Albuquerque’s Route 66 is a bit of a celebrity when it comes to the big and little screens. Vince Gilligan’s “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” brought local icons, like the neon lights of Dog House Drive-In and El Camino Dining Room, the diner booths of Loyola’s Restaurant, and the star-spangled styrofoam cups and paper bags from Blake’s Lotaburger to America’s living rooms. Long before Walter White and Jesse Pinkman claimed Albuquerque as their pop culture territory, Central Avenue boasted more than a few screen credits.
New Mexico directly impacted film history at large. “Indian Day School” was a 20-second moving picture depicting a line of children exiting a schoolhouse in Isleta Pueblo. Filmed in 1898 by the Thomas A. Edison Company, some have called this slice of Southwestern life “the first documentary,” and potentially the first film shot west of the Mississippi. Shortly after, caravans of New York City silver screen hopefuls ventured to New Mexico to set stories in their own image of the American West. Early tourism, facilitated through Fred Harvey’s railroad hotels such as Albuquerque’s palatial Alvarado Hotel, brought famous directors and actors right into the growing city throughout the 1910s and 1920s.
After World War II, the Hollywood machine’s gears were well-oiled to produce blockbusters at an unforeseen rate. Nearly one-third of those flicks were Westerns. Naturally, New Mexico’s cultural landscape was a great fit for these stories, with its own true roots in frontier history. The 1970s brought a slew of films filmed in Albuquerque to the theaters, some of which feature Route 66 in its twilight years after the advent of the interstate system.
One road film, “Bobbie Jo & The Outlaw” (1976), stars a pre-Wonder Woman Lynda Carter as a spunky carhop with Ole Opry aspirations who falls in love with Lyle, a Billy the Kid-wannabe (played by Marjoe Gortner), in Albuquerque disguised as Anywhere, U.S.A. At one point, the two share a nighttime cruise along Albuquerque’s Route 66 — specifically east Nob Hill, where they pass by the De Anza Motor Lodge’s still-standing triangle neon sign. The scene alone is an archive of Albuquerque’s Route 66 heyday, a cultural moment captured on film.
The “road movie” as a genre hit major strides in the 1990s, with iconic examples throughout the decade including “Thelma & Louise,” “True Romance” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” A better-known Bonnie and Clyde-inspired road movie, “Natural Born Killers” (1994), starred Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson as star-crossed murderers haunting New Mexico Route 666 (now called U.S. Route 491). Route 66 makes appearances in several scenes, but a glimpse of downtown Albuquerque’s Central Avenue appears in the background of an in-universe news segment, with a clear view of the old facade of Maisel’s Indian Trading Post (today, Pleased to Present, Inc.).
Production studios favor Albuquerque for its nostalgic, gritty hardscape, with plenty of pastoral enclaves, such as the North Valley on the pre-1937 alignment of Route 66. Albuquerque’s chameleon character that can transform into anything from Los Angeles (such as in “Stranger Things”) to Texas (as in “Ransom Canyon”). “No Country for Old Men” (2007), “Avengers” (2012), “Sicario” (2015) and “Love Lies Bleeding” (2024) may seem like loosely related movies, but all were filmed in Albuquerque. Turn-of-the-century railroad depots meet the midcentury motels of Albuquerque’s Route 66.
The Mother Road has long stood as an object of American aspiration and fantasy: a call for reinvention on the open road. Yet, after all the sharpshooting cowboys and sensational stories, there comes a time to get reel. Route 66 takes center stage for John Paget’s cinematic documentary, “Route 66: The Main Street of America,” telling authentic tales of the beloved highway from the people who make it shine.
Experience the real stories of Route 66 in an enchanting evening at the KiMo Theatre. On Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, “Route 66: The Main Street of America” premieres in Albuquerque. Get exclusive insights from the on-screen stars and director in a post-screening panel that night. For those who prefer early mornings to late nights, a matinee screening will follow on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, a perfect Route 66 primer before centennial-themed ExxonMobil Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®.
