I recently had the honor of joining veteran location hunter Eddie Henn on a movie safari for the ages, four-wheeling around Northern California's Eastern Sierra Nevada country in search of old filming sites.
When it comes to digging up movie locations, they don't come any better or more intrepid than Eddie. He's been tracking down hard-to-find filming sites since the late '70s, using up three Toyota 4Runners in the process.
And boy, did we find filming locations. In most cases they were sites Eddie had visited previously — the man has been just about everywhere. And he has found dazzling movie locations just about everywhere.
I was able to get a nice matching shot for a sequence early in "Nevada Smith" that was filmed at the Morning Star Mine in Cerro Gordo. It's just one of the many stunning movie sites we hit.
Featured in the Charlton Heston movie "Will Penny," the Fish Slough area provided a number of unusual movie backdrops, along with the opportunity to try to take photos that come close to matching the film.
In most cases I don't capture the exact same angle or lighting seen in the movie, a process that takes more patience than I have. But I try to get close enough matches that you can at least tell it's the same spot.
Topped with snow for much of the year, the picturesque mountains of Northern California's Eastern Sierra region have long been a draw for filmmakers — especially around northern Inyo County and into Mono County.
We had just enough snow on the hills during our visit to make it worth trying to match some of the snowy movie shots. Even so, I'm tempted to head back out later in the year after a little more snow has fallen.
To shoot the "Will Penny" location we just pulled up to this big pile of rocks and parked.
The same pile of rocks can be found in the opening sequence to "Will Penny."
The weather wouldn't cooperate the day we visited Sherwin Summit on the trail of "True Grit" locations — in fact it started snowing hard enough that we eventually had to give it up and head back to base camp.
But even with the background hills wiped out, we found filming locations for the classic John Wayne Western. The trees and other features seen here are a match for the movie shot.
One of the most productive stops on our itinerary was the Buttermilk Valley, where scenes were filmed for "Will Penny," "Nevada Smith," "The Law and Jake Wade" and other Westerns.
The Buttermilk Valley in 2021
This shot of the valley taken in October 2021 closely matches the "Will Penny" shot, with not only the background hills but also most of the rock formations on the valley floor pretty much lined up.
"Will Penny": Bruce Dern, center, menaces Charlton Heston
In another Buttermilk Valley sequence, Charlton Heston's Will Penny — that's him in his long johns at the bottom of the frame — is tormented by a family led by brutal patriarch Donald Pleasence, right.
The same location in 2021
This recent photo of the location reveals that the main rock has a distinctive "nose," which was hidden behind Bruce Dern's jacket in the "Will Penny" shot. But the site remains essentially unchanged.
Bruce Dern, right, and Gene Rutherford at the Will Penny beatdown
Another shot from the same "Will Penny" sequence captures the nearby rocks in a different direction, along with what appears to be a lichen-covered section of the main rock, on the right.
More than 50 years later, even the "lichens" are still hanging on
Everything is just about the same in 2021, and if you look closely at the big rock on the right, you'll see that the patterns formed by the "lichens" (or whatever they are) are just about identical to how they looked in 1967.
Some lichens can live to be thousands of years old
In case you're wondering whether it's even possible for lichens to survive that long — I know I was — we can all rest easy knowing that clinging to a rock for a half-century is barely the blink of an eye to a lichen.
Buttermilk Country panorama, 2021
Elsewhere in the Buttermilk Valley — also known as Buttermilk Country — I took this panoramic shot of another rocky area with just a splash of snow on the distant hills.
"The Law and Jake Wade" (MGM): The same location in 1958
The snowy backdrop was quite a bit more filled in when director John Sturges filmed the same spot for the Richard Widmark-Robert Taylor Western "The Law and Jake Wade."
Basin Mountain in "The Law and Jake Wade"
The Buttermilk Valley provides endless combinations of striking filming angles. This shot from "The Law and Jake Wade" features the instantly recognizable Basin Mountain, one of the most prominent peaks in the region.
Basin Mountain takes center stage on our 2021 visit
You can't miss Basin Mountain when you're in Buttermilk Country — you just have to look toward the west. I took this photo from close to the same spot where the movie shot was filmed.
"Nevada Smith": Brian Keith near a burned corral in the Buttermilk Valley
Another movie that made good use of Buttermilk Country was "Nevada Smith." Not far from where the last couple of shots were taken we find Brian Keith — "Family Affair's" Uncle Bill — in his cowboy duds.
The same location in 2021
The place looks pretty much the same today. Pieces of that burned corral are still there too, even though they don't pop out from the brush the way they once did.
