Celluloid Desert: Tucson in Cinema History

Just 15 years after the birth of the moving image, the first film was shot in Tucson. Sunshine, railroad access, and exotic flora, fauna, and faces made Tucson an ideal movie location. Images of the frontier, the Old West, and the New West have been shaped in the public imagination by our celluloid desert. This course will look at some of the many iterations of film in Tucson, including early silent films; Hollywood westerns, melodramas, and mysteries; television series; commercials; and homemade films about the region. Professor Jenkins’ course will give a thorough background of Tucson’s rich cinematic history, building up to the incredible array of local film activity that will occur in Tucson during the month of October.