A drifting cowboy

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Best Chatsworth Movies -- The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) is a drama based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel written by John Steinbeck. The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson (who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing), and the executive producer was Darryl F. Zanuck.

It's one of the best films ever directed by John Ford--for which he won the Oscar in 1941 for Best Director. In typical Ford fashion he draws out tension between people as defines relationships with an extraordinary cast of characters.

Plot:

The The Grapes of Wrath is a story about the Joad family from Oklahoma. They have lost their farm during the Great Depression in the 1930s, and become migrant farm workers as they travel to California.

The motion picture describes their difficult and dangerous trip--along Route 66--as they travel west to California in search of a new home.

Cast:

Henry Fonda as Tom Joad

Russell Simpson as Pa Joad

Jane Darwell as Ma Joad

John Carradine as Jim Casy, former preacher

Charley Grapewin as Grandpa William James Joad

Zeffie Tilbury as Grandma Joad

Frank Darien as Uncle John Joad

Dorris Bowdon as Rose-of-Sharon "Rosasharn" Rivers

O.Z. Whitehead as Al Joad

Frank Sully as Noah Joad

Darryl Hickman as Winfield Joad

Shirley Mills as Ruthie Joad

Eddie Quillan as Connie Rivers, husband of Rosasharn

John Qualen as Muley Graves, neighbor in Oklahoma

Roger Imhof as Mr. Thomas, ditch employer

Grant Mitchell as Manager of government camp

Charles D. Brown as Wilkie, boy lookout at dance

John Arledge as Davis, bulldozer driver

Ward Bond as Friendly Policeman, Bakersfield

Eddie Waller as Proprietor

Max Wagner as Guard

The film was nominated for Best Picture at the 1941 Academy Awards. Jane Darwell (above right) won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and Henry Fonda (above left) was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) was one of the first 25 films to be chosen (in 1989) by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry because it is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

While the film was lensed at more than a dozen and a half locations it does include some rich scenes filmed on the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth. The movie still at the beginning of this post is from a scene when the Joads finally arrive in California--what they are looking at is Chatsworth.

For more information about the Chatsworth filming locations visit http://www.cowboyup.com/ and learn about my books: Rendezvous at Boulder Pass: Hollywood's Fantasyland © 2010 (ISBN: 978-0-615-21522-8) and Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas © 2008 (ISBN: 978-0-615-21499-3)

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

The Oklahoma Kid and 'Whizzer'

Making The Oklahoma Kid (1939)…

Ace Hudkins at Hudkins' Brothers Stable

A studio prepares to film a picture requiring a number of horses. The studio "animal man" — the fellow who handles all animal casting — contacts the Hudkins stable, just outside Los Angeles.

A pre-dawn delivery of movie horses

'We need forty head of horses at the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth

by 7 o'clock tomorrow morning," he says.

"Forty head," agrees whichever one of the Hudkins brothers happens to answer the telephone. "How do you want them?"

"Well, let's see," 'says the studio representative, consulting his animal cast sheet. "We need two star horses, three featured, one bit and the rest mob."

"O.K.," says the Hudkins brother. "They'll be there."

And this is how the Hudkins brothers bill the studio: "Two stars — $25 per day each, "Three featured — $15 per day each. "One bit — $7.50 per day. "Thirty-four mob: 11 at $5 per day each, 23 at $2:50 per day each."

The Hudkins brothers rate their horses by the people who ride them.

"Whizzer" is an example. Not long ago "Whizzer" was an ordinary mob animal which earned $5 a day for his owners whenever he worked. Then along came James Cagney looking for a horse to ride in his latest Warner Brothers picture, "The Oklahoma Kid."

Whizzer and Cagney relaxing on location in Chatsworth

Cagney looked over the Hudkins horses. "Whizzer" nudged him a couple of times on the shoulder as Cagney passed his stall. "I'll take him," said Cagney, and a star was born.

end (the above story is an excerpt from a press kit for The Oklahoma Kid)

By the way if Whizzer looks different in the movie remember... Movie Horses also visit the makeup department.

Rental Stable notes:

Clarence 'Fat' Jones and Baldy (award winning movie horse)

Three of the largest suppliers of rental horses and horse drawn vehicles for the film industry during the heyday of the B-Western were Ralph McCutcheon Stables located in Van Nuys, California, Hudkins Bros. Stables, Inc., located at 7245 Coldwater Canyon Ave., North Hollywood, California and Clarence (Fats) Jones Stable located at 11300 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, California.