Some of the burned corral has survived
You might just be able to make out a little bit of the "surviving" burned corral fencing in the shot.
The scenic backdrop of the Eastern Sierra hides historic movie artifacts
There's more of that old movie fencing to be found at the site than first meets the eye, but the location is near a creek and these historic artifacts have been largely overrun by the area's thriving plant life.
More burned movie posts — almost swallowed up by the foliage
These are just a few of the remnants still in place from what was presumably once an actual corral. I imagine that if we could remove the brush we might find something close to the burned corral seen in the Brian Keith shot.
Buttermilk Valley, 2021: A pile of rocks with movie potential
As we criss-crossed Buttermilk Country, we continued to find locations used by director Henry Hathaway in "Nevada Smith." Hathaway was extremely knowledgeable about the lay of the land in the Eastern Sierra.
"Nevada Smith": Steve McQueen practices his gunplay under the tutelage of Brian Keith
We found angle after angle that Hathaway had filmed for "Nevada Smith."
"Nevada Smith"
In a wider shot from the same sequence, we see more of the Sierra Nevada in the background, along with the familiar rockpile in the center of the frame.
A rough approximation of the shot in 2021
This was a hard shot to line up on the fly, but I settled for a photo that's in the ballpark. You may notice a rock at bottom right that doesn't belong there, which is just a matter of the angle being a little off.
"Nevada Smith": The same rocks from the other side
Henry Hathaway also shot that same rockpile from the opposite side. It looks different enough from this side that you might not know they're the same rocks — and if I'm not mistaken, they "play" different rocks in the movie.
The rocks from about the same angle today
Once again, this isn't exactly a matching shot, but it gives some idea what the rocks look like from this side in 2021 — which is basically just how they looked in the '60s.
Looking east from Chalfant Loop Road in southern Mono County
Moving on from Buttermilk Country, here's a shot I took of the hills looking east from Chalfant Loop Road, north of Bishop, Calif. It doesn't look like much, but it turned out to be a match for a movie shot.
"Will Penny: The same hills in the background
The same hills turn up during a scene in "Will Penny" featuring Joan Hackett and Anthony Zerbe.
Steve McQueen at Convict Lake in a promo still for "Nevada Smith"
We made our way out to Convict Lake, southeast of Mammoth in Mono County, to look into some additional sites for "Nevada Smith," and happened upon the location where this promo still was taken.
Convict Lake in October 2021
This is about where McQueen posed for the promo still. Of course, the photo isn't nearly as interesting without Steve in it — especially on an overcast day with no reflection of the background hills.
Convict Lake (2021): The Steve McQueen-Brian Keith campsite
A little deeper into the wooded area along the shore of Convict Lake, we found the location where Steve McQueen and Brian Keith's characters made camp in the movie.
"Nevada Smith": Brian and Steve make camp
It's a challenge to line up the trees in the campsite area, but the hill at top right, with a number of distinctive nooks and crannies, is a great marker. The distant trees near the center of the shot line up well too.
"Nevada Smith": The boys settle in for whiskey and cards
This is another hard shot to line up. I thought I had it when we were at the site, but by the time I got a chance to sort through the photos, I wasn't sure which tree was which. After a while they all start looking the same.
The location of the card game (Convict Lake, 2021)
This is the general area where the card game took place, but again, I can't quite give a tree-by-tree rundown. At least this gives me an excuse to go back to this beautiful spot — and I'll pay better attention next time.
With all those trees around, they still had to bring in a "ringer"
One thing I'm sure about is that this is a fake tree. I mean, maybe it's a real tree, but it was brought in as a prop for the movie shoot. You can see it doesn't match the others, and there's no sign of it there today.
Climactic gun battle in "Nevada Smith," filmed at Hot Creek
For the big finale of "Nevada Smith," director Henry Hathaway brought the production to another wooded area, Hot Creek, a few miles north of Convict Lake.
Hot Creek in 2021: Site of the "Nevada Smith" gun battle
The place hasn't changed much. You can still see where the two old dirt roads diverge, at top right, even though the roads have been "rubbered up" by off-roaders in the years since "Nevada Smith" filmed here.
Steve McQueen at Olancha Dunes in "Nevada Smith"
Dunes can be a major challenge for movie location research, as the terrain shifts whenever the wind blows — and it blows a lot over the span of 50+ years. But this is where Eddie's 4Runner earns its keep. 
Olancha Dunes in 2021 — the hills still match even as the sand keeps shifting
Thanks to the truck's sand-mashing capability, we made our way out to a spot where we could match up the background hills on the left even if the dune has reinvented itself countless times since McQueen rode here.
