Being in L.A. can sometimes feel like living in the movies.
(Illustration by Tanya Cooper / For The Times (Photos: Dania Maxwell; Brian van der Brug; Jason Armond; Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times; Buyenlarge; Ian West; Mario Tama / Getty; Guruxox; Pixaby))
53 essential L.A. filming locations: How many have you visited?
- Share via
Whenever Helen Ramirez has family visiting from Guatemala, she asks them to watch “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and the “Back to the Future” series before they come.
She and Liz Highstrete are the chair and vice-chair of the L.A. Conservancy volunteer committee that created several self-guided walking tours of filming locations throughout Los Angeles during the pandemic.
“My cousins were huge, huge ‘Back to the Future’ fans, so when I took them to the Gamble House, they were like, ‘Oh my God, this house is real,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Yes. Yes, it is.’”
Then she takes them to the tunnel in Griffith Park where the “Back to the Future Part II” chase scene was filmed. The tunnel is also the location of the entrance to Toontown in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
In this week’s edition of The Times’ guide to Hollywood careers, we’re delving into the world of locations. What’s it like to be a location scout? What do you do if you want your own home to be a filming location?
“Successful filming should be a win-win,” said veteran location scout Lori Balton. “The production gets an evocative location, with depth and nuance, and the site gets a location fee.”
In the case of historic properties, this fee often goes to support the maintenance of the location, she said.
Highstrete pointed to L.A.-set films like 1955’s “Rebel Without a Cause” and 1997’s “L.A. Confidential” that showcase numerous unique locations throughout the city. There are also newer films like 2009’s “(500) Days of Summer,” 2016’s “La La Land” and 2019’s “Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood” — that are also love letters to L.A.
These memorable Hollywood backdrops are often easy to visit. We gathered a list of some of Los Angeles’ memorable filming locations, including some recommendations from Ramirez, Highstrete and Balton. Which ones have you been to? Are there others you recommend? Email us at utility@latimes.com to let us know.
Showing Places
The Gamble House
Pasadena Historical Landmark
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
The Gamble House served as Doc Brown’s mansion from the “Back to the Future” films. It’s open for tours every day except Monday and Wednesday (reservations recommended).
If you really want to sink into “Back to the Future” locations, head down to Bushnell Avenue in South Pasadena. That’s where you’ll find the homes of George McFly (1711 Bushnell), Lorraine Baines (1727 Bushnell) and bully Biff Tannen (1809 Bushnell). The street’s homes have also been seen in “Teen Wolf,” “Old School” and the TV series “thirtysomething,” among multiple other productions.
If you really want to sink into “Back to the Future” locations, head down to Bushnell Avenue in South Pasadena. That’s where you’ll find the homes of George McFly (1711 Bushnell), Lorraine Baines (1727 Bushnell) and bully Biff Tannen (1809 Bushnell). The street’s homes have also been seen in “Teen Wolf,” “Old School” and the TV series “thirtysomething,” among multiple other productions.
Show more Show less
Route Details
'Music Box' steps
Silver Lake Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)
The Silver Lake staircase is famous for its role in the 1932 Laurel and Hardy film “The Music Box,” where the comedy duo try and fail to carry a piano up a long flight of stairs. Across the street, conveniently, is Laurel and Hardy Park.
Route Details
'Halloween' house
South Pasadena Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)
The boyhood home of serial killer Michael Myers from the 1978 horror classic “Halloween” may be the oldest wood-frame home in South Pasadena. After the film was shot, the house was moved to this spot by its owner to save it from being demolished.
Route Details
The flying bikes street
Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Universal Pictures/Photofest)
Starting just north of Tulsa Street, White Oak Avenue is where Elliott (Henry Thomas), E.T. and their friends ride their bikes into the air in “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial.”
Route Details
Los Angeles Theatre
Downtown L.A. Theater
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
This lavishly appointed French Baroque-style showplace, built in 1931, has reclaimed some of its former glory in film, most notably “The Prestige” and “Man on the Moon.” It’s also the backdrop of the BTS “Black Swan” music video.
Route Details
Pee-wee's house
South Pasadena Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
Pee-wee Herman etched this location into cinematic history with the unforgettable “I know you are, but what am I?” debate in the film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.”
Route Details
Occidental College
Eagle Rock College or University
(CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images)
Occidental College was the site of many memorable “Clueless” moments at Bronson Alcott High School, from the walkway where Cher first says “As if!” after pushing away an overzealous admirer, as well as many of the set-up scenes between Mr. Hall (Wallace Shawn) and Miss Geist (Twink Caplan).
