Evening star., 1940-01-28
Gene Au Cowboy Actor and Singer interviewed Junior Reporters
Just
Between
Ourselves
BY PHILIP H. LOVE.
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-By PHILIP ID. LOVE.
Junior Star Editor.
1t was an excited group Of boys
and girls that gathered in the ofice
Of The Junior Star to interview Gene
Autry.
The famous singing cowboy was
scheduled to arrive at 3 pm, but
Junior Star reporters began drift
ing into the office a good half hour
ahead of time. Florence Hunter,
Mount Rainier High School corre-
spondent and her younger brother
George started the procession. I
don't remember who came in next,
but by the time Gene showed up
about 3:15-the room was crowded.
1--WE fixed up list Of questions
that I'm going to ask him." said
Janet Moran of the Bethesda Chevy
Chase High School.
Suddenly there was furry OF
excitement in the corridor outside
and a moment later the cowboy
strobe through the doorway. A
round of handshaking followed, then
Gene wriggled out Of his overcoat
(there was some disagreement
among the reporters later as to
whether it was light tan or light
gray and seated himself, saddle
fashion, on a small swivel chair
facing his interviewers.
Maybe the boys and girls were
awed by the cowboys sombrero
(about which there later developed
the same disagreement as to color
and boots, or perhaps they were
merely being polite, each waiting
for one of the others to open the
interview. At any rate, there was
a tense, expectant silence until
Janet started the conversational ball
a-rolling with the first question on
her list.
Interesting Results.
Gene answered intelligently and
straightforwardly. Janet hesitated a
moment-no doubt to give the other
reporters chance-then let go with
the second question on her list.
Everybody seemed to think her
queries were bringing interesting re-
suits, for nobody tried to interrupt
her. Finally. it appeared that she
had reached the end Of her list, and
Mary Webster of Roosevelt High
School took up the interview. Dick
Rogers of Western High School re-
lieved Mary three or four questions
later, and after that the conversa-
ton became more or less general.
Before 1t was over, I think, nearly
everybody present had got in Ques-
ton or two.
Some of the questions had to do
with the cowboys new comic section
feature, "Gene Autry Rides" which
appears every Sunday in The Star
and other newspapers. "The Sun
day feature takes up right much of
my time" he said, because I have
to work along with the author and
the artist. It's a lot Of fun, though
just as much fun, in its way, as my
movie and radio work-and I'm glad
I started it."
After the boys and girls had run
out of questions, they accompanied
Gene to The Stars composing room,
where he watched the printers and
makeup men prepare the next edi-
ton of the paper for the presses.
How much he actually saw is ques-
tionable, however, as he spent most
of his time giving out autographs.
Autograph Demands.
A little girl in the group had
promised to get Genes autograph for
friend, who was laid up with the
FLU" She kept her promise, all
in her excitement, COM
pletely forgot to get an autograph
for herself. And another girl-one
of the high school correspondents
induced the cowboy to sign his name
at least half-dozen times, explain
ing afterward: "The kids at school
are just simply crazy to get. Mr..
Autry's autographs, and I'll make
myself little extra spending
money!"
After 1t was all over, there re-
manned the problem of who was
going to write up" the interview for
The Junior Star. Obviously, every
body present couldn't collaborate on
the job, and there was no point to
having a PEACEFUL of interviews with
the same person, even though it did
happen to be the famous Gene
Autry. 1t was finally decided to let
the reporters draw straws to de-
termine which boy and girl would
work together on story combining
both the masculine and the feminine
angles. No straws were available,
but Janet solved that particular
phase of the authorship problem by
tearing sheet of copy paper into
strips Of varying lengths.