Hugh O'Brian — TV's Wyatt Earp — brings the Wild West's most famous lawman to the Iverson Movie Ranch

Hugh O'Brian

Hugh O'Brian starred as frontier Marshal Wyatt Earp for six seasons on the TV Western "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp," from 1955-1961. It was steady work, with the ABC series churning out 229 episodes in that span, and O'Brian spent much of his on-camera time on the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif.

"The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" (1960)

Here's a shot of O'Brian in Iverson's Eucalyptus Grove, with Cooper Rock in the background at top left. The shot comes from an episode of the series titled "The Doctor," which first aired Oct. 4, 1960, during the show's final season.

The two key rocks in the previous screen shot are highlighted here. The larger rock is Cooper Rock, named for Gary Cooper after he built Iverson's Western town nearby for Cooper's 1945 feature film "Along Came Jones." Cooper Rock was destroyed in the mid-1960s when the Indian Hills Mobile Home Village was built, but the smaller rock in front of it, which some film location researchers now call the Cooper Locator Rock, survived and remains in place today.

Cooper Locator Rock as it appears today.

(The rock formation in the background is the Pirate Ship.)

Today the Cooper Locator Rock helps pinpoint where Cooper Rock was once located (hence, the name). The locator rock survived because it's just south of the wall marking the southern boundary of the mobile home park, which is visible in the above shot. The locator rock remains in its spot in the surviving portion of the Eucalyptus Grove on the Lower Iverson. The much larger Cooper Rock wasn't so lucky, as it straddled two properties when the land was subdivided and it had to be destroyed so that the property on the north side could be filled with mobile homes.

Indian Hills Mobile Home Park — movie rocks in the swimming pool area

Some sections of what is now the mobile home park, including the swimming pool area, remain populated by once-famous movie rocks, such as those seen in the photo above.

"The Living Bible" (1952)

The rocks seen in the swimming pool shot above can also be seen in the 1952 production "The Living Bible." The above screen shot from the production shows Jesus and his followers walking past those same rocks.

Johnny Crawford Rock, in "The Living Bible"

Incidentally, in my research I refer to the rock noted here as "Johnny Crawford Rock," in honor of the late actor who played Mark McCain on "The Rifleman." You can click here for the backstory on that.

A key marker on Johnny Crawford Rock

In case you're having trouble matching up the recent shot of the swimming pool rocks with the shot from the 1952 Bible movie, the above composite photo identifies a prominent marker appearing in both shots.

Back to Hugh O'Brian and "Wyatt Earp," this angle from the sequence shown at the top of this post reveals what's going on in front of Wyatt at the time — he's at the Grove Relay Station, where he's being kept at bay by a woman holding a rifle on him. The "Wyatt Earp" TV show filmed some nice footage of the Grove Relay Station around this time, which is fortunate for us as historians and Western location fans because the building didn't leave behind the kind of prominent footprint in movies and old TV shows that its cousin the Saddlehorn Relay Station left behind.

"The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" (1960) — Grove Relay Station

Here's another nice look at Grove Relay Station from the TV series "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" — in this case from the episode "The Truth About Old Man Clanton," which first aired Sept. 27, 1960. Footage of the relay station in the two episodes featured in this post was almost certainly shot on the same day of production at Iverson.

Another shot of Hugh O'Brian from the "Wyatt Earp" episode "The Doctor" shows Earp with one of the Eucalyptus Grove's many impressive movie rocks in the background, at top right. The Grove was used as a production location fairly regularly during the filming era at Iverson, and while it has been diminished in scope in the intervening years, a good chunk of the Grove still survives.

Here's what that same movie rock looks like in more recent times. The angle is not exactly the same as in the "Wyatt Earp" shot, but readers may spot similarities between the two shots when it comes to the shape of the rock — particularly near the bottom of the rock. Note that many of the Grove's eucalyptus trees continue to flourish.

Hugh O'Brian also worked the Upper Iverson during his tenure as TV's Marshal Wyatt Earp. In this shot from "The Truth About Old Man Clanton," O'Brian appears in front of the Upper Ranch's Prominent Rock, also known as Medicine Rock, visible at top left.