Route Details
Heritage Square Museum
Historical Landmark
(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
This site “is a living, open air museum of Los Angeles at the end of the 19th century,” said veteran location scout Lori Balton. It’s been used for such films as “Saving Mr. Banks” and “Legally Blonde.” Guided tours are available on weekends.
Route Details
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Arcadia Arboretum
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Frank McDonough / L.A. County Arboretum)
The grounds of the arboretum have been used for countless film shoots, from “Tarzan” flicks in the 1930s to “Bridesmaids.” The most recognizable feature, though, may be its Queen Anne Cottage, which had regular screen time on “Fantasy Island” (the original, not the remake).
Route Details
Pico House
Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
Pico House
(Carol M. Highsmith / Buyenlarge / Getty Images)
Built by Pío Pico, the last Mexican governor of Alta California, this was the first hotel in L.A. with electricity and running water. “The inner courtyard is evocative of another time, its patina and light taking you back in time to sultry, steamy locales,” veteran location scout Lori Balton said. The TV series “The Mentalist” used it as the headquarters of the show’s California Bureau of Investigation.
Show more Show less
Route Details
Boardner's
Hollywood Nightclub
- Route
-
- Share via
-
The interior of Boardner’s.
(Jessica Benda/Los Angeles Times)
Boardner’s and its curvy bar in Hollywood has been typecast as a Hollywood bar in such films as “L.A. Confidential” and “Ed Wood.”
Route Details
Ennis House
Los Feliz Historical Landmark
Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed Ennis House sits on a Los Feliz hilltop.
(Los Angeles Times)
The Los Feliz residence, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, boasts more than 80 film appearances. It’s known as the “Blade Runner” house, antagonist Terry Silver’s mansion in “Karate Kid III,” and Angel, Spike and Drusilla’s lair from the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
Route Details
'Back to the Future' neighborhood
California Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
If you want to sink into “Back to the Future” locations, this street is where you’ll find the homes of George McFly (1711 Bushnell), Lorraine Baines (1727 Bushnell) and bully Biff Tannen (1809 Bushnell). Its homes have also been seen in “Teen Wolf,” “Old School” and the TV series “thirtysomething,” among multiple other productions.
Show more Show less
Route Details
The Cowboy Palace Saloon
Chatsworth Nightclub
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Jill Connelly / Los Angeles Times)
This live country music and line dancing venue is where Ritchie Valens (Lou Diamond Phillips) performs for the first time in “La Bamba.”
Route Details
Larry Edmunds Bookshop
Hollywood Bookstore
- Route
-
- Share via
-
Larry Edmunds Bookshop in Hollywood on Jan. 26, 2011.
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
This venerable bookstore, founded in 1938, specializes in books about film and the entertainment industry. It makes a cameo in famed cinema nerd Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.”
Route Details
Formosa Cafe
Restaurant
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
This Chinese restaurant and cocktail bar’s red-tinged antique furnishings have found screen time in several films, including “L.A. Confidential” and “Beverly Hills Cop II.”
Route Details
Musso and Frank Grill
Hollywood Restaurant
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times)
The restaurant and popular filming location has been featured in many movies and TV shows, including “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” “Ed Wood,” “Mad Men,” “Greenberg,” “Bosch” and “Little Things.” In 2019, it was the first restaurant to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Route Details
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Historical Landmark
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
This collection of arcades and carnival rides suspended above the Pacific Ocean had not-so-flattering roles in “Blood Beach,” “Dark Ride” and “Sharknado,” plus a considerably less bloody cameo in “Forrest Gump.”
Route Details
Los Angeles City Hall
Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)
L.A. City Hall is a popular spot for film shoots. Mayor Eric Garcetti told The Times in 2017 that “there’s hardly a week that goes by when there isn’t filming there.” The 1950s “Adventures of Superman” used City Hall as its Daily Planet building. More recently, it’s popped up in shows like “How to Get Away With Murder” and “Scandal.”
Show more Show less
Route Details
Union Station
Train station
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
L.A.’s bustling transportation hub has been featured in numerous films, including “Blade Runner,” “Pearl Harbor” and “The Dark Knight Rises.” It’s also the stand-in for a Chicago train station in 1950’s “Union Station.” The L.A. Conservancy has a weekly Saturday morning Union Station walking tour to learn about the backstory of the railway station and about the films shot there.
