Scenic 395 - The Official Guide 2023

2023 Scenic 395 25 Lone Pine Lone Pine Museum of Western Film History embedded with ‘stars’ By Darla A. Baker The Daily Independent The next time you are in Lone Pine, visit the Museum of Western FilmHistory, locat- ed at 701 S. Main St. If you are a lover of Western or Sci Fi movies, or movie stars in general, you won’t be disap- pointed. The museum is rich in old and new legends of the silver screen, or to be specific, the Western screen. Gallery exhibits include memorabilia and information gathered from as far back as the silent screen days to the latest releases. What makes Lone Pine the ideal location for a Museum of Western FilmHistory is the epic landscapes of the region, including Owens Valley, the Alabama Hills, Sierra Nevada and Death Valley. The landscape has attracted talent and production crews for over 100 years. According to the museum’s website, “The Museum of Western FilmHistory honors the men and women of the silver screen who interpret the lives of the American Cowboy; the legendary iconic movie and TV heroes and heroines of America’s 19th and 20th centuries. In addition, the mu- seum collects and shares more contemporary movie making in the regional area of Inyo County, such as sci-fi genres and other cinematic references to the local landscape.” History of the museum Founded in 2006, the mu- seum’s curators have since collected, preserved and exhibited a broad and diverse collection of western film memorabilia associated with the American western film genre. Exhibits include film programs and other interpre- tive projects and displays that highlight the movies filmed there as well as the actors, directors and producers who have used “the landscapes that served as a canvas for their stories.” Each year, the museum attracts visitors and tourists from around the world as it said to be one of the largest and most significant film his- tory collections in the United States. Lone Pine Film Festival To celebrate the productions that continue to be filmed in the area and the featured talent, the museum hosts its annual Lone Pine Film Fes- tival each year in October. The festival is a three day event chock full of screen- ings, panels, western authors and Hollywood profession- al presentations. Festival goers have the opportunity to tour the geographical movie sites where over 400 films and 1,000 commercials The museum is the only one of its kind that chronicles western film history and culture dating back to 1920 when Hollywood first noticed Lone Pine. And, filming of movies and com- mercials continue to this day. Most recently, scenes for the Academy Award-winning “Gladiator”, Disney’s “Dino- saur”, “G.I. Jane”, “Maver- ick” and “The Shadow” were shot in the Alabama Hills. The natural scenery remains un- spoiled and unchanged since that first film in 1920, a silent Western for Paramount called “The Round Up” with Fatty Arbuckle. Great legends have traversed the dirt roads of the Alabama Hills such as JohnWayne who appears in 12 movies filmed in the area, Hoot Gibson, Buck Jones and Ken Maynard, as Film historian Marc Wanamaker poses for a picture after his popular talk on female performers in early westerns at the Museum of Western Film History during the 32nd Lone Pine Film Festival Oct. 8, 2022. Photo by Jessica Weston Continued on Page 26