The endless valleys, manicured cities, mighty mountains and striking deserts that surround Los Angeles have contributed, by their extraordinary nature, to make some of the greatest Hollywood productions truly special, including Back to the Future, Kill Bill – Volume 1, Beverly Hills 90210 and many others.
We have already delved into the film locations of Los Angeles city and also those along the coast. With this article we turn instead to the suburbs.
Contents
Itinerary map
Pasadena Filming Locations
Among the many films set in the neat and lush city of Pasadena, north of Los Angeles, Robert Zemeckis’ legendary “Back to the Future” trilogy is perhaps the one best known. (1) Bushnell Avenue, in particular, is a residential street, where as many as three homes of some of the saga’s protagonists stand.
At number 1127, there is the mansion of young Lorraine Baines (Lea Thompson), future mother of the protagonist Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), and her family. The young and awkward George McFly (Crispin Glover), already in love with his schoolmate, used to spy on her with binoculars lurking on the branch of the large tree that, even today, stands on the opposite side of the street.
Marty’s own future dad, on the other hand, lives at number 1711, a house also used for another Michael J. Fox hit, “Teen Wolf” (1985). Finally, the crude antagonist of the story, Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), lives with his grandmother at house number 1809.
Many other sequences in the trilogy (especially the first and second chapters) were filmed in the quiet California town that often lends itself to represent a Los Angeles of years gone by. In fact, when Marty first returns in 1955, he seeks out his friend and scientist Emmett L. “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd) at his home located just adjacent to Old Pasadena, the current beautiful downtown.
Doc lives in the stunning (5) Gamble House, at 4 Westmoreland Place. The historic house, was built by the renowned Greene architects, commissioned by Cincinnati tycoon David Berry Gamble, son of the founder of the Procter & Gamble empire.
Not far from Bushnell Avenue, at 5500 Atlas Street, stands the distinctive (2) mansion of Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), in Quentin Tarantino’s evergreen pulp “Kill Bill – Volume 1” (2003).
The assassin Black Mamba, a.k.a. Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman), visits her old colleague to finally exact her tremendous revenge. After a long battle, the protagonist manages to get the better of her rival, not realizing, however, that watching the gory scene is little Nikki, Vernita’s daughter.
Addressing the little girl, Beatrix states, “It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that, I’m sorry. But you can take my word for it. Your mother had it coming. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I’ll be waiting“.
In the horror-comedy sequel, “Scream 2” (1997), during the film premiere of the events that occurred the previous year in Woodsboro, the masked killer returns to claim victims. The theater where the killing sequences take place is the (3) Rialto Theatre, at 1023 Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena.
In the famous TV Show “Beverly Hills, 90210” aired from 1990 to 1999, one of the major players Brandon Walsh (Jason Presley), in order to maintain some economic independence, worked as a waiter at the (4) Peach Pit. Obviously, the interior of the diner belonging to the friendly Nat Bussichio (Joe E. Tata), was created specifically for the series. The exterior structure however, is still standing at 45 South Fair Oaks Avenue; however, after recently being a traditional Mongolian cuisine restaurant, today, the diner is vacant.
The (7) Walsh House, a family consisting of not only Brandon but also his twin sister Brenda (Shannen Doherty), dad Jim (James Eckhouse), and mom Cindy (Carol Potter), is located at 1675 East Altadena Drive in Altadena, a small independent township immediately north of Pasadena.
Another location of note in the area, in Arcadia, on the eastern edge of Pasadena, is (6) Queen Anne Cottage, a historic Victorian structure within the Los Angeles County Arboretum botanical park. This grand mansion, was used to depict the Florida mansion of the Fockers family, in “Meet the Fockers” (2004).
In this green setting the protagonists’ respective families, headed by patriarchs Bernard “Bernie” Focker (Dustin Hoffman) and Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), meet for the first time. Other historic mansions, such as the Coach Barn, the Reid-Baldwin Adobe and the old Santa Anita Depot station, are also part of the site. Pretty Baldwin Lake remains at the center of beautiful botanical gardens, also immortalized in many other Hollywood productions since the 1930s.
A further detour east from Pasadena leads to the legendary (8) United Methodist Church, at 3205 D Street in La Verne. The popularity of this church is mainly due to its use in the vibrant and touching concluding sequences of “The Graduate” (1967), in which, the protagonist, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), in order to express all his displeasure about the marriage taking place before his eyes, climbs to the upper floor of the church, and animatedly clapping both hands against the stained glass windows, ferociously shouts the name of bride and his beloved: sixteen times “Elaine! Elaine! Elaine! Elaine!(…)“.
The two boys barely manage to escape by catching a passing bus along D street on the fly, thus setting off toward an uncertain future. As the famous film critic David Sterritt wrote, “Their lives will never be the same again. And neither will the movies.” Mike Nichols’ film enshrined the career of Dustin Hoffman; a masterful, eclectic and all-powerful deity of Hollywood‘s Olympus.
San Fernando Valley Filming Locations
Nestled between the San Gabriel Mountains and the Malibu Mountains, northwest of Los Angeles, lies the populous San Fernando Valley. Made up of many small, self-contained municipalities, it is not a particularly exciting area from a tourist standpoint, but numerous film shoots have been filmed here too.
