Bronson Canyon, or Bronson Caves, is a section of

Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

that has become known as a

filming location A filming location is a place where some or all of a film or television series is produced, in addition to or instead of using sets constructed on a movie studio backlot or soundstage. In filmmaking, a location is any place where a film crew wi ...

for many

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

s and

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

, especially Westerns and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

, from the early days of motion pictures to the present.

Location and history

Bronson Canyon is located in the southwest section of

near the north end of Canyon Drive, which is an extension of Bronson Avenue. In 1903, the Union Rock Company founded a

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

, originally named Brush Canyon, for excavation of crushed rock used in the construction of city streets–carried out of the quarry by electric train on the Brush Canyon Line. The quarry ceased operation in the late 1920s, leaving the caves behind. The caves became known as the Bronson Caves after the nearby avenue and a hill of that name, giving the area its more popular name of Bronson Canyon. The same street may have indirectly provided the stage name for actor

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and wa ...

, as the former Charles Buchinsky is believed to have chosen that name in 1954 after seeing it on a street sign in Hollywood. The craggy quarry remains pockmarked by what appear to be cave openings create an ideal backdrop for filming scenes meant to take place in a lonely southwestern wilderness. Scenes of the main cave entrance are normally filmed in a manner that shows the entrance at an angle because the cave is actually a very short tunnel through the hill, with the rear opening easily visible in a direct shot. The most well-known appearance of the tunnel entrance is likely its use as the entrance to the

Batcave The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal r ...

in the 1966–68 ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

'' television series."Supermobile" '' Face Off'', Season 3, Episode 5.

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. La ...

, September 18, 2012.

Media filmed or set in the canyon

Films

* '' Lightning Bryce'' (1919) * ''

Riders of the Purple Sage ''Riders of the Purple Sage'' is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1912. Considered by scholars to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been called ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Lightning Warrior ''The Lightning Warrior'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code Mascot movie serial starring Rin Tin Tin in his last role. It is regarded as one of the better Mascot serials. A number of the production's outdoor action sequences were filmed on the rocky ...

'' (1931) * '' The Hurricane Express'' (1932) * '' I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang'' (1932) * '' White Zombie'' (1932) * '' Sagebrush Trail'' (1933) * ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

'' (1933) * '' The Vampire Bat'' (1933) * '' Mystery Mountain'' (1934) * ''

The Phantom Empire ''The Phantom Empire'' is a 1935 American Western serial film directed by Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason and starring Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, and Betsy King Ross.Magers 2007, p. 21. This 12-chapter Mascot Pictures serial combined the ...

'' (1935) * ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established '' Buck Rogers'' adv ...

'' (1936) * '' Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island'' (1936) * ''

Zorro Rides Again ''Zorro Rides Again'' (1937) is a 12-chapter Republic Pictures film serial. It was the eighth of the sixty-six Republic serials, the third with a Western theme (a third of Republic's serials were westerns) and the last produced in 1937. The s ...

'' (1937) * '' Dick Tracy Returns'' (1938) * '' Hawk of the Wilderness'' (1938) * ''

The Lone Ranger Rides Again ''The Lone Ranger Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Republic serial. It was a sequel to Republic's 1938 serial ''The Lone Ranger'', which had been highly successful, and the thirteenth of the sixty-six serials produced by Republic. The serial w ...

'' (1939) * ''

Adventures of Captain Marvel ''Adventures of Captain Marvel'' is a 1941 American 12-chapter black-and-white movie serial from Republic Pictures, produced by Hiram S. Brown, Jr., directed by John English and William Witney, that stars Tom Tyler in the title role of Captain ...

'' (1941) * ''

Call of the Canyon ''Call of the Canyon'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Joseph Santley and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, the Sons of the Pioneers, and Ruth Terry. Based on a story by Maurice Rapf and Olive Cooper, the film is about a singing ...

