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In about 1955, my uncle Johnnie Cauthen bought me a beautiful palomino horse Lyons Store

and saddle. Very nice. Well, it wasn't a real horse and saddle. We visited a Western store in downtown Tulsa and my uncle bought them for me. That horse is now getting pretty long in the tooth, being some 55 years old.

horse

I don't imagine it is worth much more now than whatever he paid for it back then. But it means a lot to me, as I actually did have a real saddle and a palomino mare named Taffy from 1952 to 1955, the latter year being when we sold our horses and moved to west Tulsa and bought a little house on Charles Page Blvd. We just called that street "The Line" because the old electric street car line followed it from Tulsa west to Sand Springs.

Anyway, over the years I had forgotten exactly what store in Tulsa we were in when he bought the statue or figurine for me. And I figured that the store had gone out of business a long time ago.

Then, just the other day, I ran across an ad for Lyon's Indian Store at 401 E. 11th Street, and read where they have been in business in downtown Tulsa since 1916. That was it. That's where my uncle bought my little horse and saddle. I'm going to make a trip down there one of these days.

Fred Hargrove

My ol' buddy out yonder in Colorado, Fred Hargrove, finally bought himself a Big Chief writing tablet and borrowed a chewed-up pencil. I know that because he finally wrote me a note. He says that he has a new CD out called "My Sacred Ground". Don Richmond, from over at Alamosa, produced it. Besides Fred pickin' guitar and singin', you'll also hear back-up instruments such as a fiddle, steel guitar, mandolin, dobro, harmonica and Indian flute. You can find out more about ol' Fred by just clicking here: Myspace.com

*Copyright 1992 by Stan Paregien with all rights reserved.
For permission to copy in any form, please contact the
author at P.O. Box 3937, Edmond, OK 73083.

Public Cowboy No. 1 is a fascinating book about the life and times of Western mega-star Gene Autry. It was written by Ms. Holly

George-Warren, an award-winning writer, editor and frequent commentator on Western films, music, and fashion.This 406 page book was published in 2007 by Oxford University Press.

It was in 1937 that Gene and Ina Mae Autry moved into a brand, new home on more than two acres at 10985 Bluffside, in North Hollywood. That property, today, is in a triangle bounded by the Hollywood Freeway (Highway 101) on the east, Ventura Boulevard on the south, and Vineland Boulevard on the west. Ina Mae had her way with this house, decorating it in English country style. Her one concession to Gene's own tastes was the den, where Western-style furniture was found. The next year, 1938, Gene added an office and a swimming pool down hill from their house. Nothing like a dip in the pool after a hard day in the saddle.

By this time, Gene's young brother, Doug Autry, had moved out of the house. Thanks to Gene, Doug found a job at Republic Studios working in the wardrobe department. But they still did not have an empty nest, for Ina Mae's mother--Mrs. Barney (Lilly) Spivey--moved in with them when Barney died.

Still, they had a full social life, especially considering the large number of weeks he was out of town. Their closest friends at this time included Fred and Lorene Rose, Johnny and Gloria Marvin, as well as Ray and Kay Whitley. Fred Rose was a recovering alcoholic songwriter who in 1936 saw both Bing Crosby and Tex Ritter have smash hit records with his Western song, "We'll Rest At the End of the Trail". Johnny Marvin was also a songwriter. Gene had hired both of them with the idea of them providing songs and music for his own movies. In all cases, of course, Gene saw to it that he himself received a credit (and part of the royalties) as a collaborator of each song. Ray Whitley was one of the best guitar pickers in the country. Besides his own act, he also was the manager of a group called "The Sons of the Pioneers". It was Whitley who wrote "Back in the Saddle, Again", where the credit line includes a fellow named Gene Autry.

And it was Whitley who revealed that Gene Autry's favorite way of inviting folks to his home was to say, "Well, come over and let's have some beans!" Ina Mae was a gracious host and a good cook, so the meals would be lavish. But Gene really did love beans in almost any form, plus turnip greens and buttermilk and cornbread. [Chapter 5, p. 179]

Gene Autry in 1938 was voted the Number 1 Western star. And Republic Studios announced that his new leading lady, at least for several films, would be a pretty little 20-year-old girl named June Storey. She and Gene made ten Western films together, and they became close friends. [Chapter 5, p. 179]

Autry made a business decision in 1939 that became a lucrative venture for him. That will become a pattern of his life. For, unlike many of his fellow entertainers, Gene Autry had a solid grasp of business principles. That decision in 1939 was to form his own music publishing company, "Western Music". That would give him a bigger cut of the pie regarding sales of his own sheet music, songbooks, and records. Plus he could work deals with other singers for their music and records.

Johnny and Gloria Marvin were practicing Christian Scientists, as was Fred Rose. And the talented actor and songwriter Smiley Burnett and his wife Dallas were also of that persuasion. So it was in about 1939 that Ina Mae became a member of the Church of Christ Scientist. Gene, on the other hand, showed no religious inclination other than his life-long membership in the Masonic Lodge.

By 1939, Gene Autry was not only well-known but very popular in Great Britain. His records and movies always did well there. So to promote the release of his new film, "Colorado Sunset," Gene and his entourage spent the summer of 1939 touring England and Ireland. By the way, "Colorado Sunset" contains a cameo performance by Patsy Montana, his dear friend from their days together on WLS Radio in Chicago. Her song, "I Want To Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," became the very first record by a female to sell a million copies.

Anyway, Gene Autry was mobbed everywhere they went. "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy" drew over 50,000 people to an outdoor square in Belfast, Ireland. And--get this--some "250,000 people turned out in Dublin to see him ride in a parade astride Champion" [Chapter 5, p. 182]. That record would stand until it was broken in the 1990s by another Oklahoman, the Yukon native Garth Brooks.

************ More later.

CHANGES AND/OR ADDITIONS

Recently I added listings for or made changes to the listings for all of the following: Jennifer Jones, James Arness, Gene Autry, Pernell Roberts, Dan Roberts, Monty Roberts, Billy Joe Rogers, Dusty Rogers, Harry Carey, Jr., Will Rogers, Asleep At The Wheel, Vivian Austin, Rex Allen, Don "Red" Barry, Roy Barcroft, Dana Andrews, Slim Andrews, Stanley Andrews, Leigh Brackett, Neville Brand, Curley Bradley, Pat Brady, Scott Brady, Iron Eyes Cody, Bill Elliott, Sam Elliott, Howard Hawks, Alan Ladd, Michael Landon, John A. Lomax, Tom London, Suzanne Pleshette, George O'Brien, Slim Randles, Buck Rainey, Tim Holt, Ray Whitley and Yakima Canutt.

Whewwww. I'm plum tuckered just looking at the list.

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