Eddie Henn's latest 4Runner at Sherwin Summit — another terrific filming location
Eddie's current 4Runner is closing in on 400,000 miles — and wow, has it been to some great movie locations!
Not just any rock
And this is one of them. You may have already spotted the jagged rock in the photo.
"True Grit": The same jagged rock, behind John Wayne
The same rock turns up in "True Grit" as John Wayne tends to a snake-bit Kim Darby. "Nevada Smith" director Henry Hathaway also directed "True Grit," and again makes great use of California's Eastern Sierra.
A movie rock amid the gathered pine cones (2021)
Here's a closer look at the rock from our Sherwin Summit stop — and no, I didn't artfully arrange the pine cones. They had already gone ahead and flung themselves into impressive piles.
Farewell to Sherwin Summit and the jagged rock
The rock continues to be a presence as the Duke carries off Kim Darby to get her to the doctor.
Steve McQueen and director Henry Hathaway
Back at the Morning Star Mine, it's worth another look at the events that launch the saga of Nevada Smith. The house seen in this behind-the-scenes photo plays a pivotal role in the film's plot.
Nevada Smith's parents' house, built at the Morning Star Mine
The character's parents, who live in this house, are running a mining operation when they become the victims of foul play. The set for the house was built on a plateau just outside the Morning Star Mine.
"Nevada Smith": The house becomes a funeral pyre
After tragedy befalls the family, McQueen's character — then known as Max Sand — burns the house.
A distinctive rock formation marks the spot
Notice the ragged rock formation at the right of the frame.
The same rock formation and plateau in 2021
I was able to capture the same rock formation on our recent visit to the mine location.
Movie artifacts remain at the site
The recent photo also reveals that remnants of the burned house can still be found at the site.
Morning Star Mine in October 2021
Here's a recent shot looking toward the mine, with some of the house remnants in the foreground.
"Nevada Smith": McQueen near mine entrance, amid mining artifacts and burned house
The angle of the recent photo is similar to this shot from "Nevada Smith," although the place was a much bigger mess back when they were still filming the movie.
"Nevada Smith": McQueen and Doucette outside the mine
John Doucette tries to console Steve McQueen near the mine entrance. Somewhat out of character for the veteran B-Western henchman, Doucette plays a good guy this time around.
Outside the mine in 2021
Many of the original mine artifacts remain in place. The stone structure on the right is left over from the period when this was a working mine, and is not a movie set — even though it works for this movie.
Headed for the mine — Eddie leads the way
It's worth noting that this was a fairly hard location to get to. Even the 4Runner wouldn't make it all the way up to the mine, so a substantial hike was involved — all uphill.
Eddie Henn in his "office": The search goes on
High up on a rocky slope near Chalk Bluff Road, Eddie lines up a shot from "Will Penny" — his quest to keep finding new movie sites never lets up. Thanks for all your terrific work, Eddie — keep it up!
This shot of the valley taken in October 2021 closely matches the "Will Penny" shot, with not only the background hills but also most of the rock formations on the valley floor pretty much lined up.
In another Buttermilk Valley sequence, Charlton Heston's Will Penny — that's him in his long johns at the bottom of the frame — is tormented by a family led by brutal patriarch Donald Pleasence, right.
This recent photo of the location reveals that the main rock has a distinctive "nose," which was hidden behind Bruce Dern's jacket in the "Will Penny" shot. But the site remains essentially unchanged.
Another shot from the same "Will Penny" sequence captures the nearby rocks in a different direction, along with what appears to be a lichen-covered section of the main rock, on the right.
Everything is just about the same in 2021, and if you look closely at the big rock on the right, you'll see that the patterns formed by the "lichens" (or whatever they are) are just about identical to how they looked in 1967.
In case you're wondering whether it's even possible for lichens to survive that long — I know I was — we can all rest easy knowing that clinging to a rock for a half-century is barely the blink of an eye to a lichen.
Elsewhere in the Buttermilk Valley — also known as Buttermilk Country — I took this panoramic shot of another rocky area with just a splash of snow on the distant hills.
The snowy backdrop was quite a bit more filled in when director John Sturges filmed the same spot for the Richard Widmark-Robert Taylor Western "The Law and Jake Wade."
The Buttermilk Valley provides endless combinations of striking filming angles. This shot from "The Law and Jake Wade" features the instantly recognizable Basin Mountain, one of the most prominent peaks in the region.
You can't miss Basin Mountain when you're in Buttermilk Country — you just have to look toward the west. I took this photo from close to the same spot where the movie shot was filmed.
