33rd Lone Pine Film Festival Coming in October

The 33rd Lone Pine Film Festival returns this fall!

The festival will take place in Lone Pine, California, on Columbus Day Weekend, October 5th through 8th, 2023.

The 2023 guest list includes Patrick Wayne, Robert Carradine, Bruce Boxleitner, Darby Hinton, Cheryl Rogers Barnett, Julie Rogers Pomilia, Tony Cameron, Diamond Farnsworth, Wyatt McCrea, Dorothy Best, Kirk Ellis, Marc Wanamaker, Jay Dee Witney, and Daryle Ann Lindley (daughter of Slim Pickens).

Discussions with guests will be moderated by Rob Word and Steve Latshaw. Pianist J.C. Munns also returns and will accompany the silent film THE WILD HORSE STAMPEDE (1926), which I was able to see at the festival half a decade ago.

We've signed up for a tour of locations for the Audie Murphy film HELL BENT FOR LEATHER (1960) conducted by Tyler Malone; although my husband and I have visited some of the movie's locations on our own -- see photos here -- Tyler's tours are always thorough and informative, and I'm looking forward to learning more.

We'll also be attending Dick Bann's Bar 20 Ranch Tour of Lubken Ranch and Don Kelsen's tour of locations from the Tim Holt Western GUNS OF HATE (1948).

I'll be revisiting the movies HELL BENT FOR LEATHER and GUNS OF HATE at the festival. Among the other films I'm looking forward to are the Gene Autry film TRAIL TO SAN ANTONE (1947), followed by a tribute to leading lady Peggy Stewart; the Hopalong Cassidy film BAR 20 RIDES AGAIN (1935); and the Randolph Scott-Budd Boetticher film RIDE LONESOME (1959).

RIDE LONESOME will be preceded by an interview with writer Kirk Ellis, whose new book on the film I reviewed at Classic Movie Hub in May.

There will be an additional conversation after the movie including Dorothy Best, widow of James Best, who played Billy John in the movie.

Other films to be shown during the festival are BELLS OF CORONADO (1950), THE LAW AND JAKE WADE (1958), THE BAMBOO SAUCER (1968), RUSTLERS' RHAPSODY (1985), TREMORS (1990), and MAVERICK (1994).

In addition to the tours mentioned above, there are a wide variety of additional tours available, including two horseback location tours led by my husband and McGee Creek Pack Station.

Among the tours: "Meet the Alabama Hills"; TRAIL TO SAN ANTONE locations; RIDE LONESOME locations; HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL location tours for the Season 4 episode "Crowbait" and the Season 2 episode "The Wager"; and Owens River Movie Locations.

I highly recommend the Owens River tour, which is unique in its focus on significant area movie locations which aren't in the Alabama Hills. I shared some photos from that tour at Classic Movie Hub a few months ago.

There are also non-film tours which include sunrise tours; Alabama Hills geology and arches; Ansel Adams in the Alabama Hills; and Ansel Adams at Manzanar. Manzanar is located 10 miles north of Lone Pine on Highway 395.

Some tours have already sold out, so anyone considering going this fall should book tours as soon as possible.

For those who are new to the festival, my coverage of previous festivals may be found at these links: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022. Each of these annual overview posts contains links to several additional posts covering that year's festival with lots of photos and information about the festival experience.

My 2021 Classic Movie Hub preview may be found here, and photos of film locations visited at the 2021 festival are at Classic Movie Hub here.

I'll have more coverage of the festival here this fall! I highly recommend attending.

August 29th Update: There has been an update to the film schedule and guest list. Patrick Wayne is no longer on the guest list, and RUSTLERS' RHAPSODY has been replaced by THE LONE HAND (1953), with special guest star Jimmy Hunt. Jimmy will be discussing the film with Wyatt McCrea and Rob Word.

As it happens, I saw Jimmy at a screening of THE LONE HAND at McCrea Ranch earlier this month, and I intend to write about it for my September Western RoundUp column at Classic Movie Hub. (Update: Here is the article!)

October 3rd Update: The schedule has changed again and Jimmy Hunt will no longer be attending the festival. THE LONE HAND screening will instead include a chat between Wyatt McCrea, Bruce Boxleitner, and Rob Word.

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