Even if you’ve never been to Utah, you’ll recognise its landscapes. They’ve appeared on screen hundreds of times in films and TV series, from Westerns to thrillers and comedies. They’ve featured as themselves and been passed off as places across the world, and even beyond in a couple of sci fi films. And at the heart of the Utah movie world is Kanab in the south of the state, christened ‘Utah’s Little Hollywood’ after its role in bringing movie-makers to Utah almost a hundred years ago. Over 100 movies and TV series were filmed around here, with more Westerns than anywhere else other than California. And although its cinematic heyday might have passed, you can still get a taste of movie history in Kanab.

The homestead from the 1973 Disney film One Little Indian
Hollywood first came to Utah back in the 1920s, and it’s thanks to the three Parry brothers. They worked in transport and tourism in the recently set up Utah National Parks. But they’d also spotted the potential of the Utah landscapes as movie locations. So they headed off to Hollywood armed with photos and set about persuading the film producers to come to Utah. And it didn’t take them too long to convince one. In 1924 silent movie star Tom Mix and his trusty steed Tony the Wonder Horse came to make a Western called The Deadwood Coach in Cedar City, Utah. And from then its reputation grew.

A Western town in the Little Hollywood Museum
The movie producers loved having so many different landscapes in a relatively small area – from canyons and deserts to forests and mountains. And the Parrys did their bit to keep on promoting the area. They built a lodge to house the film crews (which you can still stay in and where Frank Sinatra paid for them to build a swimming pool), did the catering on location, and helped find filming spots and locals to appear as extras. The film business became the biggest employer in town and movie money helped get this remote ranching town through the tough days of the depression. MGM built a makeshift studio just outside town in the 1940s, and a constant stream of films were made here until the 1970s, including The Lone Ranger, Billy the Kid, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Outlaw Josie Wales, and Planet of the Apes.

Details from Western sets at the Little Hollywood Museum
Most of the old movie locations, like a fort on the MGM lot which was burned down and rebuilt for at least three different movies, are gone or on private land. But you can still get a window into its days as the home of the Western at Kanab’s Little Hollywood Museum. Behind a door at the back of a gift shop, we weren’t expecting much from this free museum. But out the back you’ve got a whole Western town, from the saloon to the jailhouse. The buildings have been rescued from various different films over the years and preserved here. There’s the ranch from The Outlaw Josie Wales, a homestead from the Disney film One Little Indian, as well as movie props and hundreds of photos of movies being made here.

Home to a few fictional outlaws
You can wander around the sets on a self-guided tour, sit in a rocking chair out on the front porch of a wooden cabin, go behind bars in the jail, and generally pretend you’re Clint Eastwood on location. It’s a great spot for photo opportunities and a window into the glory days of Western movies. Though if you want to see cowboys in the flesh, then you need to head to Kanab in August. Each year the town hold the Western Legends Round Up – a three-day celebration of all things cowboy-related. There’s poetry, music, film, food and appearances from classic Western movie stars, bringing Hollywood back to Kanab for the weekend.

The Little Hollywood Movie Set Museum in Kanab
The details
Kanab’s Little Hollywood Movie Set Museum is open 9am–5pm from Monday to Saturday and entry is free. It’s located at 297 West Center Street, behind the Frontier Move Town Gift shop on Highway 89 (look out for the big statue of a cowboy on a horse out the front).
nelson
Tuesday 31st of January 2017
I will love too go...I love this beutiful places..they look so kool..I watched Bonanza all the time..en the long renger..too stay thear for 2 weeks how much money I need..thank you for shearing this I'm from new york city..en love the country..I want out of the city is too crazy..see you in kanab's verry soon!!god willing!!!
Lucy
Thursday 2nd of February 2017
Thanks, hope you get to make it soon, such a fascinating area!
Rick
Thursday 27th of June 2013
I stopped by the statue of Kanab's founder. It said his home caught fire. He lost a couple of children and a wife. I thought the "a wife" part was interesting.
Lucy Dodsworth
Friday 28th of June 2013
Kept a few spares maybe! Sounds like an interesting guy.
Janet Thaeler
Saturday 8th of June 2013
Putting this on my list of things to do in Utah (I've never heard of it). Now I've just got to remember where Kanab is! I thought you might also like this graphic showing different movies that were filmed in Utah and some trivia: http://www.xango.com/buzz/infographics/all/top-10-movies-filmed-in-utah Blog On Janet
Lucy Dodsworth
Monday 10th of June 2013
Thanks, it's surprising how many films turn out to be filmed in Utah! Don't think I'd even heard of Kanab before I started planning this trip but it was a good central place to be based and had a great laid-back feel to it.
LensTHERAPY
Tuesday 4th of June 2013
Love the colours!
Lucy Dodsworth
Wednesday 5th of June 2013
We got a beautiful sunny day for sure!
Browsing the Atlas
Tuesday 4th of June 2013
Looks like a neat place! I'll have to check it out if I'm out that way. Meanwhile, I'm having fun looking at movie locations in Ohio. ;)
Lucy Dodsworth
Tuesday 4th of June 2013
It's amazing when you start looking at what movies were filmed where – so many are not where you'd expect!