One part of L.A. has barely changed since the 1950s — and giant ants just love the place! (Off the Beaten Path)

Who didn't love the 1954 sci-fi classic "Them!"? It was one of the few movies on which my mom, who could hardly be described as a monster movie buff, and the young me — pretty much all monsters all the time as a kid — could agree. We were both huge fans.

The movie features giant ants preying on L.A. residents from a colony based in the tunnels beneath the city ... what could be more terrifying — or more terrific.

"Them!" (1954): James Arness (in hat and coat) and James Whitmore (white shirt) 

inspect ant damage in the L.A. River

I was pleased to learn that the headquarters for the infestation — essentially the L.A. River through downtown Los Angeles, along with some tunnels branchng out from the river — remains pretty much intact. The above screen shot is taken in the riverbed — aka the "wash" — looking north toward the Fourth Street Bridge.

The same location as it appears today (photo by Jerry Condit)

Film historian and photographer Jerry Condit has been roaming the L.A. River and some of those same downtown tunnels, and shared a few great "then and now" shots that reveal just how little the scene has changed since the ants were cleared out in 1954. A few more power lines have been put up, but not much else is new.

"Them!": Outside the tunnel

This shot from the movie is taken from the entrance to the giant ant tunnel under the Sixth Street Bridge.

The same location in 2015

Here's Jerry's photo of the site as it appears today — still pretty much the same. Am I overstating it if I say it's a net gain for modern culture when someone's willing to rummage around the L.A. River to document movie history?

This is the view of the same massive bridge support from inside the tunnel, taken on Jerry's recent expedition.

Here's a similar shot of the tunnel and bridge support back in 1954, as the Army arrives to battle the ants. Excuse the bad lighting, which I suppose is typical of old monster movies set in subterranean tunnels.

Scouring for evidence around the entrance to the tunnel, as seen in the movie.

Back to the scene of the crime, 60-plus years later. Today the site includes signs of graffiti.

A closer look at the tunnel entrance, 2015.

And into the tunnel the Army goes, to meet an uncertain and potentially grisly fate.

"Grease" (1978)

The same L.A. River site, under the Sixth Street Bridge, appears in the retro musical "Grease" during the memorable "Thunder Road" riverbed car race sequence. Note the tunnel entrance area toward the left — the same ant tunnel seen in "Them!" Please feel free to click on any of these photos to see larger versions.

Here's the "Grease" site today, in Jerry's beautifully matched photo duplicating the angle seen in the movie. Along with the ant tunnel at the left, note the Fourth Street Bridge in the background.

This shot offers a closer look at the Fourth Street Bridge in the "Grease" sequence. The modern power lines seen in the left half of the photo went up during the 24-year span between "Them!" and "Grease."

The Fourth Street Bridge again, in 2015. The appearance of the site is almost identical to how it looked in 1978 for the "Grease" car race, although a new, more imposing fence is in place along the top of the wash.

"To Live and Die in L.A." (1985)

The riverbed again played host to a car action sequence seven years later in "To Live and Die in L.A.," directed by William Friedkin. Similar to the action in "Grease," this shot captures part of the base of the Sixth Street Bridge looking north toward the Fourth Street Bridge.

The same spot in 2015

On a recent visit by Jerry to the site, the speeding cars had been replaced by the relative calm of a homeless person's shopping carts and other worldly belongings.

"To Live and Die in L.A.": Seventh Street Bridge

The car chase in "To Live and Die in L.A." included this shot of the Seventh Street Bridge, looking south.

Here's what the Seventh Street Bridge looks like today. The water level appears to have come up just a bit since the day the car chase was filmed.

What's the single biggest problem with most old monster movies? Every young fan of the genre knows the answer: Too much gabbing, and not enough monster! For this reason, and others, let's revisit the theme of giant ants.

"Empire of the Ants" (1977): Joan Collins in grave peril

To have an excuse to run this series of publicity photos, I thought I'd mention that the 1954 classic giant ant movie "Them!" should not be confused with the much later, somewhat less classic, giant ant movie "Empire of the Ants," in which Joan Collins is among the hapless souls being tormented by atomic mutants.

