Flanked by the Saratoga Hills, Paramount Ranch is part of an ongoing history of filmmaking. The ranch includes a full western set with the requisite general store, saloon, and sheriff’s office. Yet, the location has been used in leu of San Francisco, Salem, the Pacific Islands, the Amazon, Kenya, Vietnam, Morocco, Israel, and more. Parts of The Cisco Kid, American Sniper, Planet of the Apes, and even The Flintstones were shot here.
The set was originally part of Rancho Las Virgenes. Paramount purchased 2,700 acres in 1927 for a wester set. Cecil B. Demille brought renowned actors to the set to film classic movies. While changes in the studio system lead Paramount to sell the ranch, it was later bought by William Hertz in 1953. As a western film buff, he had the old Paramount sets converted into a full western town. With such a complete location available just outside of Hollywood, filmmakers returned to the location to film more westerns. Now, the National Parks has acquired the old set. Filmmakers continue to use the set but the public can also wanter around this historic backdrop. While we were there, parts were already being converted for a new film.
Gary
May I ask when (what year) you shot the photo of the church at Paramount Ranch?
Lexi Goforth
Hi, Gary! That would have been some time last winter. Around January 2016. Any idea what it was built for? Of course, these sets are constantly changing so I don’t know what it would look like this winter 😉
Gary
Yes, I just found out that it’s being used in the new HBO series “Westworld” (which is loosely based on the 1970’s sci-fi movie of the same name). I assume the church was built recently as a set for that show, considering how recently it seems to have appeared.
See: http://www.seeing-stars.com/locations/Westworld/index.shtml
Lexi Goforth
Oh, that’s cool! Looks like they added a cupola since we saw it…or before. These sets just keep changing.
Don Bitz, Paramount Ranch Historian
At the time the photos in the blog post were taken, the Paramount Ranch town was being used for a Western with Tom Berenger called Gone Are the Days. The church was indeed built for Westworld, which filmed at the ranch back in April, 2016. The church had a steeple on it for that shoot that was removed when it was decided to leave the church standing. Temporary modifications were made to the town for Westworld, most of which were removed at the end of the shoot. Paramount Ranch will appear in the episode “Trace Decay” and maybe the final two as well. We don’t know. Since HBO just announced a second season, we hope that they will return to film again next year. After quite a dry spell, we’re getting a good bit of filming at the ranch again, happily. As far as I know from my historical knowledge, none of the Planet of the Apes movies used Paramount Ranch. That would be nearby Malibu Creek State Park, also the home of MASH.
Lexi
Thanks for clearing that up, Don! Does the “we” does mean that you work over at the Paramount Ranch?
Don Bitz
You’re welcome! I work in partnership with the Park Service as a Volunteer. I’ve ad an interest in and association with the ranch and it’s history for over 30 years. While I occasionally help with programs or events, most of my work is helping to research the branch’s pre NPS film history and to help document it’s continuing history. You will see me in Huell Howser’s show on the ranch, right at the end of the episode.
Lexi Goforth
That’s really neat! Thanks for sharing your expertise!
Gary Wayne
I’m curious to know why the steeple was removed. Most churches have steeples, and (IMO) the building looked better with it than it does without it… Was the decision to take off the steeple made by the Westworld people, or later by Paramount Ranch?
Lexi Goforth
I don’t know about this particular case, but my understanding is that most projects at Paramount Ranch are disassembled. I don’t think the ranch ever adds new sets themselves, so some project had to build it. I’d understand the Westworld team not wanting to leave the exact structure that they shot in place, lest unrelated shoots use it, too. But I’d definitely like to know the actual story of the steeple.
Don Bitz
I agree that the church looked better with the steeple! Removing it was the Westworld productions requirement when they agreed to leave the church. They were adamant that the church, as designed for their show, not be used in other productions. Those of us who took archival set photos while they were there were asked not to share them biblically until after the episodes have aired. Originally, the church, which is a facade, not a real to code building, was not going to stay. But it was worked out to keep it, as the Park has wanted a church set.
As to what structures that are built for a film shoot get to stay, usually the Park Service management decides that based on stability of the structure, future maintenance, appropriate fit for the town, etc. At times, the production doesn’t want to leave their set. More often, they are simply not durable enough to last over time. Hope this helps!
Gary Wayne
That makes sense.
I am currently watching “Westworld”, and while they still have three episodes left to go, so far that church has played a brief but mysterious role in the series, seen in fragmented flashbacks by one of the main characters.
On the show, the steeple alone (sans church) has been seen sitting by itself in the middle of an otherwise open wilderness area, as if the rest of the church had somehow been destroyed.
But the flashback shots show the church intact, steeple and all, apparently as it used to be in some past time.
All of this is very sketchy right now, but it will no doubt be cleared up soon in the final three episodes.
What is obvious, though is that the church, and it’s steeple, is going to play an important role in the Westworld plot, apparently a key to the central mystery of the show.
So I can understand why they would be particularly sensitive about leaving that particular steeple around after they left.
( But it would help if someone would put a different steeple on the church, one that doesn’t look exactly like the Westworld steeple, but one which would improve the general look of the structure. )
Don Bitz
Thanks for the info on how the church and steeple is playing into the Westworld storylines. I don’t have HBO, so haven’t seen the show yet. Now it makes sense why they spent so much money to build a nice church set with an interior.
As to the lack of a steeple, I have communicated to the NPS folks that the church looks a bit odd without one and I think they agree. It will take some funding from somewhere to construct a suitable steeple. Right now a larger issue is that the Westworld crew mistakenly tore down the old log cabin behind the train station and the focus is on getting a new replacement built. For me, that was a heartbreaking loss because I had documented it’s use in The Cisco Kid in 1956 , it was the Best family’s home in Best of the West, used many times in Dr. Quinn and on and on. It was the one building left that still looked much as it originally did, and in my view had great historical value. Anyway, back to the church, it has a resemblance to the church that was part of the Paramount Studios Western town that was on another part of the original much larger studio property. I’ve pointed that out to the Park folks and suggested that they replicate the steeple from the original church on this church. Then, it would be sort of a nod to the original church. We’ll see if they agree with my idea!
Lexi Goforth
Now that is interesting! We had been confused when visiting the ranch because we looked for the cabin and couldn’t find it. In a way, I’m relieved that we weren’t loosing our minds but it certainly is a shame to loose the cabin.