Screenland (Nov 1939–Apr 1940)

Dorris Bowdon, ROSASHARN in "The Grapes of Wrath," and Nunnally Johnson, the script writer on the film, were married recently at the home of the Charles MacArthurs (Helen Hayes).Ten-yearold Mary MacArthur acted as the flower girl. Since he had been brought out and signed for only one picture, Gene left town quickly after his view of himself. "I thought I might as well get out before they rode me out on a rail. Luckily, I stopped off to see the picture, 'Bright Eyes,' and that was the turning point. It fired new ambition in me. It branded into me the lesson to be natural, to be myself, not to try and imitate actors already on the screen. I determined that I'd be back." And Gene did come back. Only this time he was himself on the screen. The studio had signed Gene Autry to a series of westerns this time, and he let them have Autry on the screen. Encouraged by the mild success of the first Autry westerns, the studio signed Gene for another series. And the popularity of Autry leaped and zoomed. In two years the gent from Tioga, Texas, was shooting high. Theaters demanded more Autry pictures. They could show Autry pictures on week-ends and draw bigger crowds than by showing featured pictures. They'd bill Autry and work in a major studio feature on the same bill. But the public didn't care as long as Gene Autry was up there on the_ screen, singing his songs, saving the girl, and quietly but forcefully slapping down a bunch of villains, not by mayhem, but by courage and cunning. Early this year three major studios contacted Gene, and wanted to know if he'd be interested in a contract with them. Gene said no, politely, he didn't. He was loyal to the studio which gave him his chance, but he told these other studios he did have a clause in his contract allowing him an outside picture a year and he'd consider offers for a picture. He considered the offers and then Darryl Zanuck called him to Fox one day. "Gene," said Zanuck after the formalities of introduction and after he had managed to tear his eyes from the bright red suit, brilliant cowboy boots, and flashy cowboy shirt the singing saddle hero wore, "Gene, we want you to make a picture with us, to co-star with Jane Withers." "That was a great moment for me," Gene smiled. "You know Fate kinda throws the things you want your way if you just wait and play the game while you're waiting. Here I'd been hopin' to some day tell what Jane had unconsciously done for me, and now they wanted me to play in a picture with her. 'Mr. Zanuck,' I said slowly, lookin' at my hat, 'I reckon I'd kinda like that,' and we shook hands on it." "Funny thing," Gene laughs, when I was leavin' the office, Mr. Zanuck said 98 U L i to me, 'Gene, I've had a couple of requests, and — well, how about a few autographed pictures of yourself?' and all the while he was sayin' that he had his eyes glued to my outfit. I played it straight and answered, 'Mr. Zanuck, I'd be glad to,' — I had my hand on the door now— 'and if you're interested I can give you the name of my tailor, too,' and I closed the door gently behind me." That's the story behind the warm relationship of Jane Withers and Gene Autry, the heretofore untold tale of a little girl unknowingly providing the inspiration which led to the success of Public Cowboy Number One. On the set they're like two pals. The first day Gene reported to the stage, Jane took him around and introduced him to everyone on the set. "Gene's my pal," she told them, and they accepted Gene right off. "She's a swell kid, so natural, so unspoiled by her success, and what a sense of humor," Gene relates. "We're playin' one scene where Jane's horse runs away, and I'm supposed to ride after her and catch up with her just as she falls off. Well, the first take I ride up fast, dismount, and run up to where she's fallen on the ground. I started to speak my line, when she whispers to me : 'Gene, it hurts where I landed!' Well, I just bust out laughing and we had to do it over again. The next take, she says with a dead pan, just as I finished my line: 'Gene, it doesn't hurt, but it still aches !' She's got a lotta courage, too. We posed for stills one day. We're both supposed to ride up to the top of a hill, over rough ground, galloping, and the photographer snaps us as we reach the crest. Champ was rarin' that day and he took off like mad, but Jane stuck real close. We went over the top of that hill like a shot of lightning and what a beauty of a still they took. I looked over and there's Mrs. Withers, face white, lips clenched. The way her daughter had come a'ridin' had been too much. " 'Jane,' she whispered, 'the horses aren't supposed to fly !" "I also found out from Mrs. Withers," Gene continued, "about the time Jane went to riding school. Mrs. Withers figured Jane was just learnin' how to ride. One day she suddenly decided to pay a visit to the ridin' academy and there she found Jane learnin' circus ridin'. At that moment she was practicin' the trick of slidin' off the back of a horse, holdin' on to its tail, and then pullin' herself back up on the saddle again. Jane's circus ridin' stopped right then and there, as Mrs. Withers' heart almost did when she saw the stunts." 319* Jane had captured the heart of Champion, Gene's horse, too. According to Gene, Champion is a most temperamental screen star. (He is a star, too; he gets billing on the screen and Gene's contract calls for Champ to get at least one closeup in every picture.) Champ usually gets jealous when too much attention is paid to anyone else, especially by Gene. But not with Jane. Champ spoiled her more than anyone else, and didn't care a hang how much attention Jane got as long as Jane contributed a little affection Champ's way. "This picture with Jane is a milestone for me," Gene declares. "I'm makin' it with a little girl who helped me plenty in a sad moment, who taught me that you have to fight and show some get-up to get anywhere. And I'm thankful to her." As proud of Gene as he is of her is Jane. "The kids in the neighborhood used to treat me as Jane Withers, who plays in the movies," Jane's dark blue eyes sparkled as she told this. "Now they point me out as the girl who's playing ■with Gene Autry!" Her first meeting with Gene when they both knew they were going to play in the same picture is still vividly imprinted on the youngster's mind. "He was wearing a royal blue cowboy suit," Jane said, her eyes rolled upward as if trying to read from memory lines in her mind, "he had a red western handkerchief-tie, red boots with high heels, and a white ten gallon hat. And over his suit he had a white Indian designed Navajo jacket. I love bright colors and Gene looked like a rainbow wrapped around a smile. He's so real the clothes seemed natural. I don't like folks to put it on, but Gene's so kind and sincere, almost bashful, you don't object to his fancy clothes. And do I go for those clothes! I kept staring at the Navajo jacket so long Gene asked me if I wanted one just like it. I just nodded." And on the set Jane wears almost constantly a Navajo jacket and a white ten gallon hat which arrived three days after Gene spoke to her. The "Shooting High" company's always kidding Gene about the time he offered to show Jane how to do fancy rope tricks. Jane said she'd be delighted and paid careful, serious attention to Gene as he explained how to grab the rope for twirling. Jane picked up the rope, looked worried, then turned to Gene and asked "Like this?" and went into a routine of hoops, twirls, and jump throughs that left Gene staring. He looked quizzically at Jane, then asked solemnly, "Miss Withers, how much do you charge per lesson?" Gene didn't know that Jane had learned lariat tricks for roles in "Wild and Woolly" and "Arizona Wildcat." The youngster's admiration for Gene was enhanced tremendously when she presented him with a pipe rack and a set of pipes in return for his present of the Navajo jacket and the cowboy hat. "Gene just thanked me and remarked how swell it was of me." Jane shook her dark brown hair at the memory. "Then a week later I found out he didn't smoke, he never does, you know, because of his loyalty to his kid fans. They might smoke, too, if they saw Gene smoking on the screen or off the screen. And he didn't even say a word to me about it, thinking I might feel hurt or ashamed. And you know what I found out also? He kept' the present and he's still got it at home_ even though he doesn't use it. He's keeping it because it's from me. Boy, he's a swell feller !" Gene and Jane sing two songs together in "Shooting High," called Little Shanty of Dreams and Wanderers. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. BY THE CUNEO PRESS. INC.