Spoke to Richard Eyer over the weekend about Fort Dobbs (1958). He listed it as one of the favorite shoots of his career — mainly since school was out and they were on location. I’ll post sections of that interview once it’s transcribed. Of course, he had nothing but nice things to say about Clint Walker.
Mr. Eyer brought up staying at Parry Lodge with his mom and brother while the picture was being shot around Kanab, Utah — and returning there for one of the Western Legends Roundup events.
Dozens of stars — John Wayne, Joel McCrea, Randolph Scott, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and others — stayed at Parry Lodge over the years, and it’s now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When my family and I get out that direction, this will be one of our stops.
Also, it was pointed out to me today that Fort Dobbs is mentioned in Walker Percy’s National Book Award winning 1961 novel The Moviegoer.
This is wonderful! It’s kind of like the Dow Villa motel in Lone Pine — although this looks more attractive. 🙂 I’d sure love to visit too. I’m guessing Robert Taylor stayed there during the making of WESTWARD THE WOMEN?
Best wishes,
Laura
Clint Walker is getting this month’s Six-Gun Salute on the Western Channel, and FORT DOBBS, along with the two other Gordon Douglas directed ones, YELLOWSTONE KELLY and GOLD OF THE SEVEN SAINTS will be among the films. The others are later MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE (kind of interesting) and one I can’t remember the name of right now.
The three Gordon Douglas ones, released 1958-1961, all have something to recommend them, and you probably wouldn’t have to ride far to find someone who favored any of the three. For me, it would be YELLOWSTONE KELLY, but it would be close.
Yellowstone Kelly is really good. But for me, it’s Fort Dobbs.
It has that tough Ranown feel in places, thanks to Burt Kennedy.
And Clothier’s black and white camerawork really knocks me out. Especially the POV shots looking for Indians out the cabin window — and another shot, from Walker’s POV, when he wakes up on the ground at Virginia Mayo’s farm (after Richard Eyer shoots him) — of the back end of a chicken!
I really like Gold Of The Seven Saints–all kinds of Moab locations, and some very odd casting and writing (Leigh Brackett).
As for Kane County and Kanab–really worth a visit, both inside the town, which is frankly a little dull, but especially just outside of town. The kind of landscape you see in Road Runner cartoons. I recommend the drive up to, and around the eastern side of the Grand Canyon, then spending some time in or around Lake Powell (rent a boat), and from there to Kanab. A fantastic trip.
There’s an odd picture that shows up now and then on TCM that was shot entirely in Kanab, mostly inside the Parry Lodge, a murder mystery called The Girl In Black Stockings, with Anne Bancroft, Lex Barker, Marie Windsor, Stuart Whitman, Mamie Van Doren and John Dehner. There’s a book you can find on Google Books: When Hollywood Came to Town: The History of Moviemaking in Utah By James V. D’Arc, and there’s a big illustrated section on the picture, with pictures of Whit and Barbara Parry, who had a small part in Fort Bowie, as the wife of one of the officers.
“Girl In Black Stockings” was a Bel Air picture;I believe most of their
output was shot in Utah.The main point of interest in the film was
Ron Randells wheelchair bound, rabidly misogynistic character even
outdoing Jay Adlers diamond fence/ vetinarian in “99 River Street”
“Fort Bowie” another Bel-Air epic sort of re-introduced us to Ben Johnson
after his fall-out with John Ford and his return to the rodeo circuit
after “Shane” The Bel-Air cats gave him a very minor role in the excellent
“Rebel In Town” then a supporting role in “War Drums” which I have never
seen but would sure love to! In any case the somewhat striking (and typical
of Bel-Air very violent) “Fort Bowie” sort of relaunched Bens movie career.