To learn more about The Oklahoma Kid (1939) see http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/05/best-chatsworth-movies-oklahoma-kid.html

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas -- William Holden

William Holden (1918-1981) was an American film star. He won an Academy Award Oscar (Best Actor) in 1954, and an Emmy Award (Best Actor) in 1974. He was a versatile actor who starred in some of the best known and critically acclaimed films made in the past hundred years.

Early in his career he owned a horse ranch in Northridge which (at the time) billed itself as 'the Horse Capital of the West.'

Holden served as a 2nd lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war he alternated working for Columbia and several minor studios.

He battled alcoholism most of his life. His death in 1981, was caused by fall (while drunk) that severely lacerated his forehead, and caused him to bled to death while he was home alone.

William Holden's Santa Susana locations filmography:

Boots Malone (1952) starring William Holden, Stanley Clements and Basil Ruysdael (Iverson Ranch) Columbia

Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) starring William Holden, Eleanor Parker and John Forsythe (Corriganville) MGM

The Man from Colorado (1948) starring Glenn Ford, William Holden and Ellen Drew (Iverson Ranch)(Corriganville) Columbia

Streets of Laredo (1949) starring William Holden, Macdonald Carey and Mona Freeman (Corriganville) Paramount

'Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas' is a continuing series about "six-gun heroes that performed on movie location ranches in Chatsworth, California. For more information about Chatsworth filming locations see http://www.cowboyup.com/ to find information about my books: Rendezvous at Boulder Pass: Hollywood's Fantasyland - 2010 and Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas - 2008.

Index for 'Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas' -- Chatsworth's Six-Gun Heroes

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/05/reel-cowboys-chatsworths-six-gun-heroes.html

Monday, June 11, 2012

Meanwhile back at the ranch -- Lean-to Cabins

The Iverson Movie Ranch had at least two Lean-to Cabin sets over the years. This one (above) from Young Buffalo Bill (1940)--starring Roy Rogers--has a pueblo Indian facade, and was most likely in the Garden of the Gods--behind Sphinx Rock.

I believe this screenshot from The Arizona Kid (1939) starring Roy Rogers was also Garden of the Gods--behind Sphinx Rock, but had a different facade.

In the screen capture above from Roy Rogers' Red River Valley (1941) the lean-to takes on yet another elevation that's different than the first two. By the way I downloaded this film from archive.org--a wonderful source for free movies.

The capture above from Captain Fury (1939) (starring Brian Aherne and Victor McLaglen) shows you one of the two trail accesses to the cabin.

Above is a close-up of the more rustic lean-to as in appeared in The Arizona Kid (1939) and Captain Fury (1939).

This color screenshot of the Garden of the Gods lean-to is from a scene in Belle Starr (1941) -- starring Randolph Scott and Gene Tierney.

Here's another capture of the cabin in the Garden of the Gods as it appeared in William Boyd's 'Hopalong Cassidy' oater Mystery Man (1944).

One last look at the Garden of the Gods lean-to as it appeared in Dallas (1950) -- starring Gary Cooper and Ruth Roman.

The publicity still above is from a scene in Buffalo Bill Rides Again (1947) starring Richard Arlen. This Lean-To Cabin was just west of Hangover Rock and would have been visible from the old folks home.

Another look at the cabin located at the Hangover Rock location as seen in The Duel at Silver Creek (1952) -- starring Audie Murphy.

This screen capture from The Duel at Silver Creek (1952) gives us a close-up look at the facade of the cabin.

I'm including this final capture from The Duel at Silver Creek (1952), so you can see the position of Hangover Rock (top right corner) in relationship to the structure.

'Meanwhile back at the ranch' is a continuing series about "rock stars" (landscape features) on the old Iverson Movie Location Ranch in Chatsworth, California. For more information about the Iverson Movie Ranch see: http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/iverson-movie-location-ranch-chatsworth.html

An index for all of the 'Meanwhile back at the ranch' posts is located here:

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/05/chatsworths-rock-stars.html

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Best Chatsworth Movies -- Land Beyond the Law (1937)

In the late 1930's Warner Bros. responded to Republic's new singing cowboy sensation --Gene Autry -- by signing their own sagebrush troubador -- Dick Foran -- to do a series of top quality B-Westerns.

