Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas -- Glenn Ford

Glenn Ford (1916 – 2006) was a Canadian-born American actor and cowboy star.  He appeared in over one hundred films in a career spanned nearly seven decades.  He was claimed to be the fastest draw in Hollywood.

Glenn Ford's Santa Susanas locations filmography includes:

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

The Loves of Carmen (1948) starring Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford and Ron Randell (Corriganville) Columbia

The Redhead and the Cowboy (1951) starring Glenn Ford, Edmond O'Brien and Rhonda Fleming - Paramount

Santee (1973) starring Glenn Ford, Michael Burns and Dana Wynter (Bell Ranch) Crown International Pictures

'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

Meanwhile back at the ranch -- Festival Rocks

In the extreme northwest corner of the upper Iverson Ranch there is a lonely rock pile that I've dubbed Festival Rocks.  I first found them (on film) in an old Ken Curtis serial Don Daredevil Rides Again (1951).  I can't find my original notes, so I have no way of knowing why I called them Festival Rocks.  There must have been something about a festival in the serial, but I am not going to spend time watching that very dull oater again :-)

The 2008 photo above was taken while I was exploring rock formations on the upper Iverson (Indian Hills today).  Today it is literally located in a private backyard, but the most interesting rock formation (seen in movies) is missing :-(  It would have been just to the right out of the frame.

In this early 1950s photo (above) you'll find Festival Rocks in the top left cover.

Above is a screen capture from an unknown B-Western.  In it you can see Festival Rocks at the far left edge just below center.  The photo was taken on the north end of the insert road.

The screenshot above from a scene in Bud Abbott's and Lou Costello's The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap (1947) gives you a view of Festival Rocks from the north looking southwest.

The screenshot above from Gene Autry's Apache Country (1952) gives you a good look and the missing formation.  For me it's the best way to identify Festival Rocks in a movie.

Here's another look at the missing formation in a screen capture from a Cisco Kid oater The Gay Amigo (1949).

Above is a publicity still for The Gun That Won the West (1955) also showing the missing formation.  Aren't bulldozers wonder? 

This final screen capture is from Randolph Scott's Tall Man Riding (1955) and gives you a look at Festival Rocks in glorious color.

'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

Best Chatsworth Movies -- Stagecoach (1939)

Stagecoach (1939) is an epic Western story directed by John Ford, and starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne (in his breakthrough role). 

The plot is a tale about an incongruous mixture of Western characters riding an east-bound stagecoach from Tonto, Arizona Territory--through hostile Apache Indian territory--to Lordsburg, New Mexico Territory.

In the film Ford skillfully blends scenes of Monument Valley (which would become a signature for him) with scenes filmed at Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, and other southern California locations (photo above courtesy of Bruce Hickey).

Few people know that John Wayne's introduction in Stagecoach--where he boards the Stage as the Ringo Kid (photo above)--takes place directly in front of the Garden of the Gods (the best known rock feature on Chatsworth's Iverson Ranch). 

Cast:

Ford defines the relationships and draws out tension between characters with an extraordinary cast including (left to right in the photo above): 

Dallas (Claire Trevor), a dance hall girl driven out of town by intolerant members of the "Law and Order League." 

Ringo Kid (John Wayne), a fugitive hunting outlaw Luke Plummer to avenge the deaths of his father and brother.

Buck (Andy Devine), the stagecoach driver.

Hatfield (John Carradine), a gambler and southern gentleman.

Lucy Mallory (Louise Platt), a pregnant lady traveling to meet her cavalry officer husband.

Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell), a philosophizing drunken town doctor.

Henry Gatewood, (Berton Churchill), a banker absconding with $50,000 he embezzled from his bank.

Samuel Peacock (Donald Meek), a timid traveling whiskey drummer.

Curly Wilcox (George Bancroft), a Marshal--riding shotgun guard--while searching for the Ringo Kid.

Luke Plummer (Tom Tyler)(photo above), a killer and outlaw hiding in Lordsburg.  

Lieutenant Blanchard (Tim Holt)(photo above), a young U.S. cavalry officer.

Stunts:

Stagecoach features some of the most daring stunts ever filmed with the legendary Yakima Canutt.  In the photo above he is doubling Wayne as he performs his famous 'transfer stunt' (jumping onto a team of running horses).

Yakima Canutt's 'drop stunt' (falling between horses and being dragged under the stagecoach).

Extraordinary stunt scenes included falls caused by the 'Running W', a contraption that brings down a galloping horse by attaching a wire, anchored to the ground, to its fetlocks.  It launches the rider forward in a spectacular fashion.  It was invented by Yakima Canutt, but is now outlawed because so many horses killed or injured with its use.

