A look at the history of film in the desert

The history of filming in the desert goes all the way back to the 1930's, when Frank Capra came out on the railroad, and back then there were a lot of major studio films in production.

The film "Last Horizon" was filmed here. The horse scene at the top of Tahquitz Canyon, requiring them to get a horse up to the top of the waterfall.

Independent filmmakers also discovered the desert because if you're on a limited budget with an independent film, you don't want to worry about weather. The desert has some of the most consistent weather you can find.

In the 1950's and 1960's, when Hollywood was making all the Westerns, they needed sets. They would go out and build towns, they would build main streets for towns, and one of the towns that they built was up in the high desert, called Pioneertown. It was a little Main Street with all of the shops and stores and everything that you would expect in the old Wild West. Since they abandoned it, and it's been there, a whole little community has been built around the town that was only built with storefronts. Actual stores have been added behind some of them, and it's opened as a tourist attraction to residents.

Over the years, there has been many different films, both major films and also independent films that have been shot here in the desert. A lot of them have actually premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, because a focus is made on locally made films and local filmmakers.

The city of Palm Springs has also been very film friendly, and at times has waved location charges and tried to encourage filmmakers to come here.

Stories say that stars could be away from Hollywood and away from all the gossip columnists, but not too far away to respond to a studio if they called them and needed them for something. Those were the years that actors and actresses were under contract to the studios. So if they were needed back in Hollywood quickly, they could get back from the desert.

Whatever the original reason they came out here to play, celebrities did come to the desert to play. They enjoyed the sun, the tennis, the swimming pools, and all the things that the desert has to offer.

Directors, producers, and writers also have made homes here. While you may not hear as much about them, they're the people who are at the end of the credits, and are the people who are actually making the movies, and responsible for financing, writing, editing them them.

We've got folks who were in all aspects of the movies out here.