The 1999 horror comedy “Idle Hands” was filmed in Pasadena, California. The houses from the film are all located next to one another. Anton, played by Devon Sawa, lives at this house at the corner of Madison Ave and Jackson St.
LOCATION: 1034 N Madison Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104
Directly across the street is the house of Molly, played by Jessica Alba.
LOCATION: 589 E Jackson St, Pasadena, CA 91104
Directly next door to Molly’s house is Randy’s house.
LOCATION: 577 E Jackson St, Pasadena, CA 91104
The 1997 Curtis Hanson film “L.A. Confidential” is one of the most iconic Los Angeles movies of all time, shown through the lens of a 1950s noir film. Aside from two scenes being built as sets; Bud holding the D.A. from the window and the motel shootout at the climax of the film, all other scenes shot at real locations. A vast undertaking, the locations span all over the city.
The Hush Hush office of Sid Hudgens, played by Danny DeVito, can be found at the Crossroads of the World plaza on Sunset Blvd, a former shopping mall featuring a building in the shape of a sea vessel. The location has also been seen in such films as “Indecent Proposal” and “Cafe Society.” Sid’s office is located near the back of the property.
LOCATION: 6671 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
The house where Bud White, played by Russell Crowe, reports to a scene of domestic abuse can be found in Long Beach. It has since been remodeled.
LOCATION: 4216 Rose Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807
This location, a cane and basket supply, serves as the liquor store where Bud first meets Lynn Bracken, played by Kim Basinger.
LOCATION: 1279 S Cochran Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90019
Jack Vincennes, played by Kevin Spacey, makes a drug bust at this house, using it as an opportunity to get some press for himself.
LOCATION: 1714 N Gramercy Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90028
He stands on the street in front of the house speaking to Sid Hudgens, with the camera facing toward Hollywood Blvd. The building in the distance is a former bank, designed by the same architects of the L.A. City Hall. It was dressed to look like a movie theater in the film.
The interior lobby of the police station can be found in Venice. The same building has appeared in numerous films, such as “Assault On Precinct 13,” “The Net,” “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension” and many more.
LOCATION: 685 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Two of Mickey Cohen’s men are gunned down in front of this home.
LOCATION: 4439 Victoria Park Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90019
The exterior of the police station is the Los Angeles City Hall. It’s been featured in endless movies, such as “Liar Liar,” “Chinatown” and “Gangster Squad,” just to name a few. The interiors were a combination of the old Pacific Electric Building (610 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90014), now converted into lofts, and the Old Venice Police Station (685 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291).
LOCATION: 200 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Nite Owl Coffee Shop location can be found in Downtown Los Angeles. It’s next to Wild Bill’s Leather from “Seven” and across the street from where Forrest and Lieutenant Dan celebrate New Year’s in “Forrest Gump.”
LOCATION: 119 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Bud follows a lead to the house of Pierce Patchett, played by David Strathairn. Known as the Lovell Health House, the property is located in the hills of Los Feliz, up some very narrow roads at the hilltop, not far from the Griffith Observatory.
LOCATION: 4616 Dundee Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Here is the home of Lynn Bracken, the Veronica Lake lookalike, which sits next to a golf course.
LOCATION: 501 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004
Jack Vincennes and Ed Exley, played by Guy Pearce, follow a lead on the Night Owl Massacre to this home, which is located just across the street from Bob’s Market from “The Fast And The Furious,” which can be seen briefly in the background.
LOCATION: 1255 Bellevue Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026
The investigation leads to this house on N Bronson Ave, which has since been destroyed by fires. What’s left of the house is still standing, but will almost certainly be razed altogether soon.
LOCATION: 1241 N Bronson Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
A woman is held captive at this home in Lincoln Heights.
LOCATION: 496 E Ave 28, Los Angeles, CA 90031
The property is also seen from this hilltop view in the film.
The suspects escape, but are tracked down at the home of Roland Navarette, where a shootout ensues.
LOCATION: 2618 San Marino St, Los Angeles, CA 90006
Pierce Patchett throws a party at the John Snowden House in Los Feliz. A famous architectural design by Lloyd Wright, the house gained infamy when a book alleged that one of the former owners tortured Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia victim, inside the home, although this has never been proven. The house is only seen from interior views in the film. It pops up again in another scene, when Vincennes and Dudley Smith, played by James Cromwell, discuss their investigation in the kitchen. The house has been featured in Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” as well as the TV series “I Am the Night.”
