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News Archive: 2013

Gene Autry Films Renewed on Starz ENCORE WESTERNS
Posted August 15, 2013

Gene Autry Entertainment and Starz ENCORE are pleased to announce that ENCORE WESTERNS will continue to be the exclusive home for Gene Autry's classic B Western films through 2018. Earlier this year, 45 of Gene Autry's fully restored films were renewed for an additional five years on the popular satellite service. Full of music, comedy and action, Gene Autry's movies have entertained generations of families, first in theaters and now via satellite in their own homes. Films included in the deal are The Big Show (1936), Git Along Little Dogies (1937), Western Jamboree (1938), South of the Border (1939), Melody Ranch (1940), Back in the Saddle (1941) , Home in Wyomin' (1942), Twilight on the Rio Grande (1947), The Cowboy and the Indians (1949), Mule Train (1950), Wagon Team (1952), Texans Never Cry (1951), and Apache Country (1952).

To celebrate Gene Autry's Birthday, ENCORE WESTERNS will showcase a marathon of 42 Gene Autry films, back-to-back, all weekend-long, beginning Friday, September 27th at 11:15pm.

Gene Autry Entertainment and Starz had previously joined forces in 2001 to restore all 89 Autry's feature films to their original running theatrical length and digitally clean both the picture and sound. The restoration elements are from Gene Autry's personal film collection of original 35mm and 16mm material housed at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles and the restoration work was done by RPG Productions in Burbank, CA.

Gene Autry is recognized as one of the greatest entertainers of the Twentieth Century, and the only entertainer to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one each for records, radio, movies, television and live performances. Starting his career in the late 1920s, Autry was voted America's 4th biggest box office attraction by 1940 with success in every endeavor. His entertainment career was interrupted only by voluntary service in the US Army Air Corps during World War II. As the original “Singing Cowboy,” Gene Autry introduced the format of the musical western on screen and later on television. As a top recording star Autry charted more than two dozen gold and platinum awards bringing Western music into the popular culture. He was a generous philanthropist and successful businessman who owned hotels, television and radio stations, and a major league baseball team. Gene Autry's dream of a world-class educational and historical center saluting the history of the American West became a reality in 1988 with the founding of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

Gene Autry's Birthday Weekend Celebration
Movie Marathon on ENCORE WESTERNS

Friday, September 27 - Saturday, September 28
11:15pm Tumbling Tumbleweeds 11:40am Riders in the Sky
12:15am Sagebrush Troubadour 12:55pm Beyond the Purple Hills
1:15am The Singing Vagabond 2:10pm Cow Town
2:15am Rovin' Tumbleweeds 3:25pm Mule Train
3:20am Gaucho Serenade 4:40pm Valley of Fire
4:30am Melody Ranch 5:45pm Apache Country
6:00am The Big Show 6:50pm Texans Never Cry
7:15am Boots and Saddles 8:00pm The Strawberry Roan
8:15am Western Jamboree 9:20pm South of the Border
9:15am Twilight on the Rio Grande 10:35pm The Cowboy and the Indians
10:30am Indian Territory 11:50pm Mexicali Rose


Sunday, September 29
12:50am Bells of Capistrano 1:00pm Whirlwind
2:05am Sioux City Sue 2:15pm The Blazing Sun
3:15am Sierra Sue 3:30pm Barbed Wire
4:20am Heart of the Rio Grande 4:35pm Night Stage to Galveston
5:30am Home in Wyomin' 5:40pm The Old West
6:40am Down Mexico Way 6:45pm Silver Canyon
8:00am Saddle Pals 8:00pm The Big Sombrero
9:15am Gene Autry and the Mounties 9:20pm Back in the Saddle
10:30am Sons of New Mexico 10:35pm On Top of Old Smoky
11:45am Hills of Utah 11:40pm Last of the Pony Riders

The ENCORE WESTERNS premium channel is carried throughout the United States by cable, satellite, and telco providers.

Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.

Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of June 30, 2013, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 56.9 million subscribers, including 21.8 million at STARZ, and 35.1 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks' third network MOVIEPLEX®, air over 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.



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