The Paramount Company of The Round Up being shown at this year's film festival at 4:30 pm Sunday, came to Inyo County in late 1919 to scout and get ready for filming.

It is unclear why they came to the area, although there is evidence Paramount was not the first to be here. It appears that a film company was working in Death Valley in 1917. The local newspaper suggests other companies had been here to film scenes, but that The Round Up would be the first feature film to be entirely on location in Lone Pine.

Clarence Badger first bought property in the Lone Pine area in 1917 as well, although not part of the land he would finally build his ranch on, now known as the Cuffe Ranch of Movie Fame. Badger would have known Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle from the days they shared at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios, so perhaps Badger told Arbuckle about the untouched locations perfect for this western film.

The film would be Arbuckle's first feature film, and a change of pace from the many two reel comedies that made him one of Hollywood's first mega stars. He wanted the best locations for the film that would be based on a successful stage melodrama by the same name. Tom Forman also starred in the film and had written the scenario used for the film. Forman would later come back to the area to film The Virginian (1923) also being shown at the Festival on Saturday night at 7:30 pm. At some time during this period he had bought a ranch outside of Bishop, but it is unclear if he had already been to the Owens Valley before The Round-Up.

The local paper The Inyo Independent, in its January 3, 1920 edition announced the arrival of the company to film. "The Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle Motion Picture Company is in Lone Pine, where big preparations are under way for the production of pictures." Remember this was before the construction of the Dow Hotel, built in 1923, specifically to accommodate the ever more frequent visits of film companies. At least some of the stars and director probably stayed at what is now called the Old Lone Pine Hotel on Main street. Crews for the next three years could not get lodging in town and stayed in tents nearby or even up at the locations

The news article continued, "The hotel and lodging house accommodations in Lone Pine will be taxed to their utmost when all the company shall have arrived." The relationship between Lone Pine and the movies was close from this point on. Joy Anderson told Dave Holland for his book On Location in Lone Pine, that a rancher named Al Gallaher first supplied horses and cattle and whatever else the companies needed to film. He moved on to Calistoga in the early Thirties, so it was then that her father Russ Spainhower took over almost all the movie work, earning him the title, "Mr. Movies," in the local area.

Joy has several pictures of The Round Up being made on the streets of Lone Pine and she assumes that the pictures were taken by her father so he must have been there and probably involved with that production on some level.

The local newspaper of the 1920's and 1930's clearly show Lone Pine to be an area that made a lot of its own entertainment. So you can imagine if the town is full of show people, what better to do for recreation than to have them put on a show. According to The Independent, that's exactly what they did do.

The paper of Januray 17th announced "a classy, up-to-date vaudeville show for two nights later, by members of the Fatty Arbucklke Motion Picture Company." What an opportunity for fun and a break in the humdrum life in a small isolated town to have one of the greatest movie stars of the moment and his friends put on a show for you. The writer stated, " The talent in the Arbuckle Company for this sort of entertainment is said to be of a high order, and we have been informed that there will be something worth while doing every second at Lone Pine next Monday night." No review followed, but we can only dream of having been able to attend that once in a life time event here.

The entertainment to be provided by The Round Up was not at an end, however. Slightly less than a year later, just before Christmas, the film played in Independence. "The Roundup will be given tomorrow night, Sunday, December 24, at the Independence Theatre. Two shows will be put on to accommodate the large number who will want to see the picture."

No mention is made of the fact the film had been made in the area a year before, but the writer is enthusiastic about the quality of the show. "The Roundup is best described as six reels of undiluted laughs and hair raising thrills, for it shows the corpulent comedian in comedy situations that characterized his former short funfests as well as a dramatic portrayer extraordinary."

Thanks to the Film Festival, you will get to judge for yourself. The performance will have live musical accompaniment presented by Bill Shuck of Bishop playing his own work, composed specifically for this film.