"The Lone Ranger" TV series (1949)
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Here's a screen shot from one of the most important scenes in the TV show "The Lone Ranger," shot in 1949. This famous ambush sequence is also seen in the 1952 film version, which was a re-edited version of the first three episodes of the show. It took a while to figure out where this scene was shot. The smaller rock at the top is an obvious clue, but a lot of rocks at Iverson have similar "pebbletops" — including one rock called Pebblehead, located not far from this one. After several months I finally put the pieces together and realized that this rock is the Phantom, which you can get a better look at here. It's in Garden of the Gods on the Lower Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif.
Glenn Strange as Cavendish — behind him is the rock the Phantom, in Garden of the Gods
These shots of the bad guys lying in wait are part of the infamous sequence that sets up the whole saga of the Lone Ranger, in which bushwhackers led by Glenn Strange's character Cavendish wipe out a party of Rangers in a brutal ambush — including almost killing the man who would go on to become the Lone Ranger. The sequence is spliced together from footage shot here in Garden of the Gods and footage filmed elsewhere in L.A., in Bronson Canyon, where the cave featured in the Batman TV show also plays a part in the Lone Ranger saga.
