Charles Bronson in the "Bonanza" episode "The Underdog" (1964)
Charles Bronson was already a pretty big movie star when he worked the Iverson Movie Ranch in 1964 as the featured guest star in the "Bonanza" episode "The Underdog," which premiered Dec. 13, 1964.
Outdoor action for the "Bonanza" episode was taped primarily on the South Rim of the Upper Iverson, where all of the shots in this blog post were taken. In the photo above, that's Bronson at the right as half-breed horse thief Harry Starr, enjoying a little campfire conversation with his gang.
Bronson wasn't quite "Death Wish" big yet — the first installment in his career-defining film franchise was still 10 years away. But he already had a solid movie resume under his belt by the time he rode up on the Ponderosa, having put his stamp on "The Magnificent Seven," "Machine-Gun Kelly" and "The Great Escape," among others. In the next few years Bronson would also chalk up "The Dirty Dozen" and the movie often cited as the quintessential spaghetti Western, "Once Upon a Time in the West."
Bronson's second-in-command in the gang, Lee Burton, was played by Tom Reese, a formidable actor in his own right.
Bronson got a chance to prove he could handle a horse during the "Bonanza" shoot, and acquitted himself admirably. Already a veteran of a number of Westerns at the time, the actor had no problem negotiating the rugged terrain of the South Rim.
A primitive horse corral was set up on the South Rim for the shoot, along with some other minor construction. The above shot includes familiar rock features in the background, which help pinpoint where the action was set.
One of the features in the screen shot is a rock known as Moschops, which you can read more about by
clicking here. Moschops is also featured in
this entry about the shoot for the 1986 movie "The Tomb."
Here's a look at Moschops in recent times, near the top center of the frame.
This screen shot includes some of the other minor construction that turns up in the episode — possibly a mine entrance, visible at the right of the frame. The photo also features the South Rim rocks known as the Pixies.
In this version of the photo the two main rock formations that make up the Pixies are highlighted. You can
learn more about the Pixies by clicking here.
This shot answers the question, "Did Iverson have a hanging tree?" And the answer is: Oh, did it ever — and it still does! Thanks to the "Bonanza" episode, in which Bronson's character is found swinging from the tree — apparently having been betrayed by his own gang — I've taken to calling it the "Charles Bronson Hanging Tree." But I'd be willing to bet Bronson wasn't the first unfortunate soul to dangle from the tree.
The Charles Bronson Hanging Tree, as it appears today
Best of all, the Charles Bronson Hanging Tree is still around, and can be found pretty easily on the South Rim of the former Upper Iverson. This is a different angle from the one seen in the "Bonanza" episode, but it's the same tree. It should be noted that the tree remains on private property, and is now located in the front yard of a large residential home.
If you're an Iverson aficionado you may have already spotted the widely filmed movie rock the Molar, which was featured in countless B-Western chase scenes going back to the 1930s. If you happen to know where the Molar is located, then the Hanging Tree is easy to find — it's a part of the same circular driveway. You can
click here to read an earlier blog post about the discovery of the Molar.
Here's another view of the Charles Bronson Hanging Tree in recent years, this time a little closer to the angle seen in "Bonanza" — and with the Molar now to the left of the tree's trunk. You may be able to match up some of the tree's main limbs with the shot below from "Bonanza."
It was the Molar that made it possible to find the tree. In this shot from the "Bonanza" episode, the Molar can be seen toward the left. Another marker, Rock in the Field, appears to be visible in the distance, although it is barely discernible.
Here's another version of the "Bonanza" shot with the Molar identified, along with what I believe to be Rock in the Field. The shot provides an unusual angle on the Molar, but through close examination I was able to make a positive ID on the rock.
Bear Tree, as seen in "The Adventures of Spin and Marty" (1955)
— a close neighbor to the Charles Bronson Hanging Tree
Regular readers of this blog may recognize the area where the Charles Bronson Hanging Tree was found as being in close proximity to the location of another famous tree — Bear Tree, named after its appearance in the Disney TV serial "The Adventures of Spin and Marty." Please
click here to read my earlier blog entry about Bear Tree.
Here's a fun video clip of the "Bonanza" episode's climactic sequence, featuring a fight to the death among the rocks of Iverson's South Rim. It may seem overly cautious to give a spoiler warning about a TV show from 50 years ago, but even so: If you don't want to know the episode's surprise twist, don't watch the clip. Also, I should mention that this particular clip does not include the Charles Bronson Hanging Tree.
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