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Thursday, August 14, 2008

Mountainair Is Ready for Its Close-Up

By Bob Groos
For the Telegraph
          Hollywood came to Mountainair last week.
        With firefighters long gone from the campground, a production crew took over the facility for meals, planning and staging activities while preparing the Downtown for filming scenes of "My One and Only," starring Academy Award and Golden Globe winning actress Renee Zellweger.
        The movie, set in 1953, is based on the early life of actor George Hamilton, on the road with his mother and brother. Zellweger, as glamorous Anne Deveraux, who is based on Hamilton's mother, Anne Hamilton Spalding, embarks on a city-to-city road trip down the East Coast, across the Midwest and along Route 66 all the way to Los Angeles, seeking to find a worthy replacement for her philandering husband, played by Kevin Bacon.
        The town was abuzz as set designers got to work, repainting storefronts and buildings with 1950s era iconography.
        Filming in Mountainair went well, but with any movie set, "there will always be obstacles," said Aaron Ryder, the film's producer.
        "The rain downpour caused some delays," he said. "And the driving distances between scenes make for really long days. But Mountainair is a wonderful location, and New Mexico has great landscapes."
        After that interview, the film crew had to deal with one of the vintage cars essential to the story line refusing to start. Eventually, it had to be pushed down the road.
        Mountainair was transformed for its moment in the Hollywood spotlight.
        The pharmacy was made over in to a period ice cream parlor with a new coat of paint and window decorations. Meanwhile, the storefronts next door became 1st National Bank and a Greyhound bus station. Vintage cars and trucks, even a Greyhound ScenicCruiser, lined the streets. It was as if the town had become its old self again.
        The historic Shaffer Hotel added to its credits, being both the lodging for the cast and actual scenes for the film. Owner Joel Marks said "it was a dream come true" to have his property be at center stage again.
        Move over, resident ghost, the stars are taking up residence now.
        Right across the street from the Shaffer, a sign said you could purchase 27-cent gas at the Tomahawk Garage. Remember Green Stamps? Just fill up your tank and collect a handful of stamps for your collection book on your way to a free gift.
        Even though there were some traffic detours during filming, inconveniences were few. Indeed, Mountainair residents were treated with a rare opportunity to view all the action firsthand. Folks were allowed to be close enough to witness the actual filming, in some cases even to hear the director's instructions and actor's dialogue. Mountainair residents didn't need to visit Universal Studios for an up close look at Hollywood; it came to town last week.