For those lovers of the American cowboy epics that played over and over again in darkened theaters throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, it might come as a surprise that the cinema’s original singing buckaroo has only recently been appraised in a full-length biography. Before, we only had Gene Autry’s own reminiscences in Back in the Saddle Again, an engaging but scattered memoir. With the coming of Holly George-Warren’s Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry, we now have a layered, nuanced, and well-researched accounting of this American superstar.
Through his public appearances, radio shows, recordings, films, television shows, and a host of merchandise, Gene Autry projected a shining and well-scrubbed image of manhood, of the legendary cowboy, to several generations of Americans. He marketed himself through all mediums and conducted his business affairs with a firm hand. In the biography, George-Warren focuses much effort in tracking Autry’s finances, an endeavor aided greatly by her access to his own personal records. Through her writing, we see his fortunes rise bit by bit through his skilled management until Autry stands as one of the richest men in the nation.
But don’t think that the affair is all dry facts and figures detailing the creation of a financial empire. Instead, we are treated to a walk through the fashioning of an American popular culture legend, one who amassed a fortune selling himself. For young Gene saw the cowboy figure gaining ground at the movie house and on the radio—then took on that role himself, one he adhered to until his death. Before, he was just another performer looking for recording opportunities in New York, singing a variety of tunes not all in the country style that he came to be known for. He idolized Rudy Vallee and Al Jolson, along with Jimmie Rodgers and Tom Mix. These varied influences helped him reshape himself, to transform an Oklahoma telegraph operator into a star-spangled buckaroo.
Although the cowboy persona was taken on by Autry, his early life reads like a country song. He had a sickly mother, a foot-loose father, and several needy siblings—debt hung over them constantly. So early on, he had to work hard to get by, an attitude that he put to good use later in life. He was a poor boy who made good—and he never forgot his roots or the importance of community.
He surrounded himself with family and friends, in both his personal and professional lives. He gave lavishly to charities. He handed cash and checks to various friends, family members, and business partners, even those with whom he had past difficulties. In all of his public offerings, he worked to offer a positive image to the children who flocked to see him. He even set the “Ten Cowboy Commandments,” which includes an edict to avoid any racial or religious prejudice. In effect, Autry did try to give back from all the rewards he earned as an entertainer.
He had his darker side too. Drinking came easily to him, even early in his career as George-Warren notes. Autry admitted this problem in his autobiography, although he expresses it as a trouble resolved, whereas George-Warren provides many telling examples throughout his life, including an incident where the cowboy fell flat on his back from Champion during an exhibition, setting his drinking as being more serious than the old cowboy would let on himself, even in retrospect.
A secret that Autry never touched on in his memoir comes out in George-Warren’s tome. For the star attracted young women; his kind grin seemed a beacon to them. So we hear of several affairs, including a long-term one with Gail Davis, star of the Annie Oakley television series.
But don’t let these negative aspects of Autry’s life lead you to imagine George-Warren doing a hatchet job. For she approaches her subject fairly throughout. The faults that the cowboy star had are discussed but only as a small portion of his life. Actually, the kind reports that the author took from a wide range of people who had dealings with Autry set him firmly as a self-made man who also realized that not all were as fortunate, as a star performer who was generous with other actors and musicians, as a very public figure who was a supportive family member.
Overall, George-Warren’s book provides a wide-ranging and detailed review of the singing cowboy’s life. My only regret is that the story ends in the early 1960s, when Autry retired from his performing life. For he was always a very public cowboy, even until his death in 1998 from complications due to lymphoma. But the tale given, covering the most public portions of his career, makes the book a must for anyone who wants to better understand the rise of this superstar or the evolution of the American cowboy legend.
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[Review length: 810 words • Review posted on February 23, 2009]