LOCATION: 5121 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Jack Vincennes and Sid Hudgens meet up at the Frolic Room on Hollywood Blvd. The famous bar was also seen in “Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood.”
LOCATION: 6245 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
A dead body is found at this motel on Sunset Blvd.
LOCATION: 6720 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Bud visits the house of Meeks.
LOCATION: 1704 Morton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Exley meets with Vincennes at the famous Formosa Cafe, an iconic spot in West Hollywood. The restaurant has also been seen in such films as “Swingers” and “The Majestic.”
LOCATION: 7156 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046
Jack visits the house of Captain Dudley Smith.
LOCATION: 5668 Berkshire Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90032
While the climactic motel shootout was built as a set, it was not constructed on any studio lot. Instead is was built on the grounds of the Inglewood Oil Field in Culver City, giving it the strong illusion of being a real location.
In the 2002 comedy-horror film “Bubba Ho-Tep,” Bruce Campbell plays an elderly man claiming to be Elvis Presley, who faces off against an ancient, evil mummy. Along with a black man claiming to be John F. Kennedy, the two stay at the Shady Rest Retirement Home, supposedly located in East Texas. The real location was an abandoned building on the grounds of the former Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, California.
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center was founded back in the late 1800s. The hospital upgraded to a newer facility located nearby and abandoned a lot of their older buildings, with ownership transferred to the county. The buildings sat vacant for years. The site of the Shady Rest Retirement Home was located near the intersection of Consuelo St and Esperanza St.
The area was formerly patrolled by security, but some of the roads were still open to the public. Unfortunately in 2017, two buildings were burnt by fires, including the retirement home seen in the film, with the suspected cause being arson. Since then, fencing now blocks off all streets leading to the building, with a second fence surrounding the building itself. Security still heavily patrols the area as well. Here is a view of what remains of the building. While it was not destroyed entirely, the damages were significant. This is the closest public location, near the intersection of Consuelo St and Dahlia Ave.
It is unfortunate the filming location was essentially lost, but more importantly, no injuries were reported from the fires.
LOCATION: Approximately 7608 Consuelo St, Downey, CA 90242 (GPS coordinates: 33°55’20.4″N, 118°09’43.5″W)
The Tate house from the 1970s sitcom “Soap” was supposedly located in the fictional town of Dunn’s River, Connecticut. The real house can be found in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
LOCATION: 511 S Muirfield Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90020
The 1997 Harrison Ford action movie “Air Force One” was filmed in several different locations, including Ohio, California, Washington D.C. and Russia.
When Vice President Kathryn Bennett, played by Glenn Close calls Russian President Petrov, he speaks to her from his bedroom. This was filmed at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. The same room was used in “The Big Lebowski” and “There Will Be Blood.”
LOCATION: Greystone Mansion, 905 Loma Vista Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
The scenes of General Alexander Radek being released from prison were filmed at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. The former prison is of course most well known for being featured in “The Shawshank Redemption,” but it was also featured in the 1980s action film “Tango & Cash.” This gate is seen in the establishing shot of the prison. It’s not a real gate and was built by the production specifically for the film. There was also a longer wall built on each side of the gate. After filming completed, the property had the wall taken back down but left the gate. Seeing it in person, it looks a bit strange, as it’s a gate to nothing on the side of the building.
LOCATION: 100 Reformatory Rd, Mansfield, OH 44905
The camera then moves above the gate and we see these stairs leading into the prison.
The Ohio State Reformatory does offer tours and inside they have a couple photos from the production. On the right, you can see the full wall.
Here is an autographed poster from the film.
If you find yourself in Ohio, it’s well worth it to make a stop at the Ohio State Reformatory. It’s one of the most memorable filming locations we’ve visited.
The neighborhood in Tim Burton’s 1990 film “Edward Scissorhands” was originally considered to film in Burbank, California, where Burton grew up. However, the director felt the neighborhoods had changed too much from his childhood and began scouting other locations, ultimately settling on the Tampa Bay area of Florida.
