Laurel and Hardy take on the Iverson Movie Ranch in "The Flying Deuces"

One of the best-known movies to shoot at the Iverson Movie Ranch is Laurel and Hardy's 1939 French Foreign Legion farce "The Flying Deuces."

"The Flying Deuces" (1939) — laundry scene

The footage shot at Iverson for the movie consists of just one sequence, but it's a memorable one. Usually referred to as the "laundry scene," the sequence has the two protagonists attempting to get through a nightmarish, massive laundry project — seemingly doing the laundry for the entire Foreign Legion — as they're forced to pay a price for causing a ruckus in training camp.

In the shot above, which I've annotated here, a couple of familiar rocks can be seen behind the boys — Water Wiggle, behind Stan Laurel, on the right, and Faux Hangdog 2, behind Oliver Hardy, on the left. Both rocks remain in place today, and are now part of the park area designated as Garden of the Gods.

This shot offers a slightly improved view of Faux Hangdog 2, just above a hunched-over Hardy, along with a better look at Water Wiggle, to its right. I blogged a few months back about Water Wiggle and a number of the other rocks in this area, which is known as the North Cluster. You can read that post, and see better photos of these and other North Cluster rocks, by clicking here.

This is the famous mountain of laundry, which is, of course, fake. In fact, the pile is built partly on top of a rock. That's Stan Laurel on top of the pile, selecting a pair of long johns to be scrubbed. The shot is taken with the camera looking west, and Pyramid Peak is visible in the background, toward the right.

Another view of the mountain of laundry reveals a well-known movie rock, Phantom, lurking nearby, at the center of the shot. 

Here's a look at the same area as it appears in recent times. The pile of laundry was built using the rock at the right to contribute to its heft.

This version of the shot has the main rocks identified.

Views such as this one, in which the rock seems to be wearing a mask, give the Phantom its name.

Here's a nice shot of Oliver Hardy at work at Iverson, from "The Flying Deuces" — once again with Faux Hangdog 2 in the background, at the right. The movie is by far the legendary comedy team's most high-profile appearance at the Iverson Movie Ranch, although at least one silent short featuring Laurel and Hardy, "Flying Elephants," released in early 1928, also contained footage shot at Iverson.

Lines of laundry stretch out across the area just north of Garden of the Gods, known as the North Cluster.

In this annotated version of the shot, a number of rock features and background hills are identified.

"Adventures of Spin and Marty" (1955)

This shot from a production made 16 years after "Flying Deuces" gives an idea what the same area looked like without all the laundry hanging out to dry. The shot from the Disney TV serial "Adventures of Spin and Marty" is taken from a similar angle to the "Flying Deuces" laundry lines shot.

This version of the "Spin and Marty" shot is annotated to point out some of the features common to both this shot and the "Flying Deuces" shot above this one. The shot is narrower than the "Flying Deuces" shot, but includes many of the same rocks and hills.

Low Wall, as it appears today

Low Wall remains in place today, and still looks pretty much the same. Today it is part of the area that has been preserved as the Garden of the Gods, and can be found by taking a short hike west off Redmesa Road, north of Santa Susana Pass Road.

North Cluster Wall of Rock, as it appears today

North Cluster Wall of Rock remains intact too, for the most part, but it does not look the same as it did in 1939. These days it's overgrown with trees and other foliage, and hard to get a good look at. This shot of a portion of the rock feature was taken on a visit in April of this year.

Here's the same shot of North Cluster Wall of Rock with some labels added. These labels correspond with those in the following shot, which is a labeled version of the "Spin and Marty" shot.

Here's the "Spin and Marty" shot from 1955 with rock labels corresponding to the recent shot above. You can see how much more open the North Cluster Wall of Rock was in 1955.

Returning to the laundry line shot from "The Flying Deuces," it's harder to see the specific features of the North Cluster Wall of Rock, but the labels correspond with those in the preceding shots.

Cockpit shot — promo still from the aerial sequence in "The Flying Deuces"

Aerial footage for the climactic flying sequence in "The Flying Deuces" was shot partially in the sky above Iverson, and this part of the shoot produced some interesting material, which I will talk about in more detail below. However, the aerial footage from this shoot that found its way into the movie does not include views of the movie ranch.

