Roy Rogers and Gene Autry Do Not Endorse This Project: Actors, Advertising, and Feature Films on Early Television

Abstract

Roy Rogers and Gene Autry were two hugely successful stars in the mid-twentieth century who moved between the mediums of radio, television, and film. Their attempts to build multimedia empires, and, in particular, their lawsuits against Republic Studios in order to prevent their older feature films from appearing on television, were seminal in the history of the relationship between film and television. A closer look at their lawsuits helps illuminate that important period in media history and even overturns some long-held beliefs about that time. It shows how all periods of disruption are influenced by many persons with a wide range of diverse interests, and how amidst that tangled web of agendas, two actors from B-westerns could hold the film and television industries in suspense for years.