry enthusiasts
7. Handy reference tables listing, by film and TV titles, all of Gene's sidekicks, leading ladies, musical groups, screenwriters, directors and locations
8. Champion chronology
9. Foreword/Afterword by Dick Jones and Jimmy Hawkins

If you enjoyed this book, why not check out - "So You Wanna See Cowboy Stuff?", by Boyd Mager, all the Western movie and TV filming locations and sites of interest in the entire United States, the only complete tour guide ever assembled ... "Best of the Badmen", by Boyd Magers, Bob Nareau and Bobby Copeland telling the inside story in depth about some of the bad guys, the heavy and the villain who rode against the law and the heroes of our B-Westerns era ... both titles are from Empire Publishing and available on Amazon --- so pick up your copy today.

Hats off to Rhonda Lemons and her staff at Empire Publishing --- author Boyd Magers has given us the Ultimate Gene Autry Book --- everything you wanted to know about Gene's career on the big silver screen and television films --- Gene was a man who changed the face of screen westerns and was truly America's Favorite Cowboy --- If you're into the memories of the Gene Autry B-Westerns, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- Boyd Magers and Empire Publishing has captured the moment --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Pages: 456 ~ Empire Publishing #9 780944 019498 ~ (7/18/2007)

I read Gene's autobiography, "Back in the Saddle," nearly thirty years ago and enjoyed it. George-Warren's book goes much deeper, leaving the hero of all us front-row kids just a little gut-shot. Okay, so Gene fooled around and developed a drinking problem. Maybe finding that out is a bit disappointing, but we're all grownups now, and understand nobody's perfect. And, sadly, neither was Gene, but at this late date it doesn't change anything. I loved those movies and all his songs. I still love listening to the music, but watching the films now, as an adult, I'm a little embarrassed. But Gene Autry was such an important part of my kid-hood .. Well, I still love the guy. I won't say I loved the book, but it was an obviously well-researched and fair treatment of Gene's show-biz career and a welcome addition to my library. Good job, Holly George-Warren. - Tim Bazzett, author of "Love, War & Polio"

This is a book that no Gene Autry or western film fan should be without. Previous books were okay but so positive in all aspects that a true picture was not shown. Autry is shown as a great man but like everyone had a few faults. There's an excellent discography which as near as I can tell is complete. The filmography lists only movie title and songs but as there's at least three complete filmographies in other books probably it was considered unnecessary. There's also an index which is extremely important in any book especially to someone like me who uses them when doing research.
Fred Isenor

I was born in 1931 -- just about the time Gene Autry was starting his singing career. When I was old enough to go to the local Movie Theater alone I would not miss a Gene Autry movie, and we just had to listen to the Gene Autry weekly radio program.

As I grew older I attended Gene's appearances in Pittsburgh, PA. He was always courteious to us kids. Even though we were there every day he smiled, talked to us and autographed our books again, and again, and again. Gene never hurried us. He spent time talking to us and making us feel special.

This is a book I could not lay down. Holly George did a wonderful job telling us of his personal life. His successes and failures, his fights with Republic Studios. His drinking problem and womanizing. She showed us the man, a very human man, with perfection and flaws, just like the rest of us.

If you want to know the REAL, behind the mask, Gene Autry, this is the book. Holly George tells it well and let's us make our own decisions as to the type of person he was. I think he was a good man. I think Holly did a great job researching this book and writing it in an informative and interesting manner.

Dorothy W. Rossa
Chicago, IL

Gene wasn't my favorite as a kid, Hoppy and Roy were slightly ahead of him. But I did enjoy his early westerns on TV and I'll always remember Gene's Phantom Empire. I found this book to be very entertaining, despite trying to keep track of the large number of characters mentioned who crossed paths with Autry. It was also interesting to see how many later-famous people he knew early on. This was a long read for me, but I always looked forward to picking it up and reading a few chapters.

This excellent biography of Gene Autry puts him back in the saddle again for more than 300 pages. "Public Cowboy No. 1" offers an in-depth insight into the Saturday-afternoon hero of millions of boys and girls, many of whom are now mature men and women, who can devour this bio with a nostalgia that is, in part, bitter-sweet, but always enjoyable. You'll discover how Gene Autry developed into not only one of the most popular entertainers of him time, but also a shrewd businessman, which made him one of the richest of his time. This biography is a well-documented, informative read. So, pretend it's Saturday afternoon again, saddle up and take another thrilling ride down memory lane with Public Cowboy No. 1. You'll be glad you did.

I was hoping that the book might be a little more informative for my two year-old about WHO Santa IS, but it was instead the words to the Gene Autry song "Here Comes Santa Claus" put to admittedly beautiful illustrations. Still very much enjoyed it...it just wasn't quite what I'd thought it would be.

This hardcover book is a steal at $4.99. You can remove the paper flap and the Christmas graphic of Santa and the dog is printed directly on the cover. The pictures on the front and back covers are lovely and elegant. The book is sturdy enough to stand and be displayed as a Christmas decoration. The book is illustrated nicely with thick pages. The sheet music to the song is on both the front and back inside covers of the book.

I purchased this book because I grew up listening to Gene Autry's Christmas music. I thought it would be nice to have a tangible version of "Here Comes Santa Claus". This book has beautiful illustrations and within those illustrations Bruce Whatley adds an additional story. The sleeve of the book gives the history of how the song came about as well as a brief history of Gene Autry and Bruce Whatley. Now my daughter can grow up with the wonderful song as well as this wonderful book.

This hardcover book was also a steal for $4.99 as a bargain book!

This biography of the Singing Cowboy, the second complete one ever written, joins Holly George-Warren's "Public Cowboy No. 1," which also came out this year. As such they have some obvious similarities -- and also some marked differences.
I discussed George-Warren's book in another Amazon review. Cusic's biography is well written and researched, although I did spot a few factual errors having to do with the dates movies were released and the like. Minor things, but they hurt an author's credibility.
Nevertheless, Cusic does an excellent job of giving us a brisk trip through Gene Autry's remarkable life, providing anecdotes from friends, family and associates from his childhood in Texas and Oklahoma to his final days as a revered American icon. Especially fascinating are some lengthy direct quotes from Autry himself as recorded by Johnny Bond, one of the performers on his radio program, apparently from the manuscript he prepared from material he collected about his boss over the years, but never actually turned into a book. These quotes, while doing nothing to tarnish "The Cowboy's" legacy, provide a more candid, unselfconscious view of him than do his many oft-quoted statements given in numerous interviews. I've read extensively about Gene Autry for years, and I had never seen these quotes before.
Up to a point, Cusic presents Autry warts and all -- after all we all have our faults, even living legends. But for whatever reason, he steers almost entirely clear of the two aspects of Gene Autry's personality that shocked many fans who had already read "Public Cowboy No. 1:" His progressively more destructive drinking, and his numerous extramarital liaisons with women he encountered during his career, especially actress Gail Davis. I can't imagine that Cusic discovered no evidence of those less-admirable things about Gene Autry in his numerous interviews for his book; perhaps he couln't bear the thought of bringing them forth. But a definitive biography must be honest and candid.
The lack of any photographs in "Gene Autry: His Life and Career," also is a minus.
But having said all that, the book is still well worth a purchase and a read, as it gives a good portrait not only of Autry's life, but also of his character, with the exceptions I mentioned above. His fabled generosity is dealt with at length, showing that he was indeed the "guy in the white hat" in real life as well as on the screen.
The final chapters especially demonstrate Cusic's considerable affection and respect for his subject -- and why Autry deserved every bit of his astounding success.