Film Stories From The Book:
Hollywood of the Rockies
By: Frederic B. Wildfang
Lone Star
1952 — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer — produced by Z. Wayne Griffin, written by Borden Chase and Howard Estabrook, directed by Vincent Sherman, photography by Harold Rosson, music by David Buttolph — starring Clark Gable, Broderick Crawford, Lionel Barrymore, Ed Begley, Ava Gardner, Beulah Bondi, James Burke, William Farnum, Lowell Gilmore, Moroni Olsen, Russell Simpson, and William Conrad.
This glorified horse-opera pits cattle entrepreneur Devereaux Burke (Clark Gable) against powerful political pol Thomas Craden (Broderick Crawford) in a struggle between Texas statehood and Texas independence. In order to tip the scales of public opinion toward statehood, Burke is employed by ex-president Andrew Jackson (Lionel Barrymore) to persuade popular Texan Sam Houston to join in the struggle — much to the detriment of Craden’s personal political ambitions. When Burke falls in love with Craden’s fiance (Ava Gardner), the “battle for Texas” (as touted in the trailer for the movie) becomes complicated by the “battle of the sexes.”
Gable never made it here for this movie, however. As reported in the Durango Herald-Democrat:
The swashbuckling Gable, who was such a popular figure here last year during the filming of ‘Across the Wide Missouri’ won’t be in Durango for this picture. Nor will his co-stars, fabulously beautiful Ava Gardner and recent Oscar winner Brod Crawford....
The big names are back in the California movie capitol, where they are shooting portions of the film on M-G-M sets. The 38-man force which invaded Durango yesterday will restrict itself to a frantic ten-day schedule of shooting scenery background and stunt scenes.
Most of the scenery background was actually shot south around Cortez, Colorado; and most of the stunt scenes were shot on the Pine River, just east of Durango. The stunt scenes (directed by John Waters, who also directed Across the Wide Missouri) were especially memorable. The Herald-Democrat provides this first-hand account:
This cowpoke-film fan watched entranced as stunt rider Jerry Schumacher plunged his mount into the river and galloped, enveloped in spray to his band of henchmen waiting on the other bank. And we jumped appropriately as a cannon-like pistol shot aimed at stuntman Schumacher brought him to a rearing halt in midstream.
That all the stunting was no joke was evidenced by the life-line stretched downstream across the Pine.
The day before, [stuntman] Chuck Roberson had taken an unscheduled spill and been swept several hundred feet down the rock-lined river before he was pulled in.
Meanwhile the Metro crew was ‘power-housing’ things all over the place.... The huge silver reflectors which aid in the lighting were being moved to a spot closer to the water. One man was fulfilling his odd job of spraying all the foliage in sight with black paint..., so the leafy stuff wouldn’t detract from the actors.
“Getting the biggest kick out of the proceedings,” adds the Herald-Democrat, “were the host and hostess, Jess Huntington and his wife.” The Huntingtons had given the MGM studio free run of the 1360-acre ranch.
Mrs. Huntington admitted she’s been a constant spectator at the river site since the movie people started shooting. She’s made the trip across the river both days and she’ll make it every day they’re here, she said.
‘I’ve always wanted to see a picture made,’ she laughed, ‘and here they come and make one right on our back doorstep. I’m really enjoying it too.’
Another major location in the area was in the country around Bayfield, where over a hundred local extras were used in a posse chase scene. To this effect, motion picture coordinator Glenn Skewes was urging any Basin cowboy who wished to earn a few bucks while having a good time to meet him at the junction of Washboard Road and Highway 160 at 7 a.m.:
‘Those who come should be dressed in old cowboy hats, be ready for a morning of hard riding, and bring their own lunches,’ Skewes said. ‘Those who have guns and holsters should wear them but leave live ammunition at home.’
