Distinguished Professor of History at the University of New Mexico Dr. Paul A. Hutton specializes in U.S. history and history of the American West. But he is also a scholar of film and popular culture, and he has curated an exhibit on view through August at the Albuquerque Museum, Hollywood Southwest: New Mexico in Film and Television.
Dr. Hutton explains that New Mexico's brilliant light and reliably good weather, along with a variety of usable locations, have drawn filmmakers to the state since the earliest days of the silent era.
In this longer version of the interview, Dr. Hutton lists several films that give a sense of how Hollywood has used New Mexico as a location over the years: Ride The Pink Horse (filmed in 1947 in Santa Fe), Salt of the Earth (1954 in Silver City), Lonely Are The Brave (1962 in Albuquerque) and Ace In The Hole (1951 in Gallup).
