Monogram studios, possibly the least impoverished of the “Poverty Row” studios, provided many fine films, and many fine opportunities for actors whose careers had waned a bit.

That is the case here, with “The Ape”, starring Boris Karloff.  About a decade before, Boris and Bela Lugosi were at the tops of their careers, making Universal monster movies.  By the time of our film, they both made Monogram their home.

And, when Monogram needed an outdoor rural setting, they used “Monogram Ranch”, located in our own Placerita Canyon.  Also at Monogram Ranch stood a fine western town, built from lumber taken from Nevada ghost towns by set designer extraordinaire Ernie Hickson.

Enjoy “The Ape”, featuring great examples of Ernie’s and Boris’s craft, made here in the Santa Clarita Valley back in 1940.

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.”