On the legal comedy-drama series “Ally McBeal,” which ran from 1997 until 2002, the lead character, played by Calista Flockheart, worked on the 7th floor at the fictional Boston law firm Cage And Fish. The real building can be found in Boston, but it is actually home to the Congressional Library and Archives.
LOCATION: 14 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108
In Robert Zemeckis’ 1992 black comedy “Death Becomes Her,” Madeline, played by Meryl Streep and Ernest, played by Bruce Willis, live at this estate in San Marino, California. Later in the film, Helen, played by Goldie Hawn, pays the couple a visit with sinister plans. The same home can be seen in the film “The Last Boy Scout.”
LOCATION: 1125 Oak Grove Ave, San Marino, CA 91108
The funeral home seen in the film is actually the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. Ernest does reconstructive work on bodies in what is actually the kitchen. The mansion is owned by the City of Beverly Hills and frequently hosts productions. The building has been used in countless films. This room alone has also been seen in “Spider-Man 3,” “The Bodyguard,” “The Loved One” and “The Witches Of Eastwick.” While the exterior grounds of the mansion are open the the public, the interior usually is not. However, once or twice a year, the city does allow the public access inside. It is one of our most highly recommended places if you’re a movie fan and can manage to get on one of these self-guided tours. Short of a film studio, you’ll be hard pressed to find another place with so many film locations.
LOCATION: 905 Loma Vista Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210
At the end of the film, the story jumps ahead several decades as Madeline and Helen attend a funeral. After they leave, the two fall down these stairs. The exterior scenes were filmed at Mary Chapel on the Chalon Campus of Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles, while the interior scenes were filmed at St James Episcopal Church (3903 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010).
LOCATION: 12001 Chalon Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90049
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“Benson,” a spin-off of the television series “Soap,” about a butler becoming the Governor’s “Director of Household Affairs,” ran from 1979 until 1986. The Governor’s house from the show can be found perched atop a hill in Pasadena, California and is much larger than you might expect. The same house was featured on an episode of the TV series “GLOW,” as well as in the films “American Gigolo” and “Monster-In-Law.”
LOCATION: 1365 S Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
The 2005 Steven Spielberg remake “War Of The Worlds,” starring Tom Cruise, was filmed in New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Connecticut and California. The home of Ray Ferrier, played by Cruise, can be found in Bayonne, New Jersey.
LOCATION: 11 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Bayonne, NJ 07002
Ray is seen driving past the Bayonne Bridge on his way home, which runs right beside the house.
In one scene, Ray stands in the street in front of his home and notices a disturbance in the sky.
On the Universal Studios Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood, you can see the plane crash set from the film. It is a very intricate set, with lots of full-scale, realistic wreckage. Cars, ambulances and even an actual, out of use, Boeing 747 were all used for film. Universal made it an interactive exhibition, with fires and smoke as you pass through.
LOCATION: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608
One tip for those perhaps not interested in paying the full price for admission into Universal Studios Hollywood, this set can actually be seen free of charge from a hilltop behind the studio. Just head up to the 3400 block of Blair Dr in Los Angeles for a view of the crash set. It’s obviously not as good as viewing it up close from ground level, but if you’ve got some time to spare, it’s still an interesting sight.
LOCATION: 3400 block of Blair Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068
Just a few miles from the Las Vegas Strip, you’ll find the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, also known as the “Pawn Stars” shop from the hit TV series. The shop is open 24 hours, with security always posted at the front entrance. Depending on the level of business at a given time, the staff will sometimes form a line outside for visitors to enter if it becomes too crowded inside.
LOCATION: 713 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Video inside the store is strictly forbidden. However, photography is permitted. Here is the famous sales counter from the show.
Pieces from the oval office set of the television series “The West Wing” can be found on the Warner Bros. lot as part of their studio tour.
LOCATION: 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505
Some props from the show are also on display on the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. Here is C.J Cregg’s fishbowl and President Jed Bartlet’s campaign napkin.
In the early 1990s, in an effort to capitalize on the popularity of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” Aaron Spelling’s production company introduced a second series into the 90210 universe, known as “Melrose Place.” The show inhabited the same universe, with characters overlapping for special guest appearances. The original series ran from 1992 to 1999.
The famous apartment building from the show was supposedly located at 4616 Melrose Place in Los Angeles. It turned out the producers made just a minor change to the real apartment’s address, which is located at 4616 Greenwood Place, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. The building is known as the El Pueblo Apartments. There is also a real Melrose Place in West Hollywood, but you won’t find much there besides some commercial businesses on a short street.