'' (1942) * '' Pirates of Monterey'' (1947) * '' Silver River'' (1948) * '' Atom Man vs. Superman'' (1949) * '' Flame of Araby'' (1951) * ''

Unknown World ''Unknown World'' (a.k.a. ''Night Without Stars'') is a 1951 independently made American black-and-white science fiction adventure film, directed by Terrell O. Morse, and starring Bruce Kellogg, Marilyn Nash, Jim Bannon, and Otto Waldis. Distr ...

'' (1951) * ''

Carson City Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on th ...

'' (1952) * ''

Robot Monster ''Robot Monster'' (or ''Monster from Mars'')

'' (1953) * '' Captain John Smith and Pocahontas'' (1953) * ''

Killers from Space ''Killers from Space'' (a.k.a. ''The Man Who Saved the Earth'') is a 1954 independently made American black-and-white science fiction film, produced and directed by W. Lee Wilder (brother of Billy Wilder), that stars Peter Graves, Barbara Besta ...

'' (1954) * '' Massacre Canyon'' (1954) * '' Day the World Ended'' (1955) * ''

Crashout ''Crashout'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Lewis R. Foster and starring William Bendix, Arthur Kennedy, Luther Adler, William Talman, Gene Evans, Marshall Thompson, and Beverly Michaels.. Plot Convict Van Duff is the lead ...

'' (1955) * '' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (1956) * '' The Lone Ranger'' (1956) * '' It Conquered the World'' (1956) * ''

The Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John W ...

'' (1956) * ''

Men in War ''Men in War'' is a 1957 black and white American war film about the Korean War directed by Anthony Mann and starring Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray as the leaders of a small detachment of American soldiers cut off and desperately trying to rejoin thei ...

'' (1957) * '' The Brain from Planet Arous'' (1957) * '' The Cyclops'' (1957) * '' Attack of the Crab Monsters'' (1957) * '' The Bride and the Beast'' (1958) * '' Earth vs. the Spider'' (1958) * '' Monster from Green Hell'' (1958) * ''

The Return of Dracula ''The Return of Dracula'' is a 1958 American horror film directed by Paul Landres, and starring Francis Lederer, Norma Eberhardt, and Ray Stricklyn. It follows Dracula, who murders an artist aboard a train in Central Europe, and proceeds to i ...

'' (1958) * '' Teenage Caveman'' (1958) * ''

Night of the Blood Beast ''Night of the Blood Beast'' is a 1958 American science-fiction horror film about a team of scientists who are stalked by an alien creature, which implants its embryos in an astronaut's body during a space flight. Produced by exploitation filmmak ...

'' (1958) * ''

The Jayhawkers! ''The Jayhawkers!'' is a 1959 American Technicolor VistaVision film directed by Melvin Frank, starring Jeff Chandler as Luke Darcy and Fess Parker as Cam Bleeker. The film is set in pre-Civil War Kansas. Darcy leads a gang which seeks to take ad ...

'' (1959) * '' Invisible Invaders'' (1959) * ''

Teenagers from Outer Space Teenagers from Outer Space may refer to: * ''Teenagers from Outer Space'' (film), a 1959 science fiction film * ''Teenagers from Outer Space'' (role-playing game), a 1987 tabletop game {{Disambiguation ...

'' (1959) * ''

The Cape Canaveral Monsters ''The Cape Canaveral Monsters'' is a 1960 independent-film, independent United States, American black-and-white science-fiction film, produced by Lionel Dichter and Richard Greer, and written and directed by Phil Tucker. It stars Katherine Victo ...

'' (1960) * '' Eegah'' (1962) * '' Invasion of the Star Creatures'' (1962) * '' The Magic Sword'' (1962) * '' Ride the High Country'' (1962) * ''

The Gun Hawk ''The Gun Hawk'' is a 1963 American Western film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Rory Calhoun, Rod Cameron, Ruta Lee and Rod Lauren. Plot Gunslinger Rory Calhoun dispenses his own brand of justice in this action-packed Western advent ...

'' (1963) * ''

They Saved Hitler's Brain ''They Saved Hitler's Brain'' is a 1968 TV movie directed by David Bradley. It was adapted for television from a shorter 1963 theatrical feature film, ''Madmen of Mandoras'', produced by Carl Edwards and directed by David Bradley. The film was ...

