Movie Ranches in the Santa Susana Mountains...
Gone, but not forgotten
by Jerry England
Any history of Chatsworth, especially its equestrian culture and heritage (1), wouldn't be complete without mentioning the famous Western filming locations that once existed in our local mountains.
Movie Ranches in our Santa Susana Mountains included the Bell Ranch on Studio Road (south of the 118 freeway and east of Box Canyon Road -- now private homes), the Brandeis Ranch (north of the 118 freeway and west of the Iverson Ranch -- now private homes), the Iverson Ranch (north and south of the 118 freeway and west of Topanga Canyon Boulevard -- now private homes), Corriganville (north and south of the 118 freeway and east of Kuehner Drive -- now a county park), Burro Flats (west of Valley Circle Drive and south of Woolsey Canyon Road -- now part of Rocketdyne), plus several areas in Chatsworth including the Chatsworth Train Depot, the Chatsworth Reservoir, and the Railroad Tunnel at Topanga Canyon Boulevard and the Santa Susana Pass Road.
Considering this last location it's a pretty safe bet that the area we know as Coyote Pass (aka Stoney Point Park annex) was once used for filming action scenes around the tunnel.
Note:
Before we lanch into a list of Westerns filmed here it's important to explain that not all of the movies listed on this page were filmed in their entirety in Chatsworth or at Corriganville. For example the filming location credits for 'Stagecoach' (1939) included sixteen different locations: Beale's Cut, Newhall, California; Calabasas, California; Canon City, Colorado; Chatsworth, California; Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, California; Kayenta, Arizona; Kern County, California; Kern River, California, Kernville, California; Lucerne Dry Lake, California; Mesa, Arizona; Monument Valley, Utah; Newhall, California; RKO Encino Ranch, Encino, California; Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Studios, Hollywood, California; and Victorville, California
However, all the films listed here had at least some portion lensed in the Santa Susana Mountains or surrounding Chatsworth areas.
A Few of the earliest Westerns filmed in Chatsworth include:
(above) Squaw Man (1914) -- Oat Mountain can be seen in the background. (Movie stills, screenshots, and lobby cards used in this historical reference are from Jerry's personal collection)
Squaw Man, The (1914) - Dustin Farnum
Three Word Brand (1921) - William S. Hart
O'Malley of the Mounted (1921) - William S. Hart
Headin' West (1922) - Hoot Gibson
Paleface, The (1922) - Buster Keaton
Covered Wagon, The (1923) - J. Warren Kerrigan
Iron Horse, The (1924) - George O'Brien
Gold Rush, The (1925) - Charles Chaplin
Devil Horse, The (1926) - Yakima Canutt/Rex the Wonder Horse
Stolen Ranch, The (1926) - Fred Humes
Gaucho, The (1927) - Douglas Fairbanks
In Old Arizona (1928) - Warner Baxter
Under the Tonto Rim (1928) - Richard ArlenArizona Kid, The (1930) - Warner Baxter
Cisco Kid, The (1931) - Warner Baxter
Texas Cyclone (1932) - Tim McCoy
Cheyenne Kid (1933) - Tom Keene
Fighting with Kit Carson (1933) - Johnny Mack Brown
Fourth Horseman, The (1932) - Tom Mix/Tony the Horse
Haunted Gold (1932) - John Wayne(above) Buck Jones in California Trail (1933). California Trail, The (1933) Buck Jones
Man Trailer, The (1934) - Buck Jones
Mystery Mountain (1934) - Ken Maynard
Pals of the West (1934) - Wally Wales
Trail Beyond, The (1934) - John Wayne
Annie Oakley (1935) - Barbara Stanwyck/Preston Foster
Lawless Riders (1935) - Ken Maynard
Miracle Rider, The (1935) - Tom Mix
Outlaw Deputy, The (1935) - Tim McCoy
Blazing Justice (1936) - Bill Cody
Cavalcade of the West (1936) - Hoot Gibson
Cowboy Star, The (1936) - Charles Starrett
Ghost Patrol (1936) - Tim McCoy
Ghost Town (1936) - Harry Carey
Oh, Susanna! (1936) - Gene Autry
Plainsman, The (1936) - Gary Cooper
Singing Cowboy, The (1936) - Gene Autry
Doomed at Sundown (1937) - Bob Steele
Painted Stallion, The (Republic 1937) - Ray Corrigan/Hoot Gibson
Zorro Rides Again (1937) - James Vega(above) Tim McCoy in Lightning Carson Rides Again (1938)
Lightning Carson Rides Again (1938) - Tim McCoy
Lone Ranger, The (1938) - Chief Thundercloud
Pals of the Saddle (1938) - John Wayne/Ray Corrigan
Phantom Ranger (1938) - Tim McCoy
Prairie Moon (1938) - Gene Autry
Stranger from Arizona, The (1938) - Buck Jones
Starlight Over Texas (1938) - Tex Ritter
Two Gun Justice (1938) - Tim McCoy
Utah Trail (1938) - Tex Ritter
Whirlwind Horseman (1938) - Ken Maynard
Colorado Sunset (1939) - Gene Autry
Days of Jesse James (1939) - Roy Rogers
Lone Ranger Rides Again (1939) - Robert Livingston/Chief Thundercloud
Oklahoma Kid, The (1939) - James Cagney
Outlaw's Paradise (1939) - Tim McCoy
New Frontier (Republic 1939) - John Wayne/Ray Corrigan
Stagecoach (1939) - John Wayne
Taming the West (1939) - Bill Elliott
Three Texas Steers (1939) - John Wayne/Ray Corrigan