Moments later in the photo shoot, Collins appears to be in even further danger, as the giant ant — let's call him G.A. — makes inroads into her blouse area.

Things take a turn when Collins finds herself strangely drawn to G.A., and uses her feminine charms to soothe the savage beast. (I don't believe the situation was quite this cordial in the actual film.)

Finally, everyone enjoys a good laugh about the whole silly misunderstanding. Sadly, "Empire of the Ants" was produced during the Iverson Movie Ranch "lull" of the 1970s, and was not filmed on the location ranch.

I want to send out a thank-you to Jerry Condit, creator of some of the best "then and now" shots I've ever seen, for taking many of the photos seen in this post and sharing "Them!" with us. I encourage readers to click here to see Jerry's amazing work tracking down locations in Franklin Canyon for the TV series "Combat!"

"Off the Beaten Path" is a series of posts that stray from the usual subject matter of this blog, which is the Iverson Movie Ranch. Past topics in the series have included Franklin Canyon, Bell Ranch, Pioneertown, Corriganville, Oak Park and other old filming locations. You can go directly to the "Off the Beaten Path" posts by looking up the term "Off the Beaten Path" in the long index of labels at the right of the page, or by clicking here.

Off the Beaten Path: Vic Morrow and the fighting 361st patrol L.A.'s Franklin Canyon on the World War II drama series "Combat!"

Vic Morrow — ABC promotional still for "Combat!" (1964)

My guess is the most fondly remembered World War II TV drama series of all time is "Combat!" — even though as a kid who didn't know any better, I was probably more deeply influenced by "Rat Patrol."

"Combat!": Rick Jason, left, and Vic Morrow in season one

While the fictional 361st Infantry Regiment, led by Vic Morrow's Sgt. Saunders and Rick Jason's Lt. Hanley, never managed to fight its way out of France over the course of five seasons, most of the iconic sets representing the French countryside were in fact located much closer to home.

Jason as Lt. Hanley, left, and Morrow as Sgt. Saunders

The series filmed regularly in Franklin Canyon, literally in the middle of Los Angeles — nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, Franklin Canyon is said to mark the geographic center of the city. Many of the bombed-out hulls of buildings seen on "Combat!" were built in what is now the main parking lot for Franklin Canyon Park.

Franklin Canyon — the geographic center of Los Angeles

These days Franklin Canyon is known more for its natural beauty and stands out as a scenic oasis amid the urban sprawl of L.A. — while much of its movie and TV history remains undocumented.

"The Losers" (Sept. 20, 1966)

Intrepid photographer and location researcher Jerry Condit has been exploring Franklin Canyon, and he recently shared some great shots of locations used on "Combat!" In the above scene from the episode "The Losers," Sgt. Saunders, played by Vic Morrow, mows down German soldiers as he and his unit try to take a bridge.

Here's the same spot as it appears today in a recent photo taken by Jerry, with the old railing still in place. "The Losers" aired early in the show's fifth and final season.

"Nightmare on the Red Ball Run" (Feb. 28, 1967)

In a scene from one of the show's last few episodes, Kirby and Littlejohn take cover behind a culvert during a sequence filmed in Franklin Canyon. "Combat!" aired from 1962-1967 on ABC.

Jerry took this shot of the same culvert as it appears today, almost 50 years after the men of the 361st Infantry Regiment — aka King Company — defended the position.

"Nightmare on the Red Ball Run"

The culvert can be seen again in the background as Kirby, played by series regular Jack Hogan, crouches in the foreground. Season five was the only season of "Combat!" shot in color.

Here's a similar view of the culvert from a recent visit to the site by Jerry.

"Nightmare on the Red Ball Run"

A German half-track sits in a flat area of Franklin Canyon. This area was used extensively in "Combat!," with the crew constructing numerous sets such as farmhouses, bunkers and ruins on the site.

Today the scenic canyon is a popular hiking area, and this spot where the half-track sat is now a parking lot. Jerry mentioned that he had to get to the site in the early morning to get these shots — before the lot filled up with cars.

"The Letter" (Oct. 25, 1966)

The men of the 361st use a large water pipe for cover during a firefight in an episode from early in season five.

