Los Angeles condenses the core values of the American dream being nurtured by: a better life, a freedom to achieve, and a pursuit of happiness, regardless of birth status, into a single physical location. Even with all the contradictions that, more generally, the social and economic system represents, in the California megalopolis the mild climate, abundance of raw materials, boundless space, ocean and concrete job opportunities have always offered a solid guarantee to the succession of generations of pioneers.
Tourism, and the agricultural, chemical, aeronautical and electrical industries employ large numbers of people; so too do the publishing, television and film industries. In fact, one of the many cities that make up the urban agglomeration is Hollywood, the temple of world cinematography, which, thanks to a judicious succession of advertisements, articles, stories and scandals, has only served to increased the myth by creating a veritable “Star System.”
From here the big film companies (Universal, Fox, Paramount, etc.) control production, distribution and operation, generating a huge economic turnover. The large white Hollywood sign, installed on Mount Lee, is one of the symbols of the States and represents the Mecca for all those who, out of passion, devote themselves to acting.
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Map of Fillm Locations
Filming Locations in Downtown Los Angeles
Los Angeles’ Downtown, a financial and commercial center, rises next to the original core of the first town of all-Mexican origin and expression; in the old pueblo, the main attractions are the delightful pedestrian Olvera Street and (1) La Plaza, the focal point of the neighborhood. The plaza, which hosts annual music festivals and public celebrations of various kinds, appears in the third installment, from 1992, of the glorious “Lethal Weapon” saga; after yet another intemperance, detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), are temporarily demoted to the rank of simple officers to deal with the city traffic in that area.
In the historic (2) Bradbury Building, located at No. 304 South Broadway, numerous sequences from a variety of film productions, music videos and TV shows have been filmed. Perhaps the most iconic film, shot in the belly of the structure designed by architects George Wyman and Sumner Hunt, is Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, “Blade Runner” (1982).
The Bradbury Building, where the film’s final and most exciting scenes were shot, is the setting for the bleak and lonely abode of J. F. Sebastian (William Sanderson), who, in offering a safe haven to the charming replicant Pris (Daryl Hannah), expounds on his private and work passion: “I make friends. They’re toys. My friends are toys. I make them. It’s a hobby. I’m a genetic designer.”
In the brilliant comedy “(500) Days of Summer” (2009), set entirely in Los Angeles, with multiple sequences shot downtown, the film’s epilogue takes place inside the same famous building.
With regard to Marc Webb’s film, as the narrator anticipates, it should be pointed out that: “This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story.” The favorite spot of the male protagonist, Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), is the (3) Angels Knoll Bench, a minute garden set on a low hill from where a fine view of some of the buildings of downtown Los Angeles can be observed.
Tom, an architect temporarily employed by a company that creates phrases for anniversary cards, loves to observe those buildings whose history and peculiarities he knows. At 316 West 2nd Street, we find the infamous (4) The Redwood Bar & Grill, a privateer-themed venue where Sole (Zooey Deschanel), the female lead, discreetly performs karaoke with a cover of “Sugartown,” a Nancy Sinatra song.
The (5) Fire Station 23, located at 225 East 5th Street, was used for interior scenes in “Ghostbusters” (1984), in the depiction of their base of operations: this is where Ray (Dan Aykroyd) gets electrified as a child after testing the emergency call pole. The exterior facade of the same disused barracks, evidently still very much in vogue as a film location, was used in “The Mask” (1994) in the guise of the workshop where the weak, timid and clumsy banker Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey) goes to have his car repaired.
Not everyone knows that, even in Los Angeles, there is a river and that, in the past, the stream of the same name served as the main water source for the rapidly expanding city. After causing numerous floods, the city decided to artificially channel its waters into a concrete bed, draining it for most of the year. And that is how the (6) Los Angeles River viaduct comes to be an iconic film location for so many movies.
Some of the most famous films include: “Grease” (1978), in which during the crazy “Thunder Road Race,” the legendary Ford De Luxe Convertible cars, driven by Danny Zucco (John Travolta), are pitted against the Mercury Series 9CM, judged by Leo (Dennis Cleveland Stewart); “Terminator 2 – Judgment Day” (1991), in which the protagonist John Connor (Edward Furlong), tries to escape from the next-generation Terminator, aboard his motorcycle; “Drive” (2011), in which Ryan Gosling gives a woman and her child a ride across the river in an almost idyllic scene; “Point Break” (1991), in which FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) chases down the bank robber masquerading as Ronald Reagan.
In the legendary road movie “Thelma and Louise” (1991), the Motel where the pair of friends (played by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, respectively) meet the stud J.D. (Brad Pitt), is not located in the wide-open spaces of the mid-west, but rather, just south of Downtown Los Angeles. It is the (7) Vagabond Inn, a renowned motel with a pool, located at 3101 South Figueroa Street near the University of Southern California campus.
