History Main / KirksRock

* ''Series/TheRatPatrol'': Part of the second season episode "The Darers Go First Raid" was filmed at Vasquez Rocks (the opening scene when a German armored convoy is seen rolling toward a desert base).

%%* ''Series/TheRatPatrol''

The American equivalent of the BBCQuarry, a distinctive set of striated sandstone slabs, dozens to hundreds of feet tall, sharply-angled and pointed at their tops. Familiar from its use as an exterior location in any number of ScienceFiction programs and [[TheWestern Westerns]] (including the films ''Film/BlazingSaddles'' and ''The Magnificent Seven Ride Again'', as well as the "Sleestak Diner" scene in ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack''), and no few automobile commercials. It is also the location of the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, which was composited into the [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers first]] [[Series/PowerRangersZeo five]] [[Series/PowerRangersTurbo seasons]] of ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' as the Command Center/Power Chamber building. The entire town of Bedrock in ''Film/TheFlintstones'' was constructed here. Probably best known from its several appearances on ''Franchise/StarTrek'' over the years (especially the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Original Series]] episode "Arena"), whence comes the popular nickname for one of the formations (and by extension the entire area). The movie ''[[Film/BillAndTed Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey]]'' [[LampshadeHanging specifically points this trope out]] by having the boys watching said episode, before their robotic duplicates drag them out to the rock to kill them.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. Homaged in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E6TheCaretaker The Caretaker]]", which opens with the Doctor and his companion in a NoodleIncident where they've been chained up in the desert to die on an alien planet. A large Vasquez Rocks-like formation is in the background.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. Homaged in "The Caretaker", which opens with the Doctor and his companion in a NoodleIncident where they've been chained up in the desert to die on an alien planet. A large Vasquez Rocks-like formation is in the background.

%%* Series/{{Branded}}

%%* Film/{{Dracula}}

* In ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack'', Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly is a reference to the characters Marshall, Will and Holly on the 1970s children's TV show ''Series/LandOfTheLost'' -- a shout out reinforced by the subsequent appearance of the Sleestak Diner sitting in the shadow of Kirk's Rock.

%%* WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}

* ''WesternAnimation/Cars1'': One of the rock outcroppings is drawn to look both like Kirk's Rock and the tail fins of some 1950s muscle car.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'': One of the rock outcroppings is drawn to look both like Kirk's Rock and the tail fins of some 1950s muscle car.

%%* Series/KungFu Pilot Movie

* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'':
** ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'': The Command Center/Power Chamber (aka. American Jewish University's "The House of the Book") sits on this rock, as it does through the following two series, [[Series/PowerRangersZeo Zeo]] and [[Series/PowerRangersTurbo Turbo]].
** ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'': One episode has Red Ranger Leo forced to fight right next to them. It probably isn't a coincidence that his shirt gets ripped to shreds, forcing him to take it off, at the same time.

%%* Prey
%%* The Range Rider

%%* Apache (1954)

%%* Bubble Boy (2001)

%%* For The Boys (1991)

%%* Guns of [=El Chupacabra=] (1997)
%%* Hearts of the West (1975)

%%* The Adventures of Champion
%%* The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin

%%* Alien Hunter

%%* Broken Arrow

%%* Buffalo Bill Jr.

%%* Branded

%%* Cimarron Strip

%%* Daniel Boone

%%* Hell Town
%%* The High Chaparral

%%* Johnny Ringo
%%* Korg: 70,000 [=BC=]

%%* ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE''

* ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' has the "Cheese Land" level, which resembles [[ShiftingSandLand the rocky deserts of the southwestern United States]] but is actually [[LevelAte made of cheese]]. Some of the formations in the background are loosely modeled on the Vasquez Rocks. (This wasn't the case for the original ''VideoGame/MarioKartSuperCircuit'' iteration of Cheese Land, which was far more generic because of graphical limitations of the time.)

