Starting not long after the turn of the 20th century, Lake Tahoe witnessed a strong infusion of filmmakers and Hollywood stars into the region. Legends of the Silver Screen such as Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Greta Garbo and Elizabeth Taylor became part of local lore as they stayed in and frequented local establishments during their shooing schedule. However, after World War II, when much of the railroad infrastructure was torn up and used as scrap metal, the steady stream of movies shot in Truckee/Tahoe dried into a trickle. Beverly Lewis, director of the Placer-Lake Tahoe Film Office, said one probable factor is the rise of the highway system and automobiles as a replacement for the railway system. “Hollywood’s first choice now (for mountain or winter scenes) is Big Bear or Mammoth because the drive is a little easier,” she said. This accounts for why after 1938, Tahoe/Truckee served as a location only once every couple of years, sometimes a couple of times a decade, rather than four or five a year. Nevertheless, what the region lacked in quantity of films produced, it made up for in quality. Here’s some of my favorites:
A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
Elizabeth Taylor, at the peak of her craft, and Montgomery Clift, one of the great American actors, team up for this sizzling and devastating romance. In the film, Lake Tahoe is supposed to resemble a lake set in upstate New York, where the beautiful people spend their summers sojourning amid their wealth, luxury and general self-regard. This gem from the Golden Era of Hollywood is loosely based on the novel “An American Tragedy” (1925) by Theodore Dreiser, itself inspired by the true story of a sensational 1906 murder case. A Place in the Sun premiered in Los Angeles on August 14, 1951, although it was filmed in 1949. The film scored a total of nine nominations and six wins at the 1952 Oscars.
Clift’s sexuality, like those other 50s idols Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, was carefully concealed from the public. He was “lonely,” yet with the help of his refusal to live in Los Angeles or participate in café society, he was able to keep his private life private. But he found acceptance and kinship with Elizabeth. On the evening of May 12, 1956, while filming Raintree County, Clift was involved in a serious car crash when he smashed his car into a telephone pole, minutes after leaving a dinner party at Taylor’s Beverly Hills home. Her devotion was never clearer than when she crawled into the wreckage and saved him from choking.
Monty's accident shattered his face and left him in constant pain. But even before Raintree, the decline had been visible. Author Christopher Isherwood tracked Clift’s decline in his journals, and by August 1955, he was “drinking himself out of a career”; biographies of Clift posit that he drank because he couldn’t be his true self, because homosexuality was the shame he had to shelter within. As he sank into alcoholism and addiction, Elizabeth used her power to keep him working. In turn, through scandals and multiple marriages, he was her constant. Their relationship endured until his death in 1966, and loyalty united them to the end. His influence continued in her outspoken support for the gay community, especially during the AIDS crisis.
MISERY (1990)
Misery was partially filmed in Nevada’s oldest town Genoa, which stood in for Silver Creek, CO. The opening scene in which Paul Sheldon drives off the snowy road was filmed near Donner Pass. The crew built four buildings on Genoa’s main boulevard – a cafe, radiator shop, sheriff’s station, and a general store. The production also filmed at Nevada’s oldest thirst parlor, the Genoa Bar and Saloon.
“He didn’t get out of the COCKADOODIE CAR”
“YOU DIRTY BIRD, HOW COULD YOU”
“Well, I’ll get your stupid paper, but you just better start showing me a little appreciation around here MR MAN”
THE BODYGUARD (1992)
In The Bodyguard, you may recall the scene where Kevin Coster's character jumps off the pier to save a boy from a boat that's about to explode. That pier belongs to Tallac House, a rustic lodge-style retreat on the shore of Fallen Leaf Lake, just a mile or so from Lake Tahoe.