Thanks to its strategic location, this prestigious private university often lent several indoor facilities to major Hollywood productions. The (8) Alumni Park Memorial Fountain, on the edge of which a very young Dustin Hoffman, as the confused Benjamin Braddock, sits patiently awaiting the arrival of Elaine Robinson (Katharine Ross), a student at Berkeley University, is actually here.
In Mike Nichols’ masterpiece, “The Graduate” (1967), Ben, having successfully finished his college career and on his first date with the girl, falls so madly in love with her that he opens up intimately and confides to her that: “II’ve been feeling like this since I came back… it’s a constant impulse to be rude, you understand me yes? You see, it’s like playing a game with rules that don’t make sense to me…because the wrong people made them. No indeed… nobody makes them, it seems that they make themselves.”
“Forrest Gump” (1994), by Robert Zemeckis, is another masterpiece that certainly needs no introduction. In this film too, the university that Jenny (Robin Wright) attends is actually USC. In fact, “Margaret Mitchell Hall,” Jenny’s dormitory facility that appears in the film, is actually (9) Marks Hall, located at 631 Childs Way on the Athenaeum campus. During a surprise visit to his childhood friend, Forrest (Tom Hanks), inflamed by jealousy, extinguishes the enthusiasm of her boyfriend, who is guilty of trying to have a fleeting sexual intercourse right in front of the bench on which, Forrest, waits late at night for “his” Jenny to return home.
In the Lynwood area, at 10990 Atlantic Avenue, stands the fast-food restaurant (10) Angelo’s Burgers, aka “Whammyburger” in the 1993 drama film, “Falling Down” The protagonist, William Foster (Michael Douglas), is an ordinary man who has gone to war, through exhaustion, with the everyday reality of noise, violence and injustice. Having now passed “the point of no return,” he tries to order breakfast at the fast-food restaurant, but due to the time of day, he is offered only the available lunch menu. The disappointment generates heavy disagreements with the employees and patrons.
Moving instead to Inglewood, a city district not far from the airport, one can order a donut at the famous (11) Randy’s Donuts, located at 805 West Manchester Boulevard. This eatery, iconic in Los Angeles because of the giant donut installed on top of the structure, appears in the comedy “Earth Girls Are Easy” (1989) and the more recent “Iron Man 2” (2010).
“There’s a hundred-thousand streets in this city. You don’t need to know the route. You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I’m yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and you’re on your own. Do you understand?”
This is the opening of the now cult film, “Drive” (2011), in which, throughout the film, the name of “Driver,” the protagonist, played by the talented Ryan Gosling, is never revealed. The (12) apartment of Driver and Irene (Carey Mulligan), is located in the complex located at 607 South Park View Street; from the upper floors of the structure, one can enjoy a beautiful view of Downtown and the nearby (13) MacArthur Park. In this very park, Driver meets Irene’s husband, a thug, and Blanche (Christina Hendricks), his accomplice. Built in 1880 and named after General Douglas MacArthur, the eponymous green space is listed as one of Los Angeles’ Historic Cultural Monuments.
Delighted to have recovered his father’s watch, Butch (Bruce Willis), one of the main characters in Quentin Tarantino’s stunning, unparalleled and brilliant “Pulp Fiction” (1994), stops humming at the traffic light on the (14) intersection of Fletcher Drive & Atwater Avenue in the Atwater Village neighborhood. Among the jaywalking pedestrians, however, he crosses the menacing gaze of Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames), the dangerous boss on his heels.
The dispute between the two starts the night before, when boxer Butch blows the deal he made with the mob to go down at a given round. Butch wins the fight and causes Marsellus to lose a mountain of money, although, the latter, had previously warned him with a clear recommendation: “The night of the fight, you may feel a slight sting. That’s pride fucking with you. Fuck pride. Pride only hurts, it never helps. You fight through that shit.”
Staying in the cinematic cosmos of the creative and prolific Italian-born director, in the debut film “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), the group of robbers meet at (15) Pat & Lorraines Coffee Shop, at 4720 Eagle Rock Boulevard. The diner is still going strong and serves really super breakfasts!
Griffith Observatory Filming Locations
The (16) Griffith Observatory, completed in the first half of the last century, has become a true symbol of the city and, from atop the southern slope of Mount Hollywood, offers visitors a harmonious blend of entertainment and culture. In cinematography, the Art deco-style structure has been portrayed in numerous films, such as, for example, the musical “La La Land” (2016), where Sebastian Wilder (Ryan Gosling) and Mia Dolan (Emma Stone), dance a waltz together under a starry sky, and the film “Terminator” (1984), in which the cyborg assassin from the future (Arnold Schwarzenegger), wakes up naked on the observation deck of the tourist complex and sets off on his mission.
Among the hills behind the astronomical observatory, one encounters the (17) Mt. Hollywood Drive Tunnel, the end of which is the gateway to the fantastic world of Toontown, the animated city where the cartoons reside in the cute comedy “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988). In this fantasy town, the cartoon characters work as actors and, as R.K. Maroon (Alan Tilvern) reminds Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins), “The best part is, they work for peanuts!” (tossing a handful of the same to the little elephant Dumbo).
