Tragedy on Set: ”Across the Border”

2024-07-08

The deaths of Grace McHugh and Owen Carter on the set of "Across the Border" are two of the earliest - if not the first - human deaths to occur on set while filming...and they never should have happened. In fact, filming had already wrapped on the production. There was just one problem: one of the scenes had been damaged in the development process so they had to reshoot it. No big deal, right? Wrong. What was meant to be a quick afternoon turned into tragedy, ending the lives of two rising stars.

Episode Sources:

“Accident on 1914 film set spurs camera man to attempt rescue of actress” Carnegie Hero Fund Commission

“Grace McHugh, Golden Girl is Drowned” Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection, July 2, 1914

“'Hollywood of Colorado': Canon City's boom in silent moviemaking” by Tracy Harmon, The Pueblo Chieftain, Feb. 15, 2014

“Across the Border (lost silent western film and footage of fatal filming accident; 1914)” Lost Media Wiki

“Thomas Edison: The Unintentional Founder of Hollywood” by Garrett O’Brien, The Saturday Evening Post, Mar. 29, 2021

“Back In Time: Cañon City was once the best in the West for filming Westerns” by Brooke Johnson, Cañon City Daily Record, Nov. 14, 2020

“Thrilling Story of ‘Across the Border’ and of Miss Grace McHugh, the Beautiful, Brave, and Daring Girl, Who Lost Her Life in Its Production” Press Democrat, Sep. 20, 1914

Royal Gorge Region: Motion Picture Production

Selig Polyscope Company, Chicagology

“Back in Time: Fremont County was the backdrop for many historical movies” by Lindsey Larsen, Cañon City Daily Record, Nov. 2, 2020

Moving Picture World (Jul-Sep 1914) by New York, Chalmers Publishing Company, p. 438

“Voices in the Waters” by Gary Shoe and Tony Ortega, 2017

For further reading: HOLLYWOOD, COLORADO by David Emrich, HOLLYWOOD OF THE ROCKIES by Michael J. Spencer

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