Some of my favorite trips have been related to my obsession with movies and Charles Bronson. Today, I share a wonderful day that my wife and I spent in Southern Colorado. I hope you enjoy!
In September of 2022, my wife and I attended two different out of state weddings. First, we drove to Casper, WY, and officiated a wedding for the children of some of Sierra’s long time friends. After leaving Casper, we headed towards Estes Park, CO, for another friend’s wedding. While sitting on the deck of our lodge in Estes Park, listening to a beautiful Rocky Mountain stream flowing down below, an amazing idea just hit me like a brick, and I wouldn’t let it go. So, I started researching the filming locations for Charles Bronson’s MR. MAJESTYK because I knew it was filmed in southern Colorado. While Sierra slept, I began planning out a route for our tour of the locations. The next morning I hit her up about my plan, and she was game. Man, I’m a lucky guy!
I always tell my friends on my “This Week in Charles Bronson” Facebook page that my visit to Southern Colorado on September 6th, 2022 was one of the great days of my life. As we visited the filming locations for MR. MAJESTYK in Canon City, Manzanola, and La Junta, I felt like I was hanging out with the spirit of Charles Bronson. One of the most interesting things about the experience is how similar the locations looked in 1974 and 2022, a span of 48 years. It’s so important to find that woman in life who let’s you be you, and Sierra spent time with me as I made videos of my experiece, reenacted certain scenes from the movie, and took pictures at every specific location I could find. We ended up spending that night at a hotel in Dodge City, KS, which somehow seems like the perfect ending to a fairy tale of a day!
I shared the picture at the top from the interesting “tunnel” locations in Canon City, Colorado. This was our first stop of the day. There’s an interesting scene in MR. MAJESTYK where melon farmer Vince Majestyk (Bronson) lures hitman Frank Renda (Al Lettieri) into his hunting country which featured those amazing rock tunnels. I always thought they were so cool. This is actually a hiking trail called The Tunnel Drive Trail that runs alongside the Arkansas River and Royal Gorge Route Railroad.
After leaving Canon City, we went to the town of Manzanola. This is the town where the bar and cafe sequences are filmed in MR. MAJESTYK. In the movie, the bar was painted white. For some reason, they’ve gone for pink at this point!
It was in Manzanola where I reenacted a scene where Vince Majestyk walks across the street to supervise the hiring of his melon picking crew. I found out that it’s actually a very busy highway, US Route 50, to be exact. I tried to cross the street about the same place where Charles Bronson did, but I also had to try to not to get run over. You can see a car passing by as I walk in the picture below. I made sure that interesting “triangle” doorway was present in both pictures.
We were hoping to have lunch at “The Majestyk Cafe” in Manzanola, but it was closed the day after Labor Day in 2022. I found the owners’ thoughts on Colorado’s mask mandates at the time to be interesting. Check out the picture of the door below. If I ever make it out that way again, hopefully we’ll get to check out their lunch special!
After leaving Manzanola, we went to La Junta where we visited a few more locations. You can see below that La Junta’s Police and Fire department building is still using the same signage.
One of the best scenes in the entire film is the sequence where they break hitman Frank Renda out of the prison transport bus. That scene is also filmed in La Junta. It starts at the Zavala Building with one of Renda’s henchman putting a stocking over his head. You can see a plaque that says “Zavala Building” behind Taylor Lacher below. We found that spot.
I took so many more pictures that day. I also recorded several videos as I visited the various locations. They are documented as the “Adventures of the Colorado Crains” on the This Week in Charles Bronson YouTube page. It was an awesome day, and I hope you enjoyed a few of the highlights!
Through the Shattered Lens 
Fantastic travelogue, Brad! You can tell a lot about a person by the way they speak on their spouse, and you both honor each other. “It’s so important to find that woman in life who let’s you be you…” When you get the opportunity, maybe quote Vince Majestyk talking to Frank Renda, “(s)eems like there’s no use trying to get on your good side” only because it seems every side of her is a good side! So, Colorado has one of the most generous filming credits in the U.S. (20% – 22% if over $500,000 is spent). ‘Breakheart Pass’ and ‘Telefon’ also have Colorado exterior scenes. There was a window in the 1970s when wealthy Hollywood celebrities like Johnny Carson, John Denver, the Walton family (Walmart) and more all bought and developed survival compounds for if TEOTWAWKI set off. That’s my opinion why Charles Bronson bought 330 acres in Vermont, but I sidetracked myself. That ‘original Majestyk bar’ is a building type I have seen, cookie-cutter style, in at least five rural towns, built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) used for Granges, City Equipment storage, etc. and they will probably outlast us all. Also, appreciate your capture of the ‘triangle door’ and oblique street crossing! Thanks for sharing your Colorado sojourn with us!
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As always, John C., thanks so much for your additional insight and context to the area. And my wife just goes right along and enjoys the experience with me. I really am a lucky guy. Thanks for the kind words. I sure would like to go back someday when I could have even more time, especially around Canon City. I’d like to visit the Royal Gorge. I grew up on the Arkansas River in Arkansas, but it’s quite different there in Colorado.
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I knew Rocky Ford was one of the film locations, but all the rest of the tidbits you shared, I did not know. Bronson is my favorite actor (VERY underrated) and this is one of my all-time favorite movies. Thanks for taking us through the scenes at the actual sites. Someday when I get back to Colorado I’ll have to go looking for the triangle door and the Majestyk Cafe.
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I’ve been obsessed with Charles Bronson for 40 years, so I loved visiting those sites. I certainly recommend it if you get the chance. Just use this as a guide and feel free to reach out if you have any other questions about it! I still would like to eat at the Majestyk Cafe someday myself. That was the only real disappointment of the day. I was letting it get me down for just a moment, but I got over it and we had a nice lunch at a mexican restaurant in LaJunta instead! 🙂
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That was so fantastyk! Thank you so much for sharing, I’ve always been curious about how that location would look like today. Big fan of Bronson here, Mr. Majestyk is among my three favorite films by him.
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That was such a fun day! I’d like to do that again! MR. MAJESTYK ranks only behind HARD TIMES in my list of favorite Bronson films!
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