<P> Eastwood spent much of late 1966 and 1967 dubbing for the English - language version of the Dollars trilogy and being interviewed, something which left him feeling angry and frustrated . Stardom brought more roles in the "tough guy" mold, and Irving Leonard, his business manager, gave him a script to a new film, the American revisionist Western Hang' Em High, a cross between Rawhide and Leone's westerns, written by Mel Goldberg and produced by Leonard Freeman . However, the William Morris Agency had wanted him to star in a bigger picture, Mackenna's Gold, with a cast of notable actors such as Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, and Telly Savalas . Eastwood, however, did not approve and preferred the script for Hang' Em High, but had one complaint which he voiced to the producers: the scene before the six - man hanging, where the hero is attacked by the enemies . Eastwood believed that the scene would not be believable if set in a saloon . They eventually agreed to introduce a scene with Cooper taking a prostitute upstairs during the hanging, and having the attack take place afterwards as Eastwood enters the bordello's bar . Eastwood signed for the film with a salary of $400,000 and 25% of the net earnings to the film, playing the character of Jed Cooper, a man accused by vigilantes of a rancher's murder, lynched and left for dead, who later seeks revenge . </P> <P> With the wealth generated by the Dollars trilogy, Leonard helped set up a new production company for Eastwood, The Malpaso Company, something for which he had long yearned, and was named after Malpaso Creek, which flows through Eastwood's property in Monterey County, California . Leonard became the company's president and arranged for Hang' Em High to be a joint production with United Artists . Directors Robert Aldrich and John Sturges were considered for the director's helm, but on the request of Eastwood, old friend Ted Post was brought in to direct, against the wishes of producer Leonard Freeman, whom Eastwood had urged away . Post was important in casting for the film and arranged for Inger Stevens of The Farmer's Daughter fame to play the role of Rachel Warren . She had not heard of Eastwood or Sergio Leone at the time, but instantly took a liking to Clint and accepted . </P> <P> Co-producer Leonard Freeman arrived in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on May 25, 1967, to scout locations . That same day, Freeman located the tree to be used for the hanging in the opening scene, about 12 miles north of Las Cruces . Filming began June 27, 1967, in the Las Cruces area, with additional scenes shot at White Sands . The interiors were shot at MGM studios . The opening lynching scene was filmed June 29, 1967, next to the Rio Grande . The tree used for the hanging is no longer standing and the riverbed is now overgrown with thick brush . Eastwood had considerable leeway in the production, especially in the script, which was altered in parts such as the dialogue and setting of the barroom scene to his liking . Actor Bruce Dern has credited co-star Ben Johnson with accomplishing "the greatest single stunt ever performed in the history of movies", by riding full - tilt toward the hanging Eastwood while pulling out his knife, cutting the noose, dismounting, and catching Eastwood as he fell, all in a single take with no cut . Unfortunately, no such shot appears in the film . </P> <P> The film became a major success after release in July 1968, and with an opening - day revenue of $5,241 in Baltimore alone, it became the biggest United Artists opening in history, exceeding all of the James Bond films at that time . It debuted at number five on Variety's weekly survey of top films and had recouped production expenses within two weeks of screening . It eventually grossed $6.8 million in the U.S.. It was widely praised by critics, including Arthur Winsten of the New York Post, who described Hang' Em High as "a Western of quality, courage, danger and excitement ." Variety gave the film a negative review, calling it "a poor American - made imitation of a poor Italian - made imitation of an American - made western ." </P>

Where did they film the movie hang em high
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