Duke's Movie Locations- Utah

[ethanedwards]

Scenes from several Duke's movies were filmed in Utah,
Rio Grande, The Conqueror, Hondo, The Comancheros etc

St.George

Utah

Most scenes fromThe Conqueror, were filmed here

St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah,
The city is 119 miles (192 km) northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada,
and 303 miles (488 km) south of Salt Lake City on Interstate 15.

'Dirty Harry' ‚ not the Clint Eastwood movie,
but the nickname given to a nuclear test explosion
at Yucca Flats in Nevada which dumped fallout around the area
including St George in Utah.

St Georgeis way down in the southwest corner of Utah
near the Arizona border on I-15.
And it was in Snow Canyon State Park,
11 miles to the northwest of St George,
that The Conqueror was filmed the following year.
To make matters worse, lorryloads of the local red earth
were shipped back to RKO in Hollywood for studio filming.
Information from Worldwide Movie Locations

For more information:-
St. George- wikipedia
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Snow Canyon State Park

St. George, Utah

..

Snow Canyon State Park, is a small park
located just northwest of St. George Utah.
The park is only 5,738 acres,
but offers several amazing hikes and wonderful scenery to its visitors.
The little known canyon has very distinctive beauty.
Red and white sandstone with a scattering of black lava rock
provide a color contrast that is seldom seen outside of the park.
Visitors to Snow Canyon during the spring season
will be treated to an extra splash of color
as the native cactus and wildflowers come into full bloom.



Snow Canyon is filled with petrified sand dunes,
towering cliffs, dormant volcanic cones, lava tubes/caverns,
sandstone arches and rainwater ponds.
There are several hiking/biking trails available within the park
that offers visitors a chance to see one or all of these incredible attractions.
Hikers should also keep watch for the desert wildlife found in the area.
Some of the more interesting creatures include Gila monsters, desert tortoises, scorpions, Mojave sidewinder snake and Utah banded geckos.

For more information:-
Snow Canyon State Park
Snow Canyon State Park- wikipedia
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The Comancheros was also filmed at these locations

Professor Valley

Mohab, Utah

Scenes from Rio Grande, The Comancheros filmed here

..

Fisher Towers

Mohab, Utah

..

Fisher Towers, located about 20 miles northeast of Moab
in southeastern Utah, is one of the most scenic landscapes
along the Colorado River.



The Fisher Towers were featured in the opening scene of
Austin Powers in Goldmember.

The Fisher Towers are not visible in the movie Forrest Gump.
The scene where he casually stops running and says he is done
with running is taken in Monument Valley.
"Pharaoh sitting in his Throne" is clearly visible.

Television commercials, advertisements, and even scenes from famous movies
have been filmed in the area of Moab, Utah
(Where the Fisher Towers are located).

For more information:-
Fisher Towers
Fisher Towers- wikipedia
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Dead Horse Point State Park

Utah


(Click on for enlargement)

Dead Horse Point State Park is a Utah state park adjacent to
Canyonlands National Park, featuring a dramatic overlook of the Colorado River.
The park is so named because of its use as a natural corral
by cowboys in the 19th century.
The "dead horse" part of the name is that the corral was abandoned,
but the horses did not leave the corral,
even after the gate was left open, and died there.

The plateau is surrounded by sheer cliffs two thousand feet high,
with only a narrow neck of land (30 yards wide) connecting the mesa to the main plateau.
Thus it was easy for cowboys to simply fence off this narrow neck,
and keep rounded up wild horses from running away.
Legend has it that one group of horses was inadvertently left fenced in
and eventually died of thirst.
The area was also used in the final scene of the 1991 film Thelma & Louise.

For more information:-
Dead Horse Point State Park
Dead Horse Point State Park- wikipedia
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La Sal Mountains

Grand and San Juan counties, Utah

..

The La Sal Mountains are located in Grand and San Juan counties,
near the eastern border of the state of Utah, and rising above the town of Moab.
This range is part of the Manti-La Sal National Forest and the southern Rocky Mountains.
The maximum elevation is at Mount Peale, reaching 12,721 feet (3,877 m) above sea level.
The range contains three clusters of peaks separated by passes.
The peaks span a distance of about 18 miles (25 km).
The name of the range dates to Spanish times, when the Sierra La Sal
(meaning the "Salt Mountains") were a prominent landmark on the Old Spanish Trail
between Santa Fe and Los Angeles.
The range is also known as the La Sal Range.

For more information:-
La Sal Mountains- wikipedia

[William T Brooks]

Rio Grande was Done at Moab, Utah and you can see that it looks like Monument Valley only Smaller.
Chilibill

[William T Brooks]

This little Air Tour of Moab, Utah where Duke and Ford Did The Film "Rio Grande" and Many Other Films were done also, Might Just Tighted Up Your Bowles A Little !!!

Chilibill

[William T Brooks]

As you can see it looks a lot Monument Valley only every thing is a lot Smaller !
Chilibill

[stagecoach50]

Moab, Utah this is also the home of the stuntman hall of fame. All of the stuntmen that Duke worked with are part of it, including Duke himself.
Andy

[chester7777]

Moab, Utah this is also the home of the stuntman hall of fame.

. . . speaking of which . . . the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame has a web site (pretty limited, but they do have one).

Thanks, Andy, for letting us know about its presence in Moab. I would never have known!

Chester

[chester7777]

According to IMDB, 5 movies in which John Wayne appeared are listed as having used the Moab area of Utah as a location setting. They are -


Fort Apache (1948)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
Rio Grande (1950)
The Comancheros (1961)
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) (although whether the small scene in which Duke appeared was there, I don't know)

One movie that was listed in almost every specific Moab location was Against a Crooked Sky (1975). It's a so-so movie (IMHO), but the location scenery is pretty spectacular.

Mrs. C

[stagecoach50]

One more thing about the stuntman hall of fame. If you go to the website, and donate a minimum of $25.00 to the building fund, you will receive a cd with the history of stunts, and a picture from John Hagner of John Wayne or Yakima Cannutt. John Hagner is the CEO of the HOF, and if you email him he is very helpful. They have a display of JW items. The picture and cd were a great addition to my collection. Tell him Andy sent you his way.
Take Care
Andy:teeth_smile:

[ethanedwards]

Updated with more information and photographs

See the YouTube home video as you
enter Professor Valley and Fisher Towers
Stunning scenery!