In a terrific "then and now" match, Jerry was able to find the old pipe still at the site.

Here's a wider view of the pipe and its setting in recent times.

"It Happened One Night" (1934): Claudette Colbert, Clark Gable ... and the Franklin Canyon myth

Franklin Canyon has frequently been cited as the location for the famous hitchhiking scene in Frank Capra's classic comedy "It Happened One Night," starring Claudette Colbert's left leg. However, the current consensus is that those citations are incorrect and the scene was filmed elsewhere. Some sources have indicated that it was shot on Foothill Boulevard in Sunland, but a confirmation of the actual site remains elusive.

Perhaps the most famous Franklin Canyon shoot of all is the title sequence from "The Andy Griffith Show," with Andy and Opie doing some father-son bonding during a fishing and rock-throwing visit to the site.



Here's a short clip of the "Andy Griffith Show" opening featuring Franklin Canyon — and also featuring that whistled theme song that at least one generation of TV viewers will never get out of our heads.

TV theme writer extraordinaire Earle Hagen

Next time you need to circumvent an ottoman or shout down a "trivia bully," try breaking out this tidbit: The theme song to "The Andy Griffith Show" has a name — "The Fishin' Hole" — and was written by ... AND whistled by ... Earle Hagen. A master of the TV theme song, Hagen wrote much of the soundtrack we have lodged in our heads, including the themes for "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "I Spy," "That Girl" and "Gomer Pyle-USMC."

"Combat!": Guest star Sal Mineo, left, and series star Vic Morrow (1965)

"Combat!" featured an impressive lineup of guest stars during its five-season run. Besides Sal Mineo, above, the guest list included Robert Duvall, James Coburn, Tab Hunter, Luise Rainer, Leonard Nimoy, James Caan, Mickey Rooney, Claudine Longet, Dennis Hopper, Ricardo Montalban, Lee Marvin and many other household names.

Off the Beaten Path is a series of posts that stray from the usual subject matter of this blog, which is the Iverson Movie Ranch. Past subjects have included Bell Ranch, Pioneertown, Corriganville, Oak Park and other old filming locations. You can go directly to the Off the Beaten Path posts by looking up the term "Off the Beaten Path" in the long index of labels at the right of the page, or by clicking here.

Taking the "then and now" shot to the next level

"The Fighting Legion" (1930) — Lone Pine, Calif.

I recently discovered the work of film historian and documentary photographer Jerry Condit, whose re-creations of movie location shots elevate the concept of the "then and now" photo to an art form.

Lone Pine, Calif. — photographed in 2009 by Jerry Condit

The above example of Jerry's work showcases one of his favorite filming locations, the Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, Calif. His photo re-creates the shot from "The Fighting Legion" so closely it's hard to tell them apart, as even the shadows are virtually identical. The main difference between the two photos is the presence of horses and riders in the movie shot, which also brings out the imposing scale of the rocky landscape. The two shots are taken almost 80 years apart.

Some of Jerry's photos stand alone — that is, they're not movie re-creations, but scenic shots in their own right, such as the above photo he snapped recently of Iverson's Hawk Rock against a dramatic Chatsworth sky. I recommend clicking on any of these photos to see a larger version.

"Old Yeller" (1957) — Garden of the Gods

Did you cry over "Old Yeller"? Who didn't! In a certain age bracket it's the most remembered childhood movie for a lot of us kids. Parts of the Disney tearjerker were shot at the Iverson Movie Ranch, including the above scene in which Yeller runs through Iverson's Garden of the Gods. I love the way this shot projects how formidable those rock formations are.

The same location photographed in 2014 by Jerry Condit

Still formidable — and pretty much unchanged — more than a half-century later.

"Man in the Saddle" (1951)

Here's a shot taken in almost the same spot as the "Old Yeller" shot, but this one is from the Columbia Western "Man in the Saddle." The all-star cast in the above shot includes, from left, Randolph Scott, Ellen Drew and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams. The guy with his back to the camera is Cameron Mitchell.

