Arizona Goes to the Movies: A Filmmaking History

Before retiring from the Arizona Historical Society, Jim Turner worked with more than 70 museums across the state and taught Arizona history for more than forty years.  He is author of The Mighty Colorado from the Glaciers to the Gulf, Four Corners USA: Wonders of the American Southwest, and Arizona: A History of the Grand Canyon State.  His pictorial history, Arizona: Celebration of the Grand Canyon State, was a 2012 Southwest Books of the Year selection. 

"From Douglas Fairbanks filming in Nogales in 1917 to “How the West Was Won” statewide in 1963, the state of Arizona has always been a photogenic favorite for movie producers. The program looks from “Real to Reel” to see how Hollywood has affected popular views of Western settlement and continues to impact social interactions. The show runs the gamut from Tom Mix to Val Kilmer with information about the plots, players, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes about Jean Harlow, John Wayne, and Elvis in this history of Arizona-filmed movies from Silents to Cinemascope."

This program is made possible by Arizona Humanities.