| CURRENT WEATHER: Clear, 94° |
|
|
|
||
|
||||
|
April 15, 2005
Hollywood stuntmen's Hall of Fame eyes Beatty
By RICHARD STEVENS
Hagner, with the encouragement of the District and longtime friend Sue Hackett, secretary of the Beatty Chamber of Commerce, has been investigating the possibility of moving the currently mothballed museum to Beatty. A stuntman and author of the only known book on how to become a Hollywood stuntman - or stuntwoman - established the museum back in 1973. For years it was housed in Moab, Utah, where many western movies have been filmed. Then the focus of tourism in the area changed more toward wilderness recreation, and community leaders decided they needed the building for other purposes. So, the museum has been looking for a new home. Hagner has more than 1,000 boxes of movie memorabilia in storage, including movie reels, costumes, stunt equipment, saddles, and more footprints in concrete (401) than in the Hollywood Hall of Fame (including the barefoot prints of the most famous movie Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller). Some of the notable items include Gene Kelly's shoes from "Singing in the Rain," and a hat, gun, scarf, boots, and other items donated by John Wayne. Some of the collection dates from the days of silent films. The museum, with a facade designed like a working Western movie set, would do more than just display the memorabilia. Hagner and others would also put on stunt shows recreating stunts from actual movies. "I'm sure you have local athletes," he said, who would like to train and learn to do stunts. Beatty is an "ideal" location for the museum, said Hagner. It is located on a major highway used by tourists, and many visitors to the area are Europeans who have a particular fascination with Hollywood and the lore of Western movies. Hagner, his wife Dorothy, and Hall of Fame President Lee Diebold have toured the area and the 10-acre site behind the Beatty LDS chapel where the District would make land available on lease. "After seeing what we've seen, and after the letter of intent we received, it's the best offer we've had," he said. "We feel we'd like to do it." The District, once it signed a lease with the Hall of Fame for the land, would act only as landlord, and would not be involved in fundraising for the project (although members of the board of trustees could be involved as individuals). Likely sources of funding would be grants from the Screen Actor's Guild, the Nevada Film Commission, and others involved in the motion picture industry. "I'd like to see at least $100,000 in the bank before groundbreaking," said District Chairman Brad Hunt. Hunt also addressed the concerns of some residents of the neighborhood concerning traffic. He felt that signage could help direct traffic onto the least disruptive route. Hunt sees the project as just the sort of attraction Beatty needs to boost its tourist economy - a year-round attraction rather than a one-time event. "Besides, there is an annual induction banquet that attracts a lot of celebrities, and it would be held in the Beatty Community Center," added Hunt. |
