Hungry Horse news and Columbian. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1946-1948, 1947-04-11
gvs.nder Tells How
Falls Once Went Hollywood


Anril day, Columbia Falls had
-sades of Hollywood as filming
s.orted of "Where Rivers Rise
studio was the big barn on the
rolhott estate overlooking the
i CONDITIONING Flathead. Then as
LOW snow had retreated up Co.
= ,rubia and Teakettle mountains
i 70 give this district its same hand
J come setting - evergreened Col
1 ,,mbia and golden Teakettle,
orowned with winters fading
4 white and separated by Bad Rock
canyon's gap On the valley floor
I This side of the canyon great yell
Slow pines six feet through grew
on the old Opalka place.
Blue skies, fluffed clouds and
clean air made the spring setting
complete.
Man with beautiful dream was
THOMAS Linden, son-in-1aw of
lanes Talbot, one of the towns
Ito,,nders. Columbia Falls setting
h him was something that the
world should see, SO he invested a
reported $4,000 for the purpose
Of making motion picture, and
|townspeople are said to have add
led another $4,000.
Motion pictures were rather
new in those days. A staff of
photographers were imported from
Hollywood, and filming started.
0Where Rivers Rise" had a sim
nile heroic "corny if you will
still used plot with lot of brawls. |
Mr.. Linden played the part of
AN eastern millionaire, who had
lost most of his fortune except for
timber holdings in the Flathead. |
With his beautiful daughter, the
heroine, he came to Montana to
recoup his fortune.
The hero, Art Staten, brother
Of Mrs. Carl Pfeifer, was a rug
red outstanding young lumberjack.
In the film, he even became a hui
man coupling holding train en-
zine and car together. Villain was
The lumber boss, who tried to
steal timber holdings.
Shown a number of times in
Columbia Falls, the picture did
Justice to local scenery. Dwight
1rist says that he had noticed
genes from "Where Rivers Rise"
lsed in other 1umberjack and we
tern movies.
There was log drive down the
Tlathead. Filming an actual for
st fire near Eureka almost burn
d the cameras. r
Many local people were in the Y
asst: Mrs. A. N. Smith and Mrs.
RANGES Robinson were dance hall
iris; Jack Robinson was a hotel
Jerk; the late A. l.. Jordan, a bar ,
ender; George and Claude Bo-
ok, Vern Smith and Hilda Lund
IcDonald were in the orchestra.
Joe Opalka, George Locke, John {
7. Greve, Bert McBain, William g
ord, Minnie Sewage, Nick Bad +
mack, the late Frank Opalka and
De Cosley had parts. Bertha Sta !,
N Waterman was said to be out 6
anding as the squaw. There's no ;
,curate way of finding all the q
ames. :,
The film was a real western,
i'd probably it's best local histor-
n is Claude Bolick, whom dau-
tier, Jean, commented isn't =
lite the same slim saxophone :
aver he was in 1922. :
Columbia Falls has much the g
cher tradition for "Where Riv- -
S Rise" The studio was torn
'wn, moved and some of it re- G
lilt by the Hoerner family into u
e Columbia Dome. Jerky and p
d by present motion picture O.
Columbia Falls own "
ovie, though a financial failure, p
II is remembered as something %
an adventure by oldtimers. "
MIR. Linden passed away in 1916. +
rs. Linden, last of the Talbot VI
lldren lives in Portland. Mrs.
binson contacted Mrs. Linden S
the pictures which are repro
ced IN +bie oooo MIR