Billy The Kid in the Santa Susanas

William H. McCarty (1859-1881), also known as  William H. Bonney or "Billy the Kid" was a 19th-century Irish American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier outlaw.  

Historians agree that Billy was a ruthless murderer, but he was loved by the citizens of the towns of Lincoln and Fort Sumner, New Mexico, so over time his story has become an American legend.

The legend of "Billy the Kid" has been further glorified and glamorized by Hollywood movies and television.  

Two dozen "Billy the Kid" titles -- featuring six-gun heroes like Johnny Mack Brown, Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Bob Steele, Buster Crabbe, Rocky Lane and others -- were lensed in Chatsworth.

The following is a filmography of "Billy the Kid" tales lensed at Santa Susana locations:

Billy the Kid (1930) starring Johnny Mack Brown, Wallace Beery, Kay Johnson (Porter Ranch) MGM

The Fourth Horseman (1932) starring Tom Mix, Margaret Lindsay, Fred Kohler (Iverson Ranch) Universal

Billy the Kid Returns (1938) starring Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnette, Lynne Roberts (Iverson Ranch) Republic

Billy the Kid Outlawed (1940) starring Bob Steele, Louise Currie and Al St. John starring (Brandeis Ranch) PRC

Billy the Kid in Texas (1940) starring Bob Steele, Terry Walker, Al St. John (Iverson Ranch) PRC

Billy the Kid's Gun Justice (1940) starring Bob Steele, Al St. John, Louise Currie (Brandeis Ranch) PRC

Billy the Kid's Range War (1941) starring Bob Steele, Al St. John, Joan Barclay (Iverson Ranch) PRC

Billy the Kid's Fighting Pals (1941) starring Bob Steele, Al St. John, Phyllis Adair (Iverson Ranch) PRC

Billy the Kid Wanted (1941) starring Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Dave O'Brien (Iverson Ranch) PRC

Law and Order (1942) starring Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Dave O'Brien (Corriganville) PRC

The Mysterious Rider (1942) starring Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Caroline Burke (Iverson Ranch) PRC

The Kid Rides Again (1943) starring Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Iris Meredith (Corriganville) PRC

Fugitive of the Plains (1943) starring Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Maxine Leslie (Corriganville) PRC

Western Cyclone (1943) starring Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Marjorie Manners (Iverson Ranch) PRC

Cattle Stampede (1943) starring Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Frances Gladwin (Corriganville) PRC

Blazing Frontier (1943) starring Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Marjorie Manners (Corriganville) PRC

Alias Billy the Kid (1946) starring Sunset Carson, Peggy Stewart, Tom London (Iverson Ranch) Republic

Return of the Bad Men (1947) starring Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, Anne Jeffreys (Iverson Ranch) RKO

Son of Billy the Kid (1949) starring Lash La Rue, Al St. John, June Carr (Iverson Ranch) Screen Guild

I Shot Billy the Kid (1950) starring Don 'Red' Barry, Robert Lowery, Wally Vernon (Corriganville) Lippert

Captive of Billy the Kid (1952) starring Allan Lane, Black Jack, Penny Edwards (Corriganville) Republic

Billy the Kid versus Dracula (1966) starring John Carradine, Chuck Courtney, Melinda Plowman (Corriganville) Embassy Pictures

Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas -- Wallace Beery

Wallace Beery (1885–1949) was an American born actor.  His film career span more than 35 years, and he performed in more than 250 movie titles.  He was probably best known for his title role as Pancho Villa in Viva Villa!

He was the brother of actor Noah Beery, Sr. and uncle of actor Noah Beery, Jr.

Wallace Beery's Santa Susana locations filmography includes:

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) starring Rudolph Valentino, Alice Terry and Pomeroy Cannon (San Fernando Mission) Metro Pictures

Three Ages (1923) starring Buster Keaton, Margaret Leahy and Wallace Beery (Iverson Ranch) Buster Keaton Prod.

Billy the Kid (1930) starring Johnny Mack Brown, Wallace Beery and Kay Johnson (Porter Ranch) MGM

Jackass Mail (1942) starring Wallace Beery, Marjorie Main and J. Carrol Naish (Iverson Ranch) MGM

Meanwhile back at the ranch -- Rocky Peak

Rocky Peak (photo above) with its summit at 2714 feet is the third tallest peak in the Santa Susana Mountain Range.  The Santa Susana range skirts the northern edges of both the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley.  

Rocky Peak was visible from most filming locations on the Iverson and Brandeis Movie Ranches when the camera was facing West, and was an easy way to verify their location in films lensed there.

Over the decades Chatsworth's Rocky Peak has been seen in so many movies it has become an icon for the Old West.  

In the 2014 photo above horseback riders including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Councilman Mitchell Englander, and equestrian leaders Mary Kaufman and Charlotte Brodie have been captured by photographer Sandee Andrews with the famous peak in the background giving the photo an illusion of being from the Old West.

As you will see in the following collection of movie stills Rocky Peak has a very different appearance than Oat Mountain to it's East.  Rocky Peak is actually an anchor point where the much rockier Simi Hills join the Santa Susana Range.

