Who owns old tucson studios

The two also have a hold card: They have lined up Lowell Rothschild, a top-flight bankruptcy lawyer whose firm has also done work for the county. Pitt, a lawyer and former member of the Arizona Board of Regents, joined with Diamond and another longtime friend, investor Richard Bloch, to buy the lease to Old Tucson in from a company headed by Robert Shelton.

Bloch, also a partner in the Diamond-Pitt landmark deal to acquire and sell off land in the Howard Hughes Trust--a package that made the three wildly rich--is no longer part of Old Tucson. The Old Tucson debt is tiny for someone with Diamond's wealth. It is a wealth exemplified by his ability to write an eight-figure check to get out of the tricky Banning-Lewis Ranch deal in Colorado before the collapse of one of the many crashing thrifts in the dawn of the Resolution Trust Corp.

It must be said that Pitt and Diamond also give, to medical research and other charities, more than many make in a lifetime. But this costly battle goes on--at a time of county budget cuts and at a time that Old Tucson itself is flailing. Yet, Diamond, Pitt and others cling to the hope that it can have a successful future as a water park.

Yes, a water park. Laugh as you might at the recommendations for an Old Tucson water park. It is what the consultants recommend, and they play a big role with Diamond and Pitt. Critics point out that consultants are the ones who guided them away from Old Tucson as a big movie set and to today's amusement park with sharply dwindling attendance.

The Western theme, one consultant assured, will be retained "with lifeguards wearing cowboy hats, etc. A Western-themed water park would be a lot of fun. Moulton could speak like an insider because, until October , he worked for Old Tucson Studios.

The November brainstorming came four months after Huckelberry finally decided to call out Diamond, when he had county Parks Director Rafael Payan serve Old Tucson with notice of default. Though friendly with Diamond, Huckelberry has watched the savvy speculator circle around him and county government for decades on huge land deals like the Rocking K Ranch, Pima Canyon and several big land swaps.

Despite reports that he is trying to be more tolerant of the land preservation plan, Diamond, the son of a New York coffee broker, once belittled it as "dipshit. He single-handedly lured movie after movie to Tucson. He loves--without boasting--to tell the story about how he once had five production companies working at Old Tucson at one time. Shelton could configure five or six sets at Old Tucson, he says.

Shelton had a knack with movie folks. Eastwood built Old Tucson's courthouse. Paul Newman built the boarding house for Hombre. Shelton got the Reno, the oldest operating locomotive, from MGM.

He is the most focused human being I know. He's got to come out with it all. But they apparently were not impressed enough with the movie business to keep it going like Shelton did. A succession of general managers came through the turnstiles. The theme park has a connection that crosses generations.

Just share in the experience. Stepping back in time was awesome. Lawton worked at the park for 20 years and knew, Bob Shelton, the founder of Old Tucson.

The board of supervisors say the committee has until Sept. A final recommendation is expected to go to the board in late September or early October. Skip to content. Vaccine Tracker. Monsoon TEP Solar Dashboard. Old Tucson has been and still is the location for more than films, television shows, music videos, and commercial productions.

It still has a working costume department, props, and employed numerous stunt and other performers up until its closure in Mallett says while rumors continue to circulate about who will take over the vacant property, he's confident the new company will reopen Old Tucson as an attraction, but also revive its historic film past. People were still filming in and about the property. There's definitely a hope that something formal will be stood up as part of the package.

So far, only the County knows who the new tenant will be. They're expected to make the announcement in the next few weeks. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the high school state track champion in the meters.