5. Although television put a damper on his film career, Autry chose to embrace it by beginning a television series of his own. The plots always had references to his ranch. What was the name of the ranch?
From Quiz Gene Autry
Answer:
Melody Ranch
Monogram Studios was a film making company that built a western town for its own purposes. Monogram relied on the 'B' Western and similar projects so when the genre was fading, Gene Autry bought the property in 1952 and turned it into the setting for his television series. The show was called "Gene Autry's Melody Ranch" after the name of one of his films. Through the years, it was a set for Westerns, including "The LoneRanger", "WyattEarp","Gunsmoke", "Hopalong Cassidy", "Annie Oakley", "Rin Tin Tin", and "The Cisco Kid". It also hosted the HBO series "Deadwood" and the film "The Magnificent Seven".
Prior to Autry's purchase, it was the set for John Wayne's "Stagecoach" and Gary Cooper's "High Noon". A brush fire swept in 1962, destroying much of the property AND leaving it very bleak. Later, the producers of TV's "Combat" found the landscape perfect to reflect the agonies of World War Two combat scenes.
Gene sold off the property in 1991, and it was restored and used for Westerns and as a museum.