Early in the film, the neighborhood is introduced as Peg, played by Dianne Wiest, goes door to door selling make-up products. The neighborhood in question known as Carpenter’s Run in Lutz, Florida. The production took the unusual step of painting all of the houses in faded pastel colors. The homes were newly built at the time and the production painted them back to their original colors at the completion of filming.
One house Peg skips while making her house calls is that of Esmerelda, an eccentric religious woman.
LOCATION: 1816 Tinsmith Cir, Lutz, FL 33559
After an unsuccessful loop through the neighborhood, Pam decides out of desperation to visit the castle of Edward, played by Johnny Depp. This was a composite of two locations. The castle is seen in a matte painting at the top of a rocky peak at the end of this cul-de-sac on Tinsmith Circle. The castle exterior itself was a real set, however, built by the production over in an empty plot of land only accessible via a dirt road just outside of Dade City, Florida. It was then composited into the shot on Tinsmith Circle, with castle set torn down at the completion of filming.
LOCATION: End of Tinsmith Cir, Lutz, FL 33559 (nearest address is 1800 Tinsmith Cir, Lutz, FL 33559)
Here’s a reverse view from the cul-de-sac, also seen in the film.
The Boggs family house where Kim, played by Winona Ryder, lives is in the same neighborhood, just across the street from Esmerelda’s house.
LOCATION: 1774 Tinsmith Cir, Lutz, FL 33559
The back yard of the house is seen in many scenes in the film, such as when the family throws a party and when Edward sculpts ice, making the shavings appear as snow.
Edward is brought to a hair salon at the Southgate Shopping Center in Lakeland.
LOCATION: 2515 Florida Ave S, Lakeland, FL 33803
He sees Kim and her boyfriend embracing here.
Behind the main sign is where the hair salon could be found.
The salon location itself remained vacant for many years until 2019. Unfortunately, it has since been remodeled and incorporated into a larger shopping space, with a wall replacing the outside windows. We managed to visit and photograph it before that happened, however. This is what it looked like inside prior to the remodel, with the doorway matching up to the film.
Kim’s boyfriend Jim, played by Anthony Michael Hall, lives in this house, also located in Tinsmith Circle, near the other houses from the film.
LOCATION: 1844 Tinsmith Cir, Lutz, FL 33559
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David Fincher’s 1999 film “Fight Club” was shot primarily around Los Angeles, California. Early in the film, the unnamed narrator, played by Edward Norton, attends support groups for diseases he does not have. He visits the St. Brendan Catholic Church, which has appeared in numerous productions, including “Spider-Man 3,” “Armageddon” and the Guns N’ Roses music video for “November Rain.”
LOCATION: 310 S Van Ness Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020
After meeting Marla Singer, played by Helena Bonham Carter, he follows her to this laundromat, where she takes clothes that don’t belong to her. The laundromat is still in business.
LOCATION: 4371 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029
The vintage clothing store where she sells the clothes was located just across the street.
LOCATION: 4314 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004
The narrator’s apartment can be found near downtown Los Angeles. It’s located just across from the 2nd Street Tunnel, a popular filming location seen in such films as “Blade Runner,” “Kill Bill,” “The Terminator” and many more. Known as the Promenade Towers, the property consists of two main towers. The one seen in the film is closest to the W 1st St overpass. He calls Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt, from a phone booth at the front entrance between the two towers.
LOCATION: 123 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Fight Club begins at Lou’s Tavern. The building was a real bar, located near Wilmington. It had closed by the time the production came along, which added the neon signs. Not long after filming completed, the building was demolished altogether. It’s now just some empty land at the corner of S Figueroa St and W Harry Bridges Blvd.
LOCATION: S Figueroa St / W Harry Bridges Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90731 (now demolished)
The building where Tyler holds a man at gunpoint and urges him to go back to school was also filmed at a nearby liquor store at 1109 W Harry Bridges Blvd, Wilmington, CA 90744, but was also demolished.
Tyler’s house, supposedly located on Paper Street, was a set built by the production on Neptune Ave in Wilmington. It was removed at the completion of filming and is likewise now just empty land.
