Old Tucson Studios is a movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. A movie studio (aka film studio) is in the established sense of the term a company that distributes films. Theme park is the generic term for a collection of rides and other Entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a large group Tucson (ˈtuːsɒn is the seat of Pima County Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast The Tucson Mountains are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. Saguaro National Park, located in the state of Arizona, is part of the United States National park system Built in 1939 for the movie Arizona, the studio was opened to the public in 1960. Arizona is a 1940 Western film starring Jean Arthur, William Holden and Warren William.
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Early history
Old Tucson Studios was originally built in 1939 by Columbia Pictures on a Pima County-owned site as a replica of 1860s Tucson for the movie Arizona, starring William Holden and Jean Arthur. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company Pima County is a county in the south central region of the US William Holden ( April 17, 1918 &ndash November 12, 1981) was an Academy Award -winning American film Actor Jean Arthur ( 17 October &ndash 19 June) was an Oscar -nominated American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s Workers built more than 50 buildings in 40 days. Many of those structures are still standing.
After Arizona completed filming, the location lay dormant for several years, until the filming of The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. The Bells of St Mary's is a 1945 film which tells the story of a priest and a nun at a school who set out despite their good-natured rivalry to save the school Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular (ˈbærjman in Swedish but usually ˈbɝgmən in English (August 29 1915 &ndash August 29 1982 was a Swedish three-time Academy Award -winning and two-time Emmy Other early movies filmed on this set included The Last Round-Up (1947) with Gene Autry and Winchester '73 (1950) with Jimmy Stewart and The Last Outpost with Ronald Reagan. Orvon Gene Autry ( September 29 1907 &ndash October 2 1998) was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy Winchester '73 is an American Western movie released by Universal Pictures in 1950. James Maitland Stewart (20 May 1908 – 2 July 1997 popularly known as Jimmy Stewart, was an American Film and stage Actor The 1950s saw the filming of Gunfight at the OK Corral (1956), The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1957), and Cimarron (1959) among others. The Gunfight at the OK Corral was a gunfight that happened at about 3 p Cimarron is a 1960 Western film based on the Edna Ferber novel Cimarron, featuring Glenn Ford and Maria
Open to the public
In 1959, entrepreneur Robert Shelton leased the property from Pima County and began to restore the aging facility. Old Tucson Studios re-opened in 1960, as both a film studio and a theme park. The park grew building by building with each movie filmed on its dusty streets. John Wayne starred in four movies at Old Tucson Studios. John Wayne ( May 26, 1907 &ndash June 11, 1979) was an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award -winning American Rio Bravo (1959) added a saloon, bank building and doctor's office; McLintock! (1963) added the McLintock Hotel; El Dorado (1967) brought a renovation of the storefronts on Front Street; and with Rio Lobo (1970) came a cantina, a granite-lined creek, a jail and a ranch house. Rio Bravo is a 1959 Western Film, directed by Howard Hawks. The script was written by Jules Furthman and Leigh McLintock! is a 1963 Comedy Western starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and loosely based on Shakespeare 's El Dorado is a 1967 Western movie starring John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. Rio Lobo is a 1970 Western movie starring John Wayne. The film was the last film directed by Howard Hawks, from a script by
In 1968, a 13,000 square foot (1,208 square meter) soundstage was built to give Old Tucson Studios greater movie-making versatility. A sound stage is a soundproof Hangar -like structure building or room used for the production of theatrical motion pictures and Television shows The first film to use the soundstage was Young Billy Young (1968), starring Robert Mitchum and Angie Dickinson. Young Billy Young is a 1969 western movie starring Robert Mitchum and featuring Angie Dickinson, Robert Walker Jr Robert Charles Durman Mitchum ( August 6, 1917 &ndash July 1, 1997) was an Academy Award nominated American film Angie Dickinson (born September 30, 1931) is a Golden Globe -winning American television and Film actress, perhaps
The park also began adding tours, rides and shows for the entertainment of visitors, most notably gunfights staged in the "streets" by stunt performers. A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or any act requiring a special skill performed for artistic purposes in TV, Theatre, or cinema
Old Tucson served as an ideal location for shooting scenes for TV series like NBC's "High Chaparral" (1967-1971) where the ranch house survived the 1995 fire: Little House on the Prairie, and later Father Murphy, featuring Merlin Olsen. Little House on the Prairie is an American one-hour dramatic Television program that aired on the NBC network from September 11 1974 to This article is about the television drama For the traditional Irish song see Come All You Warriors. Merlin Jay Olsen (born September 15, 1940) is a former American football player in the National Football League and an Actor. Three Amigos was a popular comedy shot there in the 80s, utilizing the church set. ¡Three Amigos! is a 1986 comedy western Film, produced by George Folsey Jr The main street appears prominently in 1990s westerns such as Tombstone and The Quick and the Dead. Tombstone is a 1993 Western movie written by Kevin Jarre and directed by its star Kurt Russell, with credited director George P The Quick and the Dead is an English phrase and popular title for novels films and other popular culture entities A partial mirror set exists at Mescal,AZ and featured in scenes particularly used for "Tombstone".
Fire
On April 25, 1995, a fire destroyed much of Old Tucson Studios. Buildings, costumes and memorabilia were lost in the blaze.
