These Are Still His Kind of Angels

Gene Autry, perennial prairie schnook who never got the girl in 93 pictures, submitted one time that he is the uncredited pioneer of science fiction in films.

The first serial undertaken by Autry--57 years ago--was titled “Phantom Empire,” continuing episodes beginning with Gene’s discovering a cave on his ranch.

All he discovered before that was horse hair. But he explores the cave and, the first thing he knows, he has descended 20,000 feet, where he comes upon a wondrous civilization whose inhabitants are armed with lasers, rockets and flame throwers.

“They were good people,” recalled Autry. “But they had their doubts about me. Those living on the earth’s surface, they said, were crazy and might make them crazy, too. They took me captive.”

Later released, Autry would reaffirm indeed that earth people are crazy, unloading hundreds of millions on ballplayers.

Autry’s argument with the California Angels, whom he operates, is that his paycheck has been minimal. Embarking on his 31st year as owner, he has yet to win first prize in his league.

Of course, Gene has ample time. He is only 83, but wishes something would happen soon so that he could go on to his next order of business--winning the Olympic butterfly.

Encamped in Arizona, where they are preparing for the rigors of the coming season, most of the Angels don’t even know how their team was born.

It was all the fault of Walter O’Malley, late owner of the Dodgers. Walter employed radio station KMPC, owned by Autry, as the Dodger outlet.

O’Malley then proceeds to buy a home at Lake Arrowhead, in the San Bernardino Mountains. Alas, he turns on a Dodger game and he gets mostly static.

Walter asks himself: “Why am I entangled with a station that can’t bring a Dodger game to Lake Arrowhead? If it can’t reach Lake Arrowhead, maybe it can’t reach a lot of other places, too.”

Autry tries to chill the beef. He orders technicians to erect a sophisticated aerial, a veritable tower, at O’Malley’s home, enabling him to hear the games clearly.

But O’Malley still dumps KMPC for KFI, which has a stronger signal.

Now Autry is mad. How can he get even with the Dodgers and also return baseball to KMPC? He and a partner, Bob Reynolds, go after an expansion team. They bag one for Los Angeles in the American League. It would later move to Anaheim.

So, in 1961, the big league Angels come into the world, meaning all the depression Autry has suffered is the fault of O’Malley, who is also responsible for Autry’s paying $2 million for a franchise worth maybe $100 million today.

This is a dumb cowboy?

Seeking just once to land in the World Series, Autry has tried 14 managers--one twice. The second time, Gene Mauch left the team, not sure whether he was suffering from lung cancer or a coronary. It developed he was suffering from neither, leading Mauch to conclude it was the Angels who were bad for his health.

He quit for keeps, now shoots 72 at Palm Springs.

Groping for that winner, Autry has paid massive sums to entertainers, taking aboard such celebrities as Rod Carew, Frank Robinson, Fred Lynn, Joe Rudi, Don Baylor, Bobby Grich, Doug DeCinces, Nolan Ryan, Tommy John, Don Sutton, John Candelaria.

For Reggie Jackson, the deal was quite without precedent. Reggie was offered a bonus of 50 cents a head for every head appearing at Anaheim beyond 2.4 million.

The team drew 2.8 million. Jackson did better than the Angels, who also tried operating on a low budget when Autry took a stand against those encroaching on his assets.

Gene announced: “I am tired of running the club as a rich man’s hobby.”

He then explained that the money was incidental because he had a lot of it and it was earmarked for charity. “I don’t have anyone except Jackie (Mrs. Autry),” he said. “But I am sick of these big contracts to ballplayers, who aren’t included among my philanthropies.”

Today, of course, they are very much included, even though they perform for the Angels, who don’t show an inordinate amount of promise this season.

Finishing fourth last year, 23 games down the course, they seem only mildly improved.

But their owner stays calm. When a new school marm came to town in Autry’s pictures, he would visit her, tip his hat politely and say: “If there is anything me and the boys can do for you, ma’am, please holler.”

Gene says this today to the players.