Freeway Interchange Named for Autry

The late singing cowboy Gene Autry was back in the saddle in spirit Wednesday, as friends celebrated the naming of the interchange at the Golden State and Ventura freeways in his honor.

One of the signs marking the “Gene Autry Memorial Interchange” was unveiled at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage. Four new signs will be installed along the interchange in early October.

It was especially apt to name a freeway interchange in his honor, said friend Johnny Grant. Autry pioneered several traffic news innovations when he owned the radio station KMPC, he said. In the 1950s and ‘60s at the station, Loyd C. Sigmon invented the SigAlert; traffic bulletins were regularly broadcast; and a reporter rode on a motorcycle to reach traffic tie-ups sooner, Grant said.

The new signs will also make it easier for people to find the Autry museum, said Grant, 76, of Hollywood. “When they see Gene Autry, it will jump-start many fond memories of him on the big screen and television.”

Autry appeared in 93 films and made 635 recordings. His signature song, “Back in the Saddle Again,” was sung by students from Castelar Street Elementary School in Los Angeles at Wednesday’s ceremony, which Autry’s widow, Jackie, attended. He is the only entertainer to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Autry also was the original owner of the Anaheim Angels and in 1988 opened the Autry museum. Autry died last year at 91; Wednesday’s ceremony marked the 92nd anniversary of his birth.

State Sen. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) introduced a resolution in the spring to name the interchange after Autry.

“I thought it was a wonderful way to recognize a truly great American who added so much to our western culture and who popularized that culture around the world,” Schiff said.