Iverson Ranch scenes:

From an Iverson Ranch movie historian's point of view it doesn't get much better than the splendid scenes with Hook Rock as the stagecoach arrives at the Dry Fork station (screenshot above).

The arrival of the stagecoach at the Apache Wells station with the Garden of the Gods in the background is nothing short of spectacular (screenshot above).

Finding the stagecoach station burned out at Lee's Ferry with Batman Rock at the far left.

Shootout:

The eventual meeting between the Ringo Kid and Luke Plummer in Lordsburg leads to a classic main street shootout.  The drama leading to the face down begins when Plummer draws Aces and Eights (the dead man's hand) in a card game, and escalates when Doc Boone demands Plummer not carry a scattergun into the fight.

Academy Awards:

Stagecoach was nominated for seven academy awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Music (Scoring), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography (Black-and-White), Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Picture.  

It won two oscars.  Thomas Mitchell won for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (photo above -- Claire Trevor and Thomas Mitchell as Doc Boone).  For Best Music (Scoring) the Oscar went to Richard Hageman, W. Franke Harling, John Leipold and Leo Shuken.

If you've never seen Stagecoach (1939) it is a must see.  It's my personal all-time favorite Western.  It stars my favorite silverscreen hero John Wayne, and was directed by John Ford (the best director ever in my opinion).

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)

Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas -- Kermit Maynard

Kermit Maynard (1897-1971) was an American actor and stuntman. He played college football as a lineman for the Indiana Hoosiers in the early 1920s. 

Kermit was a younger brother of B-Western star Ken Maynard, and started his career as a stand-in for Ken.

As a supporting or uncredited actor he appeared in over 280 movies between the late 1920s and 1962.  He also made numerous appearance in TV Westerns during the 1950s.

Kermit Maynard's starring roles at Santa Susana locations include:

The Fighting Texan (1937) starring Kermit Maynard, Elaine Shepard and Frank LaRue - Conn

Galloping Dynamite (1937) starring Kermit Maynard, Ariane Allen and John Merton - Ambassador

Roaring Six Guns (1937) starring Kermit Maynard, Mary Hayes and Sam Flint (Iverson Ranch) Conn

Song of the Trail (1936) starring Kermit Maynard, Evelyn Brent and Fuzzy Knight, George “Gabby” Hayes - Conn

Valley of Terror (1937) starring Kermit Maynard, Harley Wood and John Merton (Brandeis Ranch) Conn

Wild Horse Roundup (1936) starring Kermit Maynard, Beth Marion and Dickie Jones - Conn

'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

Meanwhile back at the ranch -- Durango's Pass

In my last "Meanwhile back at the ranch" post I told you there was a separation between boulders behind and below Cap Rock.  I made the discovery during a hike on what remains of the upper Iverson Ranch in the spring of 2010.

I could have easily missed this "Rock Star" find because the area is overgrown with brush and scrub oak trees as you can see in the photo above.  During the past two years an estate home has been constructed on this property, so it is now no longer accessible. 

I knew the instant I found the passage that it had to have been used in B-Westerns, but it took several months before I happened to see it in Charles Starrett's Desert Vigilante (1949).  Since I discovered it in a Durango Kid film it was only logical that I named my new found rock star Durango's Pass.  In the Desert Vigilante screenshot above Starrett is entering the north side of the pass.

A couple of weeks later--after finding the passage in the Starrett film--I found it again in an episode of the "Roy Rogers TV Show" (screenshot above), so it could have just as easily been named Roy's Pass :-)  In this shot Bullet is leading Roy into the south entrance of the pass.

Here's a screen capture from Fugitive Valley (1941) showing a gang of henchmen entering the north entrance.

In yet another screen capture of Durango's Pass a galloping rider leaves a cloud of dust as he heads into the pass in a scene from Republic's serial The Phantom Rider (1946).

As with most of the Iverson Ranch "Rock Stars" I almost always--eventually--find a six-gun hero posing in front of them.  The (Durago Pass) still above is Monte Hale capturing an outlaw in a scene from Outcasts of the Trail (1949).

'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

Celebrating 100 years of Chatsworth Movies -- Classics after 1960

During the 1960s and early 1970s filming on the Iverson Ranch was mostly for television, but a few final movie crews lensed a few scenes where television crews were not working.

