Motion Pictures

The inspiring vistas of Sedona have lured movie location scouts seeking a bigger than life backdrop for cinematic productions. The same scenery which today draws tourists first drew Hollywood directors and camera crews to Sedona, making for a curious contrast with the early hardscrabble pioneers of the homestead era. The lure of the Sedona area continues to this day as a location for feature film and TV scenes, commercials and music videos, although continuing development has reduced the variety of shots available to directors.

The first film shot in the Sedona area was Call of the Canyon, based on Zane Grey's novel of the same name. This 1923 silent film was shot on location in Oak Creek Canyon near the site of Mayhew's Lodge, and exposed the scenic wonders of the red rock region to a new audience. Through the next four decades, many more Westerns and other movies were filmed in Sedona.

Stars like John Wayne, Sterling Hayden, Robert Young, Dick Powell, and Joan Crawford came to Sedona to make movies. One of the favored locations was near Coffee Pot Rock. In 1945 a small frontier town set was constructed near the site by Republic Pictures for use in "Angel and the Badman." This set was used in several later films, but was torn down to make room for a residential subdivision called Sedona West, where names of movies are recorded in the street names, such as Pony Soldier Road, Flaming Arrow Way, Johnny Guitar and Last Wagon Drive, leaving a lasting legacy of this unusual period in Sedona history.

Sedona movie set for "Johnny Guitar" - removed shortly after filming in 1959 movie starred Joan Crawford. (where Posse Grounds is today)

During the film hayday of the 1940s, the CCC camp buildings were converted into the Sedona Lodge (on the site of the current day King's Ransom Inn) and the Sedona Sound Stage was built next door. Other new businesses cropped up to cater to the needs of movie crews. The movie industry provided a small economic boom for the community as local residents were employed as carpenters, extras and livestock wranglers.

To date, nearly 100 films and numerous television productions have been shot partially or entirely on location in Sedona. Development of the city now limits the scenes and backdrops available to film crews. More recent films have been The Karate Kid, The Quick and the Dead, Nobody's Fool, and Midnight Run.

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