Western RoundUp: Lone Pine Film Locations
In past Western RoundUp columns, I’ve written on multiple occasions about Westerns filmed in Lone Pine, California.
Countless Westerns were filmed in Lone Pine’s Alabama Hills and other nearby areas. Past columns include a look at Hop-a-Long Cassidy (1935) On Location in Lone Pine and Lone Pine Favorites; the latter column includes photos of Lone Pine locations from Rawhide (1951), 7 Men From Now (1956), and The Hired Gun (1957).
It’s great fun for a Western fan to explore the area and see where favorite films were shot. For this month’s column, here’s a look at a few more Western locations filmed in the Lone Pine area.
The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939)
Cesar Romero plays the Cisco Kid in a very enjoyable film which I saw for the first time at this year’s Lone Pine Film Festival.
In a story somewhat reminiscent of the oft-filmed Three Godfathers story, the genial bandit the Cisco Kid and his friend Gordito (Chris-Pin Martin) find a dead miner’s baby in the middle of the desert. The baby ends up in the care of a lovely schoolteacher (Marjorie Weaver); meanwhile, the Cisco Kid works to locate the mine which is the baby’s inheritance.
After seeing the movie, we went on a tour of the locations with guide Greg Parker, who prepared a booklet of screenshots for us to compare to the actual locations.
Here are two examples of screenshots and my photos of the actual Alabama Hills locations, which haven’t changed a bit since filming. A few decades are but a blip of an eye in the history of these rocks!
Yellow Sky (1948)
Yellow Sky is a terrific William Wellman Western starring Gregory Peck as an outlaw, with Anne Baxter as a woman Peck and his gang (including Richard Widmark and John Russell) meet while hiding in a ghost town.
I wrote about the movie in my 2018 Lone Pine Favorites column, but at the time I didn’t have location photos to share. This year we did some exploring on our own and found the water hole seen in the movie.
First, here are a couple of screenshots of the area as seen in the film. That’s Baxter standing on a rock while holding a rifle; Russell is drinking water at the bottom of the photo.
Compare those scenes to the actual location, seen below; the water hole was located in the foreground. We were delighted to discover that a tiny man-made “dam” created by the filming crew to create the water hole still exists today.
Visitors to the Alabama Hills can also find permanent changes left behind by the crews of several other films, including Army Girl (1938), Gunga Din (1939), The Hitch-Hiker (1953), and King of the Khyber Rifles (1953); they might not be readily apparent to the casual observer, but those in the know can spot them easily.
The Law and Jake Wade (1958)
Robert Taylor plays Marshal Jake Wade, who repays an old debt when he busts outlaw Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark) out of jail.
The ungrateful Clint later takes Jake and Jake’s girlfriend Peggy (Patricia Owens) hostage, and they ultimately have a confrontation in a ghost town.
Unlike many Westerns shot in the Lone Pine area, The Law and Jake Wade didn’t film in the Alabama Hills; instead, the crew built a ghost town on the opposite side of town, in the same area where a town was built a couple of years earlier for Bad Day at Black Rock (1955).
Like movies filmed in the Alabama Hills, the ghost town scenes have the same great views of Lone Pine Peak and Mount Whitney in the background.
…and I also have a 2019 photograph of tour guide Jerry Condit holding a still of the ghost town set:
The Tall T (1957)
The Tall T is one of the outstanding Westerns Randolph Scott made in collaboration with director Budd Boetticher.
For the majority of the film, Scott and Maureen O’Sullivan are held prisoner by outlaw Richard Boone at a cave.
Ride Lonesome (1959)
I wrote about another Scott-Boetticher film, Ride Lonesome, in my very first Western RoundUp column. It’s a film I’ve seen multiple times, which gets better on each viewing.
This year our friend, Lone Pine tour guide Don Kelsen, took us and a few other people on a hike to a location seen at the beginning of the movie. It was a bit of an uphill climb getting there, but very worthwhile!
Here’s a screenshot of an opening scene in the film where Randolph Scott captures James Best:
And here’s the location today. The rocks in the screenshot can easily be matched up with this photo.
