Located in the Garden of the Gods next to the larger and more widely exposed Sphinx, or Eagle Beak (not seen here),
the Phantom tends to be undeservedly overlooked. But it does get screen time in a lot of old movies and TV shows if you know where to look and can get past the "star power" of neighboring rocks
Sphinx (aka Eagle Beak) and Tower Rock (aka Indian Head). The Phantom is typically seen just to the right of the Sphinx, if the camera happens to wander over that way.
"The Lone Ranger" TV show (1949) — the Phantom in background
The Phantom did play a featured role in an early episode of the Lone Ranger TV show, as seen above (with the footage also used in the Lone Ranger movie). In the shot above, the Phantom provides the background during an ambush sequence that sets in motion the whole Lone Ranger saga. Please check out
this blog entry, which talks more about this famous scene.
Here's another view of the Phantom in modern times. The rock, which has any number of "moods" depending on the camera angle, seems a little grouchy here. The Phantom reminds me a little bit of one of those paintings on the wall in an old spooky movie, where the eyes follow you as you move through the room. In the above shot, I think the, um, "white stuff" under the eye, presumably left behind by an ongoing parade of birds that for some reason prefer that particular eye socket to "do their business," actually adds an emotional quality to the rock's face. I'll stop short of saying it looks like the Phantom is crying, but ... well, I think I would be grouchy too if that happened to my eye socket.
This post is part of a series on "Classic Rocks" — sandstone giants
located on the former Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif., that became a part of not only America's physical landscape but also its cultural heritage, through
featured roles in old movies, cliffhanger serials and early TV shows. Other entries in the series can be seen by
clicking here.
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