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westernartgirlThe “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
Mona Simpson Negotiates the Nanny Chronicles in “My Hollywood”
In her latest book, My Hollywood, Mona Simpson, perhaps one of the ultimate insiders, takes a look at upper-class Los Angeles from the singularly intimate perspective of an ultimate outsider: the immigrant nanny. Simpson’s spectacularly well-received first book, Anywhere But Here (1987), was made into a movie in 1999. She went on to write four … Read more
James Arness, ‘Gunsmoke’s’ Marshal Matt Dillon
James Arness, the towering (6-foot-6) actor who for 20 years portrayed the taciturn, lantern-jawed U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon in CBS’s Gunsmoke, died Friday. A cause of death was not disclosed, but according to the Associated Press, he died in his sleep at his Brentwood home. He was 88. Arness, who was born James Aurness but … Read more
The Goodwill Fashion Show: Glamour That’s Better the Second Time Around
Updated May 20 — You’d think the high glamour of Hollywood’s Oscar night would have absolutely nothing to do with your local Goodwill store. And given that Goodwill has stores even in the home of Hollywood, you would be very, very wrong. Goodwill Industries Los Angeles employees for years have found so many red carpet-worthy … Read more
No Passport Necessary: How Filmmakers Negotiate the U.S.-Mexico Border
Updated Feb. 28 – Hollywood’s preeminence in film often makes it seem as if a sophisticated movie culture can only flourish in Los Angeles. But from their beginning in the early 20th Century, movies proved a creative outlet for storytellers both around the world and next-door, in Mexico. Mexican and American filmmakers in particular always … Read more
In Stardust’s Pictures, a Valentine’s Day Close Encounter
Updated: Feb. 16 — Perhaps it was just a coincidence that it happened on Valentine’s Day. But when NASA’ s Stardust spacecraft flew by comet Tempel 1 on Monday — getting within 113 miles of the speeding, icy ball of matter — it was almost like a great big cosmic kiss. And Stardust, of course, … Read more
Showing Some HeArt for the Arts in High Schools
Most art exhibitions are shows that stay on view for at least several weeks. But on Dec. 8, the Autry hosted a one-day lightning exhibition in its Heritage Court of art by students from The HeArt Project. In museum time, one day is the blink of an eye. But the impression on the students often … Read more
Starring: Native American Actors
Updated June 23, 2011 — Acting is a difficult enough profession. Just ask anybody trying to break into the business here in the home of Hollywood. When you are part of a minority group, it’s even harder. And if your minority status happens to have the title Native American, you have a special set of … Read more
“Out West” Producer Gregory Hinton on Gay Teen Suicides
It was an unforgettable bit of impromptu television. In a setting we’re you’d more likely hear a discussion of the finer points of trash pickup, curb easements and property values, here was a city elder pleading for teenaged lives. Joel Burns, an openly gay Fort Worth City Council member, used his alloted time for comments … Read more
Artist George Yepes Finds a New Canvas
You know the artist George Yepes from his East Los Streetscapers murals; from his painting — once owned by Madonna and Sean Penn but destroyed in the 1993 Southern California fires — that became a Los Lobos album cover; and from his participation in exhibitions at the Autry. But lately, Yepes has found a brand … Read more
