Remembering Burt Reynolds: Here's Burt with Ruta Lee and Cesar Romero at Iverson Pond in 1961 in "Zane Grey Theatre"

Burt Reynolds in "Zane Grey Theatre" (1961)

In celebration of the life of the legendary Burt Reynolds, who died this week at age 82, the Iverson Movie Ranch Blog is updating some previous posts about Burt's work on the famed location ranch. In this one we revisit an episode of "Zane Grey Theatre" that brought a 24-year-old Burt to the ranch in 1961. He was just starting to get his career rolling at the time the episode, "Man From Everywhere," was produced.

Iverson Pond, in "Man From Everywhere" (Zane Grey Theatre)

A key sequence in "Man From Everywhere" played out on the shore of Iverson Pond in the Sheep Flats area of the Lower Iverson. This was a few years after the Iverson Western street, which had been standing on the spot since late 1944, was torn down — and a couple of years before Sheep Flats became the first part of the movie ranch to be sold off. Construction would begin here in 1963 on what is now the Indian Hills Mobile Home Village.

Iverson Pond wasn't particularly deep, making shots like this one, with riders walking their horses across the shallow body of water, relatively easy to shoot.

Ruta Lee at Iverson Pond — note the stacked rocks

The Iverson Pond area featured a number of stacked rocks, two of which can be seen in this shot of Ruta Lee at the edge of the pond. Lee was 25 and already a TV and film veteran when she appeared as Jenny Aldrich in the "Zane Grey" episode. Now 83, she remains active in charity work along with occasional acting gigs.

Ruta Lee and Cesar Romero — Pond Rock in the background

The scene also features film and TV veteran Cesar Romero, who would become known a few years later for playing the Joker on "Batman." He previously had a run on "Zorro" as Esteban de la Cruz, the trouble-prone uncle of the title character. In the above shot, Ruta Lee's character is having second thoughts about Romero's scheme as she appears to be falling for Burt Reynolds' character. And we get a glimpse of the pond area's most famous stacked rock, Pond Rock, between Lee and Romero.

Pond Rock on dry land, featured in a behind-the-scenes shot for "Wee Willie Winkie" (1937)

This promo shot for the 1937 Shirley Temple movie "Wee Willie Winkie" provides one of the best looks at Pond Rock. The rock was a feature of Iverson's Western street when the set was in place — from 1944 until about 1957 — and transitioned to being a feature of Iverson Pond in later years. You can read about Pond Rock's appearance in a Three Stooges movie and in "The Virginian," along with other appearances, by clicking here.

Burt Reynolds, left, and Peter Whitney in "Man From Everywhere"

Also appearing in the "Zane Grey" episode was character actor Peter Whitney, who was known for his massive stature. Note the size disparity between Whitney, on the right, and Reynolds. Whitney was a regular in feature films in the '40s and '50s before transitioning to TV and working steadily through the 1960s. He appeared across many genres, but got much of his work in Westerns.

The Sheep Flats sequence showcases a number of key Iverson Movie Ranch features, capturing the look of this area during its final years as part of a location ranch. The background seen here includes much of the Eucalyptus Grove — often called simply the Grove — along with a portion of the rock formation the Pirate Ship, at left.

Here's another view of the Pirate Ship, captured in full this time. Also visible here is a small clump of rocks that up until a few years earlier was usually seen in the corral area behind the Livery Stable as part of the Iverson Movie Ranch Western street. I call this clump the Livery Rocks.

The Pirate Ship and Livery Rocks are identified in this version of the shot.

This is what the Pirate Ship looks like today, having survived development. To read more about the Pirate Ship and see additional photos of it, please click here.

At one point in "Man From Everywhere," Burt Reynolds' character, Branch Taylor, surprises Ruta Lee's character by striding over to her and planting a big kiss on her.

His move receives a favorable response, as the two actors appear to have some chemistry. Here again, Pond Rock looms in the background — that's it in the bottom left corner.

The Reynolds charm was already evident. The "Zane Grey" episode premiered April 13, 1961, soon after Reynolds' 25th birthday.

The romancing was all going on within spittin' distance of the Livery Rocks, seen here behind the young lovebirds. It was rare to get this good a look at the rocks, although they often appeared in the background in shots of the Livery Stable.

