Arizona's First Film Office Head

If there was a title pertaining to a stuntman’s record of stunt brawls, Fred Graham would easily have held that title. At least he held the title of the first one to head Arizona's first film office.

The art of fisticuffs has always been Graham’s specialty, and every major studio used him in that capacity for more than 25 years. His reputation began to grow at Warner Bros. in the late 1930s, in such classics as Adventures of Robin Hood, Valley of the Giants, The Roaring 20s, Dodge City, Brother Orchid and Each Dawn I Die, to name a few. 

In the early ’40s, he shifted over to Republic Studios, where some of the greatest fight choreography was staged by Graham and his cohorts. One of his friends was John Wayne, who used Graham as an actor and stunt double in many of his films, such as Tall in the Saddle and Angel and the Badman, filmed in Arizona, along with Rio Bravo. As an inductee to the Hollywood Stuntman’s Hall of Fame and resident of Scottsdale, Graham would have been the perfect choice to head a new state film office, should we get one.

Knowing the movie business when he headed the film office, he convinced many filmmakers to shoot in Arizona.

Today, with the old film office long since closed, we not only need a new one, but someone who knows the business. To be competitive with so many other states, we also need a state film tax incentive for the office to be even more effective.

This item was originally featured in the March 2014 local newsletter.