Gene Autry, actor, western singer, and producer, purchased the 'Monogram Ranch' property from the Hickson heirs in 1953. He renamed the property 'Melody Ranch' after his 1940 film of the same name, and his following Sunday afternoon CBS radio show (1940-1956) and . A brushfire swept through 'Monogram Ranch' in August 1962, destroying most of the original standing western sets. The devastated landscape was useful for productions such as "Combat!". A large Spanish hacienda, and a complete adobe village survived on the northeast section of the ranch.