Old Tucson, Arizona

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    Tuscon, Arizona

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    Duke made here were
    Rio Bravo
    McLintock
    El Dorado
    Rio Lobo



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    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.


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    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.


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    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.


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    (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.


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    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.-


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    View of Main Street from entrance


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    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.


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    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.


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    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.


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    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.


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    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

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 59 times, last by ethanedwards ().


  • Keith;


    Here is a little Picture Story out of the T.V. Series "The Gunfighters" that we did in the 1980s and these Film Clips were done at Old Tucson in the Sound Stage that Burned Down. :cry2:


    I will put up another Small Picture Story on Film Clips taken on the outside at Sedona Soon. Also Pictures of two of the Old Movie Towns that were once there. :angry:


    The Gunfighters


    Bill :cowboy:

  • All Duke fans are pretty familiar with the Old Tucson set--at least how it appeared in Rio Bravo, El Dorado, and Rio Lobo. I just found that on http://local.live.com/ you can visit the Old Tucson set via arial photos. From that website, scroll over to Tucson, and then zoom in, and the navigate west from downdown Tucson until you come to Kinney road. Then after you zoom in over the Old Tucson site, click the button for Bird's Eye view, and be treated to excellent color photos that can be re-oriented from each angle (north/south/east/west). From these shots, you can easily see the old church facade that was featured in El Dorado, as well as the rocky ruins from where Stumpy threw the dynamite at the Burdette warehouse. If you have never visited Old Tucson in person, this appears to be the next best option.

    Sadly, I could not make out the old Jail, which means it may have been destroyed. I would have loved to visit that jail and walk up to it and holler "Stumpy, I'm coming in."

    Can anyone else identify any specific buildings in these photos that are still roughly the same as they were years ago?

    GSP

    "...all of this and General Price that baby sister makes it back to Yell county" --Rooster Cogburn, True Grit.

  • Thanks GSP. I had alittle trouble finding the place so I will add to your directions. Old Tuscon is located where South Kinney RD and West Gates Pass(Speedway BLVD). It is located just to the south where those 2 roads meet.

    Life is hard, its even harder when your stupid!!
    -John Wayne

  • Is it the place that looks like an amusement park from the air? The place I'm looking at is the southeast corn of the intersection of S Kinney Rd and West Gates Pass.

    Tbone



    "I have tried to live my life so that my family would love me and my friends respect me. The others can do whatever the hell they please."

  • Yes, that's it. It won't look like much unless you click the "Bird's Eye View" button. The standard view is just the picture from space directly overhead. But the Bird's Eye is from an angle, and close enough to easily see tourists standing around.

    "...all of this and General Price that baby sister makes it back to Yell county" --Rooster Cogburn, True Grit.

  • Quote

    Originally posted by ethanedwards@Nov 9 2006, 01:24 PM

    Fire


    On April 25, 1995, a fire destroyed much of Old Tucson Studios. Buildings, costumes and memorabilia were all lost in the blaze.


    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.


    Hi Bill,


    Thanks for adding to these posts,
    and your contribution is welcome.
    It seems from above,
    that they have re-built most of it,
    perhaps you can give us, some first hand knowledge?

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 9 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • When I was running the "Street Entertainment" at Apacheland Movie Ranch south of Apache Junction, AZ, I was told that Batjac had used Apacheland for a few short scenes. I was never able to confirm that, though. But some of the customers thought he (JW) worked there, because I would do the announcements over the PA while doing my impression of him. Everybody loved it!


    I would like to know for sure if he actually ever did any work out there.

  • I thought I heard, not to awful long ago, that somebody was doing some filming down there. I know it has been used for filming since the fire.

  • Buck,


    First of all, WELCOME to the John Wayne Message Board! A friendlier, more knowledgeable bunch you won't find anywhere!


    As to your question, a little digging around over at IMDb netted this link, which is a list of films that used Apache Junction, AZ, as a location -


    http://us.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Apache+Junction,+Arizona,+USA


    Again, welcome!


    Chester :newyear: and the Mrs. :angel1:

  • I saved this article several years ago, written by a courageous reporter who is no longer with us. Sadly, the situation has not improved for the better:




    Old Tucson was rebuilt at the wrong scale and poorly designed. It's a town square surrounded by restaurants and souvenir shops, not an actual western street. A couple of the original buildings still survive, but they have been so disney-fied they hardly look western, and they're insufficient for shooting purposes. The brother town, Mescal situated north of the highway north by west of Benson, has not been maintained. The street is so delapidated and unsafe it costs more to stand the buildings back up than it does to shoot there. Plus there are only two good angles on the place, looking toward the mountain and off to the east. The other directions now have modern intrusions inching closer and closer. The new owners all but drove the movie business out of the state.



    Richard

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