Mackenna’s Gold movie storyline. Sheriff McKenna (Gregory Peck) kills an old Indian Chief in a shootout. While going through a sack, he discovers an old Map that leads to “Canyon del Oro.” Soon McKenna becomes surrounded with a rag tag group of citizens and criminals who want part of the Gold for themselves. During their journey they encouner hostility from within and outside the group.
While traveling towards the Canyon on horseback, the group has to face attacks from hostile Indian tribes, and deal with discrimination from within the group’s members against each other. During their journey the group increases with newcomers who also have dreams of their own about the Gold and what they want it for?
After they reach the Canyon, all bets are off and everyone is out for themselves as they greedily begin to stack rocks of gold in their pockets and in horses’ side satchels. Meanwhile, the spirit of the old Indian Chief begins to cause the walls of the Canyon to collapse to bury the gold. It will be a miracle if any of them can escape from the wrath of old Chief’s destructive spirit and get out of the Canyon alive.
Mackenna’s Gold is a 1969 American western film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring an ensemble cast featuring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Ted Cassidy, Camilla Sparv and Julie Newmar in lead roles. It was photographed in Super Panavision 70 and Technicolor by Joseph MacDonald, with original music by Quincy Jones.
Mackenna’s Gold is based on the novel of the same name by Heck Allen using the pen name Will Henry, telling the story of how the lure of gold corrupts a diverse group of people. The novel was loosely based on the legend of the Lost Adams Diggings, crediting the Frank Dobie account of the legend (Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver) in the author’s note. The film was a box office failure in North America, but went on to become a major overseas success, in regions such as the Soviet Union, Central Asia and Indian subcontinent.
Zuni Mountains were the locations of digging according to the legend, but the film was shot mainly at Glen Canyon of Utah and Canyon de Chelly of Arizona, specifically Spider Rock. Parts of the film were also shot at Kanab Canyon, Paria, Sink Valley, and the Panguitch Fish Hatchery in Utah as well as Medford, Oregon. In the climax scenes, as the sun rises, the shadow of “Shaking Rock” grows longer. In reality, shadows become shorter as the sun rises higher.
The “Old Turkey Buzzard” theme song sequence was shot at Monument Valley, on the Arizona-Utah border. The bird is actually a King vulture rather than a turkey vulture (buzzard). Stock footage was used for the waterfall peril in the rafting scene. It is actually a waterfall called High Force on the River Tees in the northeast of England.
George Lucas, as a young graduate student at the University of Southern California, was present on location. The themes of the western “horse opera” was later considered an influence in his works. While on location, Lucas shot the short film 6-18-67, originally intended to be a making-of documentary.
Mackenna’s Gold (1969)
Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
Starring: Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Camilla Sparv, Keenan Wynn, Julie Newmar, Ted Cassidy, Raymond Massey, Burgess Meredith, Anthony Quayle, Edward G. Robinson, Eli Wallach
Screenplay by: Carl Foreman
Production Design by: Geoffrey Drake
Cinematography by: Joseph MacDonald
Film Editing by: Bill Lenny
Costume Design by: Norma Koch
Set Decoration by: Alfred E. Spencer
Art Direction by: Geoffrey Drake, Cary Odell
Music by: Quincy Jones
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: May 10, 1969
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