TRUCKEE, Calif. — Jack London, Charlie Chaplin, Al Pacino, Tom Cruise — For more than 100 years, Hollywood’s top actors have been traveling to the small snow-covered mountain town of Truckee to make movies.
Greg Zirbel is president Truckee Donner Historical Society He chronicled the history of Truckee film since it first began in 1910.
“So far, I can count 219 movies in Truckee,” Zirbel said.
Jack London’s Alaskan gold rush adventure novels inspired several films in the 1910s and 1920s. Charlie Chaplin even came to Truckee to make one of his most famous films, Gold feverin 1925.
“The reason for filming is here,” Zerbel said. “Because the train will get you into the snow without any hassle.”
Take a trip on the back roads of Bartell:
► Enjoy the back roads with the ABC10+ streaming app for your TV
► See an interactive map of every place John has visited on the back roads
► View all Backroads videos On your phone
► Follow John on Facebook
Movies about Alaska were popular in the 1910s, but Alaska was difficult to get to. Truckee was a great choice because it had been a major railroad town since the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, and it was very easy to get people and supplies into the snow.
Before the movie industry, Truckee was also known for its winter sports and its amusement park equipped with chair lifts and ice castles.
“These guys really promoted it and had these big parties and winter carnivals here, a party atmosphere and said, ‘We can spend some time in Truckee and do some filming here,'” Zirbel said.
After roads were built over Donner Pass, more people visited the area and allowed for new film stories such as the 1990 psychological thriller.MiseryStarring James Caan and Kathy Bates.
“James Kahn was driving on Old Highway 40 over Donner Lake in a ’65 Ford Mustang, went out in the snow and crashed,” Zirbel said.
One of the most recent movies filmed in the Truckee area was the 2023 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick.
Truckee may be a small town with a population of about 17,000, but thanks to its unique location, it will always be an easy backdrop for filmmakers in big cities, Zirbel says.
More backroad movie magic: John Bartell hosts a special celebration of some of Hollywood’s most memorable films and the cities around California where they were filmed.