Fans of Western movies have the opportunity to meet some of the biggest stars in the genre this weekend at the annual High Chaparral Reunion.
The reunion goes through Sunday and includes meet and greets, tours of Old Tucson Studios and film screenings.
About 50 years ago, TV shows like The High Chaparral dominated American culture. Robert Fuller, BarBara Luna and Don Collier are a few of the iconic western film stars of that time, starring in Western hits like Laramie and The High Chaparral, a show filmed at Old Tucson Studios.
"Old Tucson was great in those days," said Collier who played Sam Butler on The High Chaparral. "That was before it burned down. Kansas Street was a wonderful street in fact the old Chaparral Ranch house is still there, it didn't burn."
"I made a movie called 'Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?' shot here in Tucson and at night, I'd go hang out with the High Chaparral guys at the watering hole," said Fuller who played Jess Harper on Laramie.
They say sadly, the Western genre has all but disappeared.
"They've lost interest in it or maybe there's not enough money in it," said Fuller.
"Well you know the film has changed, there's so much CGI work, it's all Sci-Fi," said Luna.
They say fans travel from all over the world to The High Chaparral Reunion for a bit of nostalgia and a trip back to the Wild Wild West.
"They'll have some laughs and they'll have a lot of fun," said Fuller. "They'll get to meet people that they've seen on television many, many times and get to talk to them."
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The reunion takes place March 17-20 at Casino del Sol with special events Saturday at Old Tucson Studios. For a full schedule of events and to register, click here.
