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  • CALIFORNIA


    Here are the more popular and recognizable
    locations, out of many in California.
    Most of the LoneStar/Mongram, early Republic
    and many of Duke's movies were filmed
    in these locations.


    Alabama Hills


    Owens Valley, Lone Pine, California


    Besides Duke's early movies,scenes for
    Tycoon
    were filmed here




    Alabama Hills are a range of hills in the Owens Valley of California,
    near Lone Pine, California.
    The rounded contours of the Alabamas contrast with the sharp ridges
    of the Sierra Nevada to the west; however,
    the Alabamas are no older than the Sierra.
    Different patterns of erosion account for the difference.




    Mt Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States,
    towers several thousand feet above this low range, which itself is
    1,500 feet above the floor of Owens Valley.
    However, Gravity surveys indicate that the Owens Valley
    is filled with about 10,000 feet of sediment and that the Alabama's
    are the tip of a very steep escarpment.
    This feature may have been created by many earthquakes
    similar to the 1872 Lone Pine earthquake which,
    in a single event, caused a vertical displacement of 15-20 feet.




    There are two main types of rock exposed at Alabama Hills.
    One is an orange, drab weathered metamorphosed volcanic rock
    that is 150-200 million years old.
    The other type of rock exposed here is 90 million year old granite
    which weathers to potato-shaped large boulders;
    many of which stand on end due to spheroidal weathering acting
    on many nearly vertical joints in the rock.




    The Alabama Hills are a popular location for television and movie productions
    (especially Westerns) set in an archetypical "rugged" environment.
    Since the early 1920s 150 movies and about a dozen television shows
    have been filmed here including Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry,
    and the Lone Ranger.




    Classics such as Gunga Din, Springfield Rifle, and How the West Was Won,
    as well as more recent productions such as Tremors and Joshua Tree
    were filmed at sites known as Movie Flats and Movie Flat Road.
    In Gladiator, actor Russell Crowe rides a horse front of the Alabamas,
    Mount Whitney in the background, for a scene presumably set in Spain.
    Edited by ethanedwards
    Information from Wikipedia


    For more photographs:-
    Alabama Hills- Google Images


    For more information:-
    Alabama Hills-Wikipedia
    _________________________________________________________________________________
    Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park


    Agua Dulce, California


    Scenes from early Duke films were made here.



    Vasquez Rocks have been used innumerable times in motion pictures,
    various television series and in moving and still photography advertisements,
    and continue to be used in them today.
    The triangular rock summit can be clearly seen in, for example, an Outer Limits episode
    called "The Zanti Misfits", in "Arena", an original series
    Star Trek episode where Captain Kirk rolls a boulder onto
    an alien of reptiloid origin called a Gorn, and throughout a Bonanza episode called
    "Between Heaven and Earth".
    The prominent rock formation has been nicknamed "Kirk's Rock"
    due to being featured in several Star Trek episodes,
    each time representing a different planet.


    At 905 acres, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, has been a popular
    California destination since its establishment in 1972.




    It has been used numerously in film and television shows.
    Including..The Adventures Of Rin Tin Tin.


    Several scenes from the original Star Trek TV series
    were filmed here, including the one where Kirk fights the Gorn (green lizard).


    Other notable movies and TV were filmed here:-
    Star Trek (2009)-- Featured in scenes of the Vulcun planet.
    Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
    -- Featured in scenes of the Vulcun planet.




    First Daughter (2004).The Scorpion King (2002)Wild Wild West (1999)
    Austin Powers- International Man Of Mystery (1997)


    The Flintstones (1994) -- In this movie, based on the cartoon Flintstones,
    downtown Bedrock was constructed Vasquez Rocks County Park




    Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)-- Bill and Ted
    are betrayed by their evil robot twins at Vasquez Rocks County Park.
    Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) -- Bill and Ted come face to face
    with Death in Vasquez Rocks County Park




    For more photographs:-
    Vasquez Rocks- Google Images


    For more information:-
    Vasquez_Rocks-Wikipedia
    _____________________________________________________________________________
    Lone Pine