A cocky Reynolds admires the view as Ruta Lee walks away — and we get an even better view of the Livery Rocks, mainly to the right of Burt's hat.

"Gold Raiders" (1951)

Here's a glimpse of the Livery Rocks about 10 years earlier, from the Three Stooges movie "Gold Raiders." The rocks can be seen casting a shadow at the far right of the frame, behind the Livery Stable.

A number of the photo's key features are noted here. As I mentioned, the Livery Rocks were usually in the background when they appeared in productions shot while Iverson Village was in place.

Burt Reynolds at the Fury Set, 1962 — "Gunsmoke" promo shoot

Reynolds would return to the Iverson Ranch — the Upper Iverson this time — in 1962, about a year after his "Zane Grey" appearance, for a memorable photo shoot on the Fury Set to help launch his run as Quint on "Gunsmoke." Additional photos from that shoot — along with a discussion of whether Reynolds shares a particular trait with Billy the Kid — can be seen by clicking here.

The Iverson Movie Ranch Western street, one building at a time ... Part XV: The Corral Rocks Shack

"Bonanza" TV series (1960) — The Corral Rocks Shack

Apologies for starting off with a shot of a dead guy, but if you're a fan of Westerns, you're probably used to it. This is one of the best screen shots I could find of the Corral Rocks Shack, a tiny but surprisingly durable building that played a key role in the saga of the Iverson Western street.

"Along Came Jones" (1945): First sign of the Iverson town set

The on-screen history of the Western street begins and ends with the Corral Rocks Shack. While the Shack has been largely overlooked, it was the first building associated with the Iverson Ranch town set to appear on screen, and it was also the last.

The Shack appears in the background as Gary Cooper, in the white hat, and his sidekick, played by William Demarest, arrive in Payneville, played by the newly minted Iverson Movie Ranch Western street.

Cooper, who also produced "Along Came Jones," had the town built specifically for the movie. It appears that the Corral Rocks Shack, situated on the outskirts of town among the movie rocks that border the town's sprawling corral area on the east side, was a part of that construction.

"Night Raiders" (1952)

During the years the town set was in place, from 1944 to 1957, the Shack's main role consisted of sneaking into the background on occasion. Here's an example from the Whip Wilson movie "Night Raiders."

The Shack appears at the left of the frame, beneath the Corral Rocks — a line of large boulders bordering the corral that gives the Shack its name. The southernmost Corral Rock is Hook Rock, noted at top right. In the middle of the corral, which is adjacent to the Livery Stable, are the Livery Rocks.

"The Cisco Kid" TV series (1954)

Here's a blurry background appearance by the Shack in the TV show "The Cisco Kid." The Western street was still in place when this sequence was shot, and Cisco was running through the corral near the Livery Stable.

The screen shot comes from the episode "Mining Madness," which premiered Nov. 6, 1954.

"Bonanza" (1960) — Hoss (Dan Blocker) at the Corral Rocks Shack

After the town was demolished — a process that was completed by early 1958 — the only building left standing was the Corral Rocks Shack. This appearance by the Shack in "Bonanza," in the episode "Denver McKee," came two years after the Western town had been torn down.

"The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" (1958): The Corral Rocks Shack, in "The Hole Up"

Some of the best appearances by the Shack took place between 1958 and 1963 — the period following the dismantling of the town. The tiny building had a role in a sequence that played out over multiple episodes of the TV Western "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp," starting with the episode "The Hole Up."

Morgan Woodward, as Shotgun Gibbs, lives up to his name on "Wyatt Earp"

The Shack was part of the modest spread owned by Shotgun Gibbs, played by Morgan Woodward. The rough-around-the-edges character was introduced in "The Hole Up," which premiered Sept. 16, 1958.

Gibbs' spread included the Corral Rocks Shack, which served as a small stable, along with a temporary shed on the left that was set up on the site to appear as Gibbs' house.

Even though the Corral Rocks Shack was a much more permanent structure, standing for a good 18 years, the temporary shed, which may have stood in that spot for as little as a few days, was probably more suitable to be lived in — and it definitely looked a lot newer, for better or worse.