'' (''Madmen of Mandoras'') (1963) * ''

The Human Duplicators ''The Human Duplicators'' is a 1965 American science fiction film by Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc. Produced and directed by Hugo Grimaldi and Arthur C. Pierce (the latter uncredited as director), the film stars George Nader, Barbara Nichols, G ...

'' (1965) * '' Batman: The Movie'' (1966) * '' Mondo Bizarro'' (1966) * '' Flaming Frontier'' (1968) * ''

Head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals ...

'' (1968) * ''

The Mighty Gorga ''The Mighty Gorga'' is an American science fiction film. Released in 1969 by an independent company, the film is the brainchild of David L. Hewitt. The storyline concerns a couple hunting for a giant gorilla (The Mighty Gorga) in Africa for fin ...

'' (1969) * ''

Equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and se ...

'' (1970) * ''

Octaman ''Octaman'' is a 1971 Mexican-American monster film written and directed by Harry Essex, with the costume design by future Academy Award winner Rick Baker. It follows an expedition team that becomes the target of a murderous humanoid octopus. Th ...

'' (1971) * ''Zorgon: The H-Bomb Beast from Hell'' (1972) * ''

Lost Horizon ''Lost Horizon'' is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. The book was turned into a film, also called '' Lost Horizon'', in 1937 by director Frank Capra. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian lamaser ...

'' (1973) * ''

Flesh Gordon ''Flesh Gordon'' is a 1974 American sex comedy feature film serving as a spoof of Universal Pictures first (of three) ''Flash Gordon'' serial films from the 1930s. The film was produced by Walter R. Cichy, Bill Osco, and Howard Ziehm. It was ...

'' (1974) * '' The Human Tornado'' (1976) * '' The Choirboys'' (1977) * '' The White Buffalo'' (1977) * '' Raise the Titanic'' (1980) * '' The Return'' (1980) * ''

The Legend of the Lone Ranger ''The Legend of the Lone Ranger'' is a 1981 American Western film that was directed by William A. Fraker and stars Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse and Christopher Lloyd. It is based on the story of The Lone Ranger, a Western character creat ...

'' (1981) * '' The Sword and the Sorcerer'' (1982) * '' Dreamscape'' (1984) * '' The Evil That Men Do'' (1984) * '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986) * ''

Thrashin' ''Thrashin (released in the Philippines as ''Challenge to Win: Thrashin) is a 1986 American skater drama film directed by David Winters and starring Josh Brolin, Robert Rusler, and Pamela Gidley. The film features appearances from many famous ...

'' (1986) * '' Munchies'' (1987) * '' Blood Diner'' (1987) * '' The Wizard of Speed and Time'' (1989) * '' Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country'' (1991) * ''

The Roller Blade Seven ''The Roller Blade Seven'' is a 1991 cult martial arts film directed by Donald G. Jackson, written by Jackson and Scott Shaw, produced by Jackson and Shaw, and starring Shaw, Frank Stallone, Karen Black, Joe Estevez, Don Stroud, and William Smit ...

'' (1991) * ''

Army of Darkness ''Army of Darkness'' is a 1992 American comedy horror film directed, co-written and co-edited by Sam Raimi, co-produced by Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell and co-written by Ivan Raimi. Starring Campbell and Embeth Davidtz, it is the third in ...

'' (1992) * '' Guns of El Chupacabra'' (1997) * '' La Cucaracha'' (1998) * ''

George of the Jungle ''George of the Jungle'' is an American animated television series produced and created by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who also created '' The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show''. The character George was inspired by the story of Tarzan and a cartoon ch ...

'' (1997) * '' The End of Violence'' (1997) * ''

The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra ''The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra'' is a 2001 American independent science-fiction parody film directed by Larry Blamire. The film is a spoof of B movies released during the 1950s. The film was videotaped on a budget of less than US$100,000, and was ...

'' (2001) * '' Cabin Fever'' (2002) * ''

Fangs A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external ...

