July
23, 1950
The
Gene Autry Show
The Gene Autry Show is
an American
western/cowboy television
series which aired for 91 episodes on CBS from July 23, 1950
until August 7, 1956, originally sponsored by Wrigley's
Doublemint
chewing gum.
Series star Gene Autry
had already established his singing
cowboy character on radio and the movies. Now he and his horse Champion
were featured in a weekly television series of western adventures. Gene's role
changed almost weekly from rancher, to ranch hand, to sheriff, to border agent,
etc. Gene's usual comic relief and sidekick, Pat, was played by Pat
Buttram, better known to later television viewers as "Mr Haney"
on "Green
Acres". During the first season, Gene's sidekick was played by Chill
Wills twice (as Chill) and by Fuzzy
Knight four times (as Sagebrush). These two actors even wore Pat's costume.
Alan
Hale, Jr. (a.k.a. - "The Skipper" from "Gilligan's Island") played a bad guy in
several episodes of Seasons 1 and 2, but he also played Gene's sidekick, Tiny,
in two episodes of Season 1.
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