Movie rock "survivors" found in the Iverson Gorge — thanks to "Atom Man vs. Superman"

"Atom Man vs. Superman" (1950): Bald Knob, center, and its neighbors

I recently came across this shot of the gravity-defying Bald Knob and some of its neighboring rocks in "Atom Man vs. Superman," the second of Columbia's two Superman serials. Some readers may recall previous posts talking about whether Bald Knob was real or fake.

We may never know for sure, because Bald Knob disappeared when development came to the Iverson Gorge in the late 1980s. The space once occupied by this fascinating movie rock is now filled by dirt embankments supporting Redmesa Road and the Cal West Townhomes.

The sighting inspired me to do a little exploring in the Gorge. It occurred to me that it would be interesting to find out whether any of those nearby rocks might have survived. To my surprise, I was able to pretty easily find some of the rocks seen in the "Atom Man vs. Superman" shot.

This shot from my recent expedition into the Gorge features a small clump of rocks that has survived from the "Atom Man vs. Superman" shoot. The terrain has been dramatically altered in the intervening years, and only the rocks near the top of the formation seen in the serial remain above ground.

This shot from "Atom Man vs. Superman" points out the surviving rocks. You may be able to see the similarities between these rocks and those in the recent photos — especially a sort of duckbilled rock on the left and a mushroom-like "crown" at the top of the formation.

Here's another view of the surviving rocks. From this angle it can be seen that the ground level is now much higher than it was back in 1950.

A wider shot from the same recent Gorge expedition shows the setting where the surviving rocks can be found today, with Nyoka Cliff in the background. The "Atom Man" rocks can be seen near the bottom of the photo.

Iverson Gorge (Bing bird's-eye view)

This bird's-eye view pinpoints how to find the rocks. Make your way to Redmesa Road in Chatsworth, Calif., just north of Santa Susana Pass Road, and park below the first condos. The rocks are on the east side of the road.

The discovery of the "Atom Man" rocks helps narrow down the area where Bald Knob once stood — and where it may still be located beneath the Redmesa dirt embankment. The above bird's-eye view also notes its proximity to the landmark Lone Ranger Rock.