Will Ferrell drives this Wonder Bread race car in “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” The car can be seen on display at the Sony Pictures Studio Tour in Culver City, California.
Ricky Bobby’s racing uniform can also be seen on the tour.
LOCATION: 10202 W Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
The 2006 film “Little Miss Sunshine” was primarily filmed in Southern California. In the film, this hotel, supposedly located in Scottsdale, Arizona, is where Richard Hoover, played by Greg Kinnear, comes to confront Stan Grossman, played by Bryan Cranston. The real hotel is actually located in Valencia, California. The same hotel appeared in the films “Twilight” and “Magnolia” (interiors only), as well as numerous TV shows, including “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “CSI: New York,” “NCIS,” “Big Love,” “Las Vegas,” The Unit,” “Make It or Break It” and more.
LOCATION: 24500 Town Center Dr, Valencia, CA 91355
This Volkswagen van was one of five used in the film. It can be found on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California.
LOCATION: Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
On the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, you can find these props and costumes from the film “Gravity.” First is one of the original capsules used in the film.
Here is one of the light boxes from the film, which was used to perfectly simulate light, shadow and reflection in a way unobtainable via traditional green screen.
LOCATION: 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505
Located blocks from the famous Haight-Ashbury intersection of San Francisco sits one of the most famous houses in the city, most commonly known as the Grateful Dead house. First used by the band’s management, who also managed the house, they slowly started inviting members of the band to live at the house. The Grateful Dead resided there from 1965 until 1968, including the famous “Summer of Love.” There are many famous tales of the Dead at this house, such as member Bob Weir getting in trouble with the police for tossing water balloons from the roof. One of the most famous photos of the band was also taken by Rolling Stone Magazine on the front stairs of the house. Today it remains a major tourist destination, attracting dozens of daily visitors as an important piece of San Francisco history.
LOCATION: 710 Ashbury St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Many people have taken tours of the Hollywood film studios, such as Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, etc. However, many other countries offer tours around their studios and backlots as well. Here we’ll take a look at Namyangju Film Studio in South Korea, located in Gyeonggi-do, about an hour outside of Seoul.
LOCATION: Namyangju Film Studio, 138, Bukhangang-ro 855beon-gil, Joan-myeon, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
The road to the studio. You can find bus rides from Seoul that will take you straight to the studio.
Inside this building is the studio and several exhibits. You can go above this building to the outdoor grounds where many sets stand.
The reverse view from atop of the same building, which is pretty spectacular. As you can see, the studio is tucked away in the Korean countryside, far away from the city lights.
One of the most internationally famous films to shoot at the studio was Chan-Wook Park’s “Joint Security Area.”
The production built an entire, full scale recreation of the Joint Security Area, a highly militarized section of the border between North and South Korea, intended to hold discussions between the two sides. Obviously filming a movie in the real J.S.A. would not be possible. Even though the Chan-Wook Park film was completed decades ago, to this day, the set on Namyangji remains the go-to spot for pretty much all South Korean productions looking to film scenes set in the J.S.A. We did a separate article on this particular set here.
A tank and some military vehicles from the 2015 film “The Long Way Home” (a.k.a. “Seoboojeonsun”).
A full scale ship from the 2014 film “Pirates” (a.k.a. “Hae-jeok: Ba-da-ro gan san-jeok”).
There is also a set for an entire old, traditional Korean village at the studio, but it was being used for filming the day of our visit, so unfortunately our views of this area were limited.
Some train cars.
Some interesting paintings along the walls as you head into the interior portions of the studio.
This contraption was sitting outside of the studio.
A rope bridge in front of a blue screen, where visitors can simulate crossing a treacherous passing.
Some film costumes. The military costumes to the left are from the 2007 film “May 18” (a.k.a. “Hwa-ryeo-han-hyoo-ga”), while the costume on the right is from the 2007 film “Hanbando.”
Some excellent models and miniatures.
This photo does not do justice to how beautiful and intricate this miniature shipwrecked city is.
