Film Stories From The Book:
Hollywood of the Rockies
By: Frederic B. Wildfang
When The Legends Die
1972 — Sagonponack, 20th Century Fox — produced by Stuart Millar, written by Robert Dozier (based on a novel by Hal Borland), directed by Stuart Millar, photography by Richard Kline, music by Glenn Paxton — starring Tillman Box, Frederic Forrest, Richard Widmark, Luana Anders, and Vito Scotti
When the Legends Die is a modern western with more social import than most. It is the story of young Thomas Black Bull (Tillman Box), who — after losing his mother and father — is forced from his wilderness home to “learn the new ways.” After struggling through Indian school, an older Tom Bull (Frederic Forrest) is given an opportunity to escape the reservation — under the wing of ex-rodeo star (and now aging drunk), Red Dillon (played by Richard Widmark). Tom’s special rapport with horses enables him to become quite successful as a bronc-rider — winning one contest after another — until Red makes him take a fall — tainting Tom’s view of the whole affair. From then on, the relationship between Tom and Red steadily deteriorates — until Tom finally finds himself and returns to the reservation and back to “the old ways.”
The locale for both the script and Hal Borland’s original story is set right here in the Four Corners area. Some scenes were shot in Bayfield and Durango, but the movie begins and ends on the Southern Ute reservation in Ignacio. As reported in the Durango Herald at the time of filming, “Tillman Box of the [Southern] Utes, 14, plays 12-year-old Thomas Black Bull” in the first part of the movie — when Tom is still living “in the old Indian way”:
He speaks only Ute in the film. Tillman, a grandson of Eddie Box, Sr., was chosen after a search for a young boy to play this part had been made in many parts of the country. What better place to find a Ute boy who can speak Ute than on the Ute reservation.
And as the paper also goes on to mention:
The producers of the film say they have had tremendous cooperation from everyone in the area, particularly the Ute tribe. Leonard Burch, Douglas Eagle Remington and Eddie Box, Sr. are helping with the technical part of the film concerning the Indians and are invaluable in areas involving the environment portrayed in the story.
One scene shot in Durango is an interior scene that took place at a bar called the Railroad Lounge, then located on Seventh Avenue. As reported by the Durango Cortez-Herald:
Inside the lounge, a bar scene was being filmed — in the book by Hal Borland the bar was in Aztec, N.M. The scene had John Gruber, a young New Yorker who has appeared in several movies and TV productions, calling Fred Forrest (Thomas Black Bull) a ‘red nigger,’ and Richard Widmark (Red Dillon) knocking Gruber to the floor.
It took a day and a half to film the scene.
The local reporter covering the action that day and a half filed the following story:
Richard Widmark commands a lot of attention on the set. He is taller that he appears on the screen. John Campbell, public relations for Fox, said this is Widmark’s 25th anniversary in films. Widmark’s first movie was with Victor Mature in ‘Kiss of Death,’ 1946. The movie here is about the 48th film for the well-known actor....
Widmark, with hand extended, approached and said, ‘Durango Herald?’ I winced slightly from his iron grip. ‘I don’t mind your paper saying I was staying in a local motel,’ he said, ‘but did you have to give the room number?
‘About midnight, one night, somebody was banging on my door. I opened it and here was a guy with his wife and three kids, saying how nice it was to meet me, and there I stood in my shorts.’ Widmark’s famous grin broke out belying any real irritation he might have felt.
I wanted to ask him an obvious question but someone at that moment cried ‘Quiet! Quiet on the set!’
Widmark said, ‘It’s nice to meet you...’ and went back to simulate a sock on John Gruber’s jaw.
Another scene shot in Durango — also a fight scene — was set in the Rochester Hotel itself. But this time it’s Widmark and Forest who are doing the fighting — Thomas Black Bull finally standing up to Red Dillon, knocking him for a loop in a room where the Rochester kitchen is now located.