    Lone Pine, California


    Many early and later Duke movies were filmed here, including,


    I Cover the War, King Of the Pecos,
    Westward Ho!, Helltown,
    Blue Steel, New Frontier,
    Three Faces West,Oregon Trail,
    Somewhere in Sonara, 3 Godfathers,
    How The West Was Won, North To Alaska


    For more information on movies made here-
    Movies made in Lone Pine



    Lone Pine is in Inyo County, California, United States.
    Lone Pine is located 16 miles (26 km) south-southeast of Independence,
    at an elevation of 3727 feet (1136 m).
    The town is located in the Owens Valley, near the Alabama Hills.
    On March 26, 1872, the very large Lone Pine earthquake destroyed
    most of the town and killed 27 of its 250 to 300 residents.



    The Whitney Portal road was used in the 1941 film High Sierra with Humphrey Bogart,
    which culminated with a shoot-out between Bogart's character (Roy Earle) and the police,
    at the foot of Mount Whitney.
    Also, there is The Forum Theater, a theater-cafe that hosts live music,
    theater, and films on the weekends.
    The Lone Pine Film Festival has been held every year since 1990 to celebrate the rich heritage that film makers have brought to the area over the years.


    For more Information;-
    Lone Pine-Wikipedia
    ____________________________________________________________________________
    Kern River


    California


    In most Lone Star movies Duke and Yak,
    were seen jumping in the Kern River.
    Also used for the river crossing in
    Stagecoach


    .




    The Kern River is a river in eastern California in the United States,
    approximately 155 mi (249 km) long.
    It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield.
    Fed by snowmelt near Mount Whitney, the river passes through scenic canyons
    in the mountains and is a popular destination for whitewater rafting and kayaking.
    It formerly emptied entirely into the Buena Vista Lake at the southern end
    of the Central Valley; however, now it is diverted for irrigation,
    recharging aquifers, and it still empties a portion into Lake Buena Vista
    for recreational use.
    In addition some of the water is diverted into the California Aqueduct.
    Information from Wikipedia


    For more information:-
    Kern River-Wikipedia
    _____________________________________________________________________________
    Bronson Canyon


    Griffiths Park, Los Angleles, California


    Some scenes from
    Hurricane Express,
    Shadow Of the Eagle,
    The Three Musketeers,
    The Searchers
    amongst others shot here


    Many movies and TV shows filmed here,
    for more information:-
    Bronson Canyon- Wikipedia




    Bronson Canyon, or Bronson Caves, is a section of Griffith Park in Los Angeles,
    California that has become famous as a filming location for a very large number
    of movies and TV shows, especially westerns and science fiction,
    from the early days of motion pictures to the present.
    Its craggy and remote-looking setting, but easily accessible location,
    has made it a prime choice for filmmakers, particularly of low-budget films,
    who want to place scenes in a lonely wilderness.



    Location and History
    Bronson Canyon is located in the southwest section of Griffith Park
    and is thus easily accessible from Hollywood. From Franklin Avenue,
    go north on Canyon Drive until the road ends for vehicular traffic
    at the parking lot for "Camp Hollywoodland."
    At the right (east) side of the road is a small concrete bridge painted red.
    Cross the bridge and walk around the vehicle barrier, and follow the unpaved road,
    keeping left, for the short walk into Bronson Canyon.



    In 1903, the Union Rock Company founded a quarry,
    originally named Brush Canyon, for excavation of crushed rock
    used in the construction of city streets.
    The quarry ceased operation in the late 1920s, leaving the caves behind.
    The caves became known as the Bronson Caves after a nearby street,
    giving the area its more popular name of Bronson Canyon.
    (The same street indirectly provided the stage name for actor
    Charles Bronson, who chose the name of
    the Bronson Gate at Hollywood's Paramount Studios,
    which in turn derived its name from Bronson Street.)


    Scenes of the main cave entrance are normally filmed in a manner
    that shows the entrance at an angle.
    This is because the cave is actually a very short tunnel through the hill,
    with the rear opening easily visible in a direct shot.
    The most well known appearance of the tunnel entrance is likely
    as the entrance to the Batcave in the Batman
    television series of the 1960s.


