What to Know
- Gene Autry Birthday Celebration
- Sunday, Sept. 29; 10:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. Gene Autry Tours; 2 p.m. screening of "Melody Ranch"
- Autry Museum of the American West
- Included with admission
- Guests wearing cowboy boots or hats will be treated to a special gift
- Discounts on Gene Autry merchandise will be available in the gift shop
The call of the trail, the thrill of roaming the range, the crackle of the campfire, and the strum of a lonesome guitar: Our American mythos is steeped with colorful and moving cowboy lore.
The movies, of course, easily cast a lasso around our cowboy-directed fancies early on, and few film stars kept fans riveted, and humming along, like Gene Autry so winningly did.
The Golden Era legend ruled the sagebrush-strewn silver screen, with "Riders in the Sky" and "Mule Train" among his many well-remembered works.
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His legacy can be revisited daily at the Griffith Park-based destination founded by the iconic cowboy over 35 years ago: The Autry Museum of the American West.
The museum pays tribute to its namesake in numerous ways, including a big birthday celebration.
And on Sunday, Sept. 29, a few festive happenings will clip-clop through the galleries, including a 10:30 a.m. and noon Gene Autry-themed tours as well as a 2 p.m. screening of "Melody Ranch," the musical gem released in 1940.
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Mr. Autry, of course, was quite the musical superstar; his recording of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is still fondly revisited each holiday season.
Karla Buhlman, the former president of the Gene Autry Entertainment and Director of the Gene Autry Music Group, will be on hand to present the "Melody Ranch" screening.
Adding to the cheer of the event? If you show up in your cowboy boots or hat — or, dagnabbit, your full cowboy kit, from chaps to kerchief — you'll be treated to a special "vintage" Gene Autry gift.
Discounts on Gene Autry-related merchandise will also be available, so make time to browse the museum's excellent gift shop.
The birthday events are included with museum admission.
