Otero Junior College Chinook

Farm Workers were facing some of the same real situations. The film represents inequalities between white and brown workers. “Leave the melons where they lie,” said Majestyk to the white field workers at the beginning of the film; “I already have a crew.” Majestyk would rather have Latino’s pick his crop than whites. One of my favorite scenes is that of a shoot-out filmed in La Junta on Fourth and Colorado. Mobsters and police engaged in a gun battle that lasted at least five minutes. During the scene, a couple of cars were blown up and some of the cops and mobsters were shot dead. The scene took a total of three to four weeks to film. Its’ my favorite because old-town businesses were the backdrop: like Kippers Super Market, Coast to Coast, Gambles Hardware, Wammy’s sport shop and Purdy’s Jewelry and also Carpet Bag. Some of the roads within the scene were made to look longer than actuality. In one scene when looking outside the buses windshield, the steps of the post office are visible, and then the scene rotates to the back of the bus; at that point they are on the street of Santa Fe where Sports World is. Within seconds, the bus appears on Colorado Ave. in front of the La Junta Tribune which at the time was a bakery. Another part of the film was shot in Manzanola at Cliff’s Little CafÉ and Bar and Jones Station. Neither exist any longer. Bauserman’s market did survive the movie. This is the area where the watermelons were destroyed. Thirty-five years ago that loss to a farmer would have been $15,000. Interestingly the film crew paid the real farmer $250,000 for the use of the property. The businesses at the time of the film were doing well but now most of them are gone with the exception of a few. The surviving businesses are Colorado Bank and Trust, Valley Floral, Garlington Edward Jr. (still a lawyer’s place) and the Postal service. The filming of Mr. Majestyk was a delightful time for the towns of La Junta, Manzanola, and Canyon City. People went on with their normal lives after the film was made; however, there remains a symbol of the memorable 1973 experience– Majestyk Treasure resides on Colorado Avenue in downtown La Junta. It is the thirty-fifth anniversary of the filming–a Majestyk time. ——Michael Garcia OJC Sophomore
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