    For more information:
    Bronson Canyon- Wikipedia
    _______________________________________________________________________________________
    Red Rock Canyon


    California/ Nevada


    Many Movies, particularly westerns were made here,
    Including Duke's
    Pals of The Saddle
    Lawless Frontier




    Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada
    is an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management
    as part of its National Landscape Conservation System,
    and protected as a National Conservation Area.
    It is located about 15 miles (24 km) west of Las Vegas,
    and easily seen from the Las Vegas Strip.
    The area is visited by over 1 million visitors each year.




    The conservation area showcases a set of large red rock formations:
    a set of sandstone peaks and walls called the Keystone Thrust.
    The walls are up to 3,000 feet (910 m) high.
    The highest point is La Madre Mountain, at 8,154 feet (2,485 m).




    Geology
    An outcrop of Aztec Sandstone


    The Red Rock Area has a complex geological history, which over millions of years,
    helped to create the dramatic landscape that characterizes the region.


    The Red Rock area was located under a deep ocean basin
    during the Paleozoic Era 600 million years ago.
    Sediments up to 9,000 feet thick were deposited,
    and eventually lithified.
    This sediment eventually formed into limestone.


    .



    Around the Mesozoic Era 250 million years ago, the earth's crust
    started to rise due to tectonic shifts, forcing the water out and leaving
    behind evaporite formations of salt and gypsum.
    Exposure of the former sea bed allowed some of the rocks to oxidize
    (literally rust) and formed the area's characteristic red and orange rock layers.


    Eventually a lush plain with streams and trees developed in the area.
    Some of these trees were covered with mud from the streams
    and eventually became petrified wood.
    Many of these fossilized logs can still be found today at the base of the Wilson Cliffs.




    By 180 million years ago, the climate continued to change and the area
    became a desert featuring vast expanses of huge shifting sand dunes.
    These dunes would pile up and were lithified, and are now called Aztec Sandstone.
    During a mountain building period called the Laramide orogeny
    around 65 million years ago, the Keystone Thrust Fault developed,
    which ran through most of North America and through the
    Red Rock Conservation Area.
    The movement of this fault forced the older grey sedimentary rock
    over the younger red rocks, forming the striking red line that
    can be seen in the mountain today.


    For more information:-
    Red Rock Canyon-Wikipedia
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
    Death Valley


    California/Nevada


    Scenes from
    3 Godfathers
    filmed here






    Death Valley is a desert located in Eastern California.
    Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest location
    in North America.
    Badwater, a basin located within Death Valley,
    Death Valley holds the record for the highest reliably reported temperature in the Western hemisphere, 134 °F (56.7 °C) at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913
    —just short of the world record, 136 °F (57.8 °C)
    in Al 'Aziziyah, Libya, on September 13, 1922.




    Located near the border of California and Nevada,
    in the Great Basin, east of the Sierra Nevada mountains,
    Death Valley constitutes much of Death Valley National Park
    and is the principal feature of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve.
    It is located mostly in Inyo County, California.
    It runs from north to south between the Amargosa Range
    on the east and the Panamint Range on the west;
    the Sylvania Mountains and the Owlshead Mountains form
    its northern and southern boundaries, respectively.
    It has an area of about 3,000 sq mi (7,800 km2).
    Death Valley shares many characteristics with other places below sea level.


    For more information:-
    Death Valley-Wikipedia
    _____________________________________________________________________________
    Donner Lake


    Truckee, California


    The movie
    Island In The Sky
    was filmed here




    Donner Lake is a natural alpine type body of water
    which lies almost exactly "True" East/West, along the Eastern edge
    of the Sierra Nevada Range (no "s" on the end, "Sierra Nevada" is already plural),
    in the Tahoe National Forest.
    Bounded at the West, by the infamous Donner Summit; on the North,
    by Donner Ridge along which runs Inter-State 80; at the East,
    by the Donner Memorial State Park; and the South, by Shallenburger Ridge
    along which the main East-West Union Pacific Rail Road tracks and their
    "snow sheds" are located.
    The Lake itself is totally within Nevada County (Town of Truckee);
    however, along the south side of the Lake, the Nevada/Placer County Lines
    parallels the Lake and some subdivisions straddle this line.


