Gene Autry 12 acres. A decade after he purchased Melody Ranch, a brushfire swept through in August 1962, destroying most of the original standing sets. However, the devastated landscape did prove useful for productions such as "Combat!." A complete adobe ranch survived at the northeast section of the ranch. In 1990, after his favorite horse Champion, which lived in retirement there, died, Autry put the remaining 12-acre ranch up for sale. It is now known as the Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio and Melody Ranch Studios on 22 acres. The ranch has Melody Ranch Museum open year-round; and one weekend a year,
Al Autry the major leagues. Al Autry Albert Autry (born February 29, 1952) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. Autry was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the fourth round of the 1969 amateur draft, and started playing minor league baseball with Winnipeg in the Northern League. On September 14, 1976, he was the starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves against the Houston Astros at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. He pitched five innings, gave up four hits, three earned runs and struck out three and was credited with the win in a 4–3 Braves victory, in what would be his