The origin of the fire is not known. Most of Tucson think the fire was arson, However, several factors contributed to the degree of devastation. Fire control efforts were hampered by high winds. A 25,000 gallon water reserve was inaccessible and water had to be brought in from areas up to 40 miles away. Most of the buildings in the studio were classified as "Temporary Structures," meaning fire prevention devices such as sprinklers were not required. Fire safety refers to precautions that are taken to prevent or reduce the likelihood of a Fire that may result in death injury or property damage alert those in a structure Liquid propane and gunpowder stored near the fire area demanded the attention of firefighters and much of the scarce water supply. Propane is a three- Carbon Alkane, normally a gas but compressible to a liquid that is transportable Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes So much water was used in the attempt to prevent an explosion that the surrounding areas became flooded, further impeding the firefighters as they attempted to wade through the mud.
When the fire began, 300 guests and employees were forced to evacuate the park. After approximately four hours, the flames were finally extinguished. Damages were estimated to be in excess of $10 million, with 25 buildings destroyed including the sound stage. Among the memorabilia destroyed was the wardrobe from Little House on the Prairie. Little House on the Prairie is an American one-hour dramatic Television program that aired on the NBC network from September 11 1974 to
After 20 months of reconstruction, Old Tucson re-opened its doors on January 2, 1997. The sets that were lost were not recreated; instead, entirely new buildings were constructed, and the streets were widened. The soundstage was not rebuilt. In 2003, Old Tucson reduced its hours of operation, opening from 10am to 4pm. Focusing on seasonal events, Old Tucson hosts the popular Nightfall event for Halloween which runs through the month of October, Tuesday through Sunday nights.
Some movies filmed at Old Tucson Studios
Many films, not all of them Westerns, were shot at Old Tucson Studios, either in whole or in part:[1][2]
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Some scenes from the 1994 arcade game Lethal Enforcers II: Gunfighters were also shot at Old Tucson Studios. Arizona is a 1940 Western film starring Jean Arthur, William Holden and Warren William. The Bells of St Mary's is a 1945 film which tells the story of a priest and a nun at a school who set out despite their good-natured rivalry to save the school Broken Arrow is a western film released in 1950. It was directed by Delmer Daves and starred James Stewart and Jeff Chandler The Violent Men is a Western film drama from 1955. It was directed by Rudolph Maté, and starred Barbara Stanwyck and Edward The Gunfight at the OK Corral was a gunfight that happened at about 3 p The Badlanders ( 1958) is a Western film directed by Delmer Daves and starring Alan Ladd and Ernest Borgnine. Last Train from Gun Hill is a 1959 Western by action director John Sturges. Rio Bravo is a 1959 Western Film, directed by Howard Hawks. The script was written by Jules Furthman and Leigh The Deadly Companions is a 1961 Western. It was directed by Sam Peckinpah and starred Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, McLintock! is a 1963 Comedy Western starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and loosely based on Shakespeare 's The Outrage is a 1964 film that is a Remake of the Japanese film Rashomon (1950 El Dorado is a 1967 Western movie starring John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. Hombre is a 1967 Revisionist Western film directed by Martin Ritt, based on the novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard. The Way West is a western novel by A B Guthrie Jr, published in 1949 Heaven with a Gun is a 1969 Western film starring Glenn Ford as a preacher who arrives in a town divided between cattlemen and sheep herders Lonesome Cowboys ( 1968) is a film by American filmmaker Andy Warhol. Young Billy Young is a 1969 western movie starring Robert Mitchum and featuring Angie Dickinson, Robert Walker Jr Dirty Dingus Magee is a comic 1970 Western film starring Frank Sinatra as the title outlaw and George Kennedy as a sheriff out to Rio Lobo is a 1970 Western movie starring John Wayne. The film was the last film directed by Howard Hawks, from a script by Wild Rovers is a 1971 film by Blake Edwards. Originally intended as a three-hour epic it was heavily edited and changed by the studio without Joe Kidd is a 1972 American western film starring Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall and directed by John Sturges. Night of the Lepus is a 1972 B-movie Horror film in which giant mutant Rabbits terrorize the Southwestern United States Pocket Money is a 1972 film directed by Stuart Rosenberg from a screenplay written by Terrence Malick. The Legend of Nigger Charley is a 1972 Blaxploitation western film directed by Martin Goldman. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean is a 1972 Western film written by John Milius, directed by John Huston, and starring Paul Death Wish is a 1974 action - crime - Drama film based on the 1972 novel by Brian Garfield. The Trial of Billy Jack is a 1974 Film starring Delores Taylor and Tom Laughlin. The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 revisionist Western movie set at the end of the American Civil War directed The Villain is a 1979 sendup of western films directed by Hal Needham, starring Kirk Douglas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Horn ( November 21, 1860 &ndash November 20, 1903) was an American Old West lawman scout, Soldier ¡Three Amigos! is a 1986 comedy western Film, produced by George Folsey Jr Young Guns II is a 1990 western film, and the sequel to Young Guns ( 1988) Geronimo An American Legend is a 1993 film starring Wes Studi as Geronimo, Jason Patric as 1st Lt Nemesis is a 1993 science fiction Film by director Albert Pyun, who also made the movie Cyborg. Tombstone is a 1993 Western movie written by Kevin Jarre and directed by its star Kurt Russell, with credited director George P Lightning Jack is a 1994 western film written by and starring Paul Hogan, as well as Cuba Gooding Jr The Quick and the Dead is a Western film directed by Sam Raimi, released in 1995. Lethal Enforcers II Gunfighters is a 1994 Arcade game that takes place in the American Old West.
References
- ^ Filmography. Tucson Film Office, Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau (2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John
- ^ History. Film Office. Old Tucson Studios (2004). Retrieved on 2007-05-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John
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