'' (2002) * '' The Scorpion King'' (2002) * '' Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt'' (2003) * '' Tremors 4: The Legend Begins'' (2004) * '' Vampire Blvd.'' (2004) * '' Diabolical Tales'' (2007) * '' D-War'' (2007) * ''

Princess of Mars ''Princess of Mars'' (retitled and re-released in 2012 as ''John Carter of Mars'') is a 2009 direct-to-DVD science fiction film made by American independent studio The Asylum, loosely based on the 1917 novel ''A Princess of Mars'' by author Edgar ...

'' (2009) * '' Mega Python vs. Gatoroid'' (2010) * ''

Mega Shark Versus Crocosaurus ''Mega Shark Versus Crocosaurus'' is a monster disaster film by The Asylum, released on December 21, 2010, in the United States. The film stars Jaleel White, Gary Stretch, Robert Picardo, Dylan Vox, Hannah Cowley and Sarah Lieving. The film is ...

'' (2010) * '' The Whisperer in Darkness'' (2011) * '' Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories'' (2013) * ''

B.C. Butcher ''B.C. Butcher'' is a 2016 American horror comedy film directed by Kansas Bowling and starring Natasha Halevi, Kato Kaelin, Kadeem Hardison, and Rodney Bingenheimer. The film's plot is about a tribe of cavewomen being stalked by a prehistoric ...

'' (2016) * ''

Hail, Caesar! ''Hail, Caesar!'' is a 2016 period mystery musical black comedy film written, produced, edited and directed by the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. An American-British-Japanese co-production, the film stars Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehr ...

'' (2016) * '' Time Trap'' (2017) * '' Under the Silver Lake'' (2018) * ''

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

'' (2020)

TV series

* ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...

'' * '' The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'' * '' The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin'' * '' Alias Smith and Jones'' * ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

'' * ''

Beauty and the Geek ''Beauty and the Geek'' is an American reality television series that premiered on The WB on June 1, 2005. It has been advertised as "The Ultimate Social Experiment" and is produced by Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and J.D. Roth. The show's ti ...

'' * ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'' * ''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

'' ("The Set Up" E92) * '' Combat!'' * '' Crazy like a fox'' ("fox in wonderland") * '' The Dukes of Hazzard'' ("Hazzard Connection") * ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...

'' * ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' * '' Have Gun – Will Travel'' * '' Iron Horse'' ("The Man from New Chicago" S01E10) * '' The Last Ship'' * ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the American Midwest (Wisconsin, Kansas, ...

'' * '' The Lone Ranger'' * '' Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'' * '' Mission: Impossible'' (1960s) * ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...

'' * '' The Outer Limits'' (1960s) * '' Perry Mason'' (1960s) * '' Rawhide'' * '' Salute Your Shorts'' ("Clan of the Cavegirls" S02E11) * ''

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

'' * '' Star Trek: Enterprise'' * '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' * '' Star Trek: The Original Series'' * '' Star Trek: Voyager'' * '' Tombstone Territory'' * ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 ...

'' * '' V'' * '' The Virginian'' * ''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels ...

'' ("Night of the Returning Dead" S02E05) * ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as bein ...

Novels

* '' Lost Light'' by

Michael Connelly Michael Joseph Connelly (born July 21, 1956) is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. Connelly is the bestse ...

Music Videos

* t.A.T.u. "Friend or Foe" October 2005 * ''Modern World'', Collapsing Scenery (2018) * ''More Dead'', Death Valley Girls (2018) * ''Easier'', 5 Seconds of Summer (2019) * ''Til The Light Goes Out'', Lindsey Stirling (2020) * "Queen of the Broken Hearts"- Loverboy (1983)

References

External links

Bronson Canyon in the Movies
{{Geographic Location , Center = Bronson Canyon , North =

- , Northeast =

, East =

, Southeast =

, Southwest =

Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Un ...

, South =

, West = Hollywood Reservoir , Northwest =

Canyons and gorges of California Landmarks in Los Angeles Griffith Park Landforms of Los Angeles County, California

Location and history

Media filmed or set in the canyon

Films

TV series

Novels

Music Videos

See also

References

External links