As we were welcomed into the Alabama Hills, we had a self-guided tour booklet from the movie museum that took us to 10 movie locations. Such fun to follow their directions and match their picture to what we were seeing.
#1 – Gunga Din Tent City – housed the cast and crew during the making of the movie.
“This is a classic heroic adventure—full of both courage and comedy—set in 19th century India, and inspired by the famous Rudyard Kipling poem. Gary Grant, Victor McLaglen and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. play three rowdy British soldiers who with their loyal water-bearer Gunga Din, played by Sam Jaffe, must stop a major uprising by a murderous cult.”
#2 Showdown
“Fugitive Audie Murphy must escape both the law and the outlaws in pursuit of the money, the girl and a happy ending. Before becoming a Hollywood star, Murphy was already famous as the most decorated combat soldier of World War II. The 1955 movie To Hell and Back, starring Murphy and based on his autobiography, was Universal’s biggest-grossing picture until surpassed by Jaws in 1975.
Notice the road—with modern vehicle tracks—in the foreground of the photo from the movie!”
#3 Rawhide grave site
“No relation to the TV series, this story takes place entirely at a stagecoach stop that’s taken over by escaped convicts with intent to intercept a shipment of gold. Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward play the leading roles. Director Henry Hathaway was a master of both Westerns and film noir; in this film the Western setting is incidental to the suspenseful drama.”
#4 Gunga Din – Tantrapur
“The cult of murderers takes over the remote village of Tantrapur at the beginning of the film, and when our heroes are sent to find out why the telegraph line is down, a wild battle takes place among these rocks and walls. The Alabama Hills are a convincing stand-in for northern India, with the Sierra posing as the Himalayas—although the well-know jagged profile of Mt. Whitney, highest peak in the lower 48 states, is obvious in the upper left background of this shot.”
#5 The Gay Caballero
“Cesar Romero plays The Cisco Kid—a Robin Hood-like character invented by the great short-story writer O. Henry—responding to rumors of his own death, linked to an attempt to blame him for evildoings that were really the work of a lady outlaw.”
#6 The Tall T
“In this tense, critically-acclaimed Western, Randolph Scott plays the brave cowboy trying to defend his kidnapped fellow stagecoach passengers from a gang of violent outlaws led by Richard Boone. The two men in leadership roles come to respect one another but know that one must die. The U.S. Library of Congress preserves this as a ‘culturally significant’ film in the National Film Registry.”
#7 Gunga Din – Bridge
“This bridge is featured in more than one scene and contributes to both humor and suspense. The film was a Oscar nominee for Best Cinematography. Clever camera work combined with simple special effects technology made it look as if the bridge hangs from towering rocks and swings across a vast gorge. But if you watch closely, in shots from above the bridge you can see the sagebrush just a few feet beneath!”
#8 How the West Was Won
“For this epic tale of America westward expansion as experience by
three generations of a pioneer family, MGM procured a star-studded cast plus 630 horses, 150 mules, 107 wagons and 1500 pairs of moccasins.” This road is along a steep arroyo, a favorite place for sending
wagons over the edge.
#9 Hell Bent for Leather
“This story of mistaken identity, false charges and lovely hostage—familiar themes from other Western movies on this tour—starred Audie Murphy and Felicia Farr, but the damsel in distress in this scene would be Polly Burson, ‘Queen of Western Stuntwomen,’ who began rodeo trick-riding as a girl and went on to a long and successful Hollywood career.”
This is the same ravine as the previous picture but at a different angle.
#10 Rawhide – Stage Station
“When word comes to this stage station that four convicts are on the
loose nearby, a female passenger with a baby girl is told they must
wait here until the escapees are found . . . .”
[never a good idea]
other side of the boulder in the front of the picture
Some other locations
Lone Ranger canyon
Tremors!
his buddies ran to to get away from the graboids
Did you have fun exploring with us? We enjoyed figuring out these spots. Later on we’ll spend a night camping out in this area, but first, Mt. Whitney Portal.