Zorro Rides Again (1937) - James Vega
Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939) - Reed Hadley
Academy Awards & Santa Susana Westerns:
Santa Susana Westerns nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture are:
In Old Arizona (1928/29)
Stagecoach (1939)
High Noon (1952)
Shane (1953)
How the West Was Won (1963)Santa Susana Westerns that won the Academy Award for Best Actor are:
1929 Warner Baxter - In Old Arizona as "The Cisco Kid"
1952 Gary Cooper - High Noon as "Will Kane"
Rex Allen; Gene Autry; Bob Baker; Don 'Red' Barry; Rex Bell; William Boyd; Johnny Mack Brown; Rory Calhoun; Rod Cameron; Harry Carey; Yakima Canutt; Sunset Carson; Bill Cody; Ray Corrigan; Buster Crabbe; Eddie Dean; Bill Elliott; Dustin Farnum; Dick Foran; Hoot Gibson;
(above) Bob Steel, Hoot Gibson, and Ken Maynard in Death Valley Rangers (1943)
Monte Hale; William S. Hart; Russell Hayden; Van Heflin; Tim Holt; George Houston; Buck Jones; Tom Keene; Allan Lane; Lash LaRue; Robert Livingston; Guy Madison; Victor Mature; Ken Maynard; Tim McCoy; Joel McCrea; Tom Mix; Clayton Moore; George Montgomery; Audie Murphy;(above) Bill Elliott gets the drop on Tex Ritter in Roaring Frontiers (1941)
Dave O'Brien; George O'Brien; Jack Palance; Jack Perrin; Tyrone Power; Jack Randall; Rex Reason; Duncan Renaldo...; Tex Ritter; Dale Robertson; Roy Rogers; Randolph Scott; Jay Silverheels; Charles Starrett; Bob Steele; Forrest Tucker; Chief Thundercloud; Tom Tyler; Jimmy Wakely; Wally Wales; John Wayne; Tex Williams; Whip Wilson(above) John Wayne, Max Terhune, and Ray Corrigan in Overland Stage Raiders (1938)
Back to Movie History Main Page Not just six-gun heroes, but the rich & famous were featured in Chatsworth flicks Cowboy Television Shows of the Santa Susanas
Photo Tour: Chatsworth Movie Location Photos... Then and Now Chatsworth Movie locations - Then and Now - page 2 Indianhead Rock and Eagle Beak photos Miscellaneous rocks and sites on the Iverson and Brandeis Ranches Iverson Ranch Western Street & Misc Buildings Iverson Ranch photos More Iverson Ranch photos - page 2 Iverson Ranch photos - page 3, the Garden of the Gods photos Brandeis Ranch photos Corriganville photos Chatsworth Reservoir & Trains photos Bell Ranch photos Burro Flats photos HOME © Jerry England 2008
I'm sure I've missed a few of your favorite cowboy stars, but I'm still discovering films that were lensed here that didn't list filming locations.
Stay tuned...
Until then, Adios, and happy trails.
(1) Part of ECHO's mission is to protect and preserve Chatworth's equestrian culture, heritage, and history, so we are interested in anything you can add to our collection of information about Chatsworth's Western movie history.
webmaster: jerry@cowboyup.com
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by Boyd MagersThe First Fifty Years of Sound Western Movie Locations (1929-1979)
by Kenny StierCorriganville: The Reel Story of Ray "Crash" Corrigan and His Movie Ranch
by Jerry L. SchneiderQuiet on the Set!: Motion Picture History at the Iverson Movie Location Ranch
by Robert G. ShermanThe Internet Movie Database
www.imdb.comHollywood Hoofbeats: Trails Blazed Across the Silver Screen
by Petrine Day MitchumSilent Hoofbeats
by Bobby J. CopelandDon Miller's Hollywood Corral: A Comprehensive B-Western Roundup
by Don MillerEncyclopedia of Western Movies
by Phil HardyCowboy Movie Posters (The Illustrated History of Movies Throught Posters Series Vol. 2)
by Bruce HershensonMore Cowboy Movie Posters (The Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters, Vol 6)
by Bruce HershensonThe San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb
by Kevin RoderickMOVIE MAKING EXTERIOR LOCATIONS
http://employees.oxy.edu/jerry/homeloc.htm#iverson
Details for the Iverson Ranch, Bell Ranch, Brandeis Ranch, Burro Flats, Chatsworth Reservoir, and Chatsworth TrainsRay Crash Corrigan and His Movie Ranch: Corriganville Movie Ranch
http://employees.oxy.edu/jerry/corrigan/corrigan.htmBell Location Ranch
http://www.ponderosascenery.homestead.com/bell.html
This work is meant to be a historical reference of the Western/Cowboy movies lensed in the Santa Susana Mountains in and around Chatsworth, California. It is not intended to infringe on the copyrights or trademarks of any individual, company, trust, or corporation.
Much of the material in this work is assumed to be public domain or allowed by the fair use provisions of the copyright law.
Any misuse of materials is unintentional and will be promptly removed upon notification.
Photographs, lobby cards, and collectibles displayed here have been purchased from businesses and auction houses that deal in movie posters, lobby cards, and other movie memorabilia. The sale of western movie memorabilia has been going on for decades.
If you have personal knowledge, stories, photos, or memorabilia of Chatsworth area Westerns please contact Jerry by email: jerry@cowboyup.com
