Compiled by E. Sue Terhune
(est3739@comcast.net)
SMILEY BURNETTE
Western Movie Star, Gene Autry sidekick, Singer, TV Star
Lester Alvin "Smiley" Burnette was born 18 March 1911 in Summum, Illinois. He began his career in show business after high school working on a local radio station and in Vaudeville . He was always interested in music and played 100 instruments proficiently. He was friends with Gene Autry who worked with him on the radio show "The National Barn Dance". When Western movies with sound became a big draw , the studios were always looking for singing cowboys and discovered Smiley and Gene. He had never set foot on the West when he wrote his first cowboy song for Gene, " The Round-up in Cheyenne".
In 1934, both Gene and Smiley had their debut in the movie,'In Old Santa Fe'. Smiley became well known as Gene's plump sidekick Frog Milhouse and would work together in over 80 Westerns. After working with Gene, Smiley would provide the comic relief for other cowboy stars at Republic such as Roy Rogers, Sunset Carson and Charles 'Durango Kid' Starrett. He wrote over 300 western songs and sang quite a few in the films. Smiley was the first supporting actor to regularly appear on the Top Ten Western money-maker list.
Smiley had two well known trademarks during his career; his floppy hat and his white horse with a black circle around one eye.When interest in the Western movie ended in 1953, Smiley retired from the screen. He made occasional appearances on Television and was a regular on the music show "Ozark Jubilee (1959)". He last appeared as railroad engineer, Charlie Pratt, on "Petticoat Junction" from 1963-67.
He and his wife, Dallas, adopted four children: Stephen, Linda, Brian and Carolyn. In his later years, he was a part-time resident of Springfield, Missouri where he taped a radio program for RadiOzark Enterprises, and frequently appeared on the television program Jubilee USA. During one of his stays, he had his name legally changed to "Smiley". He once received an award from the National Safety Council for having worn out 27 cars without ever being involved in an accident. Smiley Burnette died 16 Feb. 1967 in Encino, California from complications of leukemia. He is buried in Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California, Sheltering Hills, #266.
SOURCES:
http://www.westernmusic.org/fame/SmileyBurnette.html
http://home.att.net/~cop61/smileyburnette.htm
http://members.xoom.com/thehistorian/smileyburnette.htm
Smiley Burnette Official Site HOME PAGE http://smileyburnette.org/