Laundry shot seen during the aerial sequence — created by special effects

This shot, which appears in "The Flying Deuces" during the aerial sequence, may be one reason that some knowledgeable viewers — particularly those who are interested in locations and know that the laundry scene was filmed at Iverson — think they're seeing the Iverson Movie Ranch during the aerial sequence. However, it turns out that this shot is a model, and not the actual location. One clue is that the rocks don't match the real rocks in the North Cluster area as they appear from the air, which you may be able to see in some of the shots below.

This shot zooms in on the laundry model. The plane could never have come close enough to the ground to get this shot if it were the actual laundry hanging out at Iverson. But the model is used effectively to create the illusion of a close fly-by of the laundry area. After comparing shots of the model, shots taken on the ground of the actual laundry lines, and shots of the actual laundry from the air (see below), I came to the conclusion that the model is "better," in a way, than the actual laundry set. It's a nice model, just sprawling enough and just detailed enough, making for a completely believable "diving plane" shot of the scene.

"Manhunt of Mystery Island" (1945) — aerial footage shot six years earlier for "The Flying Deuces"

It appears that actual aerial footage of the site of the laundry scene was shot for "Flying Deuces" but was not used — at least not in that movie. The footage subsequently turned up in a number of other productions, including the Republic sci-fi serial "Manhunt of Mystery Island."

Here's the aerial shot again from "Manhunt of Mystery Island," pinpointing a few of the major features. The shots below will continue the sequence as the plane closes in on the ground, approaching the Iverson Movie Ranch and getting closer to the Garden of the Gods and closer to the site of the laundry scene.

As the plane moves just a bit closer to Garden of the Gods, the features begin to take better shape. Here you may be able to spot the laundry hanging out to dry — a white area near the center of the frame. In addition to "Manhunt of Mystery Island," pieces of this aerial footage have surfaced in the Republic serial "Radar Patrol vs. Spy King" (1949) and in the Allied Artists horror movie "The Cyclops" (1957), and probably in other productions as well. I'm showing shots only from "Manhunt of Mystery Island," as it's the clearest footage I've been able to find.

Moving in still closer, we can now see the laundry much more clearly — and we can make out a number of the major Garden of the Gods features. Tower Rock and the Sphinx are visible near the top right corner of the shot, along with part of the Phantom. I'll point them out in the next shot.

Here's the same shot from "Manhunt of Mystery Island" with key features identified.

At this point the plane taking the footage has closed in just about all the way — almost as close as it could safely get. In addition to a better look at the laundry along with a few large Garden of the Gods rock figures, something unexpected can be seen in this shot: the false back on the large pile of laundry seen in "The Flying Deuces."

This shot points out where the fake laundry pile is located — the same pile on which Stan Laurel examines a pair of long johns in a screen capture up above. It's possible — although it seems unlikely — that the discovery of the laundry pile's false back in the footage was a factor in the decision not to use the sequence in "The Flying Deuces." I say it's unlikely because it was rare in those days for filmmakers to be concerned about such minor details, especially given that the shot appears only briefly.

One other item seen in the "Manhunt of Mystery Island" aerial sequence is also noteworthy, and that's the "laundry shed" set where much of the laundry scene takes place in "The Flying Deuces." In the above shot, which is now all the way in — slightly closer than the previous shot, and as close as the plane could come to the ground — the shed can be seen fairly clearly in the center of the shot, to the left of the false laundry pile.

Here's the same shot with the laundry shed noted, along with the fake laundry pile.

Below you will find links to "The Flying Deuces" and other productions mentioned in this post, for sale on DVD on Amazon.com. Enjoy!

The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine — and a friend of the Saddle, Cleft Rock, Bathtub Rock and Water Wiggle

Duncan Renaldo as the Cisco Kid

What do Duncan Renaldo, I. Stanford Jolley and Water Wiggle have in common? They all appeared together in an episode of "The Cisco Kid" called "Montezuma's Treasure."

"Montezuma's Treasure" — first aired Feb. 24, 1955; the shot features perennial B-Western baddie 
I. Stanford Jolley as, what else, a bad guy — the crooked Professor Danforth.

