Movies in Monterey
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Films Shot in Monterey County

Daddy Long Legs, 1931

Janet Gaynor and Warren Baxter; directed by Alfred Santell; one of at least five films of the same name; scenes shot in the Cypress Grove area of Point Lobos; Bob Moss, who used to live in Salinas and who moved to Hayward, as a kid was an extra in the film, one of many orphans in the picture.

Dark Angel, 1925

Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky; directed by George Fitzmaurice; story by Frances Marion; Goldwyn First National; silent; Banky's first American film, her first teaming with Colman and a mid-1920s hit of colassal proportions; from a play by Guy Bolton; story about a blinded officer in World War I who tries to persuade his fiancee to marry another manwithout her knowing of his own infirmity.

Daughters Courageous, 1939

Claude Rains, John Garfield and the Lane Sisters; directed by Michael Curtiz; Warner Bros.; clone of "Four Daighters," the Fannie Hurst story; Monterey resident Peter Cardinale was a stand-in for John Garfield in one scene.

The Deep Six, 1958

Alan Ladd, Dianne Foster, William Bendix, Keenan Wynn, James Whitmore and Joey Bishop; directed by Rudolph Mate; Warner Bros.; World War II Navy drama; a car owned by Ramon Oliver of Monterey, a 1941 Cadillac convertible, was used in the film.

Deep Valley, 1947

Ida Lupino, Dane Clark, Wayne Morris and Fay Bainter; directed by Jean Neguleco; Warner Bros.; strike on the studio backlot forced the cast and crew to go on the road to make the picture; story involved a chain-gang working on the new coast highway (Route 1) winding around Big Sur; Miss Lupino plays a shy, young farm girl whose parents are loveless and repressive. She discovers one of the convicts (Clark) who escaped from the chain-gang, and they join together as kindred spirits; shot entirely on location in Big Sur and Big Bear, Deetjen built two cabins for the set that became part of the Big Sur Inn (which was called Deetjen's by local people); rugged portrayal of the landscape _ including heavy rain storms _ was intended to show the stark drama of Big Sur life in those days; Dan Totheroh of Carmel wrote the original story as a novel, and the film made its debut at the old Carmel Theater. The opening-night audience included Big Sur oldtimers whose families were pioneers before California became a state.

Desiree, 1954

Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons; directed by Henry Koster; 20th Century Fox; story of the rise and fall of Napoleon and is named for the love of his life before he became emperor; one of the opening scenes was filmed at the Lone Cypress at Pebble Beach, standing in for the island of Elba.

Desire Me, 1947

Greer Garson, Richard Hart and Robert Mitchum; no director credit, at least three directors worked on the film, including George Cukor, who did most of the work and was entitled to the credit, Mervyn LeRoy and Jack Conway; MGM; during the filming, it had a working title of "A Woman of My Own"; drama about the wife of a Normany villager who hears that he has died in a concentration camp and marries the bearer of the news, who turns out to be a psycotic who had left her husband for dead _ but he didn't die; scenes filmed at Point Lobos, 17 Mile Drive at Pebble Beach, Malpaso Creek on the coast south of Carmel and elsewhere on the Monterey Peninsula and its environs; the film was plagued by delays and other problems, including retakes and re-editing and a last-minute replacement of Robert Montgomery with Hart as the male lead; Miss Garson was hospitalized after being swept off the rocks by an ocean wave at Malpaso Creek and rolled in 10 feet of water before being rescued by a fisherman employed on the set, Monterey purse seine skipper Vincent Sollecito; Miss Garson suffered bruises and a back sprain and was off the set for a week or more; MGM had wanted to put up a few buildings at the Point Lobos State Reserve but withdrew the idea when the Point Lobos League, fearful of a repeat of an earlier filming episode at Point Lobos that damaged the fragile environment, tried to stop the filming altogether. MGM was allowed to film at Point Lobos but under the watchful eye of the Point Lobos League; the late 1930s to mid-'40s was a particularly favorite period for Peninsula-made films, and the number during that time may have exceeded 50.

The Divine Lady, 1928

Victor Varconi, Corinne Griffith, H.B. Warner, Marie Dressler and Montague Love; directed and produced by Frank Lloyd; Warner; story of Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton; Oscar winner for Lloyd as director; Oscar nominee for Best Actress (Corinne Griffith) and cinematography; scenes filmed at the former Rittenhouse residence in Del Monte Forest.

Doctor Doolittle, 1967

Rex Harrison, Anthony Newley, Samantha Eggar and Richard Attenborough; directed by Richard Fleischer; 20th Century Fox; Dr. Dolittle is a veterinary surgeon who talks to animals; the song "Talk to the Animals" won the Oscar, and the movie was nominated for a total of five Oscars, including Best Picture, cinematography and musical score; scenes filmed at the Doud Ranch in Big Sur over four days.

Dust Be My Destiny, 1939

John Garfield and Priscilla Lane; directed by Lewis Seiler; Warner; saga of a man trying to find his destiny; scenes filmed in front of Colton Hall.

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Our thanks to Joe Graziano of the Monterey County Herald for providing this information.

* - Indicates that Peninsula footage ended up on cutting room floor.

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