Another movie that made good use of Buttermilk Country was "Nevada Smith." Not far from where the last couple of shots were taken we find Brian Keith — "Family Affair's" Uncle Bill — in his cowboy duds.
The place looks pretty much the same today. Pieces of that burned corral are still there too, even though they don't pop out from the brush the way they once did.
You might just be able to make out a little bit of the "surviving" burned corral fencing in the shot.
There's more of that old movie fencing to be found at the site than first meets the eye, but the location is near a creek and these historic artifacts have been largely overrun by the area's thriving plant life.
These are just a few of the remnants still in place from what was presumably once an actual corral. I imagine that if we could remove the brush we might find something close to the burned corral seen in the Brian Keith shot.
As we criss-crossed Buttermilk Country, we continued to find locations used by director Henry Hathaway in "Nevada Smith." Hathaway was extremely knowledgeable about the lay of the land in the Eastern Sierra.
We found angle after angle that Hathaway had filmed for "Nevada Smith."
In a wider shot from the same sequence, we see more of the Sierra Nevada in the background, along with the familiar rockpile in the center of the frame.
This was a hard shot to line up on the fly, but I settled for a photo that's in the ballpark. You may notice a rock at bottom right that doesn't belong there, which is just a matter of the angle being a little off.
Henry Hathaway also shot that same rockpile from the opposite side. It looks different enough from this side that you might not know they're the same rocks — and if I'm not mistaken, they "play" different rocks in the movie.
Once again, this isn't exactly a matching shot, but it gives some idea what the rocks look like from this side in 2021 — which is basically just how they looked in the '60s.
Moving on from Buttermilk Country, here's a shot I took of the hills looking east from Chalfant Loop Road, north of Bishop, Calif. It doesn't look like much, but it turned out to be a match for a movie shot.
The same hills turn up during a scene in "Will Penny" featuring Joan Hackett and Anthony Zerbe.
We made our way out to Convict Lake, southeast of Mammoth in Mono County, to look into some additional sites for "Nevada Smith," and happened upon the location where this promo still was taken.
This is about where McQueen posed for the promo still. Of course, the photo isn't nearly as interesting without Steve in it — especially on an overcast day with no reflection of the background hills.
A little deeper into the wooded area along the shore of Convict Lake, we found the location where Steve McQueen and Brian Keith's characters made camp in the movie.
It's a challenge to line up the trees in the campsite area, but the hill at top right, with a number of distinctive nooks and crannies, is a great marker. The distant trees near the center of the shot line up well too.
This is another hard shot to line up. I thought I had it when we were at the site, but by the time I got a chance to sort through the photos, I wasn't sure which tree was which. After a while they all start looking the same.
This is the general area where the card game took place, but again, I can't quite give a tree-by-tree rundown. At least this gives me an excuse to go back to this beautiful spot — and I'll pay better attention next time.
One thing I'm sure about is that this is a fake tree. I mean, maybe it's a real tree, but it was brought in as a prop for the movie shoot. You can see it doesn't match the others, and there's no sign of it there today.
For the big finale of "Nevada Smith," director Henry Hathaway brought the production to another wooded area, Hot Creek, a few miles north of Convict Lake.
The place hasn't changed much. You can still see where the two old dirt roads diverge, at top right, even though the roads have been "rubbered up" by off-roaders in the years since "Nevada Smith" filmed here.
Dunes can be a major challenge for movie location research, as the terrain shifts whenever the wind blows — and it blows a lot over the span of 50+ years. But this is where Eddie's 4Runner earns its keep.
Thanks to the truck's sand-mashing capability, we made our way out to a spot where we could match up the background hills on the left even if the dune has reinvented itself countless times since McQueen rode here.
Eddie's current 4Runner is closing in on 400,000 miles — and wow, has it been to some great movie locations!
And this is one of them. You may have already spotted the jagged rock in the photo.
The same rock turns up in "True Grit" as John Wayne tends to a snake-bit Kim Darby. "Nevada Smith" director Henry Hathaway also directed "True Grit," and again makes great use of California's Eastern Sierra.
Here's a closer look at the rock from our Sherwin Summit stop — and no, I didn't artfully arrange the pine cones. They had already gone ahead and flung themselves into impressive piles.
The rock continues to be a presence as the Duke carries off Kim Darby to get her to the doctor.
on the set of "Nevada Smith" at Morning Star Mine
Back at the Morning Star Mine, it's worth another look at the events that launch the saga of Nevada Smith. The house seen in this behind-the-scenes photo plays a pivotal role in the film's plot.
