Gene Autry filmography

Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette in their first film appearance together in the 1934 film In Old Santa Fe

This Gene Autry filmography lists the films and television episodes starring the American singing cowboy Gene Autry.

Overview

From 1934 to 1953, Autry appeared in 93 films. Discovered by film producer Nat Levine in 1934, Autry and his sidekick Smiley Burnette made their film debut for Mascot Pictures in In Old Santa Fe as part of a singing cowboy quartet. In 1935, Levine gave him the starring role in the 12-part serial The Phantom Empire. When Mascot was absorbed by the newly formed Republic Pictures, Autry went along to make 57 B Westerns in which he played under his own name, rode his own horse, Champion, had Burnette as his sidekick, and sang several songs in each film—including some that would become his most popular hits. In 1947, with his Republic contract fulfilled, Autry began producing his own films which were distributed by Columbia Pictures. For his Columbia films, Autry chose Sterling Holloway as his sidekick for five films, and then Pat Buttram for sixteen films. Burnette returned for the last six films released in 1953. From 1950 to 1955, Autry appeared in 91 episodes of The Gene Autry Show television series. Buttram played his sidekick in 83 of the 91 episodes.

While his films never achieved the critical recognition given to the films by John Ford, Henry Hathaway, and others, Autry was more popular than John Wayne for nearly a decade. He was voted the top Western movie star for six years in a row, and was named the fourth most popular of all box-office stars in America by film exhibitors in 1940. In the Motion Picture Herald Top Ten Money-Making Western Stars poll, Autry was listed every year from 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1954 (he served in the AAF 1943–45), holding first place from 1937 to 1942, and second place from 1947 to 1954. He appeared in the Box Office poll from 1936 to 1955, holding first place from 1936 to 1942, and second place from 1943 to 1952. His popularity with audiences was reflected in his box office drawing power, appeared in the Top Ten Money Makers Poll of all films from 1940 to 1942.

While Autry worked with many directors, screenwriters, and actresses throughout his career, some played especially important roles in the development of Autry's screen persona and style. Joe Kane directed 17 Autry films, Frank McDonald directed 9 films and 16 television episodes, George Sherman directed 5 films, William Morgan directed 7 films, John English directed 19 films and 2 television episodes, and George Archainbaud directed 12 films and 47 television episodes. Some writers were equally important in providing stories that Autry felt comfortable dramatizing. Oliver Drake wrote 7 screenplays, Dorrell and Stuart McGowen wrote 15, Betty Burbridge wrote 14, Gerald Geraghty wrote 19, Norman S. Hall wrote 10, and Olive Cooper wrote 6. Of the many leading ladies who played opposite Autry in his films and television series, a few stand out, including Ann Rutherford in 4 films, Carol Hughs in 3 films, June Storey in 10 films, Fay McKenzie in 5 films, ad Gail Davis in 14 films and 15 television episodes. One of the most important components of Autry's films was the comic relief provided by his sidekicks. Smiley Burnette co-starred in 60 Autry films, Sterling Holloway in 5 films, and Pat Buttramin in 16 films and 83 television episodes.

In his book Singing in the Saddle, author Douglas B. Green wrote that Autry had a profound impact on the western genre film, and that his early "pioneering films" heralded the musical western genre, which from that point on made up a high percentage of B-westerns. Other western stars began to make room in their films for musical numbers by popular western singing groups like the Sons of the Pioneers. Green continued:

Autry's early films broke ground in a number of other ways. Comedy (usually in the person of Smiley "Frog Millhouse" Burnette) was featured to a degree rarely if ever seen before in westerns; women were usually not portrayed as helpless prairie flowers in need of a good rescuing, but instead as independent, sassy, and intelligent; and, with a few exceptions, the time period was the present. Once the viewer could accept a West where six-guns and saddles coincided with radios, telephones, and Lincoln convertibles, scripts could touch on a number of contemporary social issues, such as the Dust Bowl and the treatment of Native Americans. The films often reflected the populist sentiment of the day: Gene Autry portrayed an Everyman, championing the rights of the small ranchers, farmers, and townspeople against heartless business conglomerates, corrupt politicians, or the injustices of "the system".

