Back in the Saddle Again

by Gene Autry

Spanning careers as a ranch hand in Oklahoma, Tin Pan Alley singer, Hollywood star, and owner of a major-league baseball team, the life of Gene Autry is the embodiment of the Great American Dream. Through a combination of luck, timing, talent, and business savvy, Autry raised himself from dirt-poor beginnings to become a legend in the entertainment industry. Here for the first time, the original "Singing Cowboy" looks back on the glory years of radio, film, and television and on a life that touched the hearts of millions.

It was Will Rogers who encouraged the young Gene Autry (then a railroad worker and guitar player in Oklahoma) to head for New York. Within a year, he recorded the first of his many hit records and was well on his way to stardom. Recording success led to a film contract and the beginning of the "Singing Cowboy" craze, a vogue which resulted in ninety-five Gene Autry movies, a long-lived radio program, and the "Gene Autry Show" on television. During World War II, the Texan farm boy distinguished himself as a military-cargo pilot and went on to build a financial empire consisting of broadcast stations, film production companies, expensive real-estate holdings, and the California Angels baseball team. Autry is now the Chairman of the Board of the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.

Back in the Saddle Again is a classic piece of Americana, an insider's look at the worlds of music, movies, baseball and of big business, and a Who's Who in Hollywood in its heyday. But above all, it is a chronicle of a gentler era in which the hero (according to what Autry called "The Cowboy Code") always wore a white hat and never kissed the leading lady unless she happened to be his horse.

Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Music

252 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Noted American entertainer Gene Autry recorded country and western songs and sang as a cowboy in his film roles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Autry

Reviews

[John Peel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love reading movie and TV celebrity biographies, but I can't recall one that I've enjoyed as much as this book. Gene Autry was the first of the singing cowboys in the movies, and always entertaining. His stories are interesting and generally very positive. He tells wonderful tales of meeting famous (and infamous) folks. Vastly entertaining and highly recommended.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great insight into the life of a silver screen cowboy singer, the business and the even life in America is the 30's to the 1980's. A somewhat rare book, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Gene Autry.

[F · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt like you were sitting down chatting with Gene and hearing his life story from him. I was interested to find out his take on many of his career and business choices. There is nothing wrong with the fact that the real Gene Autry is not quite the character "Gene Autry" seen on the movie and TV screens [his friend Roy Rogers is somewhat closer to his movie persona - not a criticism, just an observation].
I enjoyed the book - it was written in a folksy manner that made for smooth reading. Also two sections in the back - a complete listing of his films and another of his records.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read. Not only about his life but about all the many people he had encounters with from those past times. Real encounters that are a delight. When I read the book, I felt I had to pass along what he was saying to anyone in the room. Relatable to people who lived through his time period, younger people do not relate to the cowboy era and have no idea who he was.

[Mary Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed eating his story. My father grew up in his era and was a fan. it gave me insight on how my father saw him. Gene talked about his career in the movies and his life of owning a baseball team. Plus all the shows he's done the people. he's known, his horse in the beginning. beginning working on the railroad. it's just a good story. he was a good man

[Rob Neyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up in the course of some research, and was surprised to find how much I actually enjoyed reading from start to finish. Autry was a born entertainer and tells a good story concisely, and I suspect his autobiography also benefits from collaborator Mickey Herskowitz, best-known as a sportswriter but also the ghostwriter for many celebrity memoirs.

If you're interested in Gene Autry and the heyday of the B Western movies, I suspect you'll enjoy this one.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gene wrote this bio truthfully & honestly. I learned a lot about him & about movies made at the time he was making them. Very interesting.