Show more Show less
Route Details
Hollywood sign
Hollywood Hills Historical Landmark
(Reed Saxon / Associated Press)
Sometimes when the iconic Hollywood sign shows up onscreen, it’s to establish that the story takes place in Los Angeles. Other times — in disaster movies like “Independence Day” and “San Andreas” — it’s demolished to represent the destruction of the entire city or state. Most recently, it was seen in “Elvis,” with Elvis (Austin Butler) sitting on top of the sign, contemplating his career.
Show more Show less
Route Details
Beverly Wilshire
Beverly Hills Hotel
(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
The exterior of the Beverly Wilshire hotel will look familiar to “Pretty Woman” fans — even though the interior scenes were shot elsewhere. The luxury hotel even offers a “Pretty Woman experience” for those who have a few hundred thousand dollars to spare. Films like “Sex and the City” and “Valentine’s Day” have also been shot there.
Show more Show less
Route Details
Castle Green
Pasadena Historical Landmark
(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)
The historic venue built during the Victorian era prides itself as being a film-friendly location. It’s been featured in movies like “The Sting,” “The Last Samurai,” and “Thank You for Smoking.”
Route Details
Astro Family Restaurant
Silver Lake Restaurant
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Yet another classic Southern California diner, the Astro’s wraparound counter and two-tone naugahyde booths have been featured in a number of films and TV shows, including “Mad Men” and “Sons of Anarchy.”
Route Details
The Wiltern
Koreatown Theater
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The Art Deco concert venue often shows up onscreen: for example, in the beginning scenes of “Purple Rain,” and in “Lethal Weapon,” where Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Danny Glover (Roger Murtaugh) grab hot dogs.
Route Details
Cole’s French Dip
Downtown L.A. Restaurant
(Con Keyes / Los Angeles Times)
Complete with a speakeasy in the back, this ground-level bar/restaurant claims to be the first in Los Angeles to serve a French dip sandwich. But the filmmakers behind such titles as “Mad Men” and “The Lincoln Lawyer” didn’t go there for the food; they went for the early 20th century vibe (and furnishings).
Show more Show less
Route Details
Millennium Biltmore Hotel
Downtown L.A. Hotel
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Biltmore lobby is where the Ghostbusters trap the ghost Slimer. The hotel is a popular filming location that has also been seen in films including “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Cruel Intentions,” “Pretty in Pink” and “True Lies.”
Route Details
Griffith Observatory
Historical Landmark
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
This L.A. landmark has held starring roles again and again, from “Rebel Without a Cause” to more recent fare, such as “The Terminator” and “La La Land.”
Route Details
Puente Hills Mall
Industry Shopping mall
The mall itself has been overshadowed in celluloid by its parking lot, which took a star turn in “Back to the Future” as the runway for Dr. Brown’s time-traveling De Lorean.
Route Details
The Palace Theatre
Downtown L.A. Theater
(Mario Tama / Getty Images)
The theater is best known for being where Michael Jackson and Ola Ray are watching a film in the famous “Thriller” music video, but it has its own ghostly reputation as well: A woman in white has allegedly been seen pacing the stage as well as shadowy figures murmuring and moving about in its balconies.
Show more Show less
Route Details
The Tower Theatre
Downtown L.A. Theater
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Apple)
This Renaissance Revival-style gem from 1927 has an interior modeled after the Paris Opera House, according to the L.A. Conservancy. In addition to appearing in such films as “The Mambo Kings” and “Mulholland Drive,” it now welcomes shoppers as an Apple store.
Route Details
Bradbury Building
Downtown L.A. Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
The striking interior of the 129-year-old Bradbury Building will be instantly recognizable to anyone who’s seen “Blade Runner,” even without the rain and moody lighting.
Route Details
Cicada Restaurant and Lounge
Downtown L.A. Restaurant
Set in downtown’s Art Deco-period Oviatt Building, the Cicada Restaurant has the heightened retro feel that’s catnip to filmmakers. You may have seen it in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Bruce Almighty,” among other films.
Route Details
Greystone Mansion and Gardens
Beverly Hills Event venue
(Iris Schneider/Los Angeles Times)
The site of one of L.A.’s most notorious murder-suicides, Greystone has been supposedly haunted ever since. In February 1929, owner Ned Doheny, son of oil tycoon Edward Doheny, was shot and killed by his personal secretary and childhood friend Hugh Plunkett who, minutes later, shot himself. The motive for the crime was never discovered, though rumors posited a sexual relationship, a dispute over Plunkett’s salary and, most plausibly, the pair’s involvement in the Teapot Dome scandal. Doheny’s widow lived in the mansion until 1955, after which a series of sales almost led to its demolition, prevented by an 11th-hour purchase by the city of Beverly Hills, which converted the house into an event venue and the grounds into a park. Since then, there have been many reports by workers of mysterious sounds, the smell of rotting flesh and shadowy, spectral figures. That has not stopped it from becoming a favored filming spot for film and television, from “The Amazing Race” to “There Will Be Blood,” and a popular wedding venue.
