Body Double (1984)

February 25, 2023February 26, 2023 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1984 Brian De Palma film “Body Double” was shot in Southern California. Early in the film, Jake Scully, played by Craig Wasson, can be seen grabbing some food from the Tail O’ The Pup hot dog stand. The hot dog shaped site was originally located on La Cienega Blvd. At risk for demolition, it was relocated to San Vicente Blvd in the mid-80s, which is where the film