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TVWeek, Iverson Movie Ranch Blog

TVWeek Exclusive: How Tarantino Re-Created the Spahn Ranch for ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’

Jul 23, 2019  •  Post A Comment

With “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino’s look back on Manson-era Hollywood, opening this week, one part of the production that has received attention among filming location researchers is a set that Tarantino built last fall that re-creates the infamous onetime Manson Family hangout in Chatsworth, Calif., the Spahn Movie Ranch.

A sprawling and detailed version of the former location ranch as it appeared in 1969 was erected a few miles west of the original Spahn location, at another former movie ranch, Corriganville. Tucked into the southeast corner of Simi Valley, Corriganville was once not only a busy filming location but also a Wild West theme park that drew throngs of tourists on the weekends.

Tarantino’s ambitious Spahn Ranch project is stunning in its attention to detail and in the accuracy of the re-creation. A series of posts on the Iverson Movie Ranch Blog, which researches historic filming locations, examines the set in detail, including presenting photos comparing the Corriganville re-creation with the original Spahn Ranch. Click here to see a detailed post about the set, from September 2018.

An earlier post published by the Iverson Movie Ranch Blog in August 2018, which you can see by clicking here, documents the discovery of the early stages of Tarantino’s construction at Corriganville, including early speculation about what was being built. The post also provides background on Corriganville.

A third post, published in October 2018 just after filming wrapped at Corriganville on the Tarantino movie, includes additional photos of the Spahn Ranch re-creation and documents its teardown on the site that was once Corriganville’s famed Western street, Silvertown. Click here to see the post.

Quentin Tarantino’s re-creation of Spahn Ranch at Corriganville

4 Comments

  1. How many more people are encouraged to do another killing spree to have a movie made about them?

    • Zero. It’s zero, genius. That’s just dumb.

  2. The other reply is insanely dumb. See the movie & you’ll understand it’s the opposite of idolize for the murders.

  3. I knew George Spahn. The arrest of Manson and Family in December 1969 devastated what little business he and Ruby Pearl needed to feed and maintain 40 horses. Even rumors of ranch hand murders by Acidheads was too much for families. By spring 1970 the family was driving alittle blue late 50’s Rambler SW that was a source of begging for gas money or ripping off Sears or Lucky’s. Shortly after the Manson arrest Ruby called my Dad to remove George’s western guns,knives,& other props locked in the trunk of a 1956 Cadillac stored behind the western buildings set. A tradgedy was averted because those nice gals were going to kidnap Manson for New Year’s. Terrible rumors of pedophilia acts in the Back Ranch house surfaced as well. All virtues were gone.
    On a better note the Pitt/Tex fight in front of the green bunk house was perfect. That’s where the phone was that many used was located. That was a multiparty line . The Straight Satan’s were always using it

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