Film History

Beginning in 1920, Hollywood filmmakers began to take an interest in the Alabama Hills for its natural scenery. Since then, over 400 movies have been filmed here. Movie stars such as Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, and The Lone Ranger, shot it out with outlaws. Classics such as Gunga Din, Yellow Sky, and How the West Was Won were filmed at sites now known as Movie Flat. The 1990 Sci-Fi classic Tremors was filmed almost entirely on location in the Alabama Hills. During 1993, portions of Maverick were filmed here. More recently, Star Trek Generations, Gladiator, Iron Man, and Django Unchained were filmed in the Alabama Hills. Find a copy of the Movie Road Touring Brochure online or at the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine. Each October the community of Lone Pine hosts the Lone Pine Film Festival featuring guest speakers from previous films, actors and guided bus tours. The area continues to attract film crews, benefiting the local economy.