Old Tucson: on set with John Wayne

Old Tucson

Old Tucson

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West of Tucson, just a minute or ten from the city, lies the famous movie studios of the Old West: Old Tucson. And last weekend we decided to pay it a visit.

70 years ago a Western called 'Arizona' was the start of the movie studios and theme park 'Old Tucson. Workers built more than 50 buildings in no less than 40 days and many of those structures are still standing now. Opened to the public in the sixties, it continued to be a popular movie set for Western films and each film added more buildings to the park. Even though a fire almost destroyed the park in 1995, it re-opened to the public two years later again with an additional set of completely new buildings.

John Wayne, Ingrid Bergman, Ronald Reagan, Kurt Russell, Will Smith and Leonardo DiCaprio all filmed movies at these studios. And TV series like the High Chaparral and Little House on the Prairie used the location for multiple episodes. The set from the High Chaparral is still completely intact and open to visitors.

When entering the park we immediately got caught into a nice walking tour by a Western movie veteran. The old man took us around Old Tucson and told a lively story about the historics, while he re-enacted entire parts of the scripts of some of the classics. While the older listeners were actively participating in his acts, we as younger Europeans showed little recognision. Except ofcourse when he mentioned the contemporary stars like Will Smith and good old Leo Dicaprio. But it could be worse: the man told us about a group of teenagers, who didn't even blink by hearing the name John Wayne...

But even if you didn't see any of the classic Western movies filmed here, Old Tucson will sure keep you busy. From free walking tours around the premises to live dance and singing performances at the Saloon, a Parade through 'mains street' and a daily stuntshow.

You can also take a nice little train around the grounds, visit the museum to learn all about the movies filmed here or just walk around like John Wayne used to do. Especially a walk to the remote High Chaparral set will give you the true Old West feeling.

After a day at Old Tucson, we are now truly considering a career change...