    For more photographs:-
    Donner Lake- Google Images


    For more information:-
    Donner Lake- Wikipedia
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
    Lucerne Dry Lake


    Caifornia


    The famous Indian
    Stagecoach
    attack was made here




    The chase by Indians was staged at Lucerne Dry Lake
    near Victorville, California, recreated by stunt artist Yakima Canutt
    from the 1937 Monogram movie Riders of the Dawn,
    which was filmed at the same location.
    To soften the ground for filming, 20 acres of ground had to be dug up by tractor


    ...


    ...
    ______________________________________________________________________________
    Beales Cut


    Newhall, California


    Scenes from
    Stagecoach
    were filmed here



    Stagecoach coming through


    Beale's Cut
    The steep pass was made easier for stagecoach traffic with a 30-foot (9.1 m)
    deep cut made by Phineas Banning in 1854 as part of a road
    he built to provide service to Fort Tejon.
    This slot-like roadway was called Beale's Cut,and it appeared
    in many silent western movies.


    The location became a favorite of movie producers like John Ford and D. W. Griffith.
    In Ford's 1923 film Three Jumps Ahead American film actor Tom Mix is filmed
    jumping over the pass.
    John Ford used the location in at least four films
    over a twenty year period beginning as early as 1917.


    ...


    From Duke's Stagecoach
    In the movie this was depicted as the entrance to the above!


    For more information:-
    Newhall Pass (Beales Pass)-Wikipedia
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
    Big Bear Lake


    San Bernardino, California


    Scenes from
    The Shepherd Of The Hills
    and
    North To Alaska
    filmed here, and many more westerns and series




    Big Bear Valley was first occupied by the Serrano Indians
    approximately 3,000 years ago. In 1845, while in pursuit of Indians,
    Benjamin D. Wilson discovered and named Bear Valley because
    "the place was alive with bears!"



    In 1860 William Holcomb was hunting bear and discovered gold instead!
    What followed was Southern California's largest gold rush.
    Big Bear's first dam, completed in 1884, was soon followed
    by the Valley's first hotel in 1888. In 1949 the first ski resort opened
    and Big Bear Lake soon became Southern California's favorite mountain getaway.




    Hollywood also has a history in Big Bear.
    Since the filming of "The Call of the North" in 1914,
    so many motion pictures have been shot in Big Bear Valley that it has been
    called "Hollywood's back lot."
    "Paint Your Wagon," "The Parent Trap," "Bonanza,"
    "Kissin' Cousins," "Yukon Gold" and "Dr. Dolittle" are just
    a few of the memorable films that have been shot on
    location in Big Bear Valley.


    For more information:-
    Big Bear Lake- Wikipedia
    Big Bear Lake-Web-Site
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
    Mammoth Lakes


    California


    Scenes from
    True Grit
    shot here



    The Mammoth Lakes area is in east-central California,
    southeast of Yosemite National Park, and includes the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area,
    widely considered one of the best ski resort areas in the United States,
    and the adjacent town of Mammoth Lakes.
    This general area also includes Crowley Lake, Rock Creek Canyon,
    Devils Postpile National Monument, June Lake, June Mountain Ski Area,
    Bodie State Historic Park, Mono Lake, and the Ansel Adams
    and John Muir Wilderness Areas.


    For more photographs:-
    Mammoth Lakes- Google Images


    For more information:-
    Mammoth Lakes- Wikipedia
    ________________________________________________________________________________
    Owens Valley


    California



    Owens Valley is the arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California
    in the United States, to the east of the Sierra Nevada
    and west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains
    . The mountain peaks on either side (including Mount Whitney)
    reach above 14,000 feet (4,300 m) in elevation,
    while the floor of the Owens Valley is at 4,000 feet (1,200 m),
    making the valley one of the deepest in the United States
    The Sierra Nevada casts the valley in a rain shadow,
    which makes Owens Valley "the Land of Little Rain."
    The bed of Owens Lake, now a predominantly dry endorheic alkali flat,
    sits on the southern end of the valley.



