Lester Alvin Burnett, better known as Smiley Burnette, was an American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and other B-movie cowboys. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who is reported to have played proficiently over 100 musical instruments, sometimes more than one simultaneously. His career, beginning in 1934, spanned four decades, including a regular role on CBS-TV's Petticoat Junction in the 1960s.
Weldon Heyburn was an American character actor.
Sunset Carson was an American B-western star of the 1940s.
The Old Barn Dance is a 1938 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Joan Valerie, and written by Bernard McConville and Charles F. Royal.
Bells of Rosarita is a 1945 American musical Western film starring Roy Rogers and directed by Frank McDonald.
Git Along Little Dogies is a 1937 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and the Maple City Four. Written by Dorrell and Stuart E. McGowan, the film is about a singing cowboy who gets caught up in a war between oilmen and cattle ranchers, taking the side of the ranchers until he learns that oil will bring a railroad to town. The film is also known as Serenade of the West in the United Kingdom.
Where the West Begins is a 1938 American Western film directed by J.P. McGowan in his final feature film as a director.
Rhythm of the Saddle is a 1938 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Pert Kelton. Written by Paul Franklin, the film is about the foreman at a ranch owned by a wealthy rodeo owner who will lose her rodeo contract unless sales improve.
Guns and Guitars is a 1936 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Dorothy Dix in her final film appearance. Written by Dorrell and Stuart E. McGowan, the film is about a singing cowboy who helps protect a county from fever-ridden cattle, and after being framed for murdering the sheriff, proves his innocence, gets elected sheriff, and then goes after the bad guy.
Colorado Sunset is a 1939 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and June Storey. Written by Betty Burbridge and Stanley Roberts, based on a story by Luci Ward and Jack Natteford, the film is about a singing cowboy and his buddies who discover that the ranch they bought is really a dairy farm—and worse, it's subject to intimidation from a protection racket that prevents dairy products from safely reaching the market.
Stick to Your Guns is a 1941 American western film directed by Lesley Selander, written by J. Benton Cheney, and starring William Boyd, Andy Clyde, Brad King, Jennifer Holt, Dick Curtis, Weldon Heyburn, and Henry Hall. It was released on September 17, 1941, by Paramount Pictures.
Junction City is a 1952 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette and Jock Mahoney. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film's art direction was by Charles Clague. This was the sixty-fourth of 65 films in the Durango Kid series.
Pride of the Plains is a 1944 American Western film directed by Wallace Fox and written by John K. Butler and Robert Creighton Williams. The film stars Robert Livingston, Smiley Burnette, Nancy Gay, Steve Barclay, Kenneth MacDonald and Charles Miller. The film was released on January 5, 1944, by Republic Pictures.
Beneath Western Skies is a 1944 American Western film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and written by Albert DeMond and Robert Creighton Williams. The film stars Robert Livingston, Smiley Burnette, Effie Laird, Frank Jaquet, Tom London and Charles Miller. The film was released on March 3, 1944, by Republic Pictures.
The Laramie Trail is a 1944 American Western film directed by John English and written by J. Benton Cheney. The film stars Robert Livingston, Smiley Burnette, Linda Brent, Martin Garralaga, Emmett Lynn and John James. The film was released on April 3, 1944, by Republic Pictures.
Call of the Rockies is a 1944 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Robert Creighton Williams. The film stars Smiley Burnette, Sunset Carson, Harry Woods, Kirk Alyn, Ellen Hall and Frank Jaquet. The film was released on July 14, 1944, by Republic Pictures.
Code of the Prairie is a 1944 American Western film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and written by Albert DeMond and Anthony Coldeway. The film stars Smiley Burnette, Sunset Carson, Peggy Stewart, Weldon Heyburn, Tom Chatterton and Roy Barcroft. The film was released on October 6, 1944, by Republic Pictures.
Firebrands of Arizona is a 1944 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Randall Faye. The film stars Smiley Burnette, Sunset Carson, Peggy Stewart, Earle Hodgins, Roy Barcroft and LeRoy Mason. The film was released on December 1, 1944, by Republic Pictures.
The Lone Hand Texan is a 1947 American Western musical film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring Charles Starrett, Mustard, Gravy, Smiley Burnette, John Cason, and George Chesebro. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on March 6, 1947. This was the twentieth of 65 films in the Durango Kid series.
Laramie Mountains is a 1952 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring Charles Starrett, Jock Mahoney and Fred F. Sears. This was the sixty-second of 65 films in the Durango Kid series.
