Coen from p 33 department] can work with. Jane had this vision of how everything should look.” The Jokake Inn was only used for exte- rior scenes of the property; the interiors were filmed at Carefree Studios in north Scottsdale. One sequence that was a mix of both was the low-angle dolly shot where the camera zips along the driveway, up a ladder, through an open window, and into an extreme closeup of Florence Arizona screaming after discovering one of her quints is missing. Field says only the first portion was shot regularly. “That was a series of many cuts, but in particular, I remember the [sequence] zooming in on Mrs. Arizona’s mouth was shot backward and then played in reverse,” he says. Lynne Kitei, the actress who played Florence Arizona, says her portion was filmed multiple times and almost went a bit further. “Once the camera gets into the room, it looks like I turn from the crib and put my hands to my face and then my mouth opens and screams. So I had to act in reverse many times,” she says. “They had the camera zooming all the way into my uvula, like I was Olive Oyl. But that ended up on the cutting room floor, which I’m happy about.” She says that’s her real three-octave singing voice is heard screaming, though. “That’s all my voice. I must have done that scream 50 times with Barry Sonnenfeld in a big hall.” Interior Shots Carefree Studios, 32331 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale When many movie projects came to the Valley in the ’70s and ’80s, they frequently filmed scenes at the now-demolished Carefree Studios. Raising Arizona is no exception, as scenes inside Hi and Ed’s trailer and other interior locations were shot at the movie ranch on Scottsdale Road north of what’s now Loop 101. Kitei says two-story sets were created for the Arizonas’ house, and remembers working with Cage on the scene where he kidnaps Nathan Junior. “I had to walk up all these steps as Nic was grabbing the baby. So we were together a couple of the shoot days,” Kitei says. “He was fantastic to work with.” Shorr helped with decorating the sets for Hi and Ed’s trailer and the Arizonas’ house and took her cues from art director Harold Thrasher and production designer Jane Musky when it came to the design. “I remember them talking to me a lot, Jane about her ideas of her idea of things people brought from other places being used on the film because it’s such a tran- sient place, Arizona,” Shorr says. “There’s many generations that have lived here, lasted for a few years, and then leave their objects behind. So it’s sort of like a thrift store aesthetic [for the trailer set]. She was given a blank slate in a sense to decorate both the trailer and the Arizonas’ house. “With the trailer, they literally said, ‘This is what the carpet will be,’ and then everything else I went and hunted around for. It seemed to be shopping, having me shop and hunt for stuff.” Scenes involving the Arizona’s nursery were also filmed at the studios. Julie Asch Kareus, an obstetric nurse who was the “baby wrangler” on Raising Arizona, worked with Kuhn and other infants for the film. “He was the best baby in every aspect,” she says. “He was generic-looking, that’s what Joel [Coen] liked about him. I liked the fact he worked well with me, and was happy.” Anytime Kuhn appears in the film, Kareus says she’d be just offscreen coaching him, including the memorable scene where Kuhn hides his face with his hooded sweatshirt. “To get him to do that, I’d pull my hood down, just like we were playing peek-a- boo,” she says. Lost Dutchman State Park 6109 North Apache Trail, Apache Junction “We finally go out with some decent people and you break his nose! That ain’t too funny, Hi” The picturesque crags and high desert terrain of the Superstition Mountains never looked better than when Raising Arizona cinematographer (and future director) Barry Sonnenfeld shot it for the film. The iconic mountain range was the prominent backdrop for scenes filmed at Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, including a scene where H.I. decks his lecherous boss Glen while their two families share a picnic. Field remembers it being beautiful, if not downright chilly, when shooting at the park. “We were out at the base of the Superstitions one of the first few days of shooting and I remember that afternoon being extremely cold,” he says. “I think they even had to fight to keep from seeing the breath and yet are in T-shirts and Hawaiian shirts.” If actor Sam McMurray, who played Glen, had any complaints about working in such conditions, he doesn’t mention them when speaking with Phoenix New Times. “I would say overall that it was the best experience I’ve ever had on a movie shoot,” McMurray says. “The production was spectacularly attuned to actors.” Short Stop Convenience Store 2311 West Deer Valley Road Scottsdale Neighborhood 8620 East Malcomb Drive Double Coupons Supermarket 827 East Main Street, Mesa “Son, you got a panty on your head.” One of Raising Arizona’s most unforget- table moments comes after H.I. >> p 36 35 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES MARCH 17TH– MARCH 23RD, 2022
