THE FILMS OF BRONSON CAVERNS
a preliminary list by Bill Warren (c)
Though the quote has been ascribed to many, it was minor movie mogul Abe
Stern who once said "A tree is a tree, a rock is a rock, shoot it in Griffith
Park." He may have had in mind the area of Griffith known variously as
Bronson Canyon and Bronson Caverns. This former quarry seems to be the most
heavily-used film location in the entire world. Not including TV shows, since
every dramatic show seems sooner or later to shoot something there, here's an
attempt at a list of >all< the films that were shot there. If you can add
any, PARTICULARLY SF & horror movies, please, please do so. I'd like to try
to make a complete list of movie shot there, EXCEPT FOR B Westerns, since so
many were filmed there.
You can get to Bronson easily. In Los Angeles, go up Bronson or Canyon
Avenues from Franklin Boulevard (up=uphill); keep going past stone gateposts
into Griffith Park itself; when the road seems to end, park in the small lot
on the left and walk up the dirt road to the RIGHT of the main road. There's
a gate there, but it is meant only to keep vehicles out -- it's perfectly okay
for you to walk up there. Keep going until the road ends, and you'll see what
I'm talking about. It was originally a quarry; why a forked tunnel (the
"Caverns) was dug through a tall spit of rock, I have no idea, but it was
done, and provided Hollywood with an all-purpose location.
AFRICAN TREASURE
ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS
BARRICADE
BATMAN (TV series & first feature)
BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS
CYBORG 2087
THE CYCLOPS
DAY THE WORLD ENDED
DELUGE
DEMONWARP
DIMENSION 5
EARTH VS. THE SPIDER
THE EQUINOX
THE FLAME BARRIER
FLASH GORDON (serial)
HAVE ROCKET WILL TRAVEL
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS #1
INVISIBLE INVADERS
IT CONQUERED THE WORLD
JULIUS CAESAR
KILLERS FROM SPACE
KING DINOSAUR
LOBSTER MAN FROM MARS
LOST HORIZON (original)
LOST HORIZON (remake)
THE MAGIC SWORD
MAYBES
METALSTORM
MONSTER FROM GREEN HELL
THE NEST
NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST
OCTAMAN
PHANTOM EMPIRE (original)
PHANTOM EMPIRE (new one)
RAISE THE TITANIC
RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY
ROBOT MONSTER
THE SAGA OF THE VIKING WOMEN
AND THEIR VOYAGE TO THE WATERS OF THE GREAT SEA SERPENT
SCREAMERS
THE SEARCHERS
SHADOWZONE
SILVER CITY
SLEEPER
SUPERMAN (serial)
TEENAGE CAVE MAN
TEN TALL MEN
THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES
THE TRIP
UNKNOWN WORLD
THE WHITE BUFFALO
The silent serial LIGHTNING BRYCE has two chapters set at Bronson, when the
quarry was in operation, and the canyon is full of machinery.
