Stoney Point: A Chatsworth landmark's hidden movie history

Stoney Point, Chatsworth's No. 1 landmark

Everyone who takes busy Topanga Canyon Boulevard through Chatsworth, Calif., drives past Stoney Point. Situated on the east side of Topanga near the 118 Freeway, it's the town's largest and best-known landmark.

 

A view of Stoney Point from the Iverson Movie Ranch (Cliff Roberts photo)

Sticking out above the flat San Fernando Valley, this high-rise sandstone rock formation is a close neighbor of the former Iverson Movie Ranch, sitting just across Topanga to the southeast.

 

"The Grapes of Wrath" (1940): Stoney Point crashes a promo still

The massive butte has a tendency to pop up in the backgrounds of movies and TV shows filmed on the Iverson Ranch. That's Stoney Point on the left in this promo still for John Ford's "The Grapes of Wrath."

 

How about putting a McDonald's on Stoney Point?

Longtime blog followers may recall that Stoney Point once came dangerously close to having a McDonald's on top of it — or worse. If you find that hard to believe, and who wouldn't, please click here for the full story.

 

Stoney Point for sale in the mid-1970s

Stoney Point was once offered for sale for $280,000. This real estate listing from about 1975 suggests installing a cable car to help bring customers to the top. And they were serious about it.

 

Rock climbing on Stoney Point

Miraculously, Stoney Point was saved from development, becoming an L.A. city park in 1982. Today it's a popular spot for rock climbers, and a system of trails — while not always easy to find — winds its way to the top.

 

"Seinfeld": Kramer and George on a TV version of Stoney Point

Stoney Point even made an appearance on "Seinfeld." In the 1993 episode "The Stall," Kramer and George go rock climbing on one of its steep faces, although closeups were shot on a soundstage with a fake rock.

 

"Seinfeld": A landmark rock meets a landmark sitcom

Wide shots featured in the "Seinfeld" episode show the actual Stoney Point, presumably with stand-ins, and not the series stars, hanging from Stoney's sheer cliff face.

 

"The Captive God": William S. Hart filming in Chatsworth, 1916

But Stoney Point's screen appearances go back way before "Seinfeld," and way before TV. We have to go all the way back in time to the silent era — more than a century ago — to trace its movie history.

 

An early screen appearance by Stoney Point

The William S. Hart feature "The Captive God," filmed in Chatsworth in 1916, included images of Stoney Point looming in the distance.

 

"The Captive God": Stoney Point at top right

Stoney Point is a little more recognizable in this screen shot from the movie.

 

Silent film-era crew on "mystery rock"

In at least one instance, a silent-era film crew hauled its cameras and other gear all the way to the summit of Stoney Point. This shoot resulted in a terrific behind-the-scenes photo, which baffled film historians for years.

 

Back when "knickers" were in style

Zooming in on the film crew, we can get a sense of how old the photo is, based in part on the movie equipment but also on the styles of clothing worn by the crew. The shot is clearly from the silent film era.

 

Plenty of other clues in the mysterious photo

The photo, which features a distinctive rock with a flat top, can still be found on a number of websites, often described as an "unknown location," or worse, credited to the wrong location.

 

The mystery photo, incorrectly identified as the "Iverson Ranch" and "1922"

Here's just one of the many examples of false information associated with this photo that can still be found online. The photo was not taken on the Iverson Ranch, and was not taken in 1922.

 

It's not true!

Sorry to make a big deal out of this, but it's important that people realize this information is incorrect. It's hard to get this kind of stuff right, so no disrespect to whoever posted the false info. But I wish people could resist the temptation to present "information" as fact when it's not actually true.

 

There are always exceptions, of course

We're just kidding around here, but we do make an effort to check our facts, and we don't mind saying something is "thought to be" if we don't know for sure. But when it comes to this photo, we know for sure.

 

Aerial view of Stoney Point (Google Maps, 2024)

When I began researching the old photo, it wasn't long before I became interested in a triangular rock located at the very top of Stoney Point.

 

The old movie rock in modern times

It turned out to be the same historic movie rock, which I was able to confirm on a recent expedition to the summit of Stoney Point.

 

The same movie rock, in the '20s and almost 100 years later

Taken almost a century apart, the two shots of the rock are so similar that I was practically standing in the footprints of the photographer who snapped the behind-the-scenes photo in the 1920s.

 

Jimmie Adams and Doris Dawson in "Swiss Movements" (1927)

I was also able to pin down which movie it was that was being filmed when the old photo was taken. It was a Jimmie Adams comedy short called "Swiss Movements," from Christie Film Co.

 

"Swiss Movements": Two actors and a "bear," out on a rocky ledge

This is the sequence the film crew was working on when the behind-the-scenes shot was taken. The scene features two actors trapped on a rocky ledge, being harassed by someone in a bear suit.

 

"Swiss Movements": Jimmie Adams dangles his legs over the edge

This shot appears only briefly in the movie, but this is the angle the crew was filming when they stood on top of the flat rock. Here we see the film's star, Jimmie Adams, trying to avoid being mauled by the bear.

 

"Swiss Movements": The climbers head back down the ledge

In another shot from the same sequence — taken from a different camera position — the "bear" is out of the picture and the two actors attempt to head down the rocky ledge.

 

Key rock features that make up the shot

Notice the pointed rock and angular slope indicated here. I found it interesting that the "Swiss Movements" sequence is essentially about rock climbing — the same thing Stoney Point is still known for.

 

The pointed rock and angular slope in modern times

Here are those same rock features in a photo taken on our recent visit to the summit.

 

The filming location in context

A wider shot provides some context for the scene, showing more of what the rocks look like as part of the extremely rocky environment atop Stoney Point.

 

Pinpointing the "Swiss Movements" scene

The yellow rectangle approximates how the pointed rock and angular slope are framed in the movie.

 

Setup for the "Swiss Movements" shoot

In another photo from our Stoney Point expedition, we see the same rocks the "Swiss Movements" crew would have found when they arrived at the location in 1927.

 

How the shoot was set up

The rock on the left, with its flat top, provided the ideal spot for the camera, reflectors and key members of the crew, while the actors worked on the slightly more perilous angular slope.

 

The remarkable photo from 1927

And luckily for us, a still photographer who was also on the scene snapped the shot that enabled us to put together how the sequence was filmed — right down to the spindly ladder everyone had to use to get up on that rock.

 

Jimmie Adams on the Stoney Point summit (1927)

"Swiss Movements" includes plenty of other shots taken on top of Stoney Point, although many of the rocks are still waiting to be found. Here's one other group of rocks we were able to match up on our recent hike.

 

Looking west from Stoney Point

When Jimmie Adams steps aside, we get a pretty good look at the cluster of rocks he was standing in front of. These rocks are situated along the western edge of the summit area.

 

The same rocks in modern times

I didn't get the exact same angle, but you may be able to make out the rocks from the movie — especially toward the right of the frame. We also get a better look at the Santa Susana Mountains to the west.

 

Identifying markers and matching rocks

Here are some of the key markers in the two shots, to make it easier to see how the rocks match up.

 

"Swiss Movements" (1927): Click here to watch the video

Here is the video of the comedy short "Swiss Movements." The movie includes many more shots taken on Stoney Point. Please let us know (in comments or by email) if you make your way up there and match up any shots.

 

Chatsworth Historical Society presentation on Stoney Point

For much more about the history of Stoney Point, including its movie history, please click here to see a presentation given in 2022 by Ray and Ann Vincent of the Chatsworth Historical Society — back before we knew the full story behind the "Swiss Movements" photo.