Like Being a Kid Again

As a boy, I grew up on Western movies. I spent a lot of Saturday afternoons at the local theater watching Joel McCrea, John Wayne and Gary Cooper finish off the bad guys. I had a lot of fun eating popcorn, drinking a Coke and rooting for the hero.

Lots of good memories, and I’m still a big fan of Westerns.
That’s one of the reasons why I like the Autry National Center in Los Angeles. The Autry has a fabulous collection of Western movies and music material, everything from movie props and posters to a wonderful radio section covering the history of Western serials.

There’s even part of a Hollywood Western back lot, and a mechanical stunt horse that you can mount, complete with a blue screen background. Press a button, video comes up and all of a sudden you’re smack dab in a chase scene.

The Hollywood section of the Autry is called the Imagination Gallery, and it includes the Western Legacy Theater where the museum shows rotating films about the American West and the making of Western films.  Here's a photo of a part of the gallery, courtesy of the Autry and photographer Abel Gutierrez. 

This Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009, for example, the museum is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Bonanza, one of TV’s longest-running Westerns. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. the museum is showing a continual stream of Bonanza episodes in the Western Legacy Theater.

Earlier this month the Autry hosted the unveiling of the new Gary Cooper commemorative stamp from the U.S. Postal Service. More than 200 fans and friends of Cooper were on hand for the ceremony, and film critic and historian Leonard Maltin served as Master of Ceremonies. A special film tribute to Cooper, courtesy of Turner Classic Movies, featured moments from his many films.

Cooper’s daughter, Maria Cooper Janis, was there for the unveiling and has loaned her father’s Academy Award Oscar for High Noon (1952) to the Autry and it will be on display in the gallery through the end of the year.

Other Hollywood Western items you’ll find at the Autry include more than 1,200 movies catalogued, lobby cards, items from silent Westerns, film serials, foreign Western movies, and Western television programs, costumes and costume design, including Nudie’s Rodeo Tailors, and costume designers Edith Head, and Margaret Miele. There's also the children's merchandise section that includes the recreation of what a child's room may have looked like at the time Westerns were all the rage. From the wall decorations to the bedspread and outfits, there was a cowboy or cowgirl item to match.  Hey, I just remembered: somewhere in a box, I still have my 'Hoppy' lamp.

And of course, the museum is named after its founder and Hollywood legend Gene Autry. Many of Gene’s personal items are on display.

I really enjoy the Imagination Gallery at the Autry museum. Don’t tell anyone, but for me it’s almost like being a kid again.

For any Western fan, the Autry is just a great place to go and touch some of Hollywood’s Western make believe, some of its stars and some of its history. Located in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park, the Autry National Center is easy to get to.

The Autry’s Web site is www.autrynationalcenter.org . Next time you’re in Los Angeles, plan a visit and go have some fun.

And if you want to discover places in the West to visit, explore, do camping, hiking or sightseeing, visit OldWestNewWest.com Travel & History Magazine at www.oldwestnewwest.com  for some ideas.