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By the 1960s, Sedona was emerging from a remote desert settlement and evolving into a popular tourist destination. As it also attracted well-heeled retirees and others who could afford to build luxurious vacation homes, the character of the town started changing. Beginning in the 1970s the Sedona region became a lure for many practicing New Age holistic practices, mysticism and spirituality.
This combination of factors shifted the focus of Sedona away from being a haven of filmmaking and the number of movies and tv shows made there began to drop sharply beginning in the 1960s.p Nonetheless, some production activity continued at Sedona with The Rounders (1965) a story of modern day cowboys played by veteran actors Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda are struggling to make a living breaking wild horses and rounding up stray cattle during the winter for a wily businessman, persisting in a lifestyle as rugged as the surrounding terrain.
Another noteworthy story called Stay Away, Joe (1968) a late Elvis Presley comedy western / musical hybrid in which he plays an irresponsible Navajo rodeo rider that became controversial and something of an anachronism for its negative stereotypes of Native Americans. The insensitive narrative and the period of its release could not have been more ill-timed. By the late 1960s society at large was becoming more aware of just how badly minorities like Native Americans had been treated throughout our nation’s history.
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Stay Away, Joe is precisely the type of movie which should be studied in film classes that focus on cultural appropriation and insensitivity to the plight of disadvantaged peoples. One film made in Sedona that I’d never heard of until researching for this post is The Legend Of Lobo from 1962 and produced by Walt Disney. It’s a family friendly wildlife drama of the type that Disney excelled at more than any other Hollywood studio, and according to the synopsis is about the travels and survival skills of a high plains wolf and told from the animal’s perspective.
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As animals obviously cannot talk the story is guided along with human narration and a soundtrack — as would be typical of the documentary format, and is supposed to be one of the best productions of the era to show off the fabulous scenery of the Sedona region. By the 1970s films such as the dark comedy Electra Glide In Blue (1973) and the road trip adventure Harry And Tonto (1974) meshed well with Sedona’s quirky side. In the former, Robert Blake plays an Arizona motorcycle cop who wants to stop patrolling and get promoted to the homicide squad. Unfortunately, local politics and the hippie commune he’s friendly with all work against this (but I won’t spoil that here!)
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In Harry And Tonto, acclaimed comedian Art Carney (as Harry) goes on the road with his pet cat Tonto after losing his apartment in New York City to the wrecking ball and decides he isn’t all that jazzed about staying with his son’s family in the suburbs. So, he and Tonto embark on an excellent journey where they meet up with all sorts of eccentric characters before ending up in Los Angeles. Despite mixed critical reviews Harry And Tonto was nominated for several awards and Carney won the Academy Award for Best Actor and the film was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Motion Picture (Musical Or Comedy). Tonto the Cat also scooped up a PATSY Award (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year) as Best Animal Performer In A Motion Picture.
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On that happy note we leave Sedona stories until the final installment of Part 4 later this month!
