TV Episodes

Glen Canyon Bridge Dedication

/ Mike Adams / 3 Comments

Photo: USBR. Glen Canyon Bridge Dedication, 1959. Source: Terry Edwards.

The dedication ceremony of Glen Canyon Bridge took place on Friday, February 20, 1959. My understanding of that event (we moved there shortly after the bridge was dedicated) is that the ribbon-cutting was actually a chain-cutting using a cutting torch and once the chains were cut, the crowds quickly moved onto the bridge to take a look below at the beginnings of Glen Canyon Dam. These pictures capture some of that day. If you were there, I’d love to hear your story in the comments.

The photo above is taken from above the beehive, looking back toward Page. If you click on the picture you’ll be able to zoom in and see the detail. Look at the number of cars parked on the Page side of the bridge and the line of cars still arriving on US89 in the distance. You can also see the original visitor’s lookout near the top of the canyon wall on the Page side of the canyon.

Photo: USBR. Glen Canyon Bridge Dedication, 1959. Source: Terry Edwards.

The photo above is a look from the Page side of the bridge. Check out the ambulance, the ’57 Chevy, and the old busses. The ambulance is visible in the first picture above by zooming into it.

Photo: USBR. Glen Canyon Bridge Dedication, 1959.

Click on the above photo and look at the detail. The parking lot on the right was for visitors and there was a walking path down to the lookout point that I mentioned in the first picture, also clearly visible in this photo. The buses in the previous photo are visible in this one, to the right of the bridge. The first visitor center would eventually be placed on US89 between where those busses are parked and the end of the bridge. Looking in the canyon, the ledge has been cut in the canyon wall for the concrete batch plant but it’s not there yet. You can also see the keyways are cut for where the dam would be anchored to the canyon walls.

The lower footbridge is visible near the bottom of the photo and the upper footbridge can be seen in the background. No dam yet, but it’s on its way. You can see water flowing through the right diversion tunnel. Right and left seem relative, but in previous photos, right and left are usually referenced from the upstream side of the dam, looking downstream.

Photo: USBR. Glen Canyon Bridge Dedication, 1959.

The above photo is like the “Where’s Waldo” of bridge dedications. Are you in this picture, or do you recognize someone who is? If so, please leave a comment and let me know.

Photo: USBR. Glen Canyon Bridge Dedication, 1959. Source: Donna Bloxton Petersen

The photo above was sent to me by Donna Bloxton Petersen with this caption, “Glen Canyon Bridge Dedication or First Bucket of Concrete for GC Dam when Paul Fannin was Governor – by Donna Burgess Kielland” I’m going with the bridge dedication since there is only one crane tower built and it may not be completely built (two more were built on that side of the canyon). Those three cranes were used in conjunction with the three on the opposite side of the canyon to lower the concrete buckets (and other things) into the lower canyon.

Source: Page Signal, February 4, 1959.

 

Photo: USBR. Glen Canyon Bridge Dedication, 1959.

 

Until next time… Enjoy and share!

Mike

A Few More Kicks on Route 66

/ Mike Adams / Leave a comment

In 2013, I posted a blog about an episode of the old TV series, Route 66, being filmed in Page. You can see that post >HERE<. If Route 66 was before your time, it was a show about two guys – Tod (with one “d”) and Buz (with one “z”) – driving the old Route 66 in a cool Corvette Stingray and doing stuff. You may know Route 66 as Interstate 40. Season One, Episode Nine of Route 66 was filmed in Page and at the Glen Canyon Dam site when it was under construction. This episode aired on November 2, 1960 and was entitled, Layout at Glen Canyon. Construction on the dam was in its early stages and the bridge dedication took place the year before.

In this post, I want to tease out a little more trivia by way of some still images I made of the show while watching it. Some of these are little blurry but clear enough to see what’s going on. Enjoy!

 

This first image above is one I used on the original post in 2013. They’re filming the scene where the women are getting off the plane. Click this image and enlarge it. Take a look at the all the details and notice the sign on the side of the truck. I’m not sure what the thing on the cart is. Careful leaning on that Corvette, people! We lived at the airport (literally) and this scene wasn’t too far from our trailer’s front door. But I don’t remember them making this show. Here are some stills from the show:

 

This early scene shows Tod (Martin Milner of Adam-12 fame) and Buz (George Maharis) in a deep discussion just before the models get on the bus to be escorted to where they are staying, which was a couple of trailers somewhere near where the “P” is painted along US89. You can see Manson Mesa in the background of the scenes filmed at those trailers if you watch the show. In the picture above, the line of trailers is P Street, the last street of the MCS trailer court, next to the airport. Our trailer was to the right of this picture right behind (literally!) the hanger. Here’s a wider shot of the same area:

 

The picture above is a wider shot of the trailers behind the airport along P Street. The dirt driveway that Tod and Buz are headed to was the entrance off of P Street to the airport and the driveway to our trailer to the right of this picture. Here’s another action shot of the same scene: Continue reading →

Movies, Movies, Movies

/ Mike Adams / 1 Comment

This shot looks like it was taken at Horseshoe Bend. Horseshoe Bend is off of highway US 89 just south of Page.

The area around Page has always been a prime location for movies and TV shows. The rugged and unusual terrain in the area makes it a unique spot for movie making. Here are a few of the movies/TV episodes I remember being filmed near Page:

  1. Route 66 Season 1, Episode 9, Layout at Glen Canyon (1960)
  2. The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)
  3. Planet of the Apes (1968)
  4. Easy Rider (1969)
  5. The Outlaw Jose Wales (1976)
  6. Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1978) – A made for TV mini-series. I was an extra in one of these episodes and will be signing autographs later.
  7. Superman III (1983)
  8. Maverick (1994) – There’s a scene in this movie with houseboats visible in the background. Ooops!
  9. Broken Arrow (1996)
  10. Planet of the Apes (2001)
  11. Gravity (2013)

There were more, but you get the idea. Here are a couple more pictures I wanted to share with you from the first Planet of the Apes, filmed at Lake Powell in 1968, four years after the completion of Glen Canyon Dam. I don’t remember where I got these.

Those cool waters of Lake Powell were always so refreshing on hot days.

Boating and fishing in these side canyons was always a treat. But as we all know, these guys are heading toward disaster.

Enjoy!

-Mike

Route 66: Season One, Episode Nine

/ Mike Adams / 2 Comments
Route 66
A scene from season 1, episode 9 of Route 66 filmed in Page.
Photographer and date unknown.
Source: Terry Edwards

There were a lot of movies and a handful of TV episodes filmed in the Page area in those early years. The ones that stand out to me while growing up there were The Greatest Story Ever Told, Planet of the Apes, Easy Rider, and later, The Outlaw Jose Wales. But who could forget the epic TV series, Route 66, starring Martin Milner of Adam-12 fame and…. that other guy. What was his name? Oh yea, George Maharis. In the series, they were Tod (with one d) and Buz (with one z). They drove the old Route 66 in that cool Stingray and did things.

Season 1, episode 9 was filmed in Page. The first picture below captured the filming of one of the scenes at or near the airport. The cool Stingray is sitting there, waiting for action. This episode aired on November 2, 1960 and was entitled, Layout at Glen Canyon. If this scene was shot at the airport, I lived a stone’s throw from where it was filmed. Check it out…

I grabbed the screen shot below from the IMDB web site when I searched for Route 66. It filled in some of the gaps for me. Unfortunately, I can’t find that episode anywhere. Netfix only has the first two episodes of season one. I sure would like to watch it. If any of you come across it, please let me know.

I know I said I wasn’t going to blog anything here until after December, but this was too good to wait. Enjoy!

-Mike