Gibbs valued his privacy, to put it mildly, something the sign posted on his fence made clear. Some of the Corral Rocks can be seen in the background.

Recalling the first meeting between Earp and Gibbs

Gibbs started off as an adversary of Marshal Earp's, but eventually became Earp's deputy and friend, evolving into a regular on the series. A later episode, "Hail and Farewell," used a flashback to recall the testy first encounter between the two men. A portion of the Corral Rocks Shack can be seen on the left.

Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp near the temporary shed in "Hail and Farewell"

The flashback brought in additional footage to expand on the reminiscence — including shots of the Shack and the temporary shed. It's likely that the new footage was shot at the same time as the original footage, in 1958.

"Hail and Farewell" included some wide shots of Sheep Flats, where the Western street had stood previously.

Some of the key features are noted in this version of the shot. "Hail and Farewell" was the first episode of season five of "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp," premiering Sept. 1, 1959.

"Wagon Train": "The Stagecoach Story" (Sept. 30, 1959)

Around the same time "Wyatt Earp" kicked off its fifth season with the "Hail and Farewell" episode, another popular TV Western, "Wagon Train," launched its third season with an episode titled "The Stagecoach Story," which also included shots of Sheep Flats and the Corral Rocks Shack.

The Shack was barely noticeable in the background in the "Wagon Train" sequence. This shot identifies the Shack, along with some nearby rocks. You may recall that Hidden Rock was located near the Barn when the Western street was in place; you can click here to see an earlier blog post about it.

The centerpiece of the "Wagon Train" sequence was Iverson Pond, while the massive string of sandstone boulders I call the Corral Rocks was also prominently featured. The Corral Rocks, most of which remain in place today, bordered the Corral area on the east side when the town set was standing.

"The Three Stooges Meet Hercules" (1962) — Iverson Pond

The Three Stooges turned up on Sheep Flats in 1961 for a shoot at Iverson Pond for "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules," released in early 1962. It was one of the few times Sheep Flats hosted actual sheep for a movie shoot.

The Three Stooges sequence again included the Corral Rocks Shack, but as was often the case, it was way in the background and barely noticeable.

"The Virginian": "Strangers at Sundown" (1963)

A beautiful sequence featuring Iverson Pond surfaced in 1963 in an episode of "The Virginian" titled "Strangers at Sundown." The sequence marked one of the last times filming was done on Sheep Flats.

Once again, the Corral Rocks Shack appeared in the background. Also appearing were a couple of rock features that were formerly positioned along the Western street: Pond Rock and Hidden Rock.

Indian Hills Mobile Home Village — on the former site of the Iverson Western street

The same year the "Virginian" episode aired, 1963, Sheep Flats was sold — the first section of the former Iverson Movie Ranch to be sold off. Later that year, construction began on the Indian Hills Mobile Home Village, which still occupies the space today.

This aerial view of the mobile home park from 2003 notes the approximate area where the Iverson Movie Ranch's Western town set once stood.

In this version of the 2003 aerial we can also see where the Corral Rocks Shack was located, along with some of the nearby rock features that remain in place today.

With the permission of one of the moblie home owners, I once conducted a search for any traces that might be left from the Corral Rocks Shack, focusing on the area noted above. Sadly, but to no surprise, the terrain had been fully graded during construction of the mobile home park, and nothing remained of the Shack.

Next up: The big finish to the Western street series.

"The Iverson Movie Ranch Western street, one building at a time" is a series of posts on the movie and TV history of each of the major structures making up Iverson's town set, which stood from 1944 to 1957 and appeared in hundreds of productions.



To see all of the posts in the series on the Iverson Western street, please click on the following links:

Part I: Casa Grande
Part II: The Livery Stable
Part III: The Saloon
Part IV: The Hotel
Part V: The General Store 
Part VI: The Barn
Part VII: The Sheriff's Office
Part VIII: The North and South Adobes
Part IX: The Lost Dutchman
Part X: The original north end of town
Part XI: The North and South Towers
Part XII: The Harness Maker
Part XIII: Rainbow Mine Co. 
Part XIV: The Church/Schoolhouse  
Part XV: The Corral Rocks Shack
Part XVI: The decline and fall of the Western street