The Painted Desert man career. However, he would carry on as a character actor until his death in 1953. The film would be remade by RKO in 1938 as "Painted Desert", directed by David Howard, and starring George O'Brien, Laraine Johnson, and Ray Whitley. The film is notable for the superior cinematography of the Arizona desert by Edward Snyder. The Painted Desert The Painted Desert is a 1931 American pre-Code film released by Pathé Exchange. Produced by E. B. Derr, it was directed by Howard Higgin, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Tom Buckingham. It starred low-budget Western stars William Boyd (in his
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park to possibly 1000 years or more. There is also evidence of graffiti beginning with early white settlers, which eventually led to creation of a protective physical barrier and State Historic Park status. In 1972 it was added as Site #72000256 on the National Register of Historical Places. Access is from State Route 154 about north of U.S. Route 101 in the San Marcos Pass in the Santa Ynez Mountains, on Painted Cave Road. The cave is adjacent to the left side of this narrow one-lane mountain road, with a slightly widened shoulder that provides parking for one or two vehicles.