EJ and Bill have unearthed a Monogram western called “Gunslingers” shot in our own Santa Clarita Valley (not to be confused with a really good movie they showed once, called Gunfighters.  Gunslingers was filmed in and around Walker Ranch, named after the fellow that homesteaded it, Frank Evans Walker.

Frank Walker moved to Placerita Canyon in 1905 at age 19 and homesteaded “a stone’s throw from where the first gold was discovered,” as he liked to say, when he purchased 200 acres from the Newhall Community Church, which was the first church in Newhall.

Frank met Hortense Reynier, who was living on a neighboring ranch. He would see her riding by on a little horse-drawn cart, followed by her pet sheep. They began to court, riding horses together all over the canyon. With their marriage in 1908, Frank’s homestead grew even larger, and eventually became the location for many movies, including Gunslingers.

ABOUT E.J. STEPHENS

E.J. Stephens spends his days as an archivist/historian for a movie studio and his nights as a caped vigilante.

When not fighting evil-doers with derring-do and aplomb, E.J. writes Hollywood history books (which nobody reads), leads tours (which nobody goes on), and co-hosts “SCV in the Movies,” (which nobody watches). E.J. is also on the board of directors of the Friends of Hart Park (but he never attends the meetings).

He and Kimi, his wife, best friend, and co-conspirator, live in Newhall.

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 and newsletter.

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 Disney attractions worldwide. Previously, he wrote software at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he met his wife, realtor and model Liliana West.

Bill lives in Santa Clarita with Liliana, their son Josh, and their pets which include Hannah the Dog, Luigi the Canary, Butterscotch the Guinea Pig, and a cat whose name he can’t pronounce but is Polish for “Kitty.”