The prop room.
Some props and costumes from old Korean films.
Some old Korean awards and honors.
If you’re a film lover and find yourself in South Korea, it’s worth taking a visit out to Namyangji Film Studio. We of course realize most people reading this will likely never make it out there, so we hope this post is the next best thing.
This 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi was the actual car driven by Tom Selleck during the 1982 – 1983 season of the hit television series, “Magnum P.I.” Set around the adventures of a Hawaii based detective, the car was typically filmed without the roof panel, in order to allow the cameras to film the action inside the car. The car was also modified to fit Tom Selleck’s large, 6’4″ frame, by relocating the seat rails and removing the filler from the bottom seat cushion.
The car can be found on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California, alongside several other iconic movie and television vehicles.
LOCATION: Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
After Mohandas Gandhi was tragically assassinated in his native India, his ashes were scattered throughout the rivers and seas of India, save for a small portion that made their way to Southern California. At the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, you can find a shrine dedicated to Gandhi. The Self-Realization Fellowship was founded by Paramahansa Yogananda, a longtime admirer of Gandhi. His friend, a publisher and journalist from India, named Dr. V.M. Nawle, sent Yogananda the ashes. Yogananda had the ashes encased in a thousand-year-old stone sarcophagus from China, which cannot be opened without breaking it. The shrine is free of charge to visit and exists as the only place in the world, outside of India, to contain some of Gandhi’s remains.
LOCATION: 17190 Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
The house where singer Marvin Gaye’s life tragically ended can be found in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Gaye was living with his family in the home and on the afternoon of April 1, 1984, intervened in an argument between his parents. The situation escalated and became physical between Marvin and his father, Marvin Gay Sr., who fatally shot his son. Gaye passed away one day before his 45th birthday.
LOCATION: 2101 S Gramercy Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90018
Primm, Nevada might not be the first place you’d think of to find the death car of the infamous American outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, yet a casino right along the California / Nevada border is where you’ll find it.
The car was originally stolen by Bonnie and Clyde and used in a series of crimes. After being lured into an ambush in rural Louisiana, police littered the car with bullets, killing the couple and sending the car into infamy. The car began a long, strange life after that, circulating around state fairs, carnivals and amusement parks for decades. For a time, it made it’s way into museums in Massachusetts and Nevada, before later making it’s way into a couple different casinos in Nevada.
Many replicas of the car also exist around the country, as well as the car from the 1967 film, starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. This caused a fair amount of confusion as to the location and authenticity of the car for a time. The real car can now be found at Whisky Pete’s Casino in Primm, Nevada, placed right on the casino floor.
LOCATION: 100 W Primm Blvd, Primm, NV 89019
The entire car is littered with bullet holes, particularly the driver’s side door where Clyde drove.
Even the back of the car has bullet holes in it.
Accompanying the car is a display with news articles about the killing, death certificates and a certificate of authenticity for the car.
Clyde’s shredded shirt he wore at the time of his death is also on display. This too is the authentic shirt.
While there is something strange about the car being on display on a casino floor, it is nevertheless an interesting exhibit if you find yourself near the Nevada border. Located right next to the Bonnie and Clyde car is another vehicle, once belonging to mobster Dutch Schultz.
While Anaheim is primarily known as the home of Disneyland, another big piece of the city’s pop culture legacy is the rock band No Doubt. The former Stefani house on Beacon Avenue in Anaheim plays a major role in the band’s history. After their formation, No Doubt regularly practiced in the garage of this house. When they finally found their breakthrough hit, “Just A Girl,” the house was seen in the music video (the neighbor’s house to the left could be seen as well), as Gwen Stefani sings in the driveway. The band even named their record label Beacon Street Records, as well as naming one of their albums “The Beacon Street Collection,” all in reference to their beginnings at this home. A shot of the band in the driveway can be seen on the back cover of the album.
LOCATION: 1173 W Beacon Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802
Film Oblivion 