The son of a circuit-riding Methodist preacher in rural Alabama, Pat
Buttram became one of America's best-known comic entertainers. He left
Alabama a month before his 18th birthday to attend the 1933 Chicago
World's Fair. An announcer from radio station WLS was on hand to
interview members of the crowd and settled on Pat as a typical visitor
from the South. The interview that followed was anything but typical.
Pat made a hit with his hilarious observations on the fair and was
immediately offered a job with the station. This led to a long and
happy association with the popular "National Barn Dance" radio program.
During those years Pat met
Gene Autry, who took a liking to the
young comic and later brought him to Hollywood to replace
Smiley Burnette, who had found other
work while Gene served in WWII. Together Pat and Gene made many western
films and a television series,
The Gene Autry Show (1950),
which aired from 1950 until 1956. They remained close friends until
Pat's death in 1994.
In 1952 Pat married actress
Sheila Ryan, whom he had met on the
set of Mule Train (1950). Over the
next 40 years Pat prospered in radio, films and television, making
stand-up appearances on
Toast of the Town (1948)
(aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") and lending his vocal talents to many
animated television shows and films, including several
Walt Disney features. In the early 1960s he
revealed a flair for dramatic acting when
Alfred Hitchcock tapped him for
roles in two
Alfred Hitchcock zeigt (1962)
episodes. His big television break came in 1965 with the role of "Mr.
Haney" in the long-running CBS comedy
Green Acres (1965). Throughout
his career Pat was in constant demand as a toastmaster and after-dinner
speaker, where his agile and sophisticated wit belied his "countrified"
appearance. In 1982 Pat founded the Golden Boot Awards to honor actors,
directors, stunt people and other industry professionals who have made
significant contributions to the western film genre. Proceeds from the
annual event are donated to the Motion Picture Health and Welfare Fund.