As of 2014, a large number of these films and television episodes remain available via the Gene Autry Foundation on the Western Channel (a cable television station), the latter having collaborated with the Foundation to restore the Republic titles, which had been cut to a uniform 54 minutes for television release in the 1950s, to full length and to provide clean negative-based source prints for all the titles in the 1990s. Autry is the only person to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one in each of the five categories maintained by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce—motion pictures, radio, recording, television, and live theater. His motion picture star is located at 6644 Hollywood Boulevard, and his television star is located at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard

Films

Year	Title	Role	Director	Leading lady	Sidekick	Studio	Notes
1934	In Old Santa Fe	Himself	David Howard	Evalyn Knapp	Smiley Burnette	Mascot Pictures
1934	Mystery Mountain	Thomas - Teamster	Otto Brower, B. Reeves Eason	Verna Hillie	Smiley Burnette	Mascot Pictures	Serial, [Ch. 6, 7] Uncredited
1935	The Phantom Empire	Himself	Otto Brower, B. Reeves Eason	Betsy King Ross	Smiley Burnette	Mascot Pictures
1935	Tumbling Tumbleweeds	Himself	Joseph Kane	Lucile Browne	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1935	Melody Trail	Himself	Joseph Kane	Ann Rutherford	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1935	The Sagebrush Troubadour	Gene Autry	Joseph Kane	Barbara Pepper	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1935	The Singing Vagabond	Captain Tex Autry	Carl Pierson	Ann Rutherford	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1936	Red River Valley	Himself	B. Reeves Eason	Frances Grant	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1936	Comin' Round the Mountain	Himself	Mack V. Wright	Ann Rutherford	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1936	The Singing Cowboy	Himself	Mack V. Wright	Lois Wilde	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1936	Guns and Guitars	Himself	Joseph Kane	Dorothy Dix	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1936	Oh, Susanna!	Himself	Joseph Kane	Frances Grant	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1936	Ride Ranger Ride	Himself	Joseph Kane	Kay Hughes	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1936	The Big Show	Himself / Tom Ford	Mack V. Wright	Kay Hughes	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1936	The Old Corral	Himself	Joseph Kane	Irene Manning	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1937	Round-Up Time in Texas	Himself	Joseph Kane	Maxine Doyle	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1937	Git Along Little Dogies	Himself	Joseph Kane	Judith Allen	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1937	Rootin' Tootin' Rhythm	Himself	Mack V. Wright	Armida	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1937	Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge	Himself	Joseph Kane	Betty Bronson	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1937	Public Cowboy No. 1	Himself	Joseph Kane	Ann Rutherford	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1937	Boots and Saddles	Himself	Joseph Kane	Judith Allen	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1937	Springtime in the Rockies	Himself	Joseph Kane	Polly Rowles	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1937	Manhattan Merry-Go-Round	Himself	Charles Reisner	Ann Dvorak		Republic Pictures
1938	The Old Barn Dance	Himself	Joseph Kane	Joan Valerie	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1938	Gold Mine in the Sky	Himself	Joseph Kane	Carol Hughes	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1938	Man from Music Mountain	Himself	Joseph Kane	Carol Hughes	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1938	Prairie Moon	Himself	Ralph Staub	Shirley Deane	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1938	Rhythm of the Saddle	Himself	George Sherman	Peggy Moran	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1938	Western Jamboree	Himself	Ralph Staub	Jean Rouverol	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1939	Home on the Prairie	Himself	Jack Townley	June Storey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1939	Mexicali Rose	Himself	George Sherman	Luana Walters	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1939	Blue Montana Skies	Himself	B. Reeves Eason	June Storey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1939	Mountain Rhythm	Himself	B. Reeves Eason	June Storey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1939	Colorado Sunset	Himself	George Sherman	June Storey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1939	In Old Monterey	Himself	Joseph Kane	June Storey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1939	Rovin' Tumbleweeds	Himself	George Sherman	Mary Carlisle	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1939	South of the Border	Himself	George Sherman	June Storey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1940	Rancho Grande	Himself	Frank McDonald	June Storey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1940	Shooting High	Will Carson	Alfred E. Green	Marjorie Weaver	—	20th Century Fox
1940	Gaucho Serenade	Himself	Frank McDonald	June Storey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1940	Carolina Moon	Himself	Frank McDonald	June Storey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1940	Ride, Tenderfoot, Ride	Himself	Frank McDonald	June Storey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1940	Melody Ranch	Himself	Joseph Santley	Ann Miller	Jimmy Durante	Republic Pictures
