Movie Locations Guide
1994
City Locations
City Locations Cascade Locks, Oregon; Arizona: Lake Powell, Page, Grand Canyon National Park; Northern California: Yosemite National Park; Southern California: El Mirage, Lone Pine
Location Types
Location Types American, NatureScapes, House, Clubs/Bars
Location Styles
Location Styles Americana/Anywhere America, Bungalow, Classic Car, Dated/50's-60's-70's Building
About Maverick
In the opening Maverick film scene, Bret Maverick, a heavy gambler, is traveling to attend a poker tournament aboard a steamboat. He needs an additional $3,000 to meet the entrance requirement of $25,000. He passes through Crystal River with the intention of seeking out the money owed to him from past debts. At a last-minute game, he meets Angel, a volatile gambler, and a beautiful, youthful con woman named Annabelle Bransford. He successfully defeats Angel but is forced to escape without taking his winnings with him.
Maverick and Annabelle travel by stagecoach, joining Marshal Zane Cooper.
The trio continues with settlers joining them until they are stopped by a group of Native Americans led by a man named Joseph. Maverick’s companions do not know that Joseph and Maverick know each other. Maverick pretends to sacrifice himself to allow them to go free. Joseph who is in debt to Maverick helps him to steal money from a Russian Archduke.
Still short $4,000, he meets up with Annabelle and Cooper again. He notices the Archduke is on board the ship and pretends to be a Bureau of Indian Affairs employee and cons him into giving him $6,000, providing the money for him and Annabelle to enter the poker tournament.
Cooper is taxed with providing oversight of the game and holding onto the money. Cheaters are to be thrown off the boat. Finally, the game dwindles to just four people: Maverick, Angel, Commodore Duvall, and Annabelle. After a romantic moment with Maverick in his room, Annabelle leaves, and Maverick notices he is locked inside his room. He escapes via a window and returns to the table in time to continue playing.
The card game comes down to two players: Maverick and Angel. Maverick takes note that the dealer is pulling cards from the bottom of the deck and points this out. Maverick is allowed to take one card only and receives the one he needs to complete his flush. Angel and his mercenaries attempt to kill Maverick but are shot and killed by Cooper instead.
Maverick arrives to collect his $500,000 prize money. Cooper informs him he will not release the money and flees. Later on, Cooper and the Commodore reconvene, indicating the two had a deal, and that Angel was hired to help them achieve their plan. Maverick appears on the scene and takes his winnings.
Maverick is discovered by Cooper when he is relaxing in his bathtub. It is revealed that Maverick is Cooper’s son, and the two were working together to thwart the Commodore. The men recline in their respective bathtubs, and Annabelle arrives, taking with her their prize money. Maverick informs his father he permitted her to take the money since he followed his dad’s advice and put half of the winnings in his boot, and he looks forward to collecting the rest.
Maverick Locations
Filmed in 1994, Maverick is a Western comedy filmed in the United States. The movie was directed and produced by Richard Donner and stars Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner. The movie takes its premise from the 1957–1962 television series that goes by the same name. Maverick was considered to be a smashing success, receiving excellent reviews from critics and doing extremely well at the box office. The movie received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design.
There are many different filming locations for Maverick spread out throughout several states. Oregon, Arizona, and Northern and Southern California provide the beautiful backdrops for this beloved American Western comedy.
Love old Westerns that combine the best of comedy and adventure? If so, you’ll love Maverick! After enjoying this film, why not consider a trip to visit the filming locations for Maverick? It’s sure to be a blast.
Fun Fact:
The $25,000 wager to play in the high-stakes poker game in the film would be the equivalent of $600,000 today.
Maverick meets and plays poker with Annabelle scene in Maverick
Washburn Point, 5202 Glacier Point Rd, Yosemite Village, CA
Maverick notices Annabelle playing cards at a table with a group of men. He walks across the saloon to the table and asks to join the game. Annabelle smiles at him as he takes a seat at the table. The following dialogue takes place.
Maverick: Is this seat taken?
Annabelle: It is now. My name is Annabelle Bransford. What do they call you?
Maverick: I’m Bret Maverick, Ma’am, and I’m pleased to meet you.
Angel: I like the game the way it is.
Maverick: Well, now I bring all sorts of pleasants to the table. I hardly ever bluff, and I never, ever cheat.
Angel: I don’t believe it.
Card Player #1: Neither do I.
Angel: I like the game just the way it is.
Card Player #1: What good is an empty chair?
Maverick: Indeed. Now I’ll bet I can change your mind. I promise that I will lose for at least an hour.
Filmed on a set constructed specifically for this scene, you will find this site in Washburn Point in Yosemite National Park. To reach this Maverick film set, you can take an Amtrak train or a Greyhound bus, transferring to the YARTS system for the final leg of the journey.
The gun scene in Maverick
Glacier Point, 5202 Glacier Point Rd, Yosemite Village, CA
After winning a substantial pot from Angel at the poker game, the men are visibly angry with Maverick. They rise to their feet and pull guns on him. He tells the men in one of the funniest scenes in Maverick.