O'Brian was nominated for an Emmy in 1957 for his performance in "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp," which is remembered as one of the better Western TV series of its era. The series played a significant role in the evolution of the TV Western from its early days as a format primarily for kids — "The Lone Ranger," "The Cisco Kid" and "Hopalong Cassidy" are among the many examples — into a later, more mature version of the TV Western typified by "Gunsmoke," "The Virginian," "Bonanza," "The Big Valley" and others.

Please try out the Amazon links below if you're interested in locating DVD copies of "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp":

Cowboy star Rod Cameron roams the Iverson Movie Ranch in "Yaqui Drums"

Rod Cameron in the Iverson Grove in "Yaqui Drums" (1956)

Actor Rod Cameron was all over the Iverson Movie Ranch during filming for the Allied Artists B-Western "Yaqui Drums." This shot from the movie shows him at work in the Eucalyptus Grove, with a distinctive stacked rock behind him sporting a prominent vertical crack.

That stacked rock is still in place today, as seen in the above shot taken during a visit to the filming site in recent years. You may notice a little stump in front of the rock, from a tree that previously stood in that spot. The tree is seen in the original movie shot (near the left of the frame), but only the stump is to be found in the more recent photo (near the center of the shot).

Here's what I mean, in case you're having trouble matching up the tree and the stump. It's clearly the same tree in both photos as it's located in exactly the same spot.

Cameron's character and his pal Yacqi Jack, played by J. Carrol Naish, defend the Grove Relay Station on the Lower Iverson. Yacqi Jack's name is spelled differently from how "Yaqui" is spelled in the movie's title.

Here's another shot of the Grove Relay Station, with Cameron, standing on the front porch, having just knocked some guy down. (In front of the guy's horse!)

This shot of Cameron in action in the movie was taken in Garden of the Gods. The bulk of the outdoor footage for "Yaqui Drums" was shot on the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif.

The Iverson Movie Ranch's other Western street

"Gunmen From Laredo" (1959) — Saddlehorn Village

While the Iverson Movie Ranch's main Western street, sometimes called El Paso Street or Iverson Village, appeared in hundreds of productions and is well-known to film historians, the location ranch also had, for a period of time from the late 1950s through the '60s, a scaled-down and much less widely filmed Western street located some distance to the west of the main movie street. This smaller Western street is seen in the screen shot above from the Columbia B-Western "Gunmen From Laredo," which starred Robert Knapp.

"Gunmen From Laredo," with buildings highlighted

In my research I refer to this relatively short-lived set as Saddlehorn Village, because it was adjacent to a widely filmed two-story building known as the Saddlehorn Relay Station, which can be partially seen at the left in the above shot.

"Black Bart" (1948)

Here's a better view of Saddlehorn Relay Station, as it appeared in the Universal-International Western "Black Bart," starring Yvonne De Carlo and Dan Duryea. The relay station was built around 1940 and saw action in movies and TV shows for about 30 years. For more about the Saddlehorn Relay Station, please click here.

"Escort West" (filmed in 1958, released in January 1959)

The earliest appearance of Saddlehorn Village that I know of is in the United Artists/MGM production "Escort West," which stars Victor Mature. It's possible the set was built specifically for this movie. In the above screen shot, Saddlehorn Relay Station is seen at the left, with the new buildings of Saddlehorn Village at right. The shot is taken looking more or less toward the west.

"Bonanza" TV series: "The Paiute War" (Oct. 3, 1959) — Saddlehorn Village

Saddlehorn Village stood during a period when much of the production being done at Iverson was for television, and the set found its way into a number of high-profile TV shows. The above shot comes from the "Bonanza" episode "The Paiute War," the fourth episode of the long-running TV Western.

"Gunsmoke" TV series (1966)

Another high-profile TV Western, "Gunsmoke," also made use of Saddlehorn Village, several years after the "Bonanza" appearance. The above screen shot, in which one of Saddlehorn Village's main buildings appears as "Harris Forwarding and Freight Station," comes from the "Gunsmoke" episode "Killer at Large." The episode first aired Feb. 5, 1966, and would have been shot in 1965.

