One of the most unusual—and memorable—places I’ve ever celebrated my birthday was this June at Lake Tahoe, standing at the base of the Five Lakes Trail. To my surprise, I was serenaded with “Happy Birthday” and presented with a “cake”—a cinnamon roll from the hotel breakfast buffet. In place of a candle, for fire-safety reasons, my friend flicked on a lighter, which I ceremoniously blew out!
It was an extraordinary and informative week in Lake Tahoe for fans of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. I hadn’t been back to Tahoe myself in 30 years, which made the experience all the more special.
June 2026 found fans gathered at Tahoe from as far away as Australia, where some hardy souls climbed up to 7000 ft. elevation to Alpine Meadows to see a certain tree still standing. This is where the two stars sang their most famous duet in Rose-Marie: “Indian Love Call.”
The tree had been discovered a few times over the decades, with brave souls making the trek and searching for the split tree next to a unique huge rock, upon which the two stars sat and sang their hearts out. But in recent years, attempts to find this location failed, mostly because the 100-plus year old tree has died, although miraculously and bravely still standing! In 2025, after previous unsuccessful searches, a small team headed by Leslie Szurek, Mary Lynn Shearer and Ellen Clougherty—the “Three Amigas” as they called themselves—finally located it! They’re pictured here at the base of the trail.
After they announced it and showed photos at a MacDonald/Eddy event, folks were excited about arranging a 2026 trip to visit the location and celebrate the movie’s 90th anniversary. We placed a temporary marker at the foot of the tree, to honor the spot where the duet was filmed. A permanent marker (to withstand winter weather) is currently being discussed with the location’s owners.
Also in June, Warner Classics released a restored blu-ray edition of the film!
Our group visited all the known movie locations, and it was a surprise to see that scenes were shot all around the lake, in various towns. Most of the movie was filmed at Tahoe, except for the few scenes set in Montreal (filmed at MGM), mainly the impressive opera sequences and the closeup of Jeanette floundering in the lake (shot in MGM’s water tank).
One noteworthy site was visiting Chambers Landing. Back then, Jeanette and Nelson each had a cabin on the beach nearby, while the rest of the crew had berthing elsewhere. The Chambers Landing Bar & Grill is on-site today; it opened in 1875 and is the oldest bar in Tahoe. The Rose-Marie crew hung out at the tavern at night, after filming, and it’s where Jeanette and Nelson “came out” as a couple, dancing and partying together. This is when/where the crew and locals learned that they were “secretly” engaged, and several of the crew and cast confirmed this in interviews, in later years. Of course, their engagement didn’t last long… In 2026, the current bar has has a wall from the original still standing.
The Gatekeepers Museum in Tahoe notes that about 125 films have been shot at the lake, and more than 235 have filmed all around the area. Their pictured showcase display highlights the 4 most important ones: Rose-Marie, The Godfather, Part II, A Place in the Sun, and Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush.
Other adventures included a tour of the cabin where Nelson, as the Mountie, arrests Jeanette’s criminal younger brother, Jimmy Stewart—in one of his early roles. This cabin has been renovated and expanded, and currently is a lovely B&B for rental. There were actually two cabins used in the film. One was at high elevation, used for the exterior scenes of the stars riding up to it on their horses; it no longer exists. The actual scene inside the cabin (and/or its retakes) were shot at ground level in Tahoma, in the cabin known as Log Lodge. Additionally, photos from the fall of 1935, while the film was shooting, show the crew eating at long tables in a makeshift “mess hall”, set up here in front of the cabin and further along the street.
And finally, there was an official proclamation honoring the movie, Jeanette, Nelson and director Woody Van Dyke II, with a special proclamation. This featured Mayor Cody Bass of South Lake Tahoe (wearing the hat and standing with me), reading aloud the proclamation and presenting an honorary Key to the City to Woody’s grandson, who was on hand to accept.
It was a nostalgic, very emotional week honoring one of MGM’s greatest musicals, and many Tahoe locals were surprised to learn about the Rose-Marie history!
Thanks to Darrell Rooney for creating the time shifting “then and now” photo of the tree and rock.