Southern Arizona is playing a big role for 1860s movie being shot in Bisbee

The movie depicts the life of Anna Carroll, an unrecognized aide to President Abraham Lincoln, and her accomplishments during her life and particularly the Civil War.

Bruce Bridegroom, the Tucson-based attorney and historian who wrote the screenplay and is financing the project, said Carroll was one of the unsung heroes of the 1800s. He became interested in her life after reading a book about her that was printed in 1941. It piqued his curiosity, so he did further research and found that she was involved in politics and in setting a military strategy that was instrumental in defeating the Confederacy.

"She was born into politics," Bridegroom said. "Her father was governor of Maryland, so she had extensive knowledge of how the system worked. She may have helped win the war for the North. Being a woman, she could not be recognized for her assistance to the president and the country or even be recognized as his aide."

As Bridegroom talked, one of the scenes for the movie was taking place. Women in antebellum dresses, men in stovepipe hats, horse-drawn carriages carrying political contenders for the presidency all came down Main Street in a make-believe 1860 Chicago political parade.

"It was hard to find a place that looked like 1860 Chicago," said Joe Dunlap, the producer. "But Bisbee is just perfect. It still has the feel and the look of an old 1800s town."

The movie's director, Jason Urban, agreed.

"Bisbee is a great city. It's almost like it's frozen in time," he said.

Dunlap likes the idea of keeping things in Arizona and has hired a number of actors, extras and even the crew from Tucson, Phoenix, Tombstone, Sonoita, Bisbee and Sierra Vista.

"Our goal is to shoot in Arizona and use people from Arizona," Dunlap said.

Elaine Pilo, manager of the Muheim Heritage House Museum, who is a singer at church and acts in local theater companies, was pleased to be a part of it all.

"This is my day off and I was heading to Sonoita. Then I got a call from a friend who told me they were short two extras and get back here. I did. This is my first movie," said Pilo in her period dress that she occasionally wears at the Muheim.

The carriages and their teams come from Walking Winds Ranch Inc. in Tucson, where the outfit handles hayrides, weddings and just about any use for a carriage one could want. Owners Lloyd and Dennis Armour are old hands at filling equine needs for the movies.

"We've done 10 or 12 movies," Lloyd Armour said.

Up the street, several members of the Rincon/University High School Marching Band from Tucson were readying for their movie debut in the parade.

"We got our music just a few minutes ago," said director Brian Wolfe. "We got a call and were told they needed eight kids for the marching band in the parade. I had to pick the top eight players. It was a tough choice."

Dunlap said he hoped to have the digital filming done by mid-December. The plan is to market it in DVD in Europe and Asia.

"We hope to have it done in time for some of the film festivals," Dunlap said. "We probably won't be opening in any theaters, so the idea is to sell it overseas. There is a great deal of interest in the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln over there."

Bridegroom hopes the movie will spark some interest in following through with congressional recognition that was to take place in 1881.

Congress was going to make Carroll a major general and grant her a pension. But President James Garfield was assassinated before the bill could be approved.

The bill just disappeared and she was never given her due as an American heroine.

"Maybe this will change that," Bridegroom said.

"Bisbee is a great city. It's almost like it's frozen in time."

Jason Urban

director of "Lost River"