Images of Old Tucson: Western Feature Filmmaking in the Desert

by Michael J. Bifulco

Originally constructed in 1939 by Columbia Pictures for the epic Arizona starring Jean Arthur and William Holden, the location was salvaged and developed in later years to serve as the backdrop for dozens of cowboy movies including those featured on the back cover of this book. Inside, you will be treated to memorable images devoted to some of the Westerns filmed on the uniquely southwestern landscape that eventually became known as Old Tucson. Although by no means the definitive study of all the film production at the Old Tucson Studio, this book is affectionately dedicated to the Western film fans who remember what it was like to walk the same dusty, wind-blown streets where John Wayne, Dean Martin, Walter Brennan, Randolph Scott, Audie Murphy, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Clint Eastwood, Ronald Reagan, Robert Mitchum, Glenn Ford, William Holden, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, and Gene Autry once walked in some of my favorite movies filmed at the location before the tragic fire of 1995. Hopefully, this essay of text and over 220 images will trigger some memories of what this famous film location means to you.