Dr. James D’Arc to Speak on Hollywood Movies Filmed in Utah

r By Dianne KingrSouthwestern Utah has been a haven for Hollywood moviemakers from 1924 to the present. As illustrated in excerpts from feature films made in the Beehive State from 1937 to 1995, film historian Dr. James D’Arc will show how areas familiar to Utah residents have been interpreted through the lenses of moviemakers in ways that may delight and surprise we who think we know regions surrounding St. George and Zion National Park. From Tom Mix in “Deadwood Coach” (1924) to the hit TV series “Touched by an Angel,” sites all over Utah have been the locations featured in more than 1,000 feature films, TV movies, and TV series episodes. How have movies featuring Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and Joel McCrea portrayed these areas in ways fresh and new for we who live in Utah? Find out in this stimulating presentation.

Dr. D’Arc recently retired from 41 years as curator of the BYU Motion Picture Archives, the BYU Film Music Archive, and as the host of the BYU Motion Picture Archive Film Series. For BYU’s L. Tom Perry Special Collections, he acquired the personal collections of scripts, photographs, film, and memorabilia belonging to Cecil B. DeMille, James Stewart, and Laraine Day, as well as film movie composers Max Steiner, Hugo Friedhofer, and Ernest Gold. For 30 years Dr. D’Arc also taught courses at BYU on motion picture history and has also lectured worldwide on BYU’s collections. The Glendale, California, native resides in Orem, Utah.

The Springville Senior Center (65 E. 200 S.; 801-489-8738) is sponsoring this presentation by Dr. D’Arc entitled “Seeing It Fresh for the First Time: Fascination with the Familiar in Hollywood Movies Filmed in Utah.” He will speak on Wed., March 7, at 6:00 p.m. The event is free, and the public is invited.