“Whoa, whoa. Slow down there. Where’s the fire, son? Slow down, don’t shoot me, okay? I’m just trying to expound. I was just saying I don’t see what’s so great about being brave. I mean, I’m a card player. Now I play cards, and you call me a gambler, and I want to become an old gambler. You, on the other hand, are a gunfighter, and an exceptional one at that from what I hear. So, if I decided to go up against you, I mean; what chance would I have had? Answer? ZERO.”
He produces a gun, and the crowd issues a shocked sound. The men stare at him in silence. He returns the gun to his holster and plays with this gun while the men look on fearfully. He gives them the option of playing poker or watching someone get killed, and they all agree playing poker is the best plan.
Also filmed in Yosemite National Park, you can enjoy wandering around the grounds here taking in some of the incredible scenery that is prominently featured in the film. Access to the property is found via Amtrak train or Greyhound bus and a final journey on the YARTs system.
Maverick and Joseph dupe the Archduke, Cooper, and Annabelle scene in Maverick
Diaz Lake Campground, 5007 South Main Street, Lone Pine, CA
Maverick and Joseph sit at his campsite, pretending Maverick is Joseph’s hostage. Maverick queries Joseph about his current circ*mstances in the following conversation.
Maverick: What’s with the drums, and the war paint, and the horses? Whattaya doing here?
Joseph: Ah, we had kind of a lousy year. Not much left to hunt, so when this Russian Archduke, that’s where I got the bike, he came along and wanted to see the real West, so I said okay. Oh, he pays well. We get all dressed up in warpaint and go whooping around like idiots. He wants me to speak like they say in the books, “Whoo, how, white man.” Those people are such *ssholes. And of course, he’s got to hear the war drums all the time. Starting to get on my nerves.
This beautiful site is a true wonder to behold, adding character and charm to the footage in Maverick. To reach this former film set, take I-5 towards the 14 Freeway towards Palmdale. When you pass Lancaster, you can then pick up US 395 which will take you directly to Lone Pine. You can expect the drive to take approximately three hours from Los Angeles.
Maverick notices the dealer is cheating scene in Maverick
Lee's Ferry, Spencer Trail, Marble Canyon, AZ
the bottom of the deck, essentially cheating. He brings this to the attention of everyone in the room in the following conversation.
Dealer: Mr. Maverick
Maverick: I’ll take one card, but not from you. Put the deck down. I’d like a new deck, a new cut, and a new shuffle.
Cooper: I’m sorry, Mr. Maverick, but that isn’t permitted in the rules. You can have a new dealer; that’s it.
Maverick: Well, in that case, I’d like you to deal (gesturing to Angel).
Angel: Me? Just one from the top will be sufficient.
Angel laughs and says, “I like that. It shows trust.” He pushes the top card toward Maverick who takes it and stares Angel in the eye.
Cooper whispers in Annabelle’s ear. “The Commodore has four of a kind, Angel has a small straight flush, and I don’t have the least idea what Maverick has.”
To visit this former Maverick film location, you will need to travel from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, taking Highway 89A and then Highway 67. You will find the entrance to the park and ferry grounds in Marble Canyon. Follow the paved road for five miles to reach the Ferry region.
Holdup in the saloon scene in Maverick
El Mirage Dry Lake, California, USA
In this scene, a masked man enters the saloon with a gun in his hand and asks the men to empty their pockets. This conversation takes place.
Robber: Empty your pockets, old man. Come on!
Saloon owner: I got a silver dollar.
Robber: Silver dollar, you better do better than that. My trigger finger’s getting mighty itchy.
Saloon owner: All right, all right. Don’t shoot, don’t shoot! Urrggh…take it, take it.
He hands over his billfold.
Robber: Well, I’ll be. Jesus.
Maverick is shocked to notice the billfold is full of hundred-dollar bills.
Maverick: You told me you were broke!
Saloon owner: Well, I am now. He’s got it.
To access this filming location, take US Highway 395 near Adelanto to Chamberlaine Way (formerly following west to Koala Road. Make a right-hand turn onto Koala Road and follow the signs toward El Mirage. At El Mirage Road, make a left. Follow Mountain View Road north to enter the El Mirage recreational area.
The final poker scene in Maverick
Stage 18, 4000 Warner Blvd, Stage 16, Burbank, CA
In the final Maverick scene, Maverick, Angel, and the Commodore are still battling it out at the poker table aboard the steamboat. The Commodore is asked to reveal his hand, and this conversation ensues.
Cooper: Cards have been called, Commodore. Please show your cards.
Commodore: I have two small pairs….8s and 8s.
The crowd applauds and rises to their feet.
Angel (speaking to Maverick): You’re not gonna look at your card? Well, how you gonna know if you can beat my straight flush?
Maverick lays down his cards one at a time, revealing he has a possible royal flush. He turns over his final card, unveiling the card he needs to complete the set, making him the winner.
One of only a few Maverick production locations that are found on a film studio’s soundstage, you can easily access this former film set by taking public transit. Among the options available to you are bus lines 155, 222, 501, or Pink, or subway line B (Red.)
Conclusion
A true classic comedy, Maverick offers the perfect combination of Old West charm and laughs for the whole family to enjoy. Visiting each of the film locations in Maverick will entail a fair bit of traveling across several states, but the scenery is so beautiful you’ll enjoy every minute of the journey.
Don’t miss the chance to visit the Maverick filming locations. You’ll have an incredible time!
