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"The Hoosier Mimic" with the National Barn Dance



(Courtesy of Ed Cassada)

Above is a photo that Max sent to wife Maude's family. The salutation in the upper left reads:
Merry Christmas To-
My pal, brother and his family Harlie Cassada
from Max Terhune - "The Hoosier Mimic"
December 24, 1932 - W. L. S.




(Courtesy of Ed Cassada)
Above is another circa 1932 photo sent by Max to the Cassada family. The salutation in the upper left reads:
Merry Christmas to Harlie's from his Brother & Pal
Max Terhune, W. L. S. & "Skully"




(Courtesy of Minard Coons and Tracy Terhune)



Above - Chicago radio station WLS had the National Barn Dance, and their star performers were doing shows on the road.  On the far left, with the light colored suit and cowboy hat is Gene Autry.  Seated in the bottom row are Max Terhune, wearing suspenders and fanning a deck of cards. To his left and wearing the cowboy hat is Lester Alvin 'Smiley' Burnette. The two ladies wearing the vests and cowboy hats are Millie Good (Mildred Fern Good; 1913-1993) and Dolly Good (Dorothy Laverne Good; 1915-1967), and they billed themselves as "The Girls of the Golden West". Terhune was called "The Hoosier Mimic" because of his Indiana background along with the barnyard calls and bird whistles.

Tracy Terhune, Max Terhune's grandson, noted that "The WLS Barn Dance photo was taken in 1934.  On my grandfathers own copy, he hand wrote on the back that it was taken the day Gene got his telegram to come to Hollywood and listed the year, 1934." Autry and Burnette would head to California to begin work with Poverty Row producer Nat Levine at Mascot Pictures.  Gene and Smiley would appear in a pair of Ken Maynard starrers, the IN OLD SANTA FE (Mascot, 1934) feature and MYSTERY MOUNTAIN (Mascot, 1934) cliffhanger. Soon after, Autry would be given the lead in Mascot's THE PHANTOM EMPIRE (Mascot, 1935) cliffhanger.



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