Tornado's Cave and the "phantom limb"

"Perils of Nyoka" (1942) — Kay Aldridge as Nyoka, at the northern entrance to Tornado's Cave

The landmark Republic serial "Perils of Nyoka," starring Kay Aldridge as "Tarzan" author Edgar Rice Burroughs' heroine Nyoka the Jungle Girl, is featured regularly on this blog and you can read more about it by clicking here. But this time around let me call attention specifically to the cave seen in the above screen shot. This short passageway through the rocks below Nyoka Cliff is known to historians and film location buffs as Tornado's Cave.

This highlighted version of the "Perils of Nyoka" screen shot may help you see what's going on in the photo. The cave is small, as caves go, but still large enough for a German shepherd to wander around inside. And while getting in and out requires some care, it's even large enough — barely — to accommodate a person riding a horse.

Tornado's Cave as it appears today (southern entrance)

Seen above is the cave's southern entrance, which I wanted to be sure to include here because it is almost always overlooked. This is NOT the angle we usually see in the old movies and TV shows where the cave appears. I think this entrance, which is smaller than the northern entrance, was just too small to be of much use. Even so, you could get in there from this end if you were so inclined. The cave is easy to find at Iverson if you know where to look, and I'll point it out on a map later in the post.

"Cowboy Holiday" (1934)

The northern entrance is just large enough to fit a horse and rider, and usually you see Tornado's Cave from this side. I have to confess that until recently I had a slightly embarrassing personal misconception about this cave entrance that got in the way of my properly understanding what I was seeing in the movies. I thought the cave had a three-limbed tree in front of it. In the photo above, you might be able to see what gave me that impression, but I'll point it out in the next shot.

This is the same shot again with notations pinpointing the so-called "three-limbed tree" — a single trunk splitting off into what appears to be three limbs, which in reality is an illusion. In this shot from the Guinn "Big Boy" Williams B-Western "Cowboy Holiday," a rider emerges from Tornado's Cave, with the imaginary three-limbed tree seen to the right of the rider (our right, not his).

A more detailed breakdown of the three "limbs" indicates that two of them are real, while the third, the "phantom limb," is not. It turns out the "three-limbed tree" is an illusion created by a two-limbed tree set against some dark weathering on the large rock that forms much of Tornado's Cave.

"Terry and the Pirates" (1940)

This dark shot from the Columbia serial "Terry and the Pirates" is taken in front of Tornado's Cave and the "three-limbed tree." This footage from the serial is too dark to clarify things, and if anything the illusion of the phantom limb is even greater — or at least more ominous — when the shot is this dark.

Tornado's Cave in recent times — northern entrance

The dark weathering remains evident today, and can be seen in the above shot from a visit to Tornado's Cave in recent years. Here it's plain to see that there's no third limb.

The recent shot shows clearly that it's weathering on a rock and not a tree limb.

 

Zorro on Tornado, or Toronado

The name "Tornado's Cave" comes from the name of the horse ridden by Zorro in the old Disney TV series and in Zorro books and movies, widely known as Tornado, but originally called Toronado.

"Zorro Rides Again" (1937)

Appropriately, the cave does appear in some Zorro productions. I don't know the name of the horse in the shot above — somehow, it doesn't strike me as "Tornado-like" — but the shot comes from another Republic serial, "Zorro Rides Again," in which John Carroll stars as a descendant of the original Zorro. You really get a sense of the third limb here.

The cave is located on park property in the Iverson Gorge, near Lone Ranger Rock and Nyoka Cliff. The location is east of Redmesa Road, just north of Santa Susana Pass Road and just below the Cal West Townhomes. It's hard to pinpoint on an aerial map, but fairly easy to find once you get close.

Poison oak in Iverson's Upper Gorge, near Tornado's Cave

For anyone who's inclined to go check this place out in person, please keep in mind a couple of important warnings: One, the site is crawling with poison oak, so be aware of what you're getting into and try not to touch any plants — especially if they're red. But know that the green poison oak will get you too. Last time I was there the area right in front of Tornado's Cave was crawling with the stuff. And two, be wary of rattlesnakes. I spotted a baby one not far from Tornado's Cave on a recent visit — and I've heard the babies are even more poisonous than the adults.

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Ditulis Itsuyasuzukige — Jumat, 23 Mei 2014 — Add Comment — Cowboy Holiday, Perils of Nyoka, poison oak, rattlesnakes, Terry and the Pirates, Tornado's Cave, Zorro, Zorro Rides Again