The campfire site in 2014 (photo by Jerry Condit)

This is a recent shot of the site where the "Man in the Saddle" campfire scene took place, again in Garden of the Gods on the former Iverson Movie Ranch. The rock in the top left corner with the prominent crack is Mitchum Rock, named after the Robert Mitchum film noir "The Big Steal," in which Mitchum and Jane Greer take shelter behind the rock during a shootout. You can read more about Mitchum Rock and "The Big Steal" by clicking here.

"Saga of the Viking Women" (1957)

 
The original title of this movie, produced and directed by Roger Corman, is considerably longer: "The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent." The title has been shortened in a variety of ways in connection with various releases of the movie, but under any title, the movie is strongly recommended both for its terrific Iverson location shots and because it's a fun movie.

The Viking whipping sequence takes place in central Garden of the Gods, a short distance from the "Man in the Saddle" campsite. Here's the same spot, Viking Whipping Rock, as it appears today, again photographed by Jerry Condit. I have a couple of earlier blog entries about the "Viking Women" movie — including my own attempt at a "then and now" shot for the whipping sequence — which you can find by clicking here.

"Bonanza" episode "The Dowry" (first aired April 29, 1962)

The Iverson Movie Ranch poses more than its share of challenges when it comes to re-creating movie and TV shots. The place has changed a lot since the filming days, and whether it's a condo or an overgrown bush in the way — or a rock or tree that's simply not there anymore — it's often impossible to get the same angle. For the above "Bonanza" scene, filmed on the South Rim of the Upper Iverson, duplicating the angle would have required a scaffold — or at least a good ladder.

The Slates as they appear today, in a 2014 photo by Jerry Condit

But the site is easily identified, even from a slightly lower angle. Looking at this recent photo I sometimes think I still see that rutted road running straight through the middle of the shot, between the two major rock formations.

The two main rocks seen in the "Bonanza" shot and the recent shot are identified above. You can find out why the Tomb has that name by clicking here. This portion of the South Rim remains relatively intact, but other sections have been drastically altered as the native terrain was replaced by large estates.

Bell Location Ranch, in the hills west of Chatsworth

The shoot for the above lobby card for the 1957 Columbia B-Western "Sierra Stranger" took place at Bell Ranch, west of Chatsworth and south of Santa Susana Pass Road off Box Canyon — a few miles southwest of the Iverson Movie Ranch.

Here's a promo still for the movie that uses the same photo as the lobby card, but in the original black and white.

The same location in 2014

Jerry Condit took this photo on a recent trip to Bell Ranch. You can probably see right away that it's all the exact same rocks seen in the promo shot, along with the same road in the foreground.

"Cripple Creek" (1952) — the Upper Iverson Movie Ranch

The above promo still for the Columbia B-Western "Cripple Creek" comes from the collection of location researcher and Western movie expert Jerry England. The scene is shot on the South Rim of the Upper Iverson, where a water feature was brought into play especially for this production. I've blogged before about this water feature, which I call the Reflecting Pool. You can see a brief video of this sequence — which included a waterfall — and read more about the Reflecting Pool, by clicking here. That blog post also includes another clip from "Cripple Creek."

The same site in 2014, photographed by Jerry Condit

Other than the absence of the water feature, the "Cripple Creek" site remains virtually unchanged, as seen in Jerry Condit's recent photo. Inspired in large part by these "then and now" shots, I was able to nail down a few details about the Reflecting Pool — notably that it had an "extended version" that brought it closer to Wrench Rock, as seen in "Cripple Creek." I previously spotted this extended Reflecting Pool in an episode of the "Annie Oakley" TV show from 1956, as seen in this earlier blog entry, but the "Cripple Creek" sequence adds perspective on the Reflecting Pool, the extended Reflecting Pool and the waterfall.


Above are some links to Amazon.com, where you can find DVD, Blu-ray and streaming versions of a number of the productions featured in this post. I can personally recommend the Roger Corman double feature 'Viking Women and the Sea Serpent" and "Teenage Caveman," with both movies having filmed at Iverson and "Teenage Caveman" featuring the Reflecting Pool. It's the same DVD set I used for my shot of the Viking whipping scene that appears in this post. Also note that the "Bonanza" Season 3 set includes the episode "The Dowry," which is featured above.