1941	Ridin' on a Rainbow	Himself	Lew Landers	Carol Adams	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1941	Back in the Saddle	Himself	Lew Landers	Julie Bishop	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1941	The Singing Hill	Himself	Lew Landers	Virginia Dale	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1941	Sunset in Wyoming	Himself	William Morgan	Maris Wrixon	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1941	Under Fiesta Stars	Himself	Frank McDonald	Carol Hughes	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1941	Down Mexico Way	Himself	Joseph Santley	Fay McKenzie	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1941	Sierra Sue	Himself	William Morgan	Fay McKenzie	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1942	Cowboy Serenade	Himself	William Morgan	Fay McKenzie	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1942	Heart of the Rio Grande	Himself	William Morgan	Fay McKenzie	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1942	Home in Wyomin'	Himself	William Morgan	Fay McKenzie	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1942	Stardust on the Sage	Himself	William Morgan	Louise Currie	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1942	Call of the Canyon	Himself	Joseph Santley	Ruth Terry	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1942	Bells of Capistrano	Himself	William Morgan	Virginia Grey	Smiley Burnette	Republic Pictures
1946	Sioux City Sue	Himself	Frank McDonald	Lynne Roberts	Sterling Holloway	Republic Pictures
1947	Trail to San Antone	Himself	John English	Peggy Stewart	Sterling Holloway	Republic Pictures
1947	Twilight on the Rio Grande	Himself	Frank McDonald	Adele Mara	Sterling Holloway	Republic Pictures
1947	Saddle Pals	Himself	Lesley Selander	Lynne Roberts	Sterling Holloway	Republic Pictures
1947	Robin Hood of Texas	Himself	Lesley Selander	Lynne Roberts	Sterling Holloway	Republic Pictures
1947	The Last Round-Up	Himself	John English	Jean Heather	Shug Fisher	Columbia Pictures
1948	The Strawberry Roan	Himself	John English	Gloria Henry	Pat Buttram / Rufe Davis	Columbia Pictures
1948	Loaded Pistols	Himself	John English	Barbara Britton	Chill Wills	Columbia Pictures
1949	The Big Sombrero	Himself	Frank McDonald	Elena Verdugo	none	Columbia Pictures
1949	Riders of the Whistling Pines	Himself	John English	Patricia White	none	Columbia Pictures
1949	Rim of the Canyon	Himself	John English	Nan Leslie	Clem Bevans	Columbia Pictures
1949	The Cowboy and the Indians	Himself	John English	Sheila Ryan	Hank Patterson	Columbia Pictures
1949	Riders in the Sky	Himself	John English	Gloria Henry	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1949	Sons of New Mexico	Himself	John English	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1950	Mule Train	Himself	John English	Sheila Ryan	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1950	Cow Town	Himself	John English	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1950	Hoedown	Himself	Ray Nazarro	Jeff Donnell		Columbia Pictures
1950	Beyond the Purple Hills	Himself	John English	Jo Dennison	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1950	Indian Territory	Himself	John English	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1950	The Blazing Sun	Himself	John English	Lynn Roberts	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1951	Gene Autry and the Mounties	Himself	John English	Elena Verdugo	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1951	Texans Never Cry	Himself	Frank McDonald	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1951	Whirlwind	Himself	John English	Gail Davis	Smiley Burnette	Columbia Pictures
1951	Silver Canyon	Himself	John English	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1951	The Hills of Utah	Himself	John English	Elaine Riley	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1951	Valley of Fire	Himself	John English	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1952	The Old West	Himself	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1952	Night Stage to Galveston	Himself	George Archainbaud	Virginia Huston	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1952	Apache Country	Himself	George Archainbaud	Carolina Cotton	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1952	Barbed Wire	Himself	George Archainbaud	Anne James	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1952	Wagon Team	Himself	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1952	Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder	Himself	Richard Quine	Charlotte Austin		Columbia Pictures
1952	Blue Canadian Rockies	Himself	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	Columbia Pictures
1953	Winning of the West	Himself	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Smiley Burnette	Columbia Pictures
1953	On Top of Old Smoky	Himself	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Smiley Burnette	Columbia Pictures
1953	Goldtown Ghost Riders	Himself	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Smiley Burnette	Columbia Pictures
1953	Pack Train	Himself	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Smiley Burnette	Columbia Pictures
1953	Saginaw Trail	Himself	George Archainbaud	Connie Marshall	Smiley Burnette	Columbia Pictures
1953	Last of the Pony Riders	Himself	George Archainbaud	Kathleen Case	Smiley Burnette	Columbia Pictures
1959	Alias Jesse James	Himself	Norman Z. McLeod	Rhonda Fleming		United Artists	(scenes deleted)