As for the courtyard and interiors seen in the show, those were filmed on a sound stage. There is no pool at the actual El Pueblo location and if you head past the front gates, you’ll quickly realize the rest of the building bears little resemblance to the show.
LOCATION: 4616 Greenwood Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90027
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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
Despite being famously set in Boston, Massachusetts, much of the 1997 film “Good Will Hunting” actually filmed in Toronto, Canada. The film brought home Oscar gold for screenwriters Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, as well as Robin Williams. Despite heavily filming in Toronto, some scenes were indeed filmed in Boston, including several of the film’s most well-known locations.
Will, played by Matt Damon, and Chuckie, played by Ben Affleck, hang out at the L Street Tavern in South Boston.
LOCATION: 658 E 8th St, Boston, MA 02127
They even keep a sign on the side of the building, calling it the “Home of Good Will Hunting.”
Over at Harvard Square in Cambridge, north of Boston, you’ll find where a couple memorable locations from the film formerly stood, right across the street from Harvard University. However, it gets confusing due to some remodeling that took place after filming. The Bow and Arrow Pub is where, after obtaining Skyler’s phone number and spotting a rival grad student, Will walks up to the window and delivers his famous “How do you like them apples?” line.
In the film, the scene was at the storefront of a Dunkin Donuts. After the remodel, the Dunkin Donuts relocated over to the left side, down Bow St, before eventually closing it’s doors for good. However, the location on the left, which is currently a ramen restaurant, was not the original filming location. You can see the actors standing next to Massachusetts Ave in the scene, confirming the geography of the original site. Thanks to reader “Little P” for helping clarify this.
LOCATION: 1230 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
In the same general area is where the former Bow and Arrow Pub stood, which is where Will first meets Skylar. It’s also where he has the confrontation with an arrogant, pony-tailed grad student later seen at the Dunkin Donuts. It was formerly located a bit further down Bow St, prior to the property being remodeled. It was likewise taken over as the back portion of the Grafton Pub, while the front portion changed into a separate storefront.
LOCATION: 1 Bow St, Cambridge, MA 02138
The famous bench where Will sits with Sean, played by Robin Williams, can be found at the Boston Public Garden. Surprisingly, the bench is not marked in any way as being the spot from the film. If you’re unfamiliar with the garden park, it may take you a bit to find it, but it’s a popular spot and sometimes you can spot it simply by watching for others taking photos there. To get to the bench, follow the lakeside path north from the west end of the bridge. If you’re at the bridge, you would go down the small set of stairs to reach it. Behind the bench, you’ll see an intersection of paths and a tree with a branch forming a “v” shape. In front of the bench, you’ll see the below view, with the curving edge along the water and the tree in the distance.
LOCATION: Boston Public Garden, Boston, MA 02116
One of the more well-known filming locations in Los Angeles is the house from Wes Craven’s 1984 horror classic, “A Nightmare On Elm Street.” The house can be found, not on Elm Street, but a road just off of Hollywood Blvd, called Genesee Ave.
The house of Nancy Thompson, played by Heather Langenkamp, it a fairly popular spot and receives a regular stream of visitors and fans of the films.
LOCATION: 1428 N Genesee Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Just across the street, you’ll find the house of Glen Lantz, played by a young Johnny Depp.
LOCATION: 1419 N Genesee Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
The high school seen in the film is John Marshall High School. A regular location in film and television, it has also appeared in such movies as “Rebel Without A Cause,” “Pretty In Pink,” “Can’t Hardly Wait,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Bachelor Party,” “Grosse Pointe Blank,” “Grease” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” as well as such TV shows as “Boy Meets World,” “Boston Public” and many more. It was even used in the Van Halen music video for “Hot For Teacher.”
LOCATION: 3939 Tracy St, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Tina Gray’s house can be found in Venice.
LOCATION: 620 Milwood Ave, Venice, CA 90291
In the alley behind Tina’s house, you’d find the location where Freddy chases her.
LOCATION: Milwood Ct / Electric Ct, Venice, CA 90291
The cemetery seen in the film is Evergreen Cemetery, in particular the Ivy Chapel, which is located near the back of the grounds. The cemetery closes early, so if you’d like to see it, don’t plan for an evening visit.
LOCATION: 204 N Evergreen Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033
The bridge where Nancy and Glen discuss dreams can be found at the Venice Canals near Venice Beach. The bridge they stand on connects Linnie Canal to Court C. The same bridge is seen in the Oliver Stone film “The Doors,” as well as “The Little Rascals.”
LOCATION: The bridge between Linnie Canal / Court C, Venice, CA 90291 (GPS coordinates: 33.985319, -118.464566)
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Film Oblivion 