Hollywood’s 90-year love affair Hoover Dam brings classics, and some real duds

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — From Elvis to Superman to Clark Griswold, Hollywood sends its biggest stars to Hoover Dam.

The dam’s 90th birthday can’t go by without a nod to movies that only hope to achieve such a lasting impression.

It was 1964 when Lucky Jackson drove over the dam in “Viva Las Vegas” — famously, in the wrong direction in a race that was supposed to be going from Las Vegas to Arizona. There had already been 12 feature films that used Hoover Dam as a backdrop, along with a handful of short documentaries. IMDB lists 80 TV and movie productions from 1933 to present.

Christopher Reeve played “Superman” in 1978, among the most recognized movies at the dam. Moviegoers love destruction, and Hoover Dam is an irresistable target. “Transformers” used the dam as an epic battleground in 2007, and “San Andreas” brought its wrath in 2015.

LAS VEGAS, NV – APRIL 20: A display for the movie “San Andreas” at CinemaCon at Caesars Palace on April 20, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage)

There are dark movies including “The Lady Gambles,” starring Barbara Stanwyck in 1949. And dark comedies, like 1985’s “Lost in America,” with Albert Brooks and Julie Hagerty.

Hoover Dam: 90 years of power and progress in the West

And there are laughs from Chevy Chase as America’s lovable tourist in “Vegas Vacation” (1997). Clark Griswold brings his family to Las Vegas and wanders off from the dam tour, starting a leak that he tries to plug with chewing gum. He also scales the face of the dam to get back to his family

1997 Chevy Chase and cast stars in the movie “Vegas Vacation”

An amazing array of stars show up in movies featuring the dam, but not all of the movies were screen gems. Some were duds. Others were tired clichés on old Vegas themes with barely a mention of the dam.

Here are some lesser-known moves that stood out for various reasons:

“Boulder Dam” (1936), starring Ross Alexander, Patricia Ellis and Lyle Talbot. A smart-aleck mechanic wanders the country after accidently killing his boss, eventually landing in Las Vegas, where the mighty Boulder Dam is being constructed. He gets a construction job and he begins to see the error of his past ways.
“The Las Vegas Story” (1952), starring Jane Russell, Victor Mature and Vincent Price. The arrival in Las Vegas of a businessman and his glamorous wife creates a complex web of murder and deceit.
“The Amazing Colossal Man” (1957), starring Glenn Langan, Cathy Downs and William Hudson. A military officer survives a nuclear blast, only to begin to uncontrollably grow into an increasingly unstable giant.
“Heldorado” (1946), starring Roy Rogers, Trigger and George “Gabby” Hayes. Heldorado (well, “Helldorado” in today’s parlance) is an annual parade celebrating Las Vegas as a frontier town. Roy is captain of the guards at Boulder Dam. He helps celebrate the town’s anniversary while capturing racketeers involved with the local casinos.
“To the Limit” (1995), starring Anna Nicole Smith, Joey Travolta and John Aprea. An ex-CIA agent sets out for cold, hard revenge against the ruthless villain and his group of trained assassins who murdered her husband.
“Best of the Best II” (1993), starring Eric Roberts, Phillip Rhee and Chris Penn. The Colosseum is the fighting arena owned by the champion Bracus. Now after the death of their friend, Tommy Lee and Alex Grady want revenge.
“Charley Varrick” (1973), starring Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker and Felicia Farr. A man, his wife, and their friend stage a bloody bank robbery without realizing that they are stealing from the Mob.