The Cowboy and the Indians (Columbia Pictures) (1949)

Cowboy and Indians Mat 2-B; Prod. Still No. 38 THE COWBOY AND THE INDIANS stars Gene Autry (left) at the Theatre. This modern story with old-West thrills was directed by John English for Columbia Pictures and was produced by Armand Schaefer. ‘Cowboy and Indians’ Filmed in Pioneertown Gene Autry, who usually flies his movie company hundreds of miles in order to obtain authentic backgrounds for his popular Columbia Westerns, found what he wanted for “The Cowboy and the Indians” practically in his own back yard—relatively speaking. He found a “bit of Arizona” only 30 minutes’ flying time away from Hollywood—at Pioneertown, California, a few miles from glamorous Palm Springs. What brought Autry and company to Pioneertown was that its terrain is almost identical to that of southern Arizona, the locale of “The Cowboy and the Indians”— hills and ravines, dotted with joshua, yucea, saguaro, mesquite. Even the snowcapped mountain to the westward was reminiscent of Mt. Lemmon, south of Tucson. In “The Cowboy and the Indians,”’ now on view at the...... Theatre, Autry, as an Arizona rancher, helps the Navajo Indians of that state to defend their land from pale-face looters in a modern story with old-West thrills. Situated 4500 feet up in the San Bernardino Mountains, just below Big Bear Lake, Pioneertown is a 30,000-acre tract of land surrounding a unique little town composed of a “Main Street” bordered by buildings strictly oldWest in design. Pioneertown’s history started when Dick Curtis, a cowboy actor, discovered that the country in-and-around what is now Pioneertown afforded the perfect setting for Westerns. In 1946 he purchased the original site of Pioneetown and, Champ's Adventures Rival Gene Autry's Champion, Gene Autry’s famous horse, currently seen with Gene in Columbia’s “The Cowboy and the Indians,” now at the Theatre, has done some strange things for a horse. Gene’s new outdoor drama narrates the struggle for existence of the modern Navajo Indians in Arizona. In 1939, Champion walked into the lobby of London’s swank, conservative Savoy Hotel; in 1941, he was flown all by himself from Hollywood to New York in a chartered plane; he rode in the elevator to the roof of New York’s Radio Center building; he walked up the steps of the Capitol Building, in Washington, D. C.; and he had his hooves manicured in the barber shop of an elegant Cleveland barber shop while Gene was getting a haircut. with 18 of his Hollywood friends, formed the Pioneertown Corporation, headed by movie actor Russell Hayden. Pioneertown’s natural beauty has since attracted several hundred families, most of whom purchased small ranches or opened businesses on “Main Street.” Along this colorful thoroughfare, on which no automobiles (only horses) are allowed, can now be seen establishments with such flamboyant names as The Golden Stallion Cafe, The Red Dog Saloon, The Wooden Indian, Pioneer Duds & Saddlery, The Grubstake, etc. Naturally, the citizens of Pioneertown dress strictly “‘western.” Besides Gene and his favorite equine, Champion, the cast of “The Cowboy and the Indians” includes featured players Sheila Ryan, Frank Richards and Hank Patterson. The script, authored by Dwight Cummins and Dorothy Yost, was directed by John English for producer Armand Schaefer. The movie is a Gene Autry Production. Indians Ride High In New Autry Film Forty-six Indians, representing eight tribes, appear in Columbia’s “The Cowboy and the Indians,” starring Gene Autry at the Theatre. The redmen are all members of the Hollywood Indian Actors organization. Autry’s new outdoor drama is concerned with the Navajo Indians of Arizona and their fight, aided by Gene, to maintain their heritage against the depredations of evil white men. Champion, Gene’s wonder horse, also rides with the cowboy star in “The Cowboy and the Indians,” which features Sheila Ryan, Frank Richards and Hank Patterson in supporting roles. Airfield for Autry Yucca Village, a small settlement near 29 Palms, Calif., now has an airport—all because of Gene Autry. Notified that Autry wanted to fly his entire Columbia company there from Hollywood to film “The Cowboy and the Indians,”’ in nearby Pioneertown, citizens of Yucca Village set to work to construct an airstrip. Gene’s latest Columbia outdoor thriller is now playing at the Theatre. Boy Scouts Rescue Gene Autry Leads Way In Blazing Film Trails Gene Autry’s Horse In Western Wilds This is the story of two boys, their adventure with a runaway horse, and how it contributed to the production of Columbia Pictures’ “The Cowboy and the Indians,” new Gene Autry outdoor thriller now at the Theatre. The boys are Charles and John Kee, teen-age members of a mounted Boy Scout troop in Pioneertown, Calif., the town in the towering San Bernardino Mountains which plays host to most Western production units. The animal, stand-in for the famous Champion, was being used in a scene wearing Champion’s $5,000 saddle and bridle. Suddenly Champion’s stand-in took off over the hill like a streak of lightning. Wranglers failed to overtake him, so the next day sheriff’s deputies scoured the hills while chartered planes searched from the skies in a big horse-hunt. But the horse had disappeared with the saddle and bridle sorely needed for Champion’s scenes in the picture. Autry was worried, for his fans know his mount’s movie “duds” down to the last detail, and the chances of slipping over a_ substitute saddle and bridle were slim. At this crucial point, the Kee brothers roared