The camera work and second unit stunts from Warner Bros. was second to none resulting in some of the best Westerns ever created. In my opinion Land Beyond the Law (1937) was the best of the Dick Foran series.

Plot:

Chip Douglas (Dick Foran) is a wild and wooly young cowman who rides for Slade Henaberry cattle baron and owner of the Circle Bar Ranch. Chip and his pals Dave Massey (Wayne Morris) and "Bandy" Malarkey (Glenn Strange) are unaware that Henaberry's cow hands are mostly cattle rustlers and murderers.

Chip is at odds with his father John Douglas Sr. (Tom Brower) -- a salty old rancher -- because his father dislikes Henaberry and his bunch.

Chip's father is murdered by Henaberry's gang -- headed by Tascosa (Harry Woods), Mason (Edmund Cobb) and Kirby (Henry Otho) -- when he tries to stop them from rustling his cattle.

After his father's murder Chip is appointed sheriff based on the recommendation of Cattle Kate Turner (Irene Franklin) who owns the local saloon and hotel.

The battle to bring law and order to the Bitter Creek Valley is on -- eventually Chip and his deputies destroy the outlaw gang, recover the rustled cattle and restore peace to Bitter Creek Valley.

For an Iverson Movie Location Ranch history buff it doesn't get any better than this film. It features some of the best scenes ever lensed on the lower ranch.

If you like this film then I also recommend California Mail (1936), The Cherokee Strip (1937), Empty Holsters (1937), Guns of the Pecos (1937), Prairie Thunder (1937), and Trailin' West (1936). I haven't seen Song of the Saddle (1936) or Treachery Rides the Range (1936), but I'm bettin' they're good 'uns too.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas -- Jack Perrin

Jack Perrin (1896-1967) was an American cowboy actor and silent film star. Perrin may have worked in films as early in 1915, with Mack Sennett, before enlisting in the Navy in World War I. The photo above is Jack and his horse Starlight (courtesy of Bruce Hickey).

After World War I, about 1919, he landed a contract with Universal. In 1921 he left Universal and starred in dozens of B-Westerns for smaller studios such as Rayart (later Monogram), Aywon and Arrow Pictures.

In the late 1920s he returned to Universal to star in a series of Canadian Mountie adventure pictures. Like many early Hollywood cowboys Perrin fell victim to the "talkies," and was forced to start accepting supporting roles and bit parts.

Bobby Copeland in his excellent book Silent Hoodbeats tells us Jack's horse was billed as Starlight, the Wonder Horse, but he deserved better support. I agree there's a scene in Gun Grit where starlight actually runs down and eliminates a bad guy :-)

During his nearly 50 year long career in both film and television he appeared in over 330 titles.

Starring roles at Santa Susanna locations:

Gun Grit (1936) starring Jack Perrin, Ethel Beck and David Sharpe (Brandeis Ranch)(Chatsworth Depot) Atlantic.

Supporting roles and bit parts at Santa Susanna locations:

The Painted Stallion (1937) - Ray Corrigan, Hoot Gibson and LeRoy Mason - Republic (Jack is far left in photo above)

The Last Train from Madrid (1937) - Dorothy Lamour, Lew Ayres and Gilbert Roland (Iverson Ranch) Paramount

Wells Fargo (1937) - Joel McCrea, Bob Burns and Frances Dee (Iverson Ranch) Paramount

The Purple Vigilantes (1938) - Robert Livingston, Ray “Crash” Corrigan, Max Terhune - Republic

The Lone Ranger (1938) - Lee Powell, Chief Thundercloud and Silver King the Horse (Iverson Ranch) Republic

Western Jamboree (1938) - Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette and Jean Rouverol - Republic

The Arizona Kid (1939) - Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes and Sally March (Iverson Ranch) Republic

South of the Border (1939) - Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette and June Storey (Corriganville) Republic

Terry And The Pirates (1940) - William Tracy, Jeff York and Joyce Bryant (Iverson Ranch) Columbia

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

West of Pinto Basin (1940) - Ray Corrigan, John 'Dusty' King and Max Terhune - Monogram

Riders of Death Valley (1941) - Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo and Buck Jones (Iverson Ranch) Universal

Captain Midnight (1942) - Dave O'Brien, Dorothy Short and James Craven (Iverson Ranch) Columbia

The Gallant Legion (1948) - Bill Elliott, Lorna Gray and Joseph Schildkraut (Garden of the Gods) Republic

El Paso (1949) - John Payne, Gail Russell and Sterling Hayden (Iverson Ranch)(Corriganville) Paramount

White Heat (1949) - James Cagney, Virginia Mayo and Edmond O'Brien (Chatsworth Railroad) Warner Bros.

Twilight in the Sierras (1950) - Roy Rogers, Trigger and Dale Evans (Iverson Ranch) Republic

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

Train to Tombstone (1950) - Don 'Red' Barry, Robert Lowery and Wally Vernon - Lippert

Wells Fargo Gunmaster (1951) - Allan Lane, Black Jack and Chubby Johnson (Iverson Ranch) Republic

The Mississippi Gambler (1953) - Tyrone Power, Piper Laurie and Julie Adams (Corriganville) Universal

Red River Shore (1953) - Rex Allen, Slim Pickens and Lyn Thomas (Burro Flats) Republic

Riding Shotgun (1954) - Randolph Scott, Wayne Morris and Joan Weldon (Bell Ranch) Warner Bros.

Around the World In 80 Days (1956) - David Niven, Cantinflas and Finlay Currie (Iverson Ranch) UA

The Iron Sheriff (1957) - Sterling Hayden, Constance Ford and John Dehner (Corriganville) United Artists

Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend (1957) - Randolph Scott, James Craig and Angie Dickinson - Warner Bros.

Noose for a Gunman (1960) - Jim Davis, Barton MacLane and Lyn Thomas (Iverson Ranch)(Corriganville) United Artists

"Stories of the Century" (TV series) 1955

"The Gene Autry Show" (TV series) 1955

"Buffalo Bill, Jr." (TV series) 1955, 1956

"Annie Oakley" (TV series) 1955, 1956

"The Californians" (TV series) 1957, 1958

"Wanted: Dead or Alive" (TV series) 1959

"The Deputy" (TV series) 1960

"Gunsmoke" (TV series) 1956, 1962

"Maverick" (TV series) 1961, 1962

Disclaimer: This list of movie titles and credits has been compiled from many sources. It has not been independently verified. Titles with location credits in parentheses are either movies I own or come from a source I feel has a higher level of creditability.

Index for 'Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas' -- Chatsworth's Six-Gun Heroes

http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2012/05/reel-cowboys-chatsworths-six-gun-heroes.html

Friday, June 8, 2012

Meanwhile back at the ranch -- GOTG Relay Station

In this post I'll share some information about a set known as the 'Garden of the Gods (GOTG) Stagecoach Relay Station.' In the publicity still above from a scene in Son of Geronimo: Apache Avenger (1952) -- starring Clayton Moore -- a corner of the station can be seen with a stagecoach arriving to the left.

The structure is called the 'Garden of the Gods Stagecoach Relay Station' because of it's close proximity to the Garden of the Gods. In the photo study above -- a series of screenshots from Escort West (1958) -- the camera is filming the north elevation of the station -- as it pans to the left the Garden of the Gods formations come into view.

Above is a color screen capture from The Plunderers (1948) which was filmed at a distance and shows us the rocky open space north of the station.

In a screenshot from (above) Wild Bill Elliott's Hands Across the Rockies (1941) we get a glimpse at the rocky slopes of the Santa Susana Mountains to the west of the station.

In the screen capture above from Heldorado (1946) the camera is facing toward the east--in the direction that leads to the Garden of the Gods.

In another screenshot, this one from Gene Autry's Texans Never Cry (1951), the camera is located so we can see rock outcroppings to the left (east, and actually south) of the station. Located within those rocks is the famous Saddlehorn Rock.

In another screenshot from Gene Autry's Texans Never Cry (1951) we get a close-up look at the cantilevered second floor on north elevation of the station.

In this capture from Gene Autry's Texans Never Cry (1951) we get a close-up at the door on the northeast corner of the station.

In the screen capture above from Tim Holt's The Avenging Rider (1943) we are now looking at the east elevation of the station. This time the camera is situated so we can see the foothills to the north of the station. If you were looking at those same hills today you'd see two large water tanks on them.

Here's a nice color close-up look at the east elevation of the station as seen in a screenshot taken from Black Bart (1948).

This final screen capture (above) was taken from a scene in Gunmen from Laredo (1959). It was lensed from inside the station looking south. If you look carefully you'll see Batman Rock which helps us further pin-point the station's location in the Garden of the Gods area.