European Crews Enticed by Arizona’s ‘Old West’ : Entertainment: German, Italian and even Japanese commercial and Western makers flock to the state to capture the legendary untamed atmosphere.

The setting is a vintage Hollywood Western: a rugged cowboy in a cobweb-covered saloon.

But a closer examination reveals some differences. The actors are German, doing a commercial for a cocktail mix.

It’s not just movie and television Westerns that are being filmed these days at Arizona’s Old West towns. German, Italian and even Japanese models, actors and film crews are flocking to the state to make commercials and do still photo shoots.

“The Europeans just love the Western--they love the Western look,” said Sue Birmingham, who with her husband, Ed, owns Apacheland Movie Ranch. The 85-acre location has its own stage town and is located east of Apache Junction at the base of the Superstition Mountains.

American companies are also taking advantage of the foreign fascination with the Wild West. A Marlboro cigarette ad uses Arizona as a backdrop for commercials geared to Spain and Hong Kong, while Kellogg’s cereal used the state for a European commercial.

First built in 1939 for the William Holden-Jean Arthur movie “Arizona,” Old Tucson, which has also been a theme park since 1959, has been used for more than 200 feature films.

“We’re seeing increased traffic from European firms,” said Jay Cole, film production manager at Old Tucson.

“The reason they come here is they like the Old West look,” said Cole, who suspects that the current country-Western music craze in England has probably heightened that popularity.

There have been 37 film and photo projects at Old Tucson so far this year, including four feature movies and an industrial film for a European petrochemical conglomerate, he said. Eight of the projects were commercial photography shoots for German and Austrian fashion and shoe catalogues.

Old Tucson, 12 miles west of Tucson, totaled only 28 projects in 1993--four of them major movie or TV projects.

“There is a general fascination with the West,” said Linda Peterson Warren, Arizona Film Commission chairman. “Europeans seem to have the notion that it is still untamed, rugged and with the terrain that they can’t even come close to in their countries. And we’re capitalizing on it.”

In 1993, Arizona realized about $79 million in direct moneys from all filmmaking ventures--movies, television and commercials, Old West and contemporary, Warren said.

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State officials have difficulty estimating the full impact of the increase in revenue from commercials because producers and film crews frequently deal directly with regional film offices. Prescott, Yuma, Lake Powell, Page, Cochise County and the Navajo Nation are among locations with offices.

“Often we don’t know they’re even here,” Warren said.

Bob Bradshaw is replacing a Western set burned down about eight years ago on his 90-acre ranch in Sedona’s breathtaking Red Rock country.

Bradshaw was involved in Arizona’s movie and site-location business for a quarter of a century before the advent of the state film office. He said TV commercial work such as a recent Spanish Marlboro ad made on his ranch keeps his operation busy.

“We’re always having these models shoot out here--mostly clothing,” he said.

A decision by 20th Century Fox to open a major animated film production facility in Phoenix will be a big boost to the industry.

“That’s a permanent part of our production landscape now,” Warren said. “It sends a very strong message to Los Angeles that Arizona is a production center.”