I can never get enough of the sandstone wonderland that was — and to a large extent, still is — the Iverson Movie Ranch's rock-strewn North Cluster, a portion of which is seen in the above screen shot. With that in mind, this blog post picks up where the previous one left off, breaking down the main rock features of the North Cluster with the help of "The Cisco Kid." The shot above depicts an especially rock-rich section as it appeared in 1955, looking toward the west. An adjacent chunk of equally rocky terrain can be seen in the screen shot of Cisco below, and I'll combine the two halves later in the post to present a wider view of the area.

By the way, "The Cisco Kid" is reportedly the first TV series filmed entirely in color. The early TV Western was a syndicated production from Ziv Television Programs that ran for six seasons and 156 episodes, with its first run stretching from 1950 to 1956. The odd thing is hardly anyone saw it in color until years later, because nobody had color TV sets at the time.

Duncan Renaldo as Cisco — another shot from the 1955 episode "Montezuma's Treasure"

In the above shot the Cisco Kid runs through the North Cluster in pursuit of the crook Danforth, played by I. Stanford Jolley. This shot is sort of the "other half" of the screen shot up above — you might spot the smaller two-humped rock known as the Saddle in both shots. It's at the left of the screen in the Cisco shot above, and at the right of the screen in the shot of Danforth.

I. Stanford Jolley, perennial B-Western heavy

I'll try to connect some of the dots among the rock features Toucan and Freddie Frog, which were examined in detail in the previous blog post (you can find it by clicking here), and a number of the other rocks seen in the two screen shots above, including the Saddle, Bathtub Rock and Cleft Rock. First up, allow me to introduce Water Wiggle ...

The rock highlighted above in the blue rectangle is Water Wiggle, and it was at the center of a long-running mystery for me. As of a few weeks ago, that mystery — like the mystery of Freddie Frog — is solved.

"Days of Jesse James" (1939)

The Water Wiggle mystery originated here, in the 1939 Roy Rogers/Gabby Hayes movie "Days of Jesse James." I became fixated on the large rock toward the right — shaped sort of like a bell, lying on its side. I eventually took to calling it Water Wiggle. It's highlighted in the shot below.

The name comes from the rock's bell shape, which reminded me of the old Wham-O hose attachment toy.

You know, this thing. Along with the way-more-fun (and of course, way-more-dangerous) Slip 'N Slide, the Water Wiggle was a children's summer staple for years, going back to the early 1960s. Historical note: The original version of the Water Wiggle itself was apparently also dangerous, and millions of them were recalled back in 1978 after at least a couple of youngsters drowned when the nozzles became lodged in their mouths.

It took me a few years to assemble the puzzle pieces I needed to find the real-life rock Water Wiggle, which was hiding in plain sight all along. The above shot shows Water Wiggle in recent times, largely obscured by foliage. One big problem is that it doesn't look much like it did in the old Roy Rogers movie, but that's the kind of challenge that makes this research as much fun as it is.

Back to the "other half" the "Cisco Kid" scene. Besides featuring an airborne Duncan Renaldo as Cisco, this shot from "Montezuma's Treasure" contains rocks that are adjacent to those found in the screen shot of Prof. Danforth. The rocks behind Cisco, above, are generally to the north of the rocks seen in the frame with Danforth. The Cisco frame seen here includes the landmarks (left to right) the Saddle, Bathtub Rock and Cleft Rock.

This is how the two halves fit together, more or less. As composites go, this one is a bit clunky, but I suppose it will do. You may want to click on it for a larger view. I'll get back to this shot again later in the post and will mark up the main rock features. But I wanted you to see most of the area in one piece before we continue.

Now, back to the "Cisco half" of the shot ...

One of the best-known features of the North Cluster, the Saddle, also known as Saddle Rock, is highlighted in the rectangle in the above shot.

"The Living Bible" (1952)

The Saddle surfaces pretty regularly in productions shot at Iverson. It's only partially visible in the above example, where it's positioned right behind what appears to be a small stable at the center of the shot. For some reason I find this use of Saddle Rock mildly amusing, as it had to be intentional to place it in the middle of the scene, but at the same time it's hard to see the point.

In case there's any doubt, this shot pinpoints the Saddle. By the way, the larger rock to the immediate right of the Saddle is Bathtub Rock, which will be discussed in more detail below.

