Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board "High Sierra"

Just a note of interest - I was playing couch potato the other day and came across the classic movie "High Sierra" (1941) with Humphrey Bogart. The last half hour or so of the movie was filmed in the Lone Pine and Whitney Portal area. It includes a car chase up the then dirt Whitney Portal Road, a standoff/shootout at the portal and some interesting shots of Mt Whitney, the town of Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills from 62 years ago. I caught it on TCM but I'm sure it's on video if you're interested.

I saw it as well and found it interesting to watch the chase up the road. Great vintage shots of Whitney, Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills.

That's was one of hundreds of movies filmed in the Whitney area. Go the the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce web site at http://www.lonepinechamber.org to get a complete list of movies filmed in the area.

Hiiker

The DVD of this movie just came out two weeks ago. Saw it two days ago. Great movie and it was fun to see what it looked like 60+ years ago at the portal.

Hi Last May two guys came to search out the locations of the movie, after several days we found many locations , rocks, trees and road sections that were used in the movie, Found the location where Bogart was shot and the dog came over and licked his face, At first I had little faith in finding any thing, but once we started finding locations that matched, turned it into a rewarding experience.
These guys will publish a book on the movie and the location, What they have of the book is great it shows the shot out of the movie then the location as it looked when it was filmed and now and a detailed map how to find the shot.
They also had information on several other movies that used the Portal area, The Long Trailer used the turn out just before the campground. Thanks Doug

Years ago, I wanted to hike up Mt. Whitney and was trying to persuade a friend to go along. He was a student and about to move out of state. Lacking an alternative companion for the hike, I resorted to an underhanded sales technique. The guy was a fan of Bogart movies, so I argued that he should hike up Mt. Whitney on his last weekend in California because it was where Mad Dog Roy Earl got shot at the end of "High Sierra." It was like stealing candy from a baby.

A good time was had by all.

"But the old axiom was incorrect: taking the candy from the baby proved to be exceedingly difficult."

Outside Magazine's Annual traveler edition talks about the Lone Pine Film Festival on pg13

TYPE OF FILMS: Westerns culled from among the 400 movies and TV shows shot in Lone Pine's high desert and the rocky Sierra foothills below Mt. Whitney

SIDESHOWS: Daily location tours, ("The Duke stood here during filming of King of the Pecos") and a cowboy-music concert

BETWEEN FLICKS: Go bouldering in the Alabama Hills - hundreds of routes amid 33,000 acres of big rocks and bad-guy hideouts

APRES FLICKS: Toss back longnecks in either of two cowboy bars: the Double L or Jakes Saloon, both on Main street, of course.

CONTACT: 760-876-9103; www.lonepinefilmfestival.org

The Lone Pine Film Festival is a great event to attend if you're an old movie history buff.

For books already written on the film history in the area pick up a copy of Dave Holland's book titled "On Location in Lone Pine". I found a copy at the Indian Trading Post in Lone Pine. When I got it home I found out the book had been autographed by the author, which was kind of neat.

The book contains pretty detailed maps on filming locations and movie stills of the area. It covers 70 years of films in the area.

Another source for filming locations is the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerence. They have maps and other related info.

Hiiker

Here's a personal story about filmming at the portal.
A number of years ago, I came up for a day hike. It was early morning in the Fall, middle of the week. Needless to say, the place was deserted. Or so I thought. I hadn't seen a car since leaving Lone Pine and I was thinking how sweet the solitude would feel. When I rounded the last turn and headed towards the parking lot, an alien walked across the street...stay with me here. I slowed down in a state of awe. I am not a believer in UFOs but there was a creature right before my eyes.
As I approached the lower parking lot, I saw a large Paramount Pictures truck and so, much to my relief/disappointment, a slew of actors and filmmakers.
The solution to the mystery was that they were filming an episode of Star Trek: Next Generation at the portal.

Martin, That is a great story. I wish you had a picture of the alien. Next is to see them at Trail Crest