The character's parents, who live in this house, are running a mining operation when they become the victims of foul play. The set for the house was built on a plateau just outside the Morning Star Mine.
After tragedy befalls the family, McQueen's character — then known as Max Sand — burns the house.
Notice the ragged rock formation at the right of the frame.
I was able to capture the same rock formation on our recent visit to the mine location.
The recent photo also reveals that remnants of the burned house can still be found at the site.
Here's a recent shot looking toward the mine, with some of the house remnants in the foreground.
The angle of the recent photo is similar to this shot from "Nevada Smith," although the place was a much bigger mess back when they were still filming the movie.
John Doucette tries to console Steve McQueen near the mine entrance. Somewhat out of character for the veteran B-Western henchman, Doucette plays a good guy this time around.
Many of the original mine artifacts remain in place. The stone structure on the right is left over from the period when this was a working mine, and is not a movie set — even though it works for this movie.
It's worth noting that this was a fairly hard location to get to. Even the 4Runner wouldn't make it all the way up to the mine, so a substantial hike was involved — all uphill.
High up on a rocky slope near Chalk Bluff Road, Eddie lines up a shot from "Will Penny" — his quest to keep finding new movie sites never lets up. Thanks for all your terrific work, Eddie — keep it up!
10 comments:
EXCELLENT matching and narration. Thanks. RR
Hell's teeth, Swami! This is one of your best. I'm from Blighty and visited Cerro Gordo back in '97, having seen it in Waterhole Three. It was creepy and weird and now there are reports of it being haunted. Great stuff.
In '67 I was shooting at an army camp at Bisley in the UK. The soldiers were treated to a showing of Nevada Smith and boy, did they lap it up. By the final scenes with Karl Malden they were shouting their support. McQueen was, and still is, the original Dude. (No disrespect, Jeff). Those landscapes are literally breathtaking.
Wild Bill
England
Thanks for the great photos and perspective. I will now watch the movies again and look for the specific locations with renewed interest. Your posts are awesome.
AWESOME way to start the day with this AMAZING post! Loved seeing Snake-Bite Rock and all the scenes from these movies. Lee Majors always talks about what a fabulous experience it was to make the movie Will Penny with Charlton Heston. It really shows the artistic quality that each director and cinemetographer needed to create lasting movie magic. Thank you so much!
We love what you are doing. Please keep up the great work.
Can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoy your work. Have spent many an hour reading your blog and reviewing the pictures. Always makes me smile.
Thanks so much for bringing us along on these adventures. Wish I was there with you.
Dave Knorr
Thanks for all the terrific feedback, everyone. I appreciate it and I know Eddie does too. I hope to be able to publish more of his phenomenal location finds in the future. His contributions to the field of movie location hunting are unequaled.
... SN
Great post. Love the photos and care taken to put it together.
Another amazing post. How did Eddie Henn know to go hiking up to that mining location? You are both very intrepid and dedicated. The thrill is real when you line up the shots and the sweep of the landscape remains so recognizable. Standing just a little bit off, you might miss it. Even though you have proved that rocks move, it's still astounding how much remains the same. That little flock of hills in the mid ground of the Fish Slough area; so easy to match up—when you stand in the right spot. And the parking spot area has those three distinctive rugged outcroppings from the main mound. I'm gobsmacked at the match of the trees in the Sherman Summit True Grit location That one bent down branch on the tree on the right is still there, which is a feat for a tree, not being quite as impermeable as a rock. You can certainly match up the rocks in the lichen shot and I know lichens are slow growing, but you can match up the linen patches as well! And that is not a thing I would have done before reading your blog where you have taken the time to point out features in rocks. Love the pile of rock with movie potential and the remains of the burned out corral. What a contrast in geology, the constantly shifting sand in front of the rocky peaks. The remnants of the burned house look like a shadow until you point them out. That's an amazing location. For mining or filming. After the mine plays out and the miners move on, here come the movies to remind us of the life and work that went on in such a bleak spot. Thanks to both of you for doing this fascinating work and research, and going to the spots so we can see them too.
Caris
Thanks for the terrific feedback and interesting perspective, Caris.
I've been asking Eddie the same kinds of questions you're asking now, but his methodology remains a bit of a mystery to me too. I think it's largely instinctive, but he definitely does his homework and has mastered the art of putting together information from a wide range of sources. He also has an exceptional eye for movie matches after doing it all these years. I consider myself to be halfway decent at it, but when we're out at the same location together, he always sees the match first and spots details that I might have missed. I hope if I hang around with him enough, some of his talent might eventually rub off on me.
... SN
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