King of the Cowboys!

Roy Rogers, perhaps the most famous of the singing cowboys, was no stranger to filming in these parts! In the case of “The Sheriff of Tombstone” (1941), Roy, Trigger and frequent comedy-relief costar Gabby Hayes were in our valley’s own Vasquez Rocks which got their name from their days as a hideout for notorious bandito, Tiburcio Vasquez. Since then, the rocky location has been used for countless westerns in TV and movies. The rocks’ other-wordly appearance makes them perfect for many a Sci-Fi flick as well, including the famous battle between Captain Kirk and “the Gorn” on TV’s Star Trek.

For a look at Vasquez Rocks today, check out SCV In The Movies episode 22, with Star Trek’s Bobby Clark

ABOUT E.J. STEPHENS

E.J. Stephens is a noted Hollywood historian, author, lecturer and tour guide. An Indiana native, E.J. has lived for 10 years in the Santa Clarita Valley with his wife Kimi and their two children, Mariah and Dylan.

By day, E.J. can be found in Burbank on the Warner Bros. Studios lot where he is a tour guide and an audience coordinator on Conan O’Brien’s late-night talk show. When not giving tours at the studio, E.J. and Kimi host tours of their own for their Newhall-based company, Newhallywood Tours.

E.J. has co-written four books on subjects ranging from the history of Warner Bros. and Paramount to Griffith Park and the Santa Clarita Valley (the latter with Kimi and Dr. Alan Pollack). The trio is currently working on another SCV history book titled “Then & Now: The Santa Clarita Valley,” scheduled to hit the shelves in early 2014.

ABOUT BILL WEST
Bill West is a movie nut who serves on the board of Friends of Hart Park, gives tours of the Hart Mansion and maintains the Friends’ website.

In his spare time, Bill writes software for Walt Disney Imagineering, where he has contributed to Star Tours, Toy Story Midway Mania, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and other attractions. Previously, he wrote software at Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Bill enjoys lounge music and he plays the drums for pickup bands. He lives in Santa Clarita with his Realtor (his wife Liliana) and their son Josh. Pets include Maya the Mutt, Luigi the Canary, and a cat whose name he can’t pronounce but is Polish for “kitty.”