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Tuscon, Arizona
Duke made here were
Rio Bravo
McLintock
El Dorado
Rio Lobo
The opening scenes of Tombstone.
(click on for enlargements)
Old Tucson Studios is a movie studio and theme park just outside of Tucson, Arizona.
Built in 1939 for the movie Arizona, the studio was opened to the public in 1960.
Early History
Old Tucson Studios was originally built in 1939 by Columbia Pictures
on a Pima County-owned site as a replica of 1860's Tucson for the movie
Arizona, starring William Holden and Jean Arthur.
Workers built more than 50 buildings in 40 days.
Many of those structures still stand today.
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.
Other early movies included The Last Round-Up (1947) with Gene Autry
and Winchester '73 (1950) with Jimmy Stewart and
The Last Outpost with Ronald Reagan.
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) Tombstone, and
The Outlaw Josey Wales, among others.
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 a 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
and each production added buildings to the town.
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.
(click on for enlargement)
In 1968, a 13,000 square foot soundstage was built to give Old Tucson Studios
greater movie-making versatility. The first film to use the soundstage was
Young Billy Young (1968), starring Robert Mitchum and Angie Dickinson.
The park also began adding tours, rides and shows for the entertainment of visitors,
most notably gunfights staged in the "streets" by stunt performers.
Old Tucson served as an ideal location for shooting scenes for TV series like
High Chaparral,Little House on the Prairie, and later Father Murphy, featuring Merlin Olsen
Three Amigos was a popular comedy shot there in the 80s,
utilizing the church set.
The main street appears prominently in 1990s westerns like
Tombstone and The Quick and the Dead.
The fictional Pima County Bank, used in a daily bank robbery show
Fire
On April 25, 1995, a fire destroyed much of Old Tucson Studios.
Buildings, costumes and memorabilia were all lost in the blaze.-
View of Main Street from entrance
Old Tuscon.1984
(Click on photos for enlargements)
Fire
On April 25, 1995, a fire destroyed much of Old Tucson Studios.
Buildings, costumes and memorabilia were all lost in the blaze.
The origin of the fire is not known.
However, several factors contributed to the degree of devastation.
Fire control efforts were hampered by high winds.
A 25,000 gallon water reserve was inaccessable 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.
Liquid propane and gunpowder stored near the fire area demanded
the attention of firefighters and much of the scarce water supply.
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.
Saloon (Click on photo for enlargement)
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.
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,
remaining open on a limited basis. Focusing on seasonal events,
Old Tucson hosts the popular Nightfall event for Halloween.
Another photo tour here:-
Old Tucson Studios
For more information:-
Old Tucson Studios- Wikipedia