The Museum of Western Film History...

As far as I'm concerned, no stop in Lone Pine is complete without a mesmerizing visit to The Museum of Western Film History.

This amazing space honors the men and women of the silver screen who interpreted the lives of the American Cowboy; the legendary iconic movie and TV heroes and heroines of America’s 19th and 20th centuries.

In addition, the museum collects and shares more contemporary movie making in the regional area of Inyo County, such as sci-fi genres and other cinematic references to the local landscape.

Hollywood first came on location in Lone Pine in 1920, using the unique scenery in more than 400 feature films since. Actually the Alabama Hills, the Sierra Nevada and the Owens Valley are still being used in movies and car commercials. Most recently, scenes for the Academy Award-winning Gladiator, Disney's Dinosaur, G.I. Jane, Maverick and The Shadow were shot in the Alabama Hills. The natural scenery remains unspoiled and unchanged since that first film in 1920, a silent Western for Paramount called The Round Up with Fatty Arbuckle.

Part of what makes this museum so interesting to me is the technology of filming making it shares. For instance, Technicolor. Wow. The introduction of Technicolor’s three-color camera in 1932 represented a major advancement in motion picture technology. The camera required an entirely new design, although it utilized many of the same principles already developed for two-color photography, such as a beam-splitting prism. The camera captured crisp, vibrant colors that were then recombined in printing.

The Technicolor three-strip camera captured separate color records onto three strips of film. Light entered the camera through the lens and was divided by the beam-splitting prism into two paths. One strip of film recorded the green record onto black-and-white film, while the other two records were exposed onto two black-and-white film strips in “bipack” (sandwiched together); the front film was blue-sensitive only, while the back film was sensitive to red. I said it was 'interesting'. I didn't say I understand it.

This piece of my childhood evoked incredible memories. I, to this day, still wax nostalgic for the drive-in movies.

The museum guides you through the decades of cinema magic.

Its collection of memorabilia is beyond impressive.

Thirty years ago, the movie Tremors was filmed here. The museum just hosted an anniversary celebration for this 1990 American monster comedy film.

It starred Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, and Reba McEntire. It was a success spawning five films over the years.

In the film, tired of their dull lives in the small desert town of Perfection, Nevada, repairmen Val McKee (Bacon) and Earl Bassett (Ward) try to skip town. However, they happen upon a series of mysterious deaths and a concerned seismologist Rhonda (Carter) studying unnatural readings below the ground. With the help of an eccentric couple Burt and Heather Gummer (Gross and McEntire), the group fights for survival against giant, worm-like monsters hungry for human flesh. Gripping! It's on our 'watch list' on Netflix currently.

Director Quentin Tarantino was here in 2012 to film his Oscar winning film Django Unchained.

Turns out Mr. Tarantino loved this museum and Lone Pine so much he donated a number of artifacts from the movie and has returned on numerous occasions. Wow.