Joyce Shumate
Join the Let’s Travel Club to learn more about the Mescal Movie Set on Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. in the Kino Center. The Mescal Movie Set is a western movie location located in Benson, Ariz.—a western town of the 1880s surrounded by the High Desert Plains of Southeast Arizona with the Rincon Mountains in the background.
The film history of the Mescal area dates back over 70 years with scenes from Winchester 73 with Jimmy Stewart, The Big Country with Gregory Peck, and Cimarron with Glenn Ford. Mescal was also used in The Gambler with Kenny Rogers.
As of Valentine’s Day 2021, Mescal became no longer attached to the Old Tucson Studios group as a secondary film site. The set is now on its own and building its notoriety as the world-famous Mescal Movie Set. Kartchner Ventures is thrilled to give Mescal a well-deserved facelift and is dedicated to helping bring the film industry back to Southern Arizona.
The Mescal Movie Set is one of the most recognizable western cinematic towns on the big screen. This iconic set was home to the movies Tombstone, The Quick and the Dead, and more than 100 other westerns. Notable actors filmed walking its dusty boardwalks were Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Lee Marvin, Sharon Stone, and Clint Eastwood, to name a few.
The revitalized movie set is open to the public. Western enthusiasts can take a tour with a knowledgeable historian. The set is also available for special events. First and foremost, Mescal is still a film set, available for movies, television, documentaries, commercials, music videos, and more. For more information, go to www.mescalmovieset.com. Please join us for this historical perspective presentation and the opportunity to sign up for a Let’s Travel Club private tour event in October led by Charlie Pattinian, a Let’s Travel Club day trip planner.
To hear more about the Mescal Movie Set, join the Let’s Travel Club in the Ocotillo and Mesquite Rooms in the Kino Center on Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. Let’s Travel Club meetings are open to all Quail Creek residents.