Old Tucson Studios

by Paul J Lawton

Overview

In 1939, Columbia Pictures based a film on Clarence Kelland's book Arizona, set during the Civil War in Arizona Territory. To accurately portray the novel's landscape, Columbia selected a spot about 10 miles from what is now downtown Tucson in the middle of a large Pima County park for the filming. In 1959, Bob Shelton, a Kansas City developer, purchased the lot, determined to build an active movie studio and tourist attraction. His vision was successful, and Old Tucson Studios has set the stage for over 200 movies and television shows. As Western movies regain their popularity in the box office, the future looks bright for Old Tucson Studios to become a premier filming site in Arizona.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781531635909
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing Library Editions
Publication date:	05/21/2008
Pages:	130
Product dimensions:	6.69(w) x 9.61(h) x 0.38(d)

About the Author

Author Paul J. Lawton served as deputy sheriff of the Pima County Sheriff's Department for 25 years and, in 1998, became the chief pyro technician and armorer at Old Tucson Studios. He has previously written three other books: The Last Full Measure: Law Enforcement Deaths in Arizona, Old Tucson: Then and Now, and Hollywood in the Desert: The Films of Old Tucson. In this volume, he has gathered

together more than 200 vintage photographs from a forgotten cache of records discovered in wake of a devastating 1995 fire at the studios.