Know it all

Gene Autry (1907-1998) worked as a telegraph operator in Oklahoma after graduating high school. While sending a telegram, Will Rogers heard Autry playing guitar at the telegraph office and suggested he look for a job in show business.

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Republic Pictures had huge success, and began a new formula for movies, when they signed Gene Autry in 1935 as the first singing cowboy. Autry made eight movies per year and was paid $5,000 per movie.

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In 1940, Gene Autry was rated the fourth-biggest box office attraction, following Mickey Rooney (born 1920), Clark Gable (1901-1960) and Spencer Tracy (1900-1967).

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The starring role in the 1938 movie “Under Western Stars” was intended for Gene Autry. However, Autry left the studio because of a contract dispute. Newcomer Roy Rogers (1911-1998) got the part.

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Before Roy Rogers became a star, he formed the cowboy singing group Sons of the Pioneers in 1933.

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Leonard Frank Slye and Lucille Wood Smith, better known as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (1912-2001), were married for 51 years, from 1947 until Rogers’ death in 1998. It was Rogers’ second marriage, and Evans’ fourth.

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Dale Evans married her first husband at age 14. She had a child at age 15, and was divorced at age 17.

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Roy Rogers has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; a star each for his contributions to the motion picture industry, the television industry and radio. All of the stars are on Vine Street.

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Do you know the names of the horses of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans? See answer at end.

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The Lone Ranger’s trusty white Stallion was named Silver. Before Silver, the Lone Ranger rode a chestnut mare named Dusty.

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Sterling silver tarnishes because of its exposure to sulfur and oxygen. If sterling silver jewelry is worn regularly, the oils in the skin will keep it from tarnishing.

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Fingerprint patterns are classified into various types such as the arch, the left loop, the right loop, the tented arch and the whorl.

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The first trial which used fingerprint evidence to help identify the criminal was in India in 1898. In the United States, the first trial that used fingerprint evidence took place in 1910.

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The FBI maintains the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). IAFIS stores the fingerprints and corresponding criminal history information of over 47 million people.

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Answer: Gene Autry’s horse was named Champion. Roy Roger’s horse was Trigger. Dale Evan’s horse was Buttermilk. Trigger, a Palomino stallion billed as the smartest horse in the movies, died in 1965. Buttermilk died in 1972. Both horses were stuffed and put on display at the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum. The museum was originally located in Victorville, California. In 2003 the museum and the horses were moved to Branson, Missouri.

Know It All is by Kerry McArdle. It runs in the weekend and Wednesday editions of the Daily Journal. Questions? Comments? Email knowitall(at)smdailyjournal.com or call 344-5200 ext. 114.