** The TropeNamer; the famous fight in the episode, "Arena", takes place here, as mentioned in the description.
** Also, this is where Lazarus' timeship is located in "The Alternative Factor".
** And where Kirk fought Finnegan in "Shore Leave." The glade scenes were shot at Africa USA Ranch, a former wildlife preserve in nearby Soledad Canyon.
** This is where Kirk, Spock, [=McCoy=], and Eleen hide out in “Friday’s Child” and where Leonard James Akaar is born.

* ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' has the "Cheese Land" level, which resembles [[ShiftingSandLand the rocky deserts of the southwestern United States]] but is actually [[LevelAte made of cheese]]. Some of the formations in the background are loosely modeled on the Vasquez Rocks.

In reality these are known as the [[http://aeve.com/digitaldesert/vasquezrocks/ Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park,]] in Agua Dulce, UsefulNotes/{{California}} (conveniently located about 30 miles north of Hollywood--in other words, the studio is not required to pay cast and crew extra for travel, accommodations, and on-location shooting), and were once a hideout of Tiburcio Vásquez, a notorious {{bandito}} who was one of the inspirations for the character of Franchise/{{Zorro}}. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasquez_Rocks Here's]] the Wikipedia entry, with a detailed history of "Kirk's Rock" in TV and film.

In reality these are known as the [[http://aeve.com/digitaldesert/vasquezrocks/ Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park,]] in Agua Dulce, CA (conveniently located about 30 miles north of Hollywood--in other words, the studio is not required to pay cast and crew extra for travel, accommodations, and on-location shooting), and were once a hideout of Tiburcio Vásquez, a notorious {{bandito}} who was one of the inspirations for the character of Franchise/{{Zorro}}. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasquez_Rocks Here's]] the Wikipedia entry, with a detailed history of "Kirk's Rock" in TV and film.

Compare BronsonCanyonAndCaves and DownLADrain, other Los Angeles settings used many, many times in film and television. See HeyItsThatPlace for a general listing of very commonly used locales. Not to be confused with VasquezAlwaysDies.

* ''Series/{{Roswell}}'': The wilderness scenes heavily featured Kirk's Rock. The scenes of the town, including the Crashdown Cafe, were shot in Covina, CA.

* ''Film/BillAndTedsBogusJourney'': Lampshaded: Just before the boys meet the Evil Robots, they're watching that particular episode of ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}'' on TV. When the Robots drag the boys up to the rock to kill them, we even get a recreation of the dramatic zoom out from ''Trek''.

Compare BronsonCanyonAndCaves and DownLADrain, other Los Angeles settings used many many times in film and television. See HeyItsThatPlace for a general listing of very commonly used locales. Not to be confused with VasquezAlwaysDies.

Compare DownLADrain, another Los Angeles setting used many many times in film and television. See HeyItsThatPlace for a general listing of very commonly used locales. Not to be confused with VasquezAlwaysDies.

In reality these are known as the [[http://aeve.com/digitaldesert/vasquezrocks/ Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park,]] in Agua Dulce, CA (conveniently located about 30 miles north of Hollywood--in other words, the studio is not required to pay cast and crew extra for travel, accomodations, and on-location shooting), and were once a hideout of Tiburcio Vásquez, a notorious {{bandito}} who was one of the inspirations for the character of Franchise/{{Zorro}}. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasquez_Rocks Here's]] the Wikipedia entry, with a detailed history of "Kirk's Rock" in TV and film.

Compare DownLADrain, another Los Angeles setting used many many times in film and television. See HeyItsThatPlace for a general listing of very commonly used locales.

* In ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack'', Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly is a reference to the characters Marshall, Will and Holly on the 1970's children's TV show ''Series/LandOfTheLost'' -- a shout out reinforced by the subsequent appearance of the Sleestak Diner sitting in the shadow of Kirk's Rock.

%%* Series/NewGirl

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** This is where Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Eleen hide out in “Friday’s Child” and where Leonard James Akaar is born.

%%* Film/{{Parasite}} (1982)