Culture Clashes.


It's a matter of no importance but this was shot in the area around St. George, Utah, where I happened to be living in 1958/59. St. George at the time was a tiny town almost exclusively LDS, except for Gentile me. Movie theaters in nearby towns were so shabby there were chickens on the seats. Short Creek, only a few miles away, was a polygamous town periodically raided by police from either Arizona or Utah. Whenever the authorities of one state descended upon the little community, everyone would drift across the border to that half of the town that was in the other state. You had to buy a license to buy a bottle of wine. I made sure never to smoke in public. So it was a shock to see the cast and crew of "They Came to Cordura" all openly breaking the rules. Richard Conte, still in wardrobe, cigarette hanging from his lips, probing through the limited groceries in the undersized store. Rita Hayworth rarely appeared outside of the rather ordinary motel in which the crew stayed, but Tab Hunter got about, despite the autograph hounds, and Michael Callan was an amiable guy. Public notice was made that the production was hiring extras to serve as cavalrymen. Many young men were finding employment. I tried to sign up but when I was asked if I could gallop a horse, I stumbled and admitted that they hadn't had many horses in Newark, New Jersey. But it's still a treat to see the faces of some friends riding along in those ancient uniforms.

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Great anecdote! Thanks. I love to hear stories from towns who hosted film crews.

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