This shot from the same "Gunsmoke" episode shows Saddlehorn Relay Station on the left along with a portion of the "Harris" building at the right, revealing that the village has been reconfigured considerably by this time. At least one building — the shed seen in the "Bonanza" shots and other photos above — has been removed from its previous spot. Readers who know a thing or two about the Saddlehorn Relay Station may also notice that the building has undergone some remodeling, notably the construction of an outer wall filling in the bottom story of the building, below the three windows. In previous incarnations, this lower section of the building had an overhang supported by pillars — one of the building's trademarks over the years.

"Fury" TV series (circa 1956-58)

This is what that side of Saddlehorn Relay Station — the northeast face — looked like for most of its lifespan. Notice the pillars supporting the overhanging portion of the building. The shot comes from an unknown episode of the TV show "Fury" that was filmed sometime from about 1956-58.

"Gunsmoke": "Killer at Large" (1966)

A closer look at the "Harris" building in the "Gunsmoke" episode shows that a number of features of the original Saddlehorn Village, such as the distinctive angled roofline — which can also be seen in the movie shots and one of the "Bonanza" shots higher up in this post — have been retained. Incidentally, that's Festus, played by Ken Curtis, driving the horse cart and chatting with a young boy.

Ken Curtis as Festus — "Gunsmoke" (1966)

Here's a better look at Festus, shot during the Saddlehorn Village scene as Festus listens intently to what the boy has to say. I believe the shot is taken looking south, and the hill behind Festus is just to the south of the Lower Iverson, across Santa Susana Pass Road.

Another view of the Harris Freight building in the "Gunsmoke" episode shows that, along with a well and a handful of roosters, the front of the place has been given the appearance of a brick building — something that wasn't evident in earlier incarnations of Saddlehorn Village.

Here's a closer look at those bricks, which were probably plaster of Paris or some other "movie magic" version of bricks. The appearance of buildings could be changed and then changed back again with relative ease through the use of false fronts. Something else you may have already noticed is the older gentleman in the rocking chair: That's veteran character actor Cyril Delevanti — one of those instantly recognizable quintessential geezers of the old movies and early TV era. Here he's playing Grandpa Harris, presumably the man behind Harris Forwarding and Freight, in the 1966 "Gunsmoke" episode.

Cyril Delevanti

Characters like Cyril Delevanti are one of the reasons going over these old productions is so much fun. Born in the 1880s — accounts differ as to the exact year — he's a member of that elite group of actors who seemed as though they were "always old" — but what a career he had, appearing in movies and TV shows from the early 1930s into the 1970s. One of the high points for Cyril was a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor in 1965, following his appearance in John Huston's classic "The Night of the Iguana."

You may remember Cyril Delevanti from his many TV guest appearances. (No that's not him in the shot above — that's George Reeves as the TV version of Superman ... different guy altogether.) Delevanti showed up in everything from "Highway Patrol" to "Adventures of Superman" to "Dennis the Menace" to "Dick Van Dyke" to "Ironside" to "The F.B.I." — not to mention his countless roles in early TV Westerns. He was in too many TV series to do justice here to any kind of real list, but I want to mention that he was a frequent guest on high-end anthology-type TV dramas, including "The Twilight Zone" and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." Born in London, Delevanti worked mainly in Hollywood, where he died of lung cancer in 1975.

The headline on this blog entry is a reference to the fact that Iverson's main Western town set, sometimes called El Paso Street, is much more widely filmed and more well-known than Saddlehorn Village. But that headline is actually a bit misleading, because the Iverson Movie Ranch may have had as many as three other sets over the decades — besides the main town set and Saddlehorn Village — that could be described as "Western streets." Each of these is even more obscure than Saddlehorn Village, but research into all of Iverson's sets is ongoing and I plan to report on them as soon as I know anything. I hope you'll sign up for the mailing list by emailing me at iversonfilmranch@aol.com. That way you'll be among the first to know about any new information I find.

In the meantime, check out these Amazon links to some of the movies and TV shows featured in this blog entry:

It's the old "cute girl hides under a rock with a rifle" trick ... with a special appearance by Dr. Richard Kimble

The 1949 Allied Artists Western "Stampede" includes a fun sequence early in the movie where Gale Storm — who was keeping busy in mostly low-budget features at the time before her successful TV and recording career took off — hides under a rock and ends up holding big, tough cowboy hero Rod Cameron at rifle point.

