Round Robin: On Location in Tucson, AZ!

For the Round Robin Challenge: On Location, Carly asked to see iconic sights in our home city or town that had appeared on tv or in film - or if they hadn't, they ought to. Tucson has a fairly active film and tv industry, centered mostly around Westerns. Naturally, how much Western shooting gets done depends a lot on whether Westerns as a genre are in vogue in any given year. But when there are Westerns made here, or parts of them, a lot of it takes place at Tucson's combined film studio, back lot and tourist attraction: Old Tucson Studios. I didn't have a chance to get out there for this Challenge, but I have quite a bit of archive material on the place. I hope you don't mind!

Films made at Old Tucson rang from the sublime to the ridiculous. I can't remember whether this mission church is the same one used in the Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Martin Short film Three Amigos, or whether this one was recreated for the stunt show seen here. For a film of highlights from this stunt show see Old Tucson Stunt Show 2005 on my YouTube channel, here:

 In season (they close for the hot summer), when not filming movies, tv shows or commercials, this place is largely all about the stunt shows. They're not all the same show, either. In this one, the guy on this balcony...

 ...is witness to a hanging!

This old locomotive has appeared in lots of movies and tv shows. Unfortunately it was among the many things damaged in an arson fire a decade ago.

The house behind the marshal here is from the tv series The High Chaparral. I also have a picture of the same guy in front of a building labeled McClintock, named after a John Wayne film. Rio Bravo was also filmed here.

Other iconic film locations in and around Tucson include Sabino Canyon, where other parts of Three Amigos were filmed, and the Boneyard of dead airplanes, where at least one film had its climactic confrontation. Oh, and the old courthouse downtown, which I've also photographed before, was the scene of a Route 66 episode called "How Much a Pound is Albatross?" starring Julie Newmar.

 Karen

Now let's see who else has locations to show us. Looks like it's just me and Carly so far. But it's not too late for YOU to join in!

Linking List
as of Saturday, June 1st, 1 AM MST

Karen - Posted!
Outpost Mâvarin
http://outmavarin.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/mavarin
http://www.youtube.com/user/Mavarin
@mavarin

Carly - Posted!
Ellipsis
http://ellipsissuddenlycarly.blogspot.com