    For more information:-
    Owens Valley- Wikipedia
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
    Kernville


    California


    Most of the Lone Star movies were filmed here.
    Stagecoach
    and
    In Old California
    scenes shot in Kernville




    Kernville is in the southern Sierra Nevadas, in Kern County,
    California, United States.
    Kernville is located 42 miles (68 km) northeast of Bakersfield,
    at an elevation of 2667 feet (813 m).




    For more information:-
    Kernville- Wikipedia

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 55 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Yes, these very distinctive rocks at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park seem to show up in many a movie, TV show or commercial. I've gotten to where I'm almost looking for them to show.
    I suspect the fee the County charges (low) may inter into the picture also.


    Chester :newyear:

  • A beautiful area to be sure, Mr Brother and his family live just east of the town of Truckee. Many times in the winter it can be the coldest location in the continental US, with snow drifts 20 feet deep. Burrr.
    There many areas around there where one could be lost in the snow, never to be seen again. But Great skiing!



    Chester :newyear:

  • About four and a half years ago on the first page of this thread someone had asked if anyone knew where the filming location was for the "dugout" scene. There were some attempts to try and nail it down but no one ever did quite hit the mark. I've been there several times over the past 35 years and have photographed it myself as part of a photo assignment I had back then. It is in an area known as Hot Creek, California and it is but a mere stone's throw from the Mammoth Lakes Airport. The airfield has only one N/S runway and is bordered on the West by Hwy 395 (split 4 lane).

    Just past the airport (travelling north) is a small 2 lane ashphalt road called: "Hot Creek Hatchery Rd". In about less than 2 miles and travelling east there will be several choices along hot creek to park your vehicle and walk down into the creek. The steam vents are most spectacular during late autumn when the early morning air is cold and crisp.

    I'm going to take the liberty of posting some screen shots from 3 of the most well known movies that were shot there and also one of my own shots at the end to show how different one location can look depending upon one's point of view......



    Jenny's honeymoon cabin - North to Alaska 1959/60




    North to Alaska




    North to Alaska




    JW in North to Alaska - Mt peak on the right is Mt. Whitney, Calif.




    North to Alaska




    Nevada Smith 1965/66 - Steve McQueen and Brian Keith




    Brian Keith in Nevada Smith




    True Grit 1968/69 - Dugout shown in lower left - Ned Pepper's gang riding up in center of frame.




    This is how I photographed the same scene in 1984. Late Autumn and slightly further downstream and "leaning" further out toward the creek in order to include the mountain shown in upper left of the frame. I used a slightly longer than normal lens in order to "compress" the image somewhat and lend more 'drama' to the mountains in the background.




    Ten years ago I had this same image printed on a 28X40 inch stretched canvas and it has hung in my den ever since. I never get tired of looking at it....great memories.

  • thanks for the great photo's of hot creek in mammoth lakes.still tooks the same 15 years after true grit.i wounder does it still look's like that today.also a scene from from hell to texas where don murray comes across chill wills and diane varsi,as they were making camp.

  • About four and a half years ago on the first page of this thread someone had asked if anyone knew where the filming location was for the "dugout" scene. There were some attempts to try and nail it down but no one ever did quite hit the mark. I


    Thanks for the great photos, but I believe we did nail down the location!
    see this post from way back


    http://www.dukewayne.com/showthread.php?t=1823&page=3


    Not as good as the photos you have posted,
    but points out that True Grit, North To Alaska and
    Nevada Smith were filmed at Mammoth Lakes
    at Mammoth Lakes


    I have also copied your post over to
    Duke's Movie Locations- California

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().

  • John Wayne – Signature Architecture

    Dan Joseph Architects is seeking an appropriate location and unique client interest for a John Wayne – Brand Endoresed, Signature Home, Planned Community, Camp or Boutique Hotel.

    Public interest stories and media coverage of the final built response is sure to be a positive plug for any community. Contact Dan at [email protected] for more information.