How a $4 million Hollywood flop saved one Idaho town during the Great Depression

Spencer Tracy’s Hollywood Invasion of McCall, Idaho

In 1939, Hollywood came to McCall, Idaho and turned the small logging town upside down.

MGM had bought the hit novel “Northwest Passage” two years earlier, and after much searching, picked Payette Lake as their ideal spot.

When Spencer Tracy stepped off the train that June, locals went wild—one woman even wanted to snip his coat for a souvenir.

The studio hired 364 Native Americans, 250 Hollywood pros, and 900 locals who earned ten dollars daily during hard Depression times.

The historic Hotel McCall still holds treasures from this golden moment when Idaho briefly became the center of Hollywood’s universe.

The Movie Company Built Their Own Town in the Woods

MGM tried again in May 1939. They cleared six acres of state forest just to build the Crown Point fort.

The crew made housing for 500 extras and set up a complete movie studio in the middle of nowhere. Workers put modern bathrooms with showers, heaters, and toilets in 40 log cabins and two dorms.

They needed two entire trains just to bring in the bulky Technicolor cameras to McCall. The small logging town had never seen anything like it.

Spencer Tracy Got Mobbed Like a Rock Star

Tracy got off the train from Boise on June 29, 1939, and people went wild. The locals during the Depression couldn’t believe they saw a real Hollywood star.

One woman told the newspaper she wanted scissors to cut a piece of his coat as a souvenir. Local papers kept talking about the gap between Hollywood money and their poor town.

Tracy felt uneasy with both the wilderness and all the attention. Filming started July 6, beginning what Tracy later called his toughest shoot ever.

Locals Earned a Fortune Playing Soldiers and Indians

The movie hired 364 Native Americans from seven Northwest reservations. They also gave jobs to 900 McCall residents to play soldiers and Native Americans.

These locals helped build log forts and props. Hollywood brought in 250 professionals to run the movie operation.

Local extras made $5 daily plus free lunch, with another $5 if they grew a beard. This was big money when bread cost 9 cents and bacon was 37 cents per pound.

The studio spent about $500,000 in McCall during the Great Depression.

They Created an Entire Colonial World From Scratch

The crew built a St. Francis Indian village on the upper Payette River.

The Crown Point fort used 110,000 board feet of lumber and was 200 feet wide, 300 feet long, and 40 feet high.

Twelve freight cars brought old-time props including 1,000 cannon balls, sugar kettles, spinning wheels, and anvils.

Each of the 240 Rangers got 12 different uniform changes showing wear and tear. Props worth $55,000 sat across the Idaho landscape for realism.

Technicolor Cameras Made Everything Harder

“Northwest Passage” was MGM’s first big three-strip Technicolor location shoot. The heavy equipment created many problems in the remote wilderness.

Trucks took exposed film nightly to Boise, where planes flew it to Hollywood for processing. The costume team struggled to keep the green dye in the Rangers’ buckskin uniforms looking the same.

A sixteen-person Technicolor team led by William V. Skall and Sidney Wagner tackled problems no one had solved before.

Their color work earned an Oscar nomination.

Everyone Risked Their Necks for Realistic Scenes

The famous river-crossing scene started at dangerous Payette Lake before moving to a safer studio tank.

Tracy said this role was harder than his ocean scenes from “Captains Courageous.” Actors did their own stunts without doubles, walking through real swamps.

The 70-day shooting schedule pushed the cast through tough wilderness conditions similar to what the colonial Rangers faced.

The Final Fire Scene Almost Burned Down the Forest

For the village burning scene, the crew used 800 gallons of gas and 1,200 gallons of kerosene.

The entire Civilian Conservation Corps McCall division stood ready to stop any wildfire from spreading into the forest.

A sudden wind gust blew flames across the camera platform, forcing director King Vidor and his crew to jump away. The copper tubing melted from the heat as Rangers crossed the river with the burning village behind them.

The scene looked great on film, and only minor injuries happened.

The Movie Cost So Much It Sank Plans for a Sequel

The final budget reached $4 million ($70 million today), making it MGM’s most costly film since “Ben-Hur.”

Despite Tracy’s strong performance and beautiful Technicolor filming, the costs were too high. The film earned $2,169,000 in America and $981,000 internationally but lost $885,000 overall.

This big financial loss killed MGM’s plans for a sequel about the actual Northwest Passage search. The money failure ended Idaho’s brief moment as a major Hollywood location.

Boise Hosted a Fancy Movie Premiere

The world premiere happened at Boise’s Pinney Theater on February 20, 1940. Reserved seat tickets cost $1.10 when regular movies cost just 15 cents.

Spencer Tracy sent a telegram saying he couldn’t come because he was filming “Edison the Man.” Governor C. A. Bottolfsen created a statewide committee including McCall’s state senator to organize the events.

The premiere lacked big Hollywood stars, but locals still celebrated Idaho’s starring role in the epic adventure film.

Idaho Still Remembers Its Hollywood Moment

“Northwest Passage” won the 1941 Academy Award for Best Cinematography, proving the value of the innovative Technicolor location work.

The film showed Idaho’s beautiful wilderness to national audiences for the first time. Local residents kept telling stories about the summer Hollywood took over their town.

Several original production cabins still stand today as historical reminders of the Depression-era filmmaking adventure.

The production represents a unique moment when Hollywood glamour met Idaho wilderness during America’s toughest economic times.

Visiting Hotel McCall, Idaho

Hotel McCall at 1101 North Third Street has been welcoming guests since 1904 right on Payette Lake’s shore. You’ll need reservations at (208) 634-8105.

The hotel gives you a free glass of wine or beer when you check in. You can eat at Rupert’s restaurant, which has a James Beard Nominated chef.

There’s also an indoor saltwater pool and bocce court in the courtyard for guests to use.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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