AUTRY LEAVES BRAND ON SCV; MELODY RANCH FILM STUDIO SERVES AS LEGACY FOR RENOWNED SINGING COWBOY.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Singing cowboy legend Gene Autry, who died Friday at his home in Studio City, left a permanent mark on Santa Clarita as owner of Melody Ranch, an old-time studio where movies still are filmed today.

Autry, who was 91, also is immortalized with a plaque on Newhall's Western Western Walk of Stars. In 1981, he became the first entertainer to be inducted in the walk, a sidewalk tribute to western film stars.

``It's a real loss,'' Santa Clarita Councilwoman Jo Anne Darcy said. ``He's the icon of all the western stars. He's been around the longest of any one of them.''

And fellow Councilwoman Laurene Weste, who grew up down the street from Melody Ranch, said Autry influenced her childhood more than any other movie star of the time.

``He was my idol,'' Weste said. ``He wore his white hat, he sang to the lady and he kissed the horse. We have a lot of Gene here.''

Autry sold Melody Ranch in 1991 after his horse, Champion, died. Champion lived at the ranch, the namesake of one of Autry's movies, long after the old western street burned down in 1962.

The new owners, brothers Andre and Renaud Veluzat, members of an area cattle-ranching family, vowed to restore the ranch to its former glory and use the site for filming. Today it is one of most most popular filming locations in Santa Clarita, which boasts a booming movie industry.

Autry, an actor, businessman and singer - and owner of the Anaheim Angels - also donated an antique train built in 1900 to the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society. The train is on display at the old depot on San Fernando Road near downtown Newhall.

And while the treasures bring back memories for fans of the old western flicks, the Veluzats still remember the time that Melody Ranch touched Autry.

``Gene Autry came over and started telling us stories about the old town,'' Renaud Veluzat said in an interview earlier this year. ``He wanted to see how we were redoing the western street. It brought tears to his eyes. He hadn't been on the property for eight years and couldn't believe how we'd put it together.''

Autry showed the Veluzats where he had ridden Champion about 700 times for filming.

Though it is an active filming location that captures the appearance of the Old West, Melody Ranch also has hosted the city's Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival.

Melody Ranch, with its rustic setting in Placerita Canyon, opened in 1915 and became the backdrop for classics such as ``High Noon'' with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly, ``My Little Chickadee'' with W.C. Fields and Mae West, and television episodes of ``Gunsmoke.''

John Wayne, Roy Rogers and Santa Clarita's own William S. Hart also spent time at the ranch.

Starting in 1935, Autry made numerous films, including ``Melody Ranch,'' ``Boots and Saddles,'' ``South of the Border'' and ``Down Mexico Way.''

To younger generations, Autry may best be known for his renditions of ``Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' and ``Here Comes Santa Claus,'' just two of the many songs he wrote.

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Photo

PHOTO (Color) Angels owner Gene Autry visits the clubhouse after a crucial win over the Oakland A's on Oct. 1, 1995.

Reed Saxon/Associated Press