MovieChat Forums > Robot Monster (1953) Discussion > Bronson Canyon Rediscovered.

Bronson Canyon Rediscovered.

posted 20 years ago by Phoenix_279700
16 replies | jump to latest

Bronson Canyon tour ... mystique of the camp-masterpiece Robot Monster is revealed at last. Your adventure-loving author has hiked in Griffith Park and come across the actual, now immortal, cave headquarters of the fearsome alien invader Ro-Man. (I'm an L.A. resident - it was my DUTY to visit this place.) When you see it, you'll understand the movie better: Bronson Canyon seems very private and remote but actually it's a quiet corner of giant Los Angeles, and you feel the comforting presence of civilization close by, just out of sight - COZY, a great date-make-out spot. So that's how madman/nice-guy director Phil Tucker did it - star a preposterous gorilla-wearing-a-deep-sea-diving-helmet monster without his cast & crew getting embarrassed. When you see the site you'll understand how the "stars" could act in that uninhibited, hysterically funny serious style.

This is a short, pleasant walk - besides, there's lots more to see in Griffith Park (plug for L.A. here).

(Directions to Bronson Canyon: just go to Canyon Drive in Hollywood, drive north to the parking lot at the top, and walk five minutes up the path to the caves. Ro-Man's "headquarters cave" is one of three caves looking east - the northernmost one. And the price - free!)

[–] noblejones 19 years ago

Wasn't one of those caves the hidden entrance to the original "Bat Cave?"

I love that area.

[–] Phoenix_279700 19 years ago

Yes, and not only that - the "Batcave" and Ro-Man's "Headquarters Cave" are different entrances of the same cave !

When Adam West & Burt Ward "blast out of the Batcave" on the batmobile, they're driving out the big western entrance of the cave. Midway under the hill the cave splits up into three smaller parts, and each one has a separate entrance facing east. Ro-man's "Headquarters Cave" is the upper (northernmost) entrance.

I needed help to work all of this out - it took two visits and some still pictures from the movie (Robot Monster) to do it. But I didn't mind at all, I like Griffith Park too and any excuse will get me there. (And it's worth repeating - Griffith Park is free !)

[–] odrazil 19 years ago

Is this the same branch of the cave in which Dr. Miles Bennell and Becky Driscoll hide from the Invading Body Snatchers? As they run in, it doesn't look like the same bubble-filled cave mouth Johnny vandalizes. However, when Kevin McCarthy emerges later to investigate the music, it sure looks like we're getting the Ro-Man's-eye view of his Earth Destruction Headquarters.

The Bronson Caves are Avalon Casino for B-movie monsters. There's no more swinging nor classy joint from which to menace foolish, puny humans.

http://us.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Bronson%20Caves,%20Bronson%20Canyon,%20Griffith%20Park%20-%204730%20Crystal%20Springs%20Drive,%20Los%20Angeles,%20California,%20USA&&heading=18;with+locations+including;Bronson%20Caves,%20Bronson%20Canyon,%20Griffith%20Park%20-%204730%20Crystal%20Springs%20Drive,%20Los%20Angeles,%20California,%20USA

Johnny: "I think you're just a big bully, picking on people smaller than you are."
Ro-Man: "NOW I WILL KILL YOU."

[–] Phoenix_279700 19 years ago

Sure, I recognize that place. You've got it right - that isn't "Ro-Man's Headquarters" (the east side), that's the Batcave (facing west) they filmed in Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Follow the scene: Miles & Becky run hand-in-hand up the slope (towards the camera), turn to their left, and run straight into the Batcave - looking for help, I suppose. (Hypothetical off-camera dialogue: "Batman, Robin, help ! Save us from the Body Snatchers !") If they'd kept running through the cave to the other side (taking the north branch), they would crash right into Ro-Man and the bubble-machine.

(I don't remember the scene with Kevin McCarthy. I'll get a Body Snatchers video at the library and see if I recognize that location.)

