On August 2nd at Sad Monkey Mercantile, Amarillo Film Society will present a screening of the 1950 western The Sundowners, filmed in and around Palo Duro Canyon. The film, directed by George Templeton and starring Robert Preston, Robert Sterling, and Chill Wills, tells the story of the Cloud brothers and a range war that erupts in the wake of the death of one of their ranch hands. Tom Cloud is all too quick to dispense vigilante justice from the barrel of a revolver, and James is all too keen to let his counterpart do his dirty work. The characters are notably more complex and morally ambiguous compared to other westerns of the era, and the movie features some beautiful full-frame Technicolor shots of Palo Duro Canyon.
The Texas Panhandle is not a regular sight on the silver screen. Due to a combination of union rules and sheer convenience, Hollywood movies, including those that call for an old west setting, have for decades been filmed within a 30-mile radius around Los Angeles, even when the story may take place far from Tinsel Town. The arid landscapes of places like Agua Dulce and Castac Lake are thought to work well enough as a stand-in for New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas; however, over the years a few pictures on the big and small screens were filmed in-part on the High Plains. The final scene of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, depicting the heroes riding off into the sunset, was filmed just outside of Palo Duro Canyon. The 2017 crime-thriller Bomb City was partially filmed within Amarillo, and the TV series Yellowstone filmed a handful of scenes from its fifth season in downtown Amarillo. The Sundowners is a rare offering from the classic era of Hollywood, a traditional western featuring a collection of morally ambiguous main characters shot 100% on-location and completely under open sky.
The screening of “The Sundowners” is scheduled to begin at 6:30pm CT at Sad Monkey Mercantile, 9800 TX-217, Canyon, TX 79015. To learn more, call (806) 488-2658.
For more information, you can check out the Community Calendar listing for this event. While there, you can add events and view listings for any community occasion. It's the place to visit for up-to-date information on what's coming up all across the High Plains!