into action. School-free the following day, a Saturday, they decided to join in the search. Pulling on their homemade chaps, they mounted their horses and rode into the hills. Where others had failed, they succeeded almost instantly. Before they had been out an hour, they spotted hoof tracks and a parallel line which could only have been made by a trailing rein. They stuck doggedly to this trail for four hours and were rewarded when, topping a rise and coming into a small ravine, they saw the delinquent horse, standing calmly by a Joshua tree. Riding triumphantly into the movie camp with the lost horse in tow, the boys were greeted with an ovation by the company, And Gene rewarded them with a generous check and their first airplane ride in his private plane. Besides Autry, an Arizona rancher who comes to the aid of the ravaged Navajo Indians of that state in ‘The Cowboy and the Indian,” the human side of the cast is headed by featured players Sheila Ryan, Frank Richards and Hank Patterson. Dwight Cummins’ and Dorothy Yost’s screen play was directed by John English. se eee Autry Sings Again In Latest Western Gene Autry continues his singing ways in his current outdoor thriller, ‘The Cowboy and the Indians,” which is holding forth at the Theatre. The cowboy star sings four tunes in Columbia Pictures’ Western including “One Little Indian Boy,” “America,” “Silent Night” and “Here Comes Santa Claus.” Gene plays an Arizona rancher who comes to the aid of the Navajo Indians and aids them to defend their birthright from white looters, Sep eyiere ee © Ancient Actress The oldest movie actress in the world has a role in Columbia’s “The Cowboy and the Indians,” starring Gene Autry at the Theatre. She is Felipa Gomez, 103 years old, who was born in Mexico in 1846. Mrs. Gomez plays a Navajo woman whom Gene saves from starvation. ee eee To many people, Gene Autry is just a Western star, although acknowledged as the top practitioner in his field. Autry is all that, of course, but besides is a unique innovator in a field which is as old as the movie industry itself and where the general practice is to repeat time-honored formulae out of sheer habit. In his current outdoor drama for Columbia Pictures, “The Cowboy and the Indians,” now playing at the Theatre, Gene has turned to new material, the Navajos of Arizona. In the new Autry movie, Gene rides with the Navajos to protect their birthright and lands from pale-face raiders. Further, Autry, in the movie, once he has disposed of the imminent threat to the Navajos, goes to the nation and Congyress in a dramatic appeal to help out the Indians who are suffering from various man-made ills. Perhaps Autry’s greatest contribution to the Western film was the introduction of music. Coming along at a time when the Western picture market sagged badly in popularity, Gene, a singer of cowboy ballads for a radio station, came to the rescue with his singing. Thus was created the singing cowboy—who has survived to this day, more popular than ever. He sings four songs in “The Cowboy and the Indians.” In his “Riders of the Whistling Pines,” Autry ever on the lookout for novel story material, described the dramatic fight of the Forestry Service against the ravages of the dreaded tussock moth in Northern Idaho, winning the battle to save the massive pine forests. Gene, who loves flying and planes in real life, also saw an opportunity to introduce planes to the Western. Since the rangers who brought the dreaded tree disease under control had to spray the area from the air, there were planes in “Riders of the Whistling Pines.” The cowboy star has also blazed new trails in finding beautiful scenery to be photographed fer his Westerns.. Red Rock Canyon in California’s Mojave Desert, Tucson, Ariz., and now Pioneertown, Calif., in the San Bernardino Mountains, where “The Cowboy and the Indians” was filmed, have all lent their beautiful scenery as backgrounds for Autry productions. Gene even attempted to use a bit more romance than the usual Western is accustomed to have, but a deluge of protesting fan mail side-tracked this one. His famous mount, Champion, is also seen in “The Cowboy and the Indians,” as are featured sup Mat 1I-C; Still No. Gene Autry 8 GENE AUTRY sings and slugs his way to new screen glory in Columbia’s “The Cowboy and the In dians,”” rousing outdoor action film at the ........ Theatre. porting players Sheila Ryan, ¥rank Richards and Hank Patterson. The screen play was turned out by Dwight Cummins and Dorothy Yost. John English directed this Gene Autry Production for producer Armand Schaefer. Medicine Man Gene Autry, popular film cowboy currently starring in Columbia’s “The Cowboy and the Indians,” now on view atthe ...... Theatre, started on his way to fame by way of a traveling medicine show. During summer vacations, when Gene was a boy, he traveled through Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. dispensing songs while his employer dispensed cure-alls. Hollywood Native Sheila Ryan, feminine lead in the Gene Autry starrer, Columbia’s “The Cowboy and the Indians,” the current attraction at the Theatre, is another graduate of that popular prep school for prospective movie stars, Hollywood High. Miss Ryan plays a half-Indian, half-white doctor in the stirring outdoor drama of today’s Indians. Cowboy and Indians Mat 2-C; Prod. Still No. 47 OLD-WEST THRILLS abound in Columbia’s “The Cowboy and the Indians” starring Gene Autry (left) at the .... . Theatre. Jay Sil verheels and Sheila Ryan are featured in the exciting film. Page 3