ArizonaRealCountry.com 17 February 2018 In 1926, Rex’s older brother Wayne died two days after being bitten by a rattlesnake, the Allen family then moved from Mud Springs to Willcox thirty- five miles away. Those who knew Rex in Willcox would probably be lying by claiming to have any idea he would grow up to be somebody special. Poor, skinny, freckle-faced Rex had a larger problem, he was terribly cross-eyed. With the help of the Willcox Rotary Club, Rex underwent corrective surgery to align his eyes; unfortunately, the surgery was a failure but that didn’t stop Rex. Touring as a bronc buster on the rodeo circuit his interest drifted towards singing billed as “Cactus Rex.” Rex convinced KOY program director Jack Williams, the future Governor of Arizona (1967–1975), into letting him sing on the air. From there Rex moved to New Jersey getting a big break at WTTM, not for singing but for reading commercial copy; with his magnificent speaking voice it was shades of things to come after his days at Republic Pictures.      After mastering his speaking talents, and with his beautiful singing voice, Rex was discovered by a talent scout and invited to make an appearance on the National Barn Dance broadcast over WLS radio in Chicago, the very place where Gene Autry began his rise to fame. As Rex would later say, “It was great training, I doubt that you can get that kind of help anymore.”      While with the National Barn Dance he met the singing Linder sisters, Connie and Bonnie, quickly falling for Bonnie with a quick courtship and marriage.      It was also during this time that Rex successfully had his eye problem corrected. Using local anesthetic doctors lifted his left eyeball from the socket repairing the control cord and replacing it. Luck continued to shine on Rex when Hollywood came calling. Herbert J. Yates, President of Republic Pictures had lost Gene Autry to Columbia Pictures and Roy Rogers was “chomping at the bit” to try the infant medium called “Television.” Monte Hale graduated from featured player to Republic’s third singing cowboy, but things didn’t go as planned; Monte was no threat to Gene or Roy, his films would become straight westerns without song. As Rex told me, “I got a call on Sunday morning at home saying that Mr. Yates wanted to talk to me, and I said, ‘Who the hell is Mr. Yates?’ Says he owns Republic Studios. I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll talk to him.’ He got on the phone and wanted to know if I could come downtown and have breakfast with him at the hotel. So, I went down and visited with him. He asked me if I was interested in doing some pictures and I said, ‘yeah.’ So, I flew out there, spent three or four days, and they gave me a limo, and wined and dined me, and all that stuff, and I ended up signing a contract. No screen test, they just feel ya to see if you’re warm.” To be continued. By Charlie LeSueur Charlie LeSueur, AZ’s Official Western Film Historian. Encore Fellow @ Western Spirit, Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. 480.358.5178, azfilmhistorian@gmail.com, www.silverscreencowboyz.com Remembering Rex Allen Part II Above: One sheet for his 1st starring film Clockwise, below: Publicity photo; Rex on radio; Rex singing with the Sons of the Pioneers (Ken Curtis is to his direct photo left) “He asked me if I was interested in doing some pictures and I said, ‘yeah.’ So, I flew out there, spent three or four days, and they gave me a limo, and wined and dined me, and all that stuff, and I ended up signing a contract. No screen test, they just feel ya to see if you’re warm.”