Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Off to Lone Pine!

My husband and I leave on Thursday morning for Lone Pine, California, site of this weekend's 25th Lone Pine Film Festival.

This will be our first visit to the festival, which we've wanted to attend for a number of years. Now that our children are older, the time has finally come! As many film fans are aware, hundreds of movies were filmed in the Alabama Hills outside Lone Pine.

I will have a media pass and plan to provide detailed coverage here upon my return. I will also be filing a report on the festival with the ClassicFlix site, and if all goes smoothly technologywise, I will be a guest on Alicia Mayer and Will McKinley's new weekend internet radio show, Hollywood Time Machine on L.A. Talk Radio. (Update: My participation on the show is now scheduled for October 18th, which will reduce the chances of a technical glitch connecting via cell phone.)

Some of the things on my tentative festival itinerary:

*A screening of Tim Holt's DYNAMITE PASS (1950), followed by a bus tour of the movie's locations

*A car caravan "Lone Pine Backlot Tour"

*A screening of GUNGA DIN (1939) with sound and special effects experts Ben Burtt (R2-D2!) and Craig Barron, who presented a similar talk on THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) at this year's TCM Classic Film Festival

*A talk by William Wellman Jr., whose father filmed movies in the Alabama Hills including YELLOW SKY (1948)

*A tour of the Anchor Ranch, a site used in many Westerns

*A talk by Sandra Scott Tyler, daughter of Randolph Scott, following a screening of COMANCHE STATION (1960)

*An interview with Bruce Boxleitner at a screening of THE MACAHANS (1976), a TV-movie he filmed with James Arness and Eva Marie Saint

We also hope to say hello to Joel McCrea's grandson Wyatt, who we've been fortunate to meet on our visits to the McCrea Ranch, and I would love to have Roy Rogers' daughter Cheryl sign her book COWBOY PRINCESS, which has been on my shelf for a decade now.

The schedule is subject to change, but that's an outline of what we hope to do this weekend!

Other guests expected in Lone Pine are Peggy Stewart, Johnny Crawford, Donna Martell, and the children of Clayton Moore, Richard Farnsworth, and William Witney, to name a few.

Stay tuned for a report here next week!

Photo posts from our summer trip to Lone Pine: Welcome to Lone Pine, A Visit to the Lone Pine Film History Museum, and Alabama Hills Movie Locations.

Update: All of my posts on the festival will be linked at the bottom of the post The 25th Lone Pine Film Festival in Review.

13 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Utterly awesome. I'll join you in my dreams! Can't wait for your report.

12:17 AM  
Blogger john k said...

I totally second what Vienna has already said....wonderful guests as well
and I hope you get to chat to as many of them as possible!
Off topic,but I was cheered up today to see that Network in the UK
are going to release Jacques Tourneur's very fine CIRCLE OF DANGER
in a new remaster from film elements.
Cannot wait to replace my very sub-par version of this great little
thriller.
Some great stuff in the pipeline from Network and they like to receive
suggestions for future releases and always reply to requests.
I'm hoping they might release the very fine JET STORM which I have just
requested from them. They are far and away the very best UK imprint
for re-issuing rare vintage films.

4:44 AM  
Blogger Jacqueline T. Lynch said...

Sounds like a smashing weekend. Have fun. Will look forward to your posts.

5:29 AM  
Blogger Jerry E said...

I will be with you in spirit, Laura, as well as watching my new copy of Tim Holt's "DYNAMITE PASS".

Some really interesting people to meet, including Randolph Scott's daughter (!) at the screening of the final Ranown film "COMANCHE STATION" - one of my absolute favourite Scott movies.

Have a wonderful time.

8:12 AM  
Blogger Laura said...

Thank you all so much for the good wishes! And thanks also to Barrylane for his note helping with my Wellman typo, all fixed! William Wellman Jr. and George Stevens Jr. blended in my mind. :)

Best wishes,
Laura

9:04 AM  
Blogger Robby Cress said...

Have a blast! Sounds like a fun filled weekend. Can't wait to read your posts from your trip :)

3:28 PM  
Blogger mel said...

Have a great time, and take lots of photos!

12:12 AM  
Blogger Jerry E said...

Hi Laura
Don't know whether you will be reading this while you are away but I just finished watching "DYNAMITE PASS". Cannot wait to read your opinion of it, or even better a full review of it.
I found it to be among the best of Holt's fine series. Well directed by Lew Landers with good use of running inserts and stunning location shooting in the Alabama Hills and Lone Pine plus a supporting cast that gives it real class - John Dehner, Don Haggerty, Denver Pyle, Don C. Harvey etc.

2:49 AM  
Blogger Laura said...

Jerry, so glad you have the movie. Thoroughly enjoyed it and just back from walking over pretty much every location seen in the film including where Tim shot the chain across the toll road and where Chito and Regis Toomey took cover in the gunfight while Tim went for help. Put my hand right on the spot where Regis had his rifle propped. Amazing time with people who appreciate the movies like we do.

We chuckled wondering what Tim and Richard would have thought if they'd known 60+ years later people would be crawling through the rocks with screen captures from their movies matching up the locations with shots!

Best wishes,
Laura

11:08 AM  
Blogger KC said...

Sounds exciting! Can't wait to hear about it and catch you on Hollywood Time Machine.

8:57 AM  
Blogger Jerry E said...

Wouldn't they just, Laura!! I like to fantasise that Tim and Richard are looking down on us still watching their great little films and visiting location sites with much pleasure.....

3:58 AM  
Blogger Raquel S. said...

Congrats on the media pass, the ClassicFlix assignment and the spot on the radio show. Wow! You are going places. I'm very proud of you.

1:19 PM  
Blogger Laura said...

KC, thank you! Looks like Hollywood Time Machine is set for the 18th, and I'll confirm that on the blog later in the week.

Jerry, love that. One certainly feels the presence of Tim, Richard, Audie, and so many, many others out in the Alabama Hills.

Raquel, your congratulations and encouragement mean so much. Thank you! I'm delighted to know you've enjoyed my coverage.

Best wishes,
Laura

6:50 PM  

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