another centennial

Gene Autry was a better singer than an actor & a better businessman than a singer. in the annals of film he lacks the stature of John Wayne. Autry's oaters were strickly kiddie matinee material. but over the decades his fan base has includ'd Sonny Rollins & Harvey Pekar. & he holds a special spot in my personal history.

Gene Autry was the first movie star I ever saw in person. I was abt 5 when Uncle Tom took his daughter Regina & me to see the cowboy perform in Cleveland. I don't remember a thing abt it. many years later I'd see Autry at the American Cinema Award dinners in Beverly Hills.

so today I tip my Alta Calidad hat to the memory of Gene Autry on his 100th birthday.