Week in Review : MAJOR EVENTS, IMAGES AND PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY NEWS. : COURTS : Gene Autry Sings the Blues in Court

It was Gene Autry all right, the one-time “Singin’ Cowboy,” who took the witness stand in Department 36 of the county Superior Court in Santa Ana.

He was there to tell the judge that the Anaheim City Council was trying to violate its agreement with his California Angels by allowing development of part of the Anaheim Stadium parking lot. Autry is seeking $100 million in damages in the lawsuit. The trial began last December.

The first question was posed by his own lawyer, and it was a fat pitch that Autry hit a mile: “Mr. Autry, would you sketch your career. . . ?”

“That’s a long story, and I’ve told it so many times, I’ve probably never told it the same twice,” Autry replied.

Then he began a 45-minute monologue about his early radio singing, his hit records, his movies and his baseball team that was interrupted only once by an objection from opposing attorneys.

It was the second day of testimony when Autry got down to brass tacks.

The city promised Carroll Rosenbloom, the late owner of the Los Angeles Rams, the right to develop a multimillion-dollar office complex on the stadium parking lot as inducement to move his team to Anaheim Stadium, the lawsuit alleges. The Angels insist their earlier agreement with the city gives them a veto over such development.

Autry said such development would be a “catastrophe” and “disastrous” to his team. Some season ticket holders would be forced to walk a mile and might stop buying tickets, he said.

“They sold my horse twice,” Autry told the court. “It was my horse. Nobody from the city, nobody from the Rams . . . told me anything. They went to the City Council and they (council members) approved it (the agreement with the Rams) because they’re a bunch of weak sisters there.”