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westernartgirlHenry Darrow’s Life in Acting
Henry Darrow began seriously acting on the stage when he was in college in his ancestral homeland. The New York-born actor — baptismal name: Enrique Tomas Delgado — was there to get a political science degree, but he already had designs on an acting as a career. An opportunity opened up in the early fifties, … Read more
Robert Temple Ayres, Creator of the Original Ponderosa Map on “Bonanza”
Updated March 9, 2012 — Robert Temple Ayres, the artist who painted the original Ponderosa map featured on the TV show Bonanza, has died. He passed away on February 25 in Los Angeles, surrounded by friends and family. He was 98. Ayres, who had a long career working as an illustrator for several Hollywood studios, … Read more
A “Burning Controversy” Around the Bonanza Map
Talk about a “burning controversy.” A comment from a Trading Posts reader this week prompted us to take another look at a famous map in our collection that is perhaps one of the most widely seen in history. The map is of the Ponderosa, the Nevada property where plot of Bonanza, one of the most … Read more
The “Bonanza” Map: Artist and Icon Reunited
Last Friday, we at the Autry got a rare chance to reunite an artist with his work. Robert Temple Ayres, the artist who originally drew the map of the legendary Ponderosa Ranch for the TV western “Bonanza” visited his creation for the first time in decades. The “Bonanza” map, which opened the credits for the … Read more
The “Bonanza” Map: A Fictitious Place With Very Real Staying Power
For about a week, a map has been hanging in the Imagination Gallery at the Autry that is famous around the world. And yet, it marks a place that doesn’t exist. The map is of the Ponderosa, the rambling Nevada ranch that was the setting for Bonanza, one of the most successful television Western series … Read more
David Dortort, Creator of Groundbreaking “Bonanza,” “The High Chaparral”
David Dortort, creator of groundbreaking and long-running television shows like “Bonanza” and “The High Chaparral,” died on Sept. 5 after a long cardiac illness. He was 93. Dortort in 2009 donated an archive of his personal papers to the Autry, pledging $100,000 to their organization and maintenance. The archive includes the first handwritten draft of … Read more
