“From about 1941 to 1957, the Navajo Reservation was visited by dozens of filmmakers who wanted to include the beauty of the scenery in their movies. A documentary producer is researching those good old days and is looking for Navajos who appeared as extras in movies like John Ford’s ‘Stagecoach’ or ‘A Distant Trumpet.’ B. Donovan, Navajo Times
On the set of film Stagecoach. photo- Vanity Fair.
Excerpt: Wanted: People – or their kids – who appeared in old-time westerns, By Bill Donovan, Navajo Times
“The problem for many of these films, however, is that they were made 70 or 80 years ago and most of those who were in the films have passed on. So the producers are also looking for children whose parents or grandparents may have been in the films and remember the stories they told about being in the films.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, director John Ford’s favorite scene for films. photo- tripadvisor
This is a low-budget documentary so people who are interviewed will receive no pay but it will give them a chance to preserve some of the film history that is unique to Navajo country.
Scene from film A Distant Trumpet
Scene from film Stagecoach by John Ford
If you want to be a part of the project, the person in charge of the project, Duncan Harvey, will be in the area this weekend and is looking for people to talk to.
The landscape of colossal sandstone formations straddling the Arizona-Utah state line has become an iconic image of the American West
He can be contacted at 602-765-7977 or 602-317-6337.
