Gene Autry Books

This is a wonderful book for any Gene Autry fan. It has all the statistics and biology of both his movies and tv westerns. Near the back are a few pages on Champion. It lists all Gene's leading ladies and even has comments made by some. A must read for the Gene Autry buff!!

I am a big fan of his andI really like the book alot it has alot of really good information in iton his flims .

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)

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.

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

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

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.

He doesn't seek out justice, he's been given justice. This is a great book. Documents the life of singer and cowboy star Gene Autry. Owner of a chain of radio stations, and famous every holiday season for his rendition of "Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer," this book is a great biography worthy of any cowboy fan.

I recall the quote in the title from a tribute to Gene Autry in the Orange County Register shortly after his death ten years ago.

For me, Gene Autry was mostly about the music. His old movies were on television during my childhood in the 1950's, along with those of Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers. I also enjoyed those shows, but I loved the songs that Gene Autry sang, "San Antonio Rose," "Rancho Grande," "The Old Lamplighter," "South of the Border," and I could go on and on. Not to mention "Back in the Saddle Again."

For an earlier generation, he was to hillbilly music what Motown artists were to race records. He opened up a narrowly marketed niche music to a much larger audience on the radio and in movies. Before Gene Autry, these market niches were so narrow that anything with fiddles and guitars on the record were automatically assumed to be hillbilly records, such that the recordings of Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of Paris were stocked in the Hillbilly section of some record stores.

Holly George-Warren has written a superb biography. Gene Autry was a man of notable weaknesses that were outweighed by his strengths. He was dealt many poor hands and bad deals but he was able to overcome it through hard work, tenacity, and personal charm. His is a great story well documented and well told.

Also, what comes to mind is how much he represented broad historical forces at work in his generation. The south was barely recovering from the Civil War when a devastating drought set in in the late 1920's. Gene Autry was part of the out migration of the sons of the south to the west. His life also reflected how the power center in the United States shifted southward and westward after World War II.

The hardest thing in this world is to know when to say enough is enough. In that way, he was very human, but at least he wasn't destroyed by his excesses in the way of most men. He was wealthy, yet beloved. He and his first wife loved each other to the end, despite their troubles. He married well both times. He was a great judge of talent. He lived to be 91 and was active almost to the end. Beyond hero worship, I have a subtler admiration for him.

this book is well written and gives the ordinary person a glimpse into a special life

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 well written and highly researched biography, with more than the normal number of photographs. The book is also true to its title, the story is not only about the life of Gene Autry, but also about his time.

We like to think technology zooms super fast in our lives, but most of the time it's the technology that surrounds or enables our profession. Gene Autry saw that actual technology of his profession make quantum leaps that obsoleted prior technology and many of the people employed in the industry. Motion pictures added sound, went to color, and then television overwhelmed the movie industry. Music went from vinyl records to eight-track, to cassette, to CDs. Autry never made a misstep and leveraged each technology change to advance his career.

If you want to read about how to succeed in a rapidly changing world, you could do worse than studying this businessman and entertainer. After all, he made it to the top in both professions.

Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry is a fascinating biography of an unusual man. Read from a different perspective, it is also better than the majority of business books.
The Shopkeeper
The Shut Mouth Society

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.

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 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.

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.