A New Owner Welcomes a Western Film Legend
In 1959, Midwest entrepreneur Robert Shelton
saw more than an antiquated movie set when he set eyes on Old Tucson Studios. He saw potential for expanding it from the ghost town it had become into a viable movie studio and family attraction. Shelton leased the property from Pima County and began to restore the forgotten town. Old Tucson Studios re-opened in 1960, as a film studio and a family fun park as well.
The park continued to grow, literally building by building, with each movie filmed on its dusty streets. Western film legend John Wayne, who soon became friends with studio owner Shelton, starred in
four movies at Old Tucson Studios and each production added buildings to the town. Rio Bravo (1959) added a saloon, bank building and doctor's office; from MCLINTOCK! (1963) came the McLintock Hotel;
El Dorado (1967) left Old Tucson Studios with a facelift on Front Street; and from Rio Lobo (1970) came a cantina, a granite lined creek, a jail and Phillip's ranch house.
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). Old Tucson Studios became the premier, privately owned, western film location. In 1968, a 13,000 square foot soundstage was built to give Old Tucson Studios complete
movie-making 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. |
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