SANTA ANA : Courthouse, at 92, Is Still a Star

In 1915, director D.W. Griffith decided that the Old County Courthouse, with its reddish sandstone exterior and high arched windows, would provide the perfect backdrop for scenes in “The Flying Torpedo.”

Griffith’s decision launched the movie career of the courthouse, one that now spans almost 80 years and numbers more than 30 films and TV shows among its credits.

The three-story building, erected in 1901, is as popular today as ever, said Sue Gothold, special events coordinator for the courthouse.

“Basically, it’s large and elegant with lots of oak, while modern courtrooms are pretty sterile,” she said. “The historical (feel of) building makes it very appealing. You get the feeling that a lot has gone on in the building.”

The exterior is made with sandstone sheaths from Arizona, lending the building a Western appearance, which movie makers also favor, she said.

Inside, she said, footfalls on the tiled floor will echo down corridors and reverberate off the high ceilings, lending a somber, serious atmosphere that filmmakers can exploit, she said.

The courthouse now generates $2,000 a day for the county Historical Commission when film crews use it, Gothold said. That money goes toward historical restoration projects citywide.

Earlier this month, director Rob Reiner and his production company shot scenes there for Reiner’s upcoming comedy “North,” which stars Elijah Wood, Alan Arkin and “Saturday Night Live” alumni Jon Lovitz and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss.

In the movie, which is expected to be released in the spring of ‘94, Elijah plays a boy who, with the help of a seedy attorney (Lovitz), “divorces” his parents and seeks a new family, a production company spokeswoman said.

Other films and TV shows in which the courthouse has appeared include the 1978 film “Movie Movie” with Red Buttons, Henry Fonda’s TV series “Gideon’s Trumpet” in 1979, and James Earl Jones’ series “Gabriel’s Fire” in 1990.