Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Filming Location: Gallup, New Mexico.


Gallup, New Mexico, was founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. The City was named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. It is the most populous city between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Arizona.Gallup is sometimes called the "Indian Capital of the World", for its location in the heart of Native American lands, and the presence of Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and other tribes. The historic El Rancho Hotel & Motel has hosted movie stars: John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, Gregory Peck and Burt Lancaster. The rugged terrain surrounding Gallup was popular with Hollywood filmmakers during the 1940s and 1950s for the on-location shooting of Westerns. Actors and film crews would stay at the hotel during filming. Films made in Gallup included Billy the Kid (1930), Pursued (1947), The Sea of Grass (1947), Four Faces West (1948),Rocky Mountain (1950), Only the Valiant (1951), Ace in the Hole (1951), Escape from Fort Bravo (1953), A Distant Trumpet (1964) and The Hallelujah Trail (1965).

Ace in the Hole (1951). Cast: Kirk Douglas as a disgraced reporter, who stops at nothing to try to land a job on a major newspaper.

5 comments:

Ron Scheer said...

Dawn, I'm going to have to read your entire blog. This is right up my alley. And thanks for the generous link to my site. I'm still learning about different Hollywood locations, and I did not know about Gallup's film history.

I've seen ACE IN THE HOLE and consider it one of Kirk's Douglas' best. If I remember right, there's a big panoramic boom shot near the end outside the cave and overlooking all the people who have gathered there.

Dawn said...

Ron, You are welcome. I'm also enjoying your awesome blog!!

I'm also a huge fan of Kirk's Douglas. Love all his movies. I will see what I can find on the film, ACE IN THE HOLE.

Unknown said...

This Picture is Ramah nm not gallup nm 1 hour south of gallup

Unknown said...

You forgot superman...

and also natural born killers.

Unknown said...

You forgot superman...

and also natural born killers.