Gene Autry 1946 to 1955. That title was changed to "Gene Autry and Champion", and ran an additional 20 issues from 1955 to 1959, making it the longest-running (by number of issues) cowboy actor comic book. Meanwhile, Autry was the subject of an "Air-Western-Adventure Strip" comic strip syndicated by General Features from 1952–1955. The strip was produced in association with Whitman Publishing. The Mexican publisher Editorial Novaro released 423 issues of "Gene Autry" comics from 1954 to 1984. Autry retired from show business in 1964, having made almost 100 films up to 1955 and over 600 records. He was elected to the
Alan Autry co-star Randall Franks joined forces under the banner of Autry-Franks Productions to produce the charity "In the Heat of the Night" CD "Christmas Time's A Comin'" featuring the cast of the show. The project raised funds for drug abuse prevention charities. With Franks producing, Autry performed his rendition of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" in homage to Gene Autry. The duo both performed on "Jingle Bells" and "Christmas Time's A Comin'". Franks and Autry were able to include many music legends, including Kitty Wells, Jimmy Dickens, and Pee Wee King, as well as many legends from the Bluegrass genre, from