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 Tom Mix, Jean Harlow, John Wayne, and Elvis in this history of Arizona-filmed movies from silents to Cinemascope.
This program is cohosted by Scottsdale Public Library. This is an in-person event.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Before retiring from the Arizona Historical Society, Jim Turner worked with more than 70 museums across the state. He co-authored the 4th-grade textbook The Arizona Story, and his pictorial history, Arizona: Celebration of the Grand Canyon State, was a 2012 Southwest Books of the Year selection. Jim moved to Tucson in 1951, earned a M.A. in U.S. history in 1999, and has been presenting Arizona history for more than forty years. Jim is author of The Mighty Colorado from the Glaciers to the Gulf and Four Corners USA: Wonders of the American Southwest.