Today’s (9) Carl’s Jr. restaurant, located at 20105 Saticoy Street in Winnetka, lent its exterior profile to the fast-food restaurant “Mr. Smileys,” a chain where Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) begins work after leaving his profession, in the Oscar-winning film, “American Beauty” (1999). Founded in 1941, Carl’s Jr. is known for its tasty grilled burgers. Today it is an international chain with more than 1,000 locations in the United States and 28 other countries around the world.
About the aforementioned and legendary “Back to the Future” saga, the (10) McFly’s house in the year 1985 is located at 9303 Roslyndale Avenue in Pacoima. Many key sequences in the story were filmed inside and outside this typical American prefab. The DeLorean DMC-12, used by the protagonists to travel through time, sped on both the asphalt of Roslyndale Avenue and just above its skies.
With fiery red eyes, young werewolf Marty Howard (Michael J. Fox), communicates with absolute firmness to the owner of the (11) Quick Stop Liquor, “Give me a keg of beer.” Terrified, the obnoxious merchant grants the wish of the underage protagonist of the fantasy film “Teen Wolf” (1985). This liquor store is still in business today, and is located at 6670 Foothill Boulvard in Tujunga Township. In the same municipality, at 7121 Lonzo Street, we find the (12) House of “E.T. – The Extraterrestrial” (1982), the famous science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg.
As you leave the San Fernando Valley, heading towards Santa Clarita Valley, you may decide to drive along the (13) Little Tujunga Canyon Road, a winding mountain road along which, in 1968, part of the last race of the reckless Beetle Herbie, protagonist of “The Love Bug.” The road is very pleasant to drive on and the mountain scenery around it is very special.
Past the San Gabriel Mountains range, one finds oneself in a semi-hill and desert area; the Sierra Pelona Mountains. Many films have been set in the (14) Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park. The distinctive, pointed wind-smoothed rock formations have appeared in “Cars” (2006), “The Flintstones” (1994), “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006), “Short Circuit” (1986), “Star Trek” (1986) and many other films.
Mojave Desert Filming Locations
The San Gabriel Mountains protect the urban sprawl of Los Angeles from the fiery Mojave Desert. The desert area stretches for miles between California and Nevada, and includes many areas of tourist interest, such as, for example, Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park or the Mojave National Preserve.
Near the great city of California stands the city of Lancaster, on the borders of which stand two very iconic locations. The (15) Power Lines located at approximately 44545 95th Street West provide the backdrop for the final scene of “Seven,” a 1995 thriller directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey. At 19809 East Ave G, one can instead visit the (16) Kill Bill Church, the small church where the infamous “Two Pines Chapel Massacre” in Quentin Tarantino’s legendary “Kill Bill” took place.
The missing (17) Budget Inn of Mojave, appears in two blockbuster films: in Robert Rodriguez’s horror film, “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996), it disguises itself as the “Dew Drop Motel,” while in Tom Ford’s more recent thriller, “Nocturnal Animals” (2016), it is immortalized by its real name. This comfortable and very clean motel, is located in the small town of Mojave at 16698 Sierra Highway.
In Victorville, a town located in San Bernardino County, we find the famous (18) Emma Jean’s Holland Burger Cafe, at 17143 North D Street. The diner opened its doors in 1947, and has been serving hot meals to hungry wayfarers traveling on the old Route 66 trail ever since. Over time, the diner has become one of the many icons encountered along the Mother Road and, at the same time, a guarantee of quality for all patrons lucky enough to stumble upon its hearty breakfasts, juicy burgers or tasty sandwiches.
However, there are also those who, like Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman), in “Kill Bill: Volume 2” (2004), after experiencing something both distressing and exhausting, sit exhausted at the bar counter only to ask, “May I have a glass of water please?”
Long Beach Filming Locations
Long Beach is a self-contained municipality that extends south of Los Angeles and overlooks the Pacific. A number of important film locations can be found in Long Beach. In the now cult-movie “Donnie Darko” (2001), the (19) home of the eponymous protagonist, played by a young and talented Jake Gyllenhaal, is located at 4225 Country Club Drive, right in Long Beach.
The famous (20) George’s 50’s Diner, at 4390 Atlantic Avenue, appears briefly at the beginning of the movie “Zodiac” (2007), in the scene where Mike Mageau and his girlfriend Darlene Ferrin drive to the diner. Noticing the crowding outside the diner, they unhappily decide to go to a quieter place – the killer Zodiac will visit them a few minutes later. The restaurant’s food is incredible, especially the fries, and, the retro atmosphere, makes the place truly unique; even the owners, George and Helen, could not be nicer and more gracious.
The last location under review, the amazing live music venue (21) Cowboy Country, which appears at the beginning of Thelma & Louise‘s journey, in the 1991 Ridley Scott-directed masterpiece of the same name. The two women, decide to stop for a drink at a roadside diner, not knowing that that stop would forever change their weekend and their destiny.
Located at 3321 South Street, Cowboy Country is a must-visit venue: the country music, played by the genre’s hottest bands, engages the passionate clientele, who break out into highly entertaining group dances. Much of the patrons are regulars on the dance floor, trodden by original Cowboy boots in thousands of colors, shapes, styles, and sparkling accessories!