Show more Show less
Route Details
Fox Plaza
Century City Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
The office tower in Century City may be better known by many as Nakatomi Plaza — the building where workers were taken hostage on Christmas Eve in “Die Hard.”
Route Details
Mrs. Robinson’s house
Beverly Hills Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
The bricks out front were white when “The Graduate” was filmed in the 1960s.
(Associated Press)
This two-story red brick front home is where Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) seduces a young Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) in “The Graduate,” though back when it was filmed in the ‘60s, the bricks were white.
Route Details
The Aero Theatre
Santa Monica Movie Theater
(Kendra Frankle / For The Times)
It’s a neighborhood theater. Ideally, you’d walk there. Parking can be a pain, though regulars know how to navigate the permit-zoned streets to find a spot. Rounding the corner onto Santa Monica’s Montana Avenue in the evening and seeing the Aero’s familiar marquee — the neon, when lit, turns pale green and pink — is always a thrill, no matter how many times you’ve been there. The American Cinematheque‘s programming is a mix of revivals and retrospectives, with a few first-run special evenings with filmmakers mixed in as well. It’s on the Westside, so you never know who you might see. Robert Redford came here as a kid. Donnie Darko took a date there once. It’s been around for 83 years and, with a little luck, will live to be a centenarian. Oh, and the popcorn’s pretty damn good too.
Show more Show less
Route Details
Rae's Restaurant
Diner
- Route
-
- Share via
-
Hollywood loves throwback diners like this one, with its broad swaths of color laid out by the swivel chairs at the counter and the plush booths along the windows. It’s been featured in “True Romance” and “Lords of Dogtown,” among other films.
Route Details
Hinano Cafe
Venice Restaurant
This funky beachfront eatery embodies the California surfer aesthetic. It’s also where Jane Fonda’s reporter met Jack Lemmon’s whistleblower in “The China Syndrome.”
Route Details
Venice High School
Mar Vista High school
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
One of the first shots in “Grease” shows the Myrna Loy statue at Venice High School, which was used as the Rydell High School location of the 1978 musical.
Route Details
Cathy's Corner
Griffith Park Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
One of the many charming moments in “La La Land” is when Mia and Seb wander along Mt. Hollywood Dr. to Cathy’s Corner, which offers a fabulous view of Los Angeles (but no lamp posts — those were added by the film crew).
Route Details
Dresden Restaurant
Los Feliz Restaurant
This Loz Feliz nightspot was home to famed husband-and-wife lounge act Marty and Elayne until Marty Roberts’ death this year. The pair and the restaurant where they held court for almost 40 years can be seen in “Swingers,” a 1996 comedy about the sorts of Hollywood wanne-bes who frequent places like the Dresden.
Show more Show less
Route Details
Randy's Donuts
Inglewood Restaurant
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The unmistakable giant donut sign atop Randy’s Donuts has a cameo role in “Iron Man 2.
Route Details
Starkman Building
Downtown L.A. Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
Fans of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” will recognize the Starkman Building as Paddy’s Pub, the Irish bar owned by the show’s main characters, known as “The Gang.” It’s supposed to be in South Philadelphia, but the building is in downtown Los Angeles.
Route Details
'(500) Days of Summer' bench
Downtown L.A. Historical Landmark
- Route
-
- Share via
-
(Chuck Zlotnick / Fox Searchlight Pictures)
The “(500) Days of Summer” bench on Angel’s Knoll — Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s) favorite spot in L.A. and the site of many memorable moments of his evolving relationship with Summer (Zooey Deschanel) — was closed off in 2013, so you can no longer sit on it. But you can still see it through a chain link fence.
Show more Show less
Route Details
Jerry Seinfeld's New York apartment building
Koreatown Apartments
- Route
-
- Share via
-
The New York apartment complex where Jerry (Seinfeld), Kramer (Michael Richards) and Newman (Wayne Knight) lived in “Seinfeld,” is in Los Angeles — in Koreatown. The 404 by L.A. Times recently made a video about how “Seinfeld lied to us.”
Route Details
No matching entries.
Please reset filters to see all entries.
No matching entries.
Please reset filters to see all entries.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Most Read in Entertainment & Arts
Top