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westernartgirlTombstone’s Reputation, in Light of Tucson Shooting, Touches Off Another Political Debate
Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik’s comments on the day after the horrific Tucson shooting that left six people dead, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson) fighting for her life, and 13 other people wounded have again put a little Arizona silver mining town, Tombstone, at the center of a political debate. “Well, I think we’re the Tombstone … Read more
Girl Scouts Earn Their Badge at the Autry
The Girl Scouts are came to the Autry on Nov. 13, but they were not selling cookies. Yes, I know you’re sad about that, but it’s not time yet. Instead, they worked on earning a badge. It’s all part of a program the Autry is helping develop that allows some of the 40,000 girls and … 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
Still Thrilling to Michael Jackson’s Music
Amanda Ayres never thought that, at age 29, she’d still be passionate about dancing to Michael Jackson’s tunes. Yes, she grew up in a dance studio. Yes, she and her mother oohed and aahed over the moves in “Smooth Criminal.” By the time she went off to college, however, she thought she’d better get serious … Read more
Michael Jackson’s Boots That Were Made for Moonwalking
The new Michael Jackson installation at the Autry went up yesterday, and the first thing that came to the minds of MJ designers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins when they saw it was how well it clicked with all the other Hollywood cowboy memorabilia. “It really looks like it fits in with everything else,” Tompkins … Read more
What You Can See on Film That You Can’t on Digital
This weekend, as part of the Imagined West film series, the Autry shows The Harvey Girls, the classic 1946 MGM film directed by George Sydney and starring Judy Garland. And there’s a bonus for real movie buffs: rather than DVD, it’s being shown in 35mm film. What’s so special about film, you say? Well, in … Read more
Thousands (Really!) Came to Celebrate National Day of the Cowboy
The Autry’s first-ever celebration of National Day of the Cowboy and Cowgirl drew thousands of fans eager to spend a sunny day experiencing all things cowboy. And the littlest cowboys and cowgirls seemed to have the most fun, between the leatherbraiding workshop, panning for “gold” on the sluices, or learning trick roping from the experts. … Read more
What We Did Get at the Roy Rogers Auction
I was amazed to see the intense public interest in what would happen to Trigger, Roy Rogers’ famous stuffed and mounted horse, at Christie’s second auction last week of the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum collection. Clearly, Trigger and his owner still have a lot of fans. We now know that Trigger, as well … Read more
We Didn’t Get Trigger — But We Got His Saddle!
We’re still waiting to hear about the prices fetched by the Christie’s auction today and tomorrow of iconic items belonging to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, including Rogers’s famous horse Trigger, whom he mourned so much when it died in 1965 that he had it stuffed and posed in a trademark rearing position. Christie’s officials … Read more
Al Shelton, Leatherworker to the Stars, Reflects on his Life and Art
Al Shelton, the master leatherwork artist to the stars who celebrated his 90th birthday at the Autry last Sunday, took a little time to talk with me about how he became interested in this craft and art. Although he worked with a lot of movie stars and big personalities, he said he never thought of … Read more