Visiting film locations such as these is both fun and informative, giving the Western fan new perspectives to appreciate when watching films made in Lone Pine.
The photographs of the Alabama Hills accompanying this article are from the author’s personal collection.
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– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub
Laura can be found at her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she’s been writing about movies since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film fan, Laura loves the classics including Disney, Film Noir, Musicals, and Westerns. She regularly covers Southern California classic film festivals. Laura will scribe on all things western at the ‘Western RoundUp’ for CMH.
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I love exploring around the Alabama Hills and retracing the steps of the filmmakers who were inspired by the amazing scenery. I recently viewed the Criterion release of HIGH SIERRA and was once again awed by the chase scene at the film’s end, where Humphrey Bogart drives up what is now the Mt. Whitney Portal Road. The twists and turns haven’t changed over the years, but thankfully it’s paved these days! Part of my Lone Pine and Alabama Hills itinerary when I have been fortunate to visit and explore the Highway 395 corridor so rich in scenery and rich film history.
It would be just amazing to stand on the spot where a scene from Yellow Sky or Tall T were filmed! Thanks so much for photos.
Yes, I totally agree with Vienna. If we can’t get there ourselves then your amazing location comparisons are the next best thing, Laura. Thanks for bringing this to us once again.
Thank you Laura … how fun! (and educational to boot)
Once you go near this subject, you oughta mention ‘on location in long pine’. I’m not home or I’d give you Dave’s last name.
I’m very appreciative of you all reading this column and letting me know you’ve enjoyed it! It really is both profound and educational to stand in the same places where such wonderful films were made.
Erik, I’m glad you’ve been able to visit Lone Pine. Perhaps you were also able to see the HIGH SIERRA car in the Museum of Western Film History?
David, I have mentioned Dave Holland’s great and very helpful book ON LOCATION IN LONE PINE many times in my writing over the years, both here and at my personal blog; most recently I mentioned the book here in July’s Western Film Book Library column:
http://www.classicmoviehub.com/blog/western-roundup-western-film-book-library-part-5/
Thank you all very much for taking the time to read and comment!
Best wishes,
Laura
Laura, thank you for taking us along to the Lone Pine country. So many favorite movies have been filmed there over the years. The ones you wrote about here, and others. I would hope that some more good Western Movies would be filmed there. Do you know if any have been filmed there in recent years?
Look forward to your next write-up.
I loved this article! I was in Wyoming this summer, and got to visit the Vedauwoo area, which immediately reminded me of the Alabama Hills — similar stacky, rounded rocks. It was very easy to imagine there might be outlaws lurking just around the bend or on the other side of a boulder, just like I’ve seen in so many movies filmed in and around these hills 🙂
Walter and Rachel, I’m belatedly answering your comments which came when I was on a trip out of state. Thank you so much for reading and for taking the time to share your nice feedback. I’m delighted you enjoyed the column.
Walter, occasionally things have filmed in Lone Pine in recent years, including Westerns such as DJANGO UNCHAINED and THE LONE RANGER. Nothing like in years past, but still some occasional productions trek up there.
Rachel, fun to hear about that area of Wyoming!
Best wishes,
Laura
Best wishes,
Laura
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Nice memory jogger for me, we visited Lone Pine way back in October 1980. Unfortunately we were on a pre-planed self drive route from Bishop to Death Valley, stopping to fuel up and get food the petrol (gas) station had some clips of 35mm film about. Asking them they mentioned the Sierra Film Festival, so we had an hour at the hall where they had a few tables and I think Dave Holland with books and other people with various memorabilia. I think I still have the leaflet for the festival in my scrapbook. Lucky to visit back then, research was much harder then, now with the internet its so easy. Again we missed out in 1990 we were just passing though. I cannot find any information about the 1980 event though it all seems to start with the 1990 event. Thanks for the memory jog Best Wishes. David.
Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed the column, David. I’m so glad you were able to visit Lone Pine! I really enjoyed hearing of your past experiences. Glad to bring back some nice memories of a special place for you.
Best wishes,
Laura
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