SMILEY (LESTER) BURNETTE - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH CO-SIGNED BY: YAKIMA CANUTT - HFSID 299033

SMILEY BURNETTE and YAKIMA CANUTT
The Western stars are shown in one of the nine films they made together in this signed photo
Photograph signed: "Smiley Burnette" in black ink and "Sincerely/ Yakima Canutt" in black felt tip, b/w, 10x8. Actor, singer and songwriter SMILEY BURNETTE (1911-1967), born Lester Alvin Burnette, appeared on vaudeville before joining his friend, Gene Autry, on the radio show, The National Barn Dance. Burnette and Autry broke into films together in 1934 (In Old Santa Fe), and they went on to appear in over 80 Westerns. Burnette, who played Autry's sidekick, Frog Milhouse, also provided comic relief for other Western stars, including Sunset Carson and Charles "Durango Kid" Starrett. A talented musician who played over 100 instruments, Burnette wrote over 300 Western songs, some of which he sang in his films. After retiring from the big screen in 1953, Burnette debuted on the small screen in 1958, appearing as a regular on the TV series, Ranch Party. His best known TV role was as Charley Pratt (1963-1967) on the TV sitcom, Petticoat Junction. A rodeo champion, Enos Edward CANUTT (1894-1986) was nicknamed "THE MAN FROM YAKIMA". In 1917, he met Hollywood cowboy star Tom Mix, who recruited him as a stuntman. Canutt quickly became one of the leading fall guys in the industry, with a knack for horse spills and wagon wrecks. In the 1939 classic Stagecoach, Canutt was not only the stunt supervisor, but he also appeared onscreen to take falls for a cowboy, an Indian, and even a woman. As he grew older, Canutt's injuries took their toll, but he made a successful transition from stuntman, to coordinator, to director. In 1966, Canutt received a special Academy Award for his lifetime of excellence as a stunt performer. His book, Stuntman, was published in 1979. Canutt was 91 when he died in 1986. Canutt and Burnette appeared together in at least 9 films - all Westerns - between 1939 and 1944, 5 starring Gene Autry, 3 with Roy Rogers, and 1 with Bob Livingston. Burnette played his Millhouse character in all nine. Although Canutt did not appear in the credits at the time, his role as a stunt double is much better appreciated now.Lightly creased. Otherwise, fine condition.