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
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Monday, September 14, 2009

Classic Rock: Hangdog — then and now

This blog entry is part of a series on "Classic Rocks" — sandstone behemoths located on the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif., that were featured in old movies, cliffhanger serials and early TV shows. The subject this time is Hangdog, a rock formation that, like many of Iverson's quirky rock giants, had multiple personalities — and still does.

"Thunder River Feud" (1942)

In the above screen shot from cinematographer Robert Cline's 1942 Range Busters masterpiece, "Thunder River Feud," the large rock formation behind the rider is Hangdog. This is the "gladiator armor" view of Hangdog, one of its more widely filmed angles.

Hangdog as it appears today, on the former Iverson Movie Ranch

The shot above shows what Hangdog looks like today, from something close to the same angle. It's located on private property in the "Above Nyoka" area of the Iverson Movie Ranch, just northeast of Nyoka Cliff.

"Albuquerque" (1948)

A different "face" of Hangdog is seen above, in the Paramount Western "Albuquerque," starring Randolph Scott. This is the view from the south, more or less, and you can see Cactus Hill in the background. 


Hangdog today, from still another angle

The recent shot seen above is taken from yet another angle, but it may be close enough to the "Albuquerque" screen shot above that you'll be able to spot some of the same features in the two shots.

More posts about Hangdog can be found here. For more entries in the blog series Classic Rocks, please click here.

You can click on the link below if you're interested in buying "Thunder River Feud" off Amazon. I recommend the movie — not for great acting or plot, but for a lot of weird shots of the Iverson Movie Ranch by the mad genius, cinematographer Robert Cline.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009