Television

The Gene Autry Show first aired on the CBS television network on Sunday July 23, 1950 and ran for five years for a total of 91 episodes, with the last show airing on December 17, 1955. All the shows were produced by Autry's Flying A Pictures production company and were 30 minutes in length. Fifteen episodes were filmed in color. The Gene Autry Show continued to be broadcast in syndication well into the 1970s.

Year	Title	Director	Leading lady	Sidekick	Airdate
1950	Head for Texas	Frank McDonald	Barbara Stanley	Pat Buttram	July 23, 1950
1950	Gold Dust Charlie	Frank McDonald	Sheila Ryan	Pat Buttram	July 30, 1950
1950	The Silver Arrow	Frank McDonald	Sandy Sanders	Pat Buttram	August 6, 1950
1950	The Doodle Bug	Frank McDonald	Sheila Ryan	Pat Buttram	August 13, 1950
1950	The Star Toter	Frank McDonald	Barbara Stanley	Pat Buttram	August 20, 1950
1950	The Double Switch	Frank McDonald	—	Pat Buttram	August 27, 1950
1950	Blackwater Valley Feud	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	September 3, 1950
1950	Doublecross Valley	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	September 10, 1950
1950	The Posse	George Archainbaud	Wendy Waldron	Pat Buttram	September 17, 1950
1950	The Devil's Brand	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	September 24, 1950
1950	The Poinsoned Waterhole	Frank McDonald	Sheila Ryan	Pat Buttram	October 8, 1950
1950	The Lost Chance	Frank McDonald	—	Pat Buttram	October 15, 1950
1950	The Black Rider	Frank McDonald	Sheila Ryan	Pat Buttram	October 22, 1950
1950	Gunpowder Range	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	October 29, 1950
1950	The Breakup	George Archainbaud	Lynne Roberts	Pat Buttram	November 5, 1950
1950	Twisted Trails	George Archainbaud	Lynne Roberts	Pat Buttram	November 12, 1950
1950	The Fight at Peaceful Mesa	George Archainbaud	Gail Davis	Pat Buttram	November 19, 1950
1950	Hot Lead	George Archainbaud	—	Alan Hale Jr.	November 26, 1950
1950	The Gray Dude	Frank McDonald	—	Chill Wills	December 3, 1950
1950	The Killer Horse	George Archainbaud	—	Alan Hale Jr.	December 10, 1950
1950	The Peacemaker	Frank McDonald	Peggy Stewart	Chill Wills	December 17, 1950
1950	The Sheriff of Santa Rose	George Archainbaud	Nan Leslie	Fuzzy Knight	December 24, 1950
1950	T.N.T.	George Archainbaud	Eilene Janssen	Fuzzy Knight	December 24, 1950
1951	The Raiders	John English	Nan Leslie	Fuzzy Knight	April 14, 1951
1951	Double-Barreled Vengeance	John English	Nan Leslie	Fuzzy Knight	April 21, 1951

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Autry, Gene (1978). Back in the Saddle Again. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0385032346.
• Cusic, Don (2010). Gene Autry: His Life and Career. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 978-0786459780.
• George-Warren, Holly (2007). Public Cowboy no. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195177466.
• Green, Douglas B. (2002). Singing in the Saddle: The History of the Singing Cowboy. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN 978-0826514127.
• Guyot-Smith, Jonathan (1998). Paul Kingsbury (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-0195116717.
• Magers, Boyd (2007). Gene Autry Westerns. Madison, NC: Empire Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-0944019498.

External links

• Official Gene Autry website
• Gene Autry at IMDb
• Gene Autry filmography at AllMovie