Old Tucson Studios

Old Tucson Studios came to life in 1939 when Columbia Pictures chose a Pima County-owned site on which to build a replica of 1860's Tucson for the movie Arizona. The $2.5 million film starring William Holden and Jean Arthur, set a new standard of realism for Hollywood westerns, initiating the move away from studio backdrop movies to outdoor epics.

Local technicians and carpenters built the town from scratch, erecting more than 50 buildings in 40 days. Descendants of the Tohono O'odham, Arizona's first inhabitants formerly known as the Papago, assisted in the set production. Without the convenience of running water, they made more than 350,000 adobe bricks from the desert dirt to create authentic structures for the film. Many of those structures still stand today.

After the filming of Arizona, Old Tucson Studios lay dormant under the desert sun. The studio was revived only briefly for the films The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. Hollywood then began taking notice of Old Tucson Studios. In 1947, Gene Autrey starred in The Last Roundup, followed in 1950 by Jimmy Stewart in Winchester 73, and Ronald Reagan in The Last Outpost.

During the 1950's, the Western movie era was in full swing nationwide and Old Tucson Studios became a favorite filming locaiton. In the 50's alone, such classics as Gunfight at the OK Corral (1956) with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, The Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold (1957), and Cimarron (1959) with Glenn Ford were filmed at Old Tucson Studios.

During this era, many of the stars stayed at the nearby Flamingo hotel, built in 1952. Recently renovated, The Flamingo Hotel (www.flamingohoteltucson.com) has on display hundreds of rare and original movie posters, lobby cards, and photographs from nearly all of the over 70 films shot at Old Tucson Studios.

The stampede of movie productions during those early years include, The Deadly Companions (1961), starring Brian Keith and Maureen O'hara; Lilies of the Field (1962) starring Sidney Poitier; Have Gun Will Travel (1962); The Outrage (1964) and Hombre (1966) with Paul Newman; and episodes of Bonanza (1966, '71, '72); Death Valley Days (1966-69); and High Chaparral (1966-'71).

Although many of these films may be considered forgettable, they did establish Old Tucson Studios as the premier, privately owned, western film location. In 1968, a 13,000 square foot soundstage was built to give Old Tucson Studios complete moviemaking versatility. The first film to use the soundstage was Young Billy Young (1968), starring Robert Mitchum and Angie Dickenson. That same year, Shelton also purchased the Mescal property, Old Tucson's second filming location just 40 miles southeast of Tucson.

From 1970 to 1980 Old Tucson Studios and it Mescal property hosted 77 film and television productions including the Micahel Landon's Little House on the Prairie (1977-1983).

Through the lens of a camera, Old Tucson Studios has played a prominent roll in shaping the world's perception of the old west. Today, after six decades, hundreds of films and a devastating fire, the world famous film studio and western theme park continues to reign as America's "Hollywood in the Desert."