Ranger Courage (1937) starring Robert Allen, Martha Tibbetts, Walter Miller (Brandeis Ranch) Columbia

Calling Wild Bill Elliott (1943) starring Bill Elliott, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Anne Jeffreys (Iverson Ranch)(Burro Flats)(Corriganville) Republic

The Man from Rainbow Valley (1946) starring Monte Hale, Lorna Gray, Jo Ann Marlowe (Chatsworth Reservoir)(Iverson Ranch) Republic

Robin Hood of Texas (1947) starring Gene Autry, Champion Jr., Lynne Roberts, Sterling Holloway (Iverson Ranch) Republic

Mark of the Lash (1948) starring Lash La Rue, Al St. John, Suzi Crandall (Iverson) Western Adventures

The Westward Trail (1948) starring Eddie Dean, Copper the Horse, Roscoe Ates (Iverson Ranch) PRC

Calamity Jane and the Texan (1950) starring Evelyn Ankers, Lee White, James Ellison (Iverson) Columbia

Gunmen of Abilene (1950) starring Allan Lane, Black Jack, Eddy Waller (Iverson Ranch) Republic

Stage to Tucson (1950) starring Rod Cameron, Wayne Morris, Kay Buckley (Iverson Ranch) Columbia

Thundering Caravans (1952) starring Allan Lane, Black Jack, Eddy Waller (Iverson Ranch) Republic

Texas Bad Man (1953) starring Wayne Morris, Frank Ferguson, Elaine Riley (Corriganville) Allied Artists

Davy Crockett - King of the Wild Frontier (1955) starring Fess Parker, Buddy Ebsen, Basil Ruysdael (Iverson Ranch) Buena Vista

Five Guns West (1955) starring John Lund, Dorothy Malone, Mike Connors (Iverson Ranch) American Releasing

"Gunsmoke" (1955) TV Series - starring James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon (616 episodes, 1955-1975)

Tall Man Riding (1955) starring Randolph Scott, Dorothy Malone, Peggie Castle (Corriganville)(Iverson Ranch) Warner Bros.

The Lone Ranger (1956) starring Clayton Moore, Jay Silverheels, Lyle Bettger, Bonita Granville (Iverson Ranch) Warner Bros.

White Squaw (1956) starring David Brian, May Wynn, William Bishop, Nancy Hale (Iverson Ranch) Columbia

Reel Indians of the Santa Susanas -- Jay Silverheels

Jay Silverheels (1912 – 1980) was a Canadian born actor, and the son of a Mohawk (First Nations) Chief.  Before entering the film industry as a stuntman in 1938, he had been an all star lacrosse player and boxer.  He is best remembered for his role as Tonto in "The Lone Ranger" TV series (1949–1957).

Jay Silverheels Santa Susana locations filmography:

Kit Carson (1940) starring Jon Hall, Lynn Bari and Dana Andrews (Iverson Ranch) United Artists

Perils of Nyoka (1942) starring Kay Aldridge, Clayton Moore and William 'Billy' Benedict (Iverson Ranch) Republic

Daredevils of the West (1943) starring Allan Lane, Kay Aldridge, Eddie Acuff (Iverson Ranch) Republic

The Tiger Woman (1944) starring Allan Lane, Linda Stirling and Duncan Renaldo (Iverson Ranch) Republic

Haunted Harbor (1944) starring Kane Richmond, Kay Aldridge and Roy Barcroft (Iverson Ranch) Republic

Romance of the West (1946) starring Eddie Dean, Emmett Lynn and Joan Barton (Corriganville) PRC

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston and Tim Holt (Chatsworth) Warner Bros.

Laramie (1949) starring Charles Starrett, Fred F. Sears and Tommy Ivo (Iverson Ranch)(Corriganville) Columbia

Broken Arrow (1950) starring James Stewart, Jeff Chandler and Debra Paget (Iverson Ranch) 20th Century Fox

Brave Warrior (1952) starring Jon Hall, Christine Larsen and Jay Silverheels (Corriganville) Columbia

Jack McCall Desperado (1953) starring George Montgomery, Angela Stevens and Douglas Kennedy (Iverson Ranch) Columbia

The Nebraskan (1953) starring Philip Carey, Roberta Haynes and Wallace Ford (Burro Flats)(Corriganville) Columbia

Drums Across the River (1954) starring Audie Murphy, Walter Brennan and Lyle Bettger (Burro Flats)(Iverson Ranch) Universal

The Black Dakotas (1954) starring Gary Merrill, Wanda Hendrix and John Bromfield (Burro Flats)(Iverson Ranch)(Corriganville) Columbia

Four Guns to the Border (1954) starring Rory Calhoun, Colleen Miller and George Nader (Bell Ranch) Universal

Masterson of Kansas (1954) starring George Montgomery, Nancy Gates and James Griffith (Iverson Ranch)(Corriganville) Columbia

The Lone Ranger (1956) starring Clayton Moore, Jay Silverheels and Lyle Bettger (Iverson Ranch) Warner Bros.

Return to Warbow (1958) starring Philip Carey, Catherine McLeod and Andrew Duggan (Iverson Ranch)(Corriganville) Columbia

Alias Jesse James (1958) starring Bob Hope, Rhonda Fleming and Wendell Corey (Iverson Ranch) United Artists

Santee (1973) starring Glenn Ford, Michael Burns and Dana Wynter (bell Ranch) Crown

"The Lone Ranger" (TV Series) (1949-1957) -- 220 episodes as Tonto

He appeared in a plethora of other TV Westerns and episodes filmed at Santa Susana locations.