In the second chapter of the 1989 mythical “Back to the Future” trilogy, the long sequence in which Marty Mcfly (Michael J. Fox), hiding in the back seat of Biff Tannen’s (Thomas F. Wilson) Ford, desperately tries to retrieve the indispensable sports almanac, ends just inside the tunnel.
Finally, how can we fail to remember the legendary 1955 film, Burnt Youth with James Dean, which set one of its most famous scenes in this area. This event is still remembered today by a statue dedicated to the actor.
Hollywood and Beverly Hills Filming Locations
Moving on to Hollywood, on the very famous street “Hollywood Walk of Fame,” whose pavement is dotted with stars bearing the names of the most important actors and actresses of world cinema, one can find – on the corner with Wilcox Avenue – the giant mural (18) You are the star, which appears in the aforementioned “La La Land” (2016).
The ironic wall painting, created by Thomas Suriya in 1983, depicts famous Hollywood stars, from Charlie Chaplin to Marilyn Monroe, all sitting in the stalls of a theater looking to the stage and those watching.
In Quentin Tarantino’s latest film “Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood” (2019), after the cancellation of a previously scheduled film, western star Rick Dalton (Leonardo di Caprio) realizes that his career may be going downhill. In the heart of Hollywood, at the (19) Musso & Frank Grill at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard, his agent Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino) weighs up the dire prospect of making commercial spaghetti-westerns for the big screens of overseas theaters.
Opened in 1919, Musso & Frank Grill is the oldest surviving restaurant in Hollywood, and the high ceilings, dark wood paneling, and comfortable booths have remained virtually unchanged ever since. The waiters and bartenders still wear the same red uniforms they did when regulars like Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo were served in the restaurant.
Rick Dalton’s (22) Villa is located in the San Fernando Valley, beyond the Hollywood Hills, at 10969 Alta View Drive. His neighbor is the already established film director Roman PolaÅ„ski, who lives with the beautiful Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). After driving Rick home in a sleek ’66 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, stuntman Cliff Boothpassa (Brad Pitt) gets behind the wheel of his battered blue ’64 Karmann Ghia to return to his home.
At 1738 North Las Palmas Avenue, stands the (20) Las Palmas Hotel, whose structure served as the home of Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts), star of Garry Marshall’s timeless “Pretty Woman” (1990).
The film definitively launched the actress’ career, whose acclaimed portrayal of the young prostitute earned her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The “office” of Vivian and her colleague and roommate Kit De Luca (Laura San Giacomo) is right along Hollywood Boulevard, specifically, along the stretch of jurisdiction from Bob Hope’s star to Ella Fitzgerald’s between (21) numbers 6753 and 6757.
And it is on this stretch of road that the Lotus, driven by the wealthy and unobtrusively handsome Edward Lewis (Richard Gere), stops to ask for directions to the (28) luxurious Beverly Hills hotel (at 9500 Wilshire Bouleverd) where he is to stay for the rest of the week in Los Angeles.
Contrary to the stories told in the eleven seasons of “Happy Days” (1974-1984), which entered homes via television all over the world thanks to the likability and genuineness of all its characters, the legendary (23) Cunningham House, is not located in Milwaukee, but at No. 565 North Cahuenga Boulevard.
Along Sunset Boulevard, on its liveliest and most storied stretch (the so-called Sunset Strip), stands, at number 8901, the (24) Whisky a Go Go, a venue featured in the Jim Morrison biopic, “The Doors” (1991). During its long history, this venue’s infamous stage has hosted many important artists such as, in addition to The Doors, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Blondie, The Talking Heads, and many, many more.
From the Sunset Strip, going up Doheny Road, one arrives at the (25) Greystone Mansion, an immense and prestigious mansion that is extremely movie-friendly. In fact, this opulent mansion has been home to more than a dozen famous films, including, “The Big Lebowski”, a 1998 cult movie starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi, in which the structure appears as the mansion of tycoon Jeffrey Lebowski, namesake of the main character, and “Bodyguard,” a 1992 film starring Kevin Costner: here Greystone Mansion is the home of successful singer Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston), whose life is in danger.
The famous Beverly Hills resort, is, in fact, a self-contained city, enclosed within the sprawling urban sprawl of L.A., which begins from Santa Monica Blvd extending into the hills. Many movie stars live here, of course, protected by high walls surrounding their splendid mansions. In the epic movie “The Graduate” (1967), one of these mansions belongs to the Robinson family. The (26) House of Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), wealthy and bored wife, and mother of Elaine, is located in the residential heart of Beverly Hills, at 607 North Palm Drive. Right here, the awkward Ben (Dustin Hoffman), finds himself fending off the first brazen advances of the charming mature woman.
