Tuesday, April 20, 2010

A House Bargain For You!

Here we have one of the first houses to go up in the Valley of the Estancia Ranchettes. Haven't you always wanted to be a rancher, I mean...ranchetter?


What would you say if I told you you could get a house like this for less than the price advertised on this old postcard? Yes, I hear that there were some shenanigans and some real estate people ended up in jail over this project. I also understand that water is a little hard to come by in this area outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and if you drill a well you may find that it fills with saltwater. Just remember the saying: If life gives you saltwater, make saltwater taffy.

Anyway, I'm not suggesting you live in the house. No, this is a movie set, a movie set with great potential for unlimited sequels. You could get rich!

I know you can come up with better movie ideas than I can, but here are a few to get you started:
1. Murder at the Estancia Ranchette
2. Valley of the Estancia Ranchette Dolls
3. Day of the Estancia Triffids
4. Alien Invasion in Estancia
5. Tumbleweeds Ate My Cat

11 comments:

  1. How Brown Was My Valley, directed by John Fraud.

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  2. So, given the language of the time, if a woman owned this would she be a Ranchetteress?

    As for movies, how about a western version of Bleak House? This is bleaker than anything Dickens thought of - and many of the characters have great western possibilities: Tulkinghorn, the Dedlocks, Smallweed . . . oh, I have to stop before I get carried away!

    Great postcard, btw.

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  3. Oh, Bleak House...yes, wonderful idea.
    I also wonder if Jane Fonda would agree to star in a movie called Rancherella. I tell you what, this set is going to be booked solid.

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  4. That is so very interesting. It looks not too desirable and I wonder if the air conditioners worked back then.

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  5. Yes, let's see...who could we get to play Marlene Dietrich's part?

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  6. L.D., I don't know about the air conditioning, but I think the architectural style (Adobe-Bomb Shelter) helped to keep things cool and dark.

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  7. I'm pretty sure this site was already used as Roarke's place in The Fountainhead...

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  8. It looks like a nightmare, in the middle of nowhere.
    Das sieht aus wie die Gegend,m wo das Militär seien Atomtest gemacht hat.

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  9. Quoting from a 1961 ad:

    "THE VALLEY OF THE ESTANCIA RANCHETTES lies directly on Rt. 66--little more than a half hour from the heart of the city. Its natural beauty, the picture-frame of the mountains, the color springing from the fertile soil, its calm and peace will enchant you."

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