LOCATION: 240 N Neptune Ave, Wilmington, CA 90744 (now demolished)
As Fight Club begins to expand, the club begins taking on homework assignments by trying to start fights with the public. A man sprays a preacher with a hose as he walks by this tire shop.
LOCATION: 505 N Avalon Blvd, Wilmington, CA 90744
Another public fight takes place in front of these geometric art pieces, found in the Citigroup Center in Downtown Los Angeles. The same area was used as the exterior of the bank in “Heat.”
LOCATION: 444 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
The car dealership fight was filmed at 5151 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, but the building has since been demolished, with a new building standing in its place.
As the assignments escalate, things go wrong when the space monkeys try to destroy a piece of corporate art. This was filmed at Two California Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles. There is no actual ball or fountain there. To get to this area, look for signs for the Water Court from S Grand Ave.
LOCATION: 350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Three scenes were filmed at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. The first is where Tyler appears in a corporate video, welcoming the narrator to his hotel room. The second is when Tyler works in a hotel restaurant where he defiles the food. This was filmed in the hotel’s Emerald Room. In a third scene, Tyler threatens to cut off the police commissioner’s balls in the men’s restroom of the Regency Room.
LOCATION: 506 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Marla lives in the Hotel Bristol, also in Downtown L.A.
LOCATION: 423 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
A computer store gets blown up in Downtown L.A., near the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.
LOCATION: 501 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Video tapes are erased with magnets at a former video store on Wilshire Blvd.
LOCATION: 6340 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Marla is put on a bus at the corner of S Broadway and W 8th St in Los Angeles. The narrator is then seen walking towards the former Olympic Theater.
LOCATION: 313 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
The final scenes with the buildings collapsing were a CGI composite.
It’s unfortunate that some of the most iconic locations from the film were either sets, CGI or since demolished. However, if you’re a fan of the film, there’s still a lot of locations to be seen.
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The 2017 film “Kong: Skull Island” filmed at a variety of locations around the world, including Australia, Vietnam and Hawaii. Over at Kualoa Ranch in Oahu, there are a couple interesting set pieces from the film.
First up is the bone graveyard. These props made by the production were unfortunately not built to last. As they remain exposed to the elements year round, they are slowly deteriorating. The props will not likely be displayed in this manor long term, but for now they can be seen on the ranch’s movie tours.
LOCATION: Kualoa Ranch, 49-560 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744
In the Jungle area of the ranch, there is one more location from the film; the site of the helicopter crash.
A few more bone props are stored in the prop building at the ranch.
If you’re a fan of filming locations and make it to Hawaii, Kuloa Ranch is an oasis, hosting dozens of memorable films. There are a wide variety of tours available at the ranch, more than one of which are film related. We recommend the Premier Movie Site Tour, as it takes you to many locations that are only seen on that particular tour. The Hollywood tour, while cheaper, skips many locations around the ranch.
Between his successful indie debut “El Mariachi” and the hit sequel “Desperado,” Robert Rodriguez made a small film called “Roadracers.” Shot in just 13 days, the film was part of a television anthology known as “Rebel Highway,” which enlisted notable directors to take b-movie titles from the 1950s and apply them to original stories. This first installment was set to be directed by Wes Craven, before he dropped out in order to begin work on “New Nightmare.” Rodriguez stepped up in his place and made a fun film that continues to find new audiences decades later.
While set in Texas, most of the film was shot in Whittier, California. The downstairs club where Dude Delaney, played by David Arquette, meets up with Donna, played by Salma Hayek, can be found on Greenleaf Ave in Whittier. The location pops up numerous times over the course of the film. While located on a busy shopping strip, the property currently sits vacant.
LOCATION: 6745 Greenleaf Ave, Whittier, CA 90601
The theater where Dude and Donna pick up Nixer, played by John Hawkes, is the Whittier Village Cinemas, located just up the road. Over twenty years later, the theater is still going strong.
LOCATION: 7038 Greenleaf Ave, Whittier, CA 90602
The theater pops up again later in the film when trio watch the 1956 version of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” featuring a cameo from original film star Kevin McCarthey.
