Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 49 Two longtime Paradise Valley residents included Dennis Quaid (who filmed Everything at Rises there in 1989) and his then-wife, Meg Ryan, who cheered the pig wrestlers at the Park County Fair; Glenn Close, who first came to Montana for a part in e Stone Boy, rode around on a mule at her modest farmhouse outside Bozeman; and Michael Keaton still fly-fishes on the Boulder River, a Blue- Ribbon recreational trout fishery just a few steps from his door. Montana's relationship with film has been sublime, serious and even outright silly. Damnation Alley, a picture about a machine called the "Landmaster" that moves across the United States after a nuclear war, among large cockroaches and scorpions, was shot on Flathead Lake in 1976. Steven Seagal's e Patriot — about a respected doctor who must race against time to find a cure for a lethal virus unleashed by a paramilitary militia leader — received threats from purported militia members. But, ultimately, the ex- periences of the cast, the crew, the production teams, and the local communities have been overwhelming positive. "But what I really like about [moviemaking] is that it hits every sector of the economy," said former Montana Film Commissioner Lonie Stimac, who took over as director of the Montana Film Office in 1990 after Garry Underwald's retirement and filled the position for 10 years. "e companies, they hire locksmiths, they need sanitation people to come out to their sites and clean up, they rent heavy equipment, they rent motel rooms and buildings. And it doesn't leave any damage or pollution in its wake. It's very environmentally friendly." [Ed. note: This book documents all the films made in Montana to date and provides detailed descriptions plus behind-the-scenes stories. It also offers 120 excellent photographs. Copyright (c) 2016 by Brian D'Ambrosio.] Broken Arrow, Director John Woo In the summer of 1995, the film Broken Arrow spent six weeks shooting action train sequences along 40 miles of the railroad's tracks—northeast of Lewistown on Hanover Road. "Broken arrow" is a military term used to describe a nuclear device that is unaccounted for and, in the movie Broken Arrow, two Stealth bomb- er pilots go from friends to enemies when one of them steals a nuclear weapon and plans to hold it for ransom. Principal actors: John Travolta and Christian Slater. Broken Arrow shot to the No. 1 spot in its opening three days, with an estimated $15.4 million in box office grosses. Evel Knievel retells the life story of Butte's famous motorcycle daredevil, with George Hamilton playing the role of Knievel. Sue Lyon played his wife, Linda. Filmed while Evel was recuperating from injuries sustained in a horrible crash while trying to vault his motorcycle over the fountains of Caesar's Palace, the movie covers Evel's life and retains suitable campy charm.

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