15 October 2014

The Alamo, the set



Bill, Rico's Texan friend from their days at Claris, forwards this article by Bill Barajas (with a video Rico can't download, sorry):

Fifty-five years after it was constructed, the Alamo Village, featured in the 1960 John Wayne movie, The Alamo, remains the largest outdoor movie set in the world.
Located on a five-hundred-acre ranch, the movie set, complete with a western town and a nearly exact replica of the Alamo, is struggling to stay up.
The once-thriving attraction, where a total of 38 movies were filmed, is now closed to the public. "I don't want to see it disappear, because I think a lot more people care about it than just me. I think it's a very important place, it's a unique place in America," said Rich Curilla, who has watched over the historic set ever since the original owners died.
"It means everything to me. I've worked for a long time; it's been a passion since I've been a kid. I'm into the Alamo, I'm into filmmaking, and it all took place here," said Curilla.
As we walked around town, it was evident a lack of maintenance and funding have taken a toll. "It's very sad. We watch nature taking it back, we watch things deteriorating, and it's hard," Curilla said.
Alamo Village is on the market. Curilla hopes whoever decides to buy it will preserve it as a part of American film history for years to come.
Rico says it's a damn shame; he'd love to film Zone of Fire there...

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