Why we love old movie locations — especially the Iverson Movie Ranch

For an introduction to this blog and to the growing interest in historic filming locations such as the Iverson Movie Ranch — the most widely filmed outdoor location in movie and TV history — please read the site's introductory post, found here.
• Your feedback is appreciated — please leave comments on any of the posts.
• To find specific rock features or look up movie titles, TV shows, actors and production people, see the "LABELS" section — the long alphabetical listing on the right side of the page, below.
• To join the MAILING LIST, send me an email at iversonfilmranch@aol.com and let me know you'd like to sign up.
• I've also begun a YouTube channel for Iverson Movie Ranch clips and other movie location videos, which you can get to by clicking here.
• Readers can email the webmaster at iversonfilmranch@aol.com
.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Pear Rock, a fake mine ... and two Grove Cabins

"Bells of Rosarita" (Roy Rogers, 1945) — Grove Cabin

One of the so-called "permanent" buildings on the old Iverson Movie Ranch was a small cabin located in the Eucalyptus Grove, known as the Grove Cabin.

Pear Rock, next to Grove Cabin ("Bells of Rosarita")

The Grove Cabin was located immediately west of Pear Rock, seen here in the same "Bells of Rosarita" sequence as Roy and the boys sneak up on the cabin.

Pear Rock as it appears today

Pear Rock is still around. The angle isn't exactly the same, but you may be able to spot some of the same markings on the rock in the above two photos.

Here are a few of the puzzle pieces to help you get oriented.

And those same puzzle pieces noted in the "Bells of Rosarita" screen shot.

"Bells of Rosarita" — Pear Rock, left, and Grove Cabin

This shot from the "Bells of Rosarita" sequence shows Pear Rock on the left and Grove Cabin on the right, with a blurry Gabby Hayes in the middle. Note the muffin-shaped rock above the cabin.

"Law of the Canyon" (Charles Starrett, 1947)

For a period of time the Grove Cabin had this odd-looking fake mine next to it. This mine was unusual because the light-colored fake rock material was combined with an actual rock — the darker angular part to the right of the mine entrance — giving the construction a two-tone effect.

The fake mine area as it appears today

The angular rock that was a part of the mine construction is still in place — here's what it looks like today (near the center of the photo). Also visible in this photo is the tall muffin-shaped boulder that looms above Grove Cabin in the movie shots.

"Law of the Canyon"

This blurry shot from "Law of the Canyon" shows the proximity of the fake mine, on the right, to Grove Cabin, on the left.

"Circus Boy" TV show episode "The Masked Marvel" (premiered Dec. 9, 1956)

Grove Cabin stood from about 1939-1958, a long time by movie set standards. Near the end of that run a second cabin was added to the set, immediately west of the original cabin.

The smaller second cabin stood more or less where the fake mine previously stood. (TV trivia time: "Circus Boy" starred a young Micky Dolenz, who would go on to greater fame a decade later as a member of the '60s pop band the Monkees.)

"Gunsmoke" episode "Claustrophobia" (premiered Jan. 25, 1958)

This shot from the TV series "Gunsmoke" again captures the two Grove Cabins, along with some of the Grove's trademark eucalyptus trees.

The tall muffin-shaped boulder continues to loom in the background, directly above the main cabin.

"Bells of Rosarita": Muffin-shaped rock behind the cabin

Another shot from "Bells of Rosarita" highlights the rock's muffin shape.

The Grove Cabin site in 2016

A recent photo of the area where the Grove Cabin once stood shows Pear Rock on the left and the muffin-shaped rock on the right.

A close look at the muffin-shaped rock as it appears today reveals that it's no longer as "muffin-shaped" as it once was.

A large chunk of the once top-heavy rock has fallen off in the years since the area was used for filming, leaving behind a flat, lighter-colored area of unweathered surface along the eastern face of the rock.

1 comment:

Drifting Cowboy said...

You've been busier than bee -- and caught me sleepin'. I almost missed all your terrific posts during the past month. Good stuff -- keep on A-Rockin'