The Batcave and Ro-Man's Headquarters seem totally different, even though they're both entrances of the same cave. It's as if one was the outside lawn above the public road (the Batcave), the other a very intimate, private inner garden (Ro-Man's side). If anyone knows of other films shot in "Ro-Man's private garden", please post it. I'm curious to see if everyone gets the urge to do really kinky, off-the-wall stuff in that spot, like director Phil Tucker did.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Phoenix_279700 19 years ago

Update on my last post. (I took another look at Invasion of the Body Snatchers.)

Re the scene when Miles (Kevin McCarthy) investigates the music: sorry to disappoint all you Robot Monster fans, but that's definitely not Ro-Man's headquarters. Ro-Man's cave is on the same level as the open space in front - you just walk in and out of the cave. (You don't climb in and out, like Miles did.) All scenes shot in Bronson Canyon were on the Batcave side, near as I can tell.

(Watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers was no fun, let me tell you. That awful scene when Miles "kisses" the cold-eyed face of Becky's evil double - it's almost unbearable. Robot Monster is a far more enjoyable film, even the part when Ro-Man carries Alice off - at least he really does like her !)

[–] Phoenix_279700 19 years ago

Bronson Canyon Article WITH PICTURES: Recommended Reading !

Hi, Ro-Man fans - just discovered this excellent article on Bronson Canyon, with seven recent photographs, written by Glenn Erickson on the "DVD Talk" site: http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s77bronson.html. He gives lots of details on Bronson Canyon and the many movies filmed there over the years, including of course the greatest sci-fi film of all time - Robot Monster. I recommend this article highly ! (Read on for proper directions to "Ro-Man's Cave".)

------------------------------

Ro-Man Did NOT Live In The Batcave !

Glenn did make one small mistake. (Understandably - the caves are very confusing.) When he took pictures of himself and his friends "in front of Ro-Man's Headquarters", HE GOT THE WRONG CAVE ...... oooops ! Fortunately we can correct this error: Glenn's excellent pictures also show the correct cave - the site of "Ro-Man's World Domination Headquarters" - and I can confirm it's the right one.

(I sent Glenn an e-mail regarding this mix-up, and he responded in great good humor. We Robot Monster fans are an exceptional group - though exceptional what, I'm not sure.)

Ro-Man's Cave - True Site:

Look at Glenn's "photo No.#6" (sixth down from the "HOLLYWOOD" sign picture). Two caves are visible: the larger "center cave" to the left, and the smaller "north cave" on the right. (There's also a 3rd "south cave" here, but it's practically invisible in this picture - it's on the far left, covered by some bushes.)

1. "Wrong Cave": Glenn thought the big "center cave" was the right place, and he staged his "photo No.#5" in front of it. But it isn't. (In fact, this cave is the "back entrance" to the Batcave !)

2. "Correct Cave": The "north cave" on the right, which seems so small, is none other then the immortal spot itself: Ro-Man's World Domination Headquarters !

Hard Photographic Proof:

See the book, Cult Science Fiction Films (1995), by Welch D. Everman.

On page 208 of this book is a superb picture of Ro-Man standing before his cave - the clearest picture, by far, I've yet come across. (I did a google search for other Robot Monster photos, but so far I've found none as good as this one.) The sunlight hits the cave so perfectly, the cracks and dents on the rock are just like FINGERPRINTS, especially on the cave roof. With this book (or a copy of the picture), you can I.D. the correct spot, the "north cave", in seconds - it's a cinch !

Answers For Two Obvious Questions:

These two questions (at least) probably jump right out at you:

1. If the "north cave" is the right spot, then why don't we ever see the big "center cave" in the movie ? (It seems much too close to be missed. ) Answer: the big center cave's there all the time, but it's never visible because director Phil Tucker skillfully placed his camera at exact right angles to that cave. (Phil Tucker wasn't that bad a director, really, just way too over-enthusiastic !) For example, in the early scene where Johnny gets "hit by lightning", Johnny actually runs out of the big center cave (Wow !) and comes around the corner until he reaches Ro-Man's cave - but we viewers have no idea the big cave's even there.

