Cowboy in Clover

To his fans, Movie Star Gene Autry is a far-from-rich but happy-go-lucky cowboy who spends most of his time tracking down sharp-dealing businessmen to their dude-ranch lairs. Few of them know that the big star of modern Westerns is also one of the busiest businessmen in the West.

Three weeks ago Autry signed a new contract to star in Madison Square Garden’s rodeo, which annually draws one of New York’s biggest gates. He will get a salary of $1,500 a day for a 33-day run as a performer, a handsome share of the profits as owner of 25% of the rodeo’s stock. Last fortnight he bought a half interest in Santa Monica’s brand-new radio station KOWL for $80,000 cash. Last week, on location in Arizona, he started work on the third of eight independent Gene Autry productions.

Between times, he skimmed over weekly reports on the dozen odd other properties he has bought since 1940. They include 25% to 100% interests in two music publishing companies, five movie theaters in Texas, a flying school and crop-dusting service, five ranches (including an Arizona tract of 175,000 acres), Gene Autry Radio Productions, Inc. (which handles his weekly program and guest appearances). Also in the Autry investment portfolio are Tucson’s station KOPO, Phoenix’s station KPHO, 10% of the Phoenix Gazette, a gas station and a grocery store in Oklahoma City. The bigger properties are all under the care of well paid managers, but Autry makes all major decisions himself, passes on many minor ones. Along with royalties from recordings and from, some 40 other products ranging from Gene Autry Hair Oil to cap pistols, his investments will boost his income this year to well over $500,000.