Teddy Leather, played by Jason Wiles, rolls up with his crew next to Dude’s car in front of the Nixon Plaza. Dude flicks his cigarette butt, which lands in the hair of the girl in the back seat. Indicative of Rodriguez’s run and gun style of his early career, the same location was used again later in the film, when Teddy’s crew toss beer bottles at Dude.
LOCATION: 13002 Philadelphia St, Whittier, CA 90601
The two cars drag race down Philadelphia St.
LOCATION: Philadelphia St / Greenleaf Ave, Whittier, CA 90601
Donna’s house can be found just across the street from the Whittier Central Park, another location that pops up later in the film.
LOCATION: 6543 Washington Ave, Whittier, CA 90601
The roller rink where Dude greases his hair and spreads it across the floor of the rink was the former Fiesta Roller Rink in San Gabriel. The roller rink closed back in 2003. Some other businesses have since come and gone, but the building currently sits empty.
LOCATION: 136 S San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776
Here’s a look inside.
Dude’s house, which has been slightly remodeled, can be found back in Whittier.
LOCATION: 5919 Redman Ave, Whittier, CA 90606
Along the curb in front of his house, Dude backs his car into the police car of Sarge, played by William Sadler.
As Donna and her friend walk beside Whittier Central Park, Teddy Leather’s crew approaches along Bailey St and Teddy forces himself on Donna. The same area was used again in a later scene, where Sarge gives Teddy a gun.
LOCATION: Near the intersection of Bailey St / Washington Ave, Whittier, CA 90601
Dude and Donna sit on the steps of this gazebo, located at Whittier Central Park.
LOCATION: Central Park, Whittier, CA 90601
Teddy’s crew walks down these steps and challenge Dude.
The final confrontation between Dude and Teddy takes place across from the former Los Portales Mexican restaurant.
LOCATION: 13033 Philadelphia St, Whittier, CA 90601
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The beloved 1993 baseball comedy “The Sandlot” was filmed mostly around Salt Lake City, Utah. The open and close of the film, however, was shot at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
LOCATION: 1000 Vin Scully Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The houses of Smalls, Benny and Ham are all located next to each other in a cul-de-sac in Salt Lake City. The Smalls house can be seen here.
LOCATION: 1556 S 2000 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
Benny’s house is just across the street.
LOCATION: 1571 S 2000 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
Ham’s house is just a couple doors down from Smalls.
LOCATION: 2005 Bryan Ave S, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
The boys can be seen walking in front of the houses here.
Over in the town of Midvale, you’ll find Vincent Drug, where the boys purchased their baseballs. Vincent Drug has long since closed, but the signage and decor largely remain in tact. The trees out front have grown considerably since filming took place, so it’s a bit difficult to see from across the street.
LOCATION: 7696 Main St W, Midvale, UT 84047
Here’s a better view of the front of the store, where Squints and Yeah-Yeah walk out and see Wendy Peffercorn walking down the sidewalk.
Here is the sidewalk where Wendy approaches.
An additional scene was also shot at the back of the store. The boys sit in front of the wall to the right, talking about Babe Ruth.
The Sandlot itself is unfortunately inaccessible to the public. It sits in a quiet neighborhood, tucked away behind a block of houses. The owner of the land lives in one of the houses and according to comments online, he is not welcoming to guests. There are one or two spots where there are gaps between the houses, where just a small section of the land can be seen, such as this.
LOCATION: The land behind 1388 Glenrose Dr S, Salt Lake City, UT 84104
About 45 minutes north of Salt Lake City, in the town of Ogden, you’ll find the swimming pool from the movie. The Lorin Farr Community Pool is where Squints fakes drowning in order to steal a kiss from Wendy Peffercorn when she attempts to administer mouth to mouth. While you’re in Ogden, be sure to check out the Dante’s Inferno restaurant location from “Dumb And Dumber.”
LOCATION: 1691 Gramercy Ave, Ogden, UT 84404
As the boys are thrown out, they get escorted through this exit on the opposite side of the pool. There’s a river running right next to the path. It’s a beautiful area if you have extra time to walk around.
Squints stands in front of this fence and catches one last look at Wendy.
Some kids challenge the boys to a baseball game, which was filmed at Riverside Park in Salt Lake City.
LOCATION: 739 N 1400 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
