The hair is a beautiful silver and his face is strikingly handsome. Monte Hale hasn’t been in a movie for about 30 years, but he still looks like a movie star.
Monte’s family lived in San Angelo, Texas, and various bios list is as his place of birth; however, for the record, that honor goes to Ada, Oklahoma. His father was a pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals Farm League and was playing baseball in Ada, “so that’s how I came to be born there,” he said. “Actually, I did grow up in San Angelo.”
Monte laughs as he shares some memories in his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by mementos and Western artifacts. On a railing is a beautiful saddle the “Gene Autry” embossed on it. “I bought that from the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1981,” said Monte. “Gene had may of these Madison Square Saddles mad and gave several to the Cowboy Hall of Fame. They eventually sold them and I bought one.” He also has some cowboy boots with “Gene Autry” on them and one of Autry’s white hats. “Jackie (Gene’s widow) gave those to me after Gene passed away,” he said. “Gene was my best friend.”
Monte met Gene Autry back in Houston, while playing at the Ranch Club. Autry came to Houston for the big Fat Stock Show and Rodeo which is still held annually. That led to a lifelong friendship.
Monte Hale first sang in church, where his father was a preacher. Later he began singing in clubs around Houston. To buy his first guitar (which cost $8.50) he picked cotton in Texas for a month. By the age of 18 he was playing professionally.
On Pearl Harbor Day, Monte Hale was at a hotel in Houston; he was performing at The Ranch Club during this time. During World War II, there were a number of bond drives, and Houston theater owner Phil Isey was Chairman of the Stars Over Texas Bond Drive. Isley hired Hale to play guitar for Lasses White as well as sing on a 30-day bond dive that raised about $60 million in bonds.
After the bond drive, Isley wired Ray Johnston at Monogram and Herbert Yates at Republic Pictures about Hale; Yates wired back and told Hale that if he could get to Hollywood, he’d give him a screen test. A good friend in Houston gave Hale the money to fly to Los Angeles for his Republic Studios test. With his good looks, talent, and charisma, Monte passed the screen test with flying colors, and he was signed to a seven-year contract in 1944.
Republic was the home of the Singing Cowboys, but Gene Autry had joined the Armed Services in 1942. Republic wanted to extend Gene’s contract to include the years he would be in the service, but Gene refused to go along with that and decided he wanted out. Republic had been promoting Roy Rogers as “King of the Cowboys’ while Autry was serving in the War, but there was concern that Rogers might not be able to keep his draft deferment.
In 1945, Republic was going to star Hale in Don’t Fence Me In because they thought Rogers would be lost to the service. However, Rogers got his deferment and wanted to star in this movie, so Republic writers wrote Home on the Range in Magnacolor for Hale, his first starring picture in 1946. The Sons of the Pioneers, as well as Robert Blake, were featured in this movie. In all, Hale would star in 19 Westerns for Republic, nine of them made in Trucolor.
When a movie was released, Monte Hale would hit the road, performing at theaters all over the country, singing and promoting the picture. He remembers that he once performed in 16 different theaters in Baltimore over a three-day period.
Although Hale sang in his movies, he generally had fewer songs than Rogers or Autry in their movies. He recorded six sides for Bel-Tone and eight sides for MGM but never had a big hit, although he co-wrote “Statue in the Bay” which Gene Autry recorded.
Hale’s biggest musical influence was Jimmie Rodgers, and he remembers buying records from the Blue Yodeler. He also admired Gene Autry, Roy Acuff, and Eddy Arnold. His family had listened to the Grand Ole Opry as well as other barn dances during his youth, which influenced him.
When asked why he didn’t pursue a recording career, Monte answers modestly “I guess I just didn’t have it.” This isn’t quite true – those who have heard Hale’s records judge him “pretty good.” Monte freely admitted “I’d rather entertain in person than record” and that he loved live shows, being in front of people and feeling the excitement and energy of the crowds much more than recording. After his movie contract with Republic ended in 1950, Hale toured extensively, performing with Ray Whitley and others. Monte passed away March 29, 2009 in Los Angeles.
Don Cusic
Awards:
- 2001 Hall of Fame Inductees