Gale Storm in "Stampede" (1949)

Here's Gale emerging from under that rock, her icy stare fixed on her prey. The rock, seen behind her, is well-known to movie historians. It was located — and still is, for that matter — on what was then the Upper Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif. The rock is generally known as Round Rock.

Round Rock in recent years

The name "Round Rock" is a little misleading, as the rock is actually on the flat side. It's propped up against a "base rock" to form an arch — not a big arch, mind you, but big enough for Gale Storm to hide in.

"Stampede"

See — she fits inside Round Rock. Pretty easily, in fact.

Here's Cameron lurking near the front of Round Rock, trying to figure out who's been popping off rounds at him. This shot takes place moments before he runs into Storm's character and her rifle.

Having just "introduced" herself to Cameron with a few rounds, Storm's character continues to use her rifle to menace the cowboy. Aficionados of old Westerns won't be surprised to hear that he eventually snatches it away from her, at which point she loses interest in trying to kill him and becomes more flirty.

This is what Round Rock looks like from the front. From this angle it is in fact round — a bumpy version of round, anyway. The rock appears in hundreds of movies and old TV shows, usually lurking silently in the background while a chase of some kind zips past.

"The Fugitive" (1967)

Round Rock had a featured role in one of the last episodes of the TV show "The Fugitive." The episode, called "The Shattered Silence," first aired April 11, 1967, near the end of the show's four-season run on ABC. Here's David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble — on the run, as usual, and also wounded — staggering around in front of Round Rock, figuring out that he needs a place to stash his blood-soaked jacket.

You can see blood on the sleeve of Kimble's jacket as he sizes up whether Round Rock would be a suitable place to hide the thing. If you compare this view of the rock with the recent shot below, you should be able to spot similarities in the rock shapes — especially the jagged edge in front of Kimble's waist.

Round Rock in recent times — seen from the west

The "Fugitive" shot focuses on the western entrance to the arch — the opposite end from the shots seen in "Stampede."  This contemporary shot also shows the west side of the rock, including that waist-high jagged edge.

He's going for it. I won't give away what happens, but Round Rock turns out to be not such a great place to stash a blood-stained jacket. Incidentally, in case you seem to recall "The Fugitive" was in black-and-white, you're mostly right. Only the fourth and final season was in color.

Gale Storm and Don Castle find love in "Stampede"

Back to "Stampede" ... funny thing about the old "cute girl hides under a rock with a rifle" trick: This is one time when it didn't work, as Rod Cameron's character decided he wasn't interested and his brother, played by Don Castle, made his move.

Gale Storm

Gale Storm went on to star in a couple of TV sitcoms in the 1950s — "My Little Margie" and "The Gale Storm Show." She was also a singer and chalked up a few hits, including covers of "I Hear You Knockin'," "Memories Are Made of This" and "Dark Moon." Storm died just a few years ago, in 2009, at age 87.

Below are some links to "Stampede" and "The Fugitive" on Amazon.

More to the story of Midway House: Here's a movie where it appeared as a two-story house ... and how easy it is to see that it's fake

"Return to Warbow" (1958)

The above screen shot from the Columbia Western "Return to Warbow," starring Phil Carey, features the Iverson Movie Ranch's Midway House, which I recently wrote about in a blog entry that you can find by clicking here. In the short time since I wrote that post the house turned up again in this movie, and this time it's a two-story building — or so they want us to believe.

It took me back for a moment when I saw it as two stories, until I realized how kind of obviously fake it looks — and how easily the two-story effect was achieved. All it took was building a fake front for a supposed second story and propping it up on the roof of the main house. The amusing thing is the shadow gives it away. If you look closely at the shadow cast by the second story, it's clearly a shadow that would be cast by a false front — not the full-sized shadow that a full second story would cast.

Here's another look at the original screen shot with the shadow highlighted and the nearby Fury Set identified. It's easy to miss the Fury buildings because that background is dark, but if you squint you may be able to make out the barn on the left and a small house on the right.