Death Valley Lodging. Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort.

For Immediate Release

Death Valley's Mysterious Geology Provides
Dramatic Backdrop for Movies, Television Programs

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif., Oct. 3, 2007 - Hollywood film crews seeking sets with sand dunes, craters, castles, mountains, wildflowers, desert panoramas, canyons or light pollution-free night skies are in luck. For nearly 90 years, Death Valley National Park in California has been garnering the interest of film producers and directors, especially when the set needs to be otherwordly or extreme.

More than 111 movies and countless television programs have been filmed at Death Valley National Park since 1918, when a black-and-white silent movie called Hells Crater was filmed there. Starring silent film actress Grace Cunard, the plot involves a saloon dancer who is kidnapped by - and later falls in love with - a rough-cut miner from the desert.

The 3.3 million-acre park's harsh and distinctive geography has made it particularly popular for filming western and science fiction films, including many modern-day blockbusters.

One of the most notable examples was the jawa scene from the 1977 mega-hit Star Wars. Cast as extras, nearby school children played the diminutive jawas from the scenes on the planet Tatooine. The scenes were shot between Stovepipe Wells and Death Valley Junction, and near Badwater and the Ubehebe Crater. The 600-foot-deep Ubehebe Crater, formed by a massive volcanic explosion, and the Badwater Basin, a surreal landscape of vast sand flats, were wonderful choices for
depicting the harsh life on the fictional planet.

A particularly gruesome scene from The Hitcher (1986) was shot at the Shoshone and Death Valley Junction, and scenes from Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991) were filmed near the park's famous Sand Dunes. The Sand Dunes rise nearly 100 feet from Mesquite Flat, and the landscape reveals stunningly irregular ripples and patterns in the sand, making it a sought-after backdrop for numerous film genres.

Science fiction films have also been filmed at the park, many using the Sand Dunes as a backdrop. For example, Rocket Ship X M (1950) and The Visitor (1984), based on an old Ray Bradbury script about the planet Mars, were both filmed near the Sand Dunes.

The park's striking desert has always been a natural choice for Western films. Examples include John Ford's Three Godfathers (1948) starring John Wayne, The Walking Hills (1948) with Randolf Scott and The Gunfighter (1950) with Gregory Peck.

Many television programs have also been filmed in the park, including episodes of Lost in Space, The Twilight Zone, Tarzan and The Hitchhiker. Death Valley Days was a popular television anthology filmed mostly in Death Valley National Park. The series ran from 1952 to 1975. Each episode told a true story of the old American West, and each of the 558 programs was introduced by an actor. Ronald Reagan, Merle Haggard, Robert Taylor and Dale Robertson were among the hosts.

Death Valley also is a popular location for music videos and commercial photo shoots. For a list of films shot in Death Valley National Park, visit http://www.furnacecreekresort.com/press-releases-1841_1137.html

***
The Furnace Creek Inn & Ranch Resort has been welcoming guests since the 1930s. Open from mid-October through mid-May, the Furnace Creek Inn is a AAA Four Diamond-rated property featuring 66 rooms and two suites with a full array of amenities, fine dining, tennis courts and a spring-fed pool. Open year-round is the Furnace Creek Ranch. Situated adjacent to the golf course, the Ranch features 224 rooms in a casual setting, general store, spring-fed swimming pool, tennis courts, horseback riding and the Borax Museum.

For more information about facilities in Death Valley National Park or to make reservations at in-park lodges, call toll free at 1-800-236-7916 or 1-303-297-2757 or go to www.furnacecreekresort.com.

###

Xanterra Parks & ResortsR (consisting of Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc. and Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C.) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country's largest park concessioner. Xanterra operates concessions in the following locations: Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain, and Petrified Forest National Parks, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial; and at the Silverado Resort in Napa, Calif.; and eight Ohio State Parks. Its affiliate Xanterra South Rim, L.L.C. operates concessions at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Xanterra operates the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Ariz.

Long committed to the preservation and protection of the environment, Ecologix, Xanterra Parks & Resorts' environmental program, includes a variety of proactive environmental stewardship programs in each location. Xanterra has been repeatedly recognized for its environmental leadership in the hospitality industry and is the recipient of many honors, including major awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Travel Industry Association, Colorado Department of Public Health, State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

For more information about Xanterra, links to individual properties and reservations numbers, visit www.xanterra.com.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts
6312 S. Fiddlers Green Circle
Suite 600 North
Greenwood Village, Co 80111

Media contact:
Mona Mesereau
(1) 720-842-5271
mona_mesereau@msn.com