It’s high noon and just west of Tucson stands one of the most iconic mountains in Western movie history.

“The thing is, once you come here and you notice that backdrop, every movie you see that is a Western, you’re looking to see if it was filmed here,” said Andy Elethorp who is visiting Old Tucson

In the late 18-hundreds, the Southwest United States was a site of lawlessness and ruggedness.

As time passed, the area modernized, but the idea of the Old West continued on in film and chances are, if the movie is a Western, it was filmed at Old Tucson Studios.

“Everybody in the industry knows about Old Tucson because that was the set of all the Westerns that were made way back when,” said Shelli Hall, Tucson Film Office Director.

“The Western really, totally captures the American personality and is a reflection of that and I think that’s why audiences still want to see them,” said Frances Causey, Film Manager of Old Tucson Studios.

Built in 1939 for the movie Arizona, Old Tucson Studios has been the cornerstone of Westerns and for the last 70 years, more than 300 productions have been filmed at the studios.

Some of those productions have included big name Western stars such as Clint Eastwood and John Wayne.

Film productions have been hindered, however, after a devastating fire in the mid-90s destroyed the main soundstage and parts of Old Tucson.

The fire, coupled with limited incentives for filming in Arizona, has allowed other states to beat Arizona to the draw.

“Right now, Old Tucson and the state of Arizona is competing against other states that offer film incentives programs that are actually more aggressive than ours,” said Causey.

Currently, the tax incentives are based on the amount spent during production. If more than one million dollars are spent, the production receives a 30 percent rebate. This rebate, however, is only a tax credit and must be used in Arizona.

Hall hopes that a change in the incentives that aid productions will aid Arizona in a showdown against other states with better incentives.

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!