I wanted to include this additional shot from "The Living Bible" because, even though it shows only a portion of the Saddle, it provides a little more detail — and it continues to use the rock in an unusual way. To my eye, the rock is just sitting there for no good reason with nothing to do, getting in the way of the other action to some extent. But as I'm a self-admitted "rock guy," I suppose it's to be expected that my focus would be drawn to the rock.

Probably not necessary, but again, in case there's any doubt, the Saddle is highlighted here. The Toucan also appears in these "Living Bible" shots, and I've noted it above as well.

This is the world of the Saddle today, forever in shadow beneath a large oak tree. The main use for the Saddle these days is as a step for people who want to climb up onto Bathtub Rock — the larger rock to the right of the Saddle. And people do want to climb up there to get a look at the tub.

I managed to catch the Saddle with sufficient light for a closeup on a visit to Iverson a few years back.

Directly to the right of the Saddle is the much larger Bathtub Rock, so named because Buster Keaton took a bath in a "tub" at the top of the rock in the silent feature "Three Ages."

Here's another view of what Bathtub Rock looks like these days, with its constant companion, Saddle Rock, lurking in the shade toward the left.

This is the famous shot of Buster in the "bathtub" from the shoot for "Three Ages" in 1923. Keaton plays a caveman in this portion of the movie.

The bathtub is still intact, and still holds water — as seen in this photo from modern times. It's rare to see the "tub" quite this full, but it can fill up whenever Southern California gets a decent rainstorm. Up to this point, I've resisted the temptation to get in the tub when it has water in it — but I will admit to having posed for a photo in the tub one time when it was dry.

To the immediate right of Bathtub Rock is another well-known Iverson Movie Ranch feature, Cleft Rock.

"Gunsmoke" TV show (1965)

Cleft Rock turns up pretty regularly in movies and TV shows. The above shot comes from the "Gunsmoke" episode "Two Tall Men," from Season 10 of the long-running Western series. The shot shows Festus, played by Ken Curtis, at the right, with Cleft Rock directly above his back. The larger rock to its left is again Bathtub Rock.

I've circled Cleft Rock here, as it's a little hard to make out in the "Gunsmoke" shot. I wasn't trying to circle Festus' head, but he's right in front of the rock.

"Outlaws of the Panhandle" (1941)

Here's a closeup of cowboy star Charles Starrett from the 1941 Columbia B-Western "Outlaws of the Panhandle," with Cleft Rock right behind him.

You're probably getting good at recognizing Cleft Rock by now, but here it is pointed out anyway.

The contemporary setting for Cleft Rock includes plenty of bushes, condos in the background and, as always, Bathtub Rock to the left. The rock is tucked away in a pretty obscure corner of Garden of the Gods Park, with ivy and other foliage gradually swallowing it up.

Once again, here's that composite photo of the site as it appeared in 1955 for "The Cisco Kid." I've highlighted the main rock features, making for a "busy" shot, but I thought it might be a useful way to summarize the rocks found at the location. Again, you may want to click on the photo for a larger view.

Almost all of these rocks remain in place today and can be seen on a visit to Garden of the Gods Park — although in some cases you'll have to look under trees to find them. In the case of Freddie Frog, let's just say that Freddie's not himself these days ... but you can still visit his two halves.

"The Cisco Kid" remains one of the best sources of color footage of the Iverson Movie Ranch when it was still a working filming location. As you can see in this post and the previous one, the show extensively documented the North Cluster. But that was just the beginning, as the series was all over the 500-acre ranch during Cisco's six-year run on TV. I've blogged before about the TV show, including a weird entry about faces in the rocks, which you can see by clicking here. I also expect to be writing more about "The Cisco Kid" in upcoming posts.

In the meantime, you may want to take a look at the "Cisco Kid" TV show DVD sets being sold on Amazon, as they're highly recommended if you're into the Iverson Movie Ranch, location research in general or just old TV Westerns. The picture quality is generally really good — I'm not sure how well it comes across in the screen shots you see here, but this is by far the best "Cisco Kid" TV show stuff I've seen. I'll include some links below to the same sets I'm using for these posts. One minor disclaimer: Collection 1 doesn't have much Iverson content, although the other sets are loaded with it.