2. Ro-Man's cave seems much smaller then it does in the movie - why ? Answer: because it IS much smaller now then in 1953 ! What happened was, the hills above the cave consist mostly of soft, loose earth, and erosion (plus all the hikers, film crews, etc. trampling on this "sacred ground") has dumped down so much dirt that the canyon floor has risen, bit-by-bit, over the years. So actually the cave hasn't "shrunk", it's just that the ground has gotten higher.

------------------------------

Jump in and ask any other questions you might have, or if you prefer, jump in and correct any mistakes I've made ! On my first visit to Bronson Canyon, I made exactly the same error Glenn made - I thought the "north cave" was much too small to be Ro-Man's hangout. (The second time, I took the book along.) The caves are truly confusing - anyone could make an error in this place. But the caves are lots of fun all the same, so if you're ever here in L.A., go to Griffith Park and enjoy all the sights - it's free !

[–] rwsmith29456 17 years ago

It would be easier to name films requiring a cave entrance that DIDN'T use Bronson Caverns.

[–] no_bodieseverknew 18 years ago

This cave looks strikingly similar to the cave in which the giant lives in the equally horrendous movie "Eegah!". Does anyone know if it's the same?

[–] Phoenix_279700 18 years ago

No_bodieseverknew, you might be exactly correct ! I had known most of Eegah ! was filmed near Palm Springs, but it also seems parts of the film - the plane crash and the cave scenes - were shot in Bronson Canyon itself. Thanks for mentioning this, I hadn't realized it before now.

I've been to Bronson Canyon and have an excellent idea of the local geography and what is where, but I can't yet say for sure if "Eegah's cave" and "Ro-Man's cave" are one and the same - I've googled up lots of Eegah ! images but none of the cave pictures are clear enough. I've reserved Eegah ! at the library and I'll have another look at it - see if I can confirm your hunch. I'll post again after I've finished.

[–] karawolf 10 years ago

Umm...still waitin'...

[–] Phoenix_279700 10 years ago

Yes, Eegah's cave was indeed the same as Ro-Man's headquarters, at least in this scene! And here it is:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCb5rLjtF-4
(1.02.59 to 1.03.14)

Please pardon the long delay.  Problem was, even though I've often trekked to Bronson Canyon, confirming this information was difficult in the extreme:

There are three cave exits in Bronson Canyon facing eastwards, where these films were shot. The central cave is much bigger than the others, but the northern and southern caves looked almost exactly alike (back in the 50s and 60s), and if the sun doesn't hit just right, telling them apart on film is nearly impossible. Ro-man's headquarters was in fact the northern cave, but lots and lots of people have gotten it wrong.

I couldn't identify Ro-Man's headquarters either on my first visit; it took two trips to Bronson Canyon before I figured it out...



[–] robt-public 10 years ago

http://movieposters.ha.com/itm/miscellaneous/jean-harlow-by-edwin-bower-hesser-1928-29-stills-14-4-x-5-total-14-items-/a/7014-85148.s
to get a good look, you'll have to sign up for a free account.

I cannot.
Yet I must.
How do you calculate that?

[–] oscar-35 9 years ago

Exploring the bronson caves filming location video
LINK:http://youtu.be/dCszjzvgp8Y

Three reasons for Internet bullying of others with public forum attacks: fear, ignorance and envy.

[–] Phoenix_279700 9 years ago

Thanks Oscar, these are really nice video views of Bronson Canyon, and I like the narration as well. The narrator's exactly right, this is an amazingly quiet and private location, and just minutes from Hollywood too - a perfect spot for an ambitious little low-budget film like Robot Monster.


Just so there's no mistake, Robot Monster's cave is here in Oscar's video, 1:31-1:43, which the narrator calls "The eastern entrance, the smallest and least-used." (2:10-2:14 is an inside view of this same cave.) I'll bet that so-called "vertical earthquake fault line" was actually Ro-Man's work - showing off his mighty muscles for the ravishing Ah-lice, no doubt... 

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]