College Confidential (1960) - Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows and Walter Winchell (Corriganville) Famous Players

Guns of Navarone, The (1961) - David Niven, Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn  (Iverson Ranch) Columbia

Panic In Year Zero! (1962) - Ray Milland, Jean Hagen and Frankie Avalon (Iverson Ranch) American International

Three Stooges Meet Hercules, The (1962) - Larry Fine, Moe Howard and Joe DeRita (Iverson Ranch) Normandy Prod.

Stopover in Hollywood (1963 Documentary) - Lori Lyons, Tony Winhall and Walter Kray (Corriganville) Paramount

Harum Scarum (1965) - Elvis Presley, Mary Ann Mobley and Fran Jeffries (Iverson Ranch) Four-Leaf Prod.

Cat, The (1966) - Roger Perry, Peggy Ann Garner, Barry Coe (Iverson Ranch) Embassy Pictures

Follow Me Boys (1966) - Fred MacMurray, Vera Miles, Lillian Gish (Iverson Ranch) Walt Disney Prod

In Cold Blood (1967) - Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe (Iverson Ranch) Columbia

Vigilante Force (1976) - Kris Kristofferson, Jan-Michael Vincent and Victoria Principal (Corriganville) RKO

Tomb, The (1986) - Cameron Mitchell, John Carradine and Sybil Danning (Iverson Ranch) Trans World Ent.  This might be the last movie filmed on the upper Iverson Ranch before it was developed. See Dennis Liff's blog post at http://iversonmovieranch.blogspot.com/2011/11/tomb-rare-shoot-at-iverson-in-1980s.html

Assignment: Survive (1988) starring Vincent Barbi, Michael Christian and Joseph Marina (Bell Ranch) UNK

Dragonquest (2009) - Marc Singer, Brian Thompson and Jason Connery (Iverson Ranch) Global Asylum

Militia (2000) - Dean Cain, Jennifer Beals and Frederic Forrest (Iverson Ranch)  

Submerged (2000) - Coolio, Maxwell Caulfield and Brent Huff (Iverson Ranch) Phoenician Ent.

Santa Susana (2007) - Christopher Almaguer-Delgado, Victor Rubalcava and Kenneth Scott (Corriganville) 

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. 

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)

Reel Cowboys of the Santa Susanas -- Whip Wilson

Whip Wilson (1911-1964) was an American B-Western cowboy actor in late 1940s and the early 1950s.  He was best known for his Monogram roles as a whip-wielding cowboy.

Wilson came along too late to establish himself as a major star because studios were already phasing out low-budget westerns. Veteran comedian Andy Clyde was a valuable asset as co-star, but the series got little attention and was wrapped up in 1952.

From my point of view the best thing about his movies was that they were lensed mostly on the Iverson Ranch, and promotional photos for his films often included the unique landscape features that had attracted film makers to the area for more than a half century.

Whip Wilson's Santa Susana locations filmography:

Abilene Trail (1951) starring Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde and Tommy Farrell (Iverson Ranch) Monogram

Arizona Territory (1950) starring Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde and Nancy Saunders (Iverson Ranch) Monogram

Canyon Raiders (1951) starring Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight and Jim Bannon - Monogram

Cherokee Uprising (1950) starring Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde and Lois Hall (Iverson Ranch)(Garden of the Gods) Monogram

Crashing Thru (1949) starring Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde and Christine Larsen - Monogram

Fence Riders (1950) starring Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde and Reno Browne - Monogram

The Gunman (1952) starring Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight and Phyllis Coates - Monogram

Gunslingers (1950) starring Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde and Reno Browne (Iverson Ranch) Monogram

Haunted Trails (1949) starring Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde and Reno Browne - Monogram

Lawless Cowboys (1951) starring Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight and Jim Bannon - Monogram

Nevada Badmen (1951) starring Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight and Jim Bannon (Iverson Ranch) Monogram

Night Raiders (1952) starring Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight and Lois Hall (Iverson Ranch) Monogram

Outlaws of Texas (1950) starring Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde and Phyllis Coates - Monogram

Riders of the Dusk (1949) starring Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde and Reno Browne (Iverson Ranch) Monogram

Silver Raiders (1950) starring Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde and Leonard Penn (Iverson Ranch) Monogram

Stage to Blue River (1951) starring Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight and Phyllis Coates (Iverson Ranch) Monogram

Stagecoach Driver (1951) starring Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight and Jim Bannon (Iverson Ranch) Monogram

Wanted: Dead or Alive (1951) starring Whip Wilson, Fuzzy Knight and Jim Bannon - Monogram

Wyoming Roundup (1952) starring Whip Wilson, Tommy Farrell and Phyllis Coates (Iverson Ranch) Monogram

'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