Smiley Burnette
Biography
Smiley Burnette was an American country music entertainer and comic actor who was best known as a sidekick in Western movies and on radio and television. Born in Summum, Illinois, and raised in Ravenwood, Missouri, he started singing young, learned many instruments by ear, performed in vaudeville, and in 1929 joined a commercial radio station in Tuscola, Illinois. Gene Autry hired him for National Barn Dance in late 1933, and the following year he made an unbilled screen debut in In Old Santa Fe (1934). He became Autry's comic sidekick Frog Millhouse in 62 musical Westerns for Republic, and by 1940 a Boxoffice popularity poll placed him second to Autry among Western stars. Later he supported Charles Starrett in the Durango Kid series, wrote over 400 songs, and played railway engineer Charley Pratt on Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. In 1971 the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted him.
55years old at death
- Born Summum
- Died Encino
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Lester Alvin Burnett (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 8
- Career span
- 4 years1934 to 1938
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About the name
Smiley Burnette got his nickname from a radio character he created for a WDZ children's program, naming it Mr. Smiley after a character in a Mark Twain story and soon adopting the moniker as his own.
Big break
Gene Autry hired Burnette in December 1933 to play accordion on National Barn Dance, broadcast on Chicago's WLS-AM. The next year, producer Nat Levine put Autry and Burnette, unbilled, in their film debut, Mascot Pictures' In Old Santa Fe, which starred Ken Maynard.
A first
In a Boxoffice magazine poll of Western stars, Burnette came in second behind Autry by 1940. He was the only sidekick in the top 10.
Behind the camera
Smiley Burnette sang many of the more than 400 songs he wrote on screen. Willie Nelson, Riders in the Sky, and Johnnie Lee Wills later recorded his Western classic "Ridin' Down the Canyon (To Watch the Sun Go Down)".
Smiley Burnette movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Joseph Kane directed five of these films, B. Reeves Eason two. Two actors appear in four of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Gene Autry's page
Frankie Marvin4 films together, 1936 to 1938
Frankie Marvin's page
Chris Allen3 films together, 1936 to 1938
Chris Allen's page
George 'Gabby' Hayes's page
Roy Rogers's page
George Chesebro's page
Joseph KaneDirector, 5 films, 1934 to 1938
All films by Joseph Kane
B. Reeves EasonDirector, 2 films, 1936
All films by B. Reeves Eason
Also two films together4 more actors
- Edward HearnRed River Valley (1936) and In Old Santa Fe (1934)
- Guy UsherUnder Western Stars (1938) and Boots and Saddles (1937)
- Boothe HowardRed River Valley (1936) and Sharad of Atlantis (1936)
- ChampionBoots and Saddles (1937) and Red River Valley (1936)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.