Old Tucson

The very last stop with David was at Old Tucson. I had never even heard of it, and it is pretty cool. It’s a whole area dedicated to Western movie studio sets, and also used as a theme park. So, it’s both a modern day (with a lot of history) place to shoot movies, but also a place to bring the family for fun.

The set was built originally in 1939, but has since been used as the film setting for over 400 movies and TV shows. Many of them are famous, like Gunfight at the OK Corral, and Little House on the Prairie. More modern movies include Three Amigos! (1986), Young Guns II (1990), the awesome Tombstone (1993), and Buffalo Soldiers (1997).

All the old classic actors have acted here: Bing Crosby, Gene Autry, Ingrid Bergman, Angie Dickinson, Jimmie Stewart and the one and only John Wayne, to name just a few. Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman were here in The Quick and the Dead (1995).

There was a devastating fire in 1995 that destroyed some unreplaceable movie memorabilia as well as buildings, and it seems to have been used less often or maybe for less famous movies since then. It has also been the setting for video game scenes, and if that isn’t changing with the times I don’t know what is.

Today, actors roam the streets in authentic clothing, acting out scenes, performing on stage, or just gambling with fake money. I’m sure it’s a good way to practice acting for people trying to keep up their skills.

At one point we were talked into attending a show. It was free, so the price was right. I’ve seen these before at similar theme parks – a silly show filled with gags, that still entertains.

When we walked to the old mission church, a security guard spotted our big cameras. She asked us to wait until all the other tourists were gone, then she asked us to follow her, “You are going to love this.” Down the street where people otherwise weren’t allowed to walk, she showed us a distant movie set. She absolutely beamed as she showed us. I didn’t recognize it at all, and didn’t find it any more remarkable than the rest of the place, but dutifully took pictures and said, “Wow!” and “Awesome!” to make her feel good. It was a neat scene, and I was grateful that she had done something special for us.

Then the security guard took us back and showed us how to get another shot of the movie set out there.

We thanked her and moved on to catch more cool shots of the fake town.

We decided it was time to go home so I could pack and leave. I was again stunned into admiration of the desert, so David had to stop again for a few more photos.

I packed up, hugged my cousin goodbye, and hit the highway to head north to Phoenix. I dropped off my car at the airport and my friends Bill & Mikki picked me up and took me out to dinner at their favourite Mexican place. I took a couple more photos – this time of Phoenix – from the top of the parking garage.

Bill retired from a long career with the National Weather Service, where he was my supervisor at the beginning of my career in meteorology (we bonded because both of us were originally trained in the Air Force). His wife Mikki was a beloved school teacher for many years. They retired in Scottsdale, but keep a summer home in Vermont, where they lived most of their lives. Neither of them has lost their North Country accents and they are marvelous! 🙂

The next morning they took me to the airport and I flew home to Portland. Can you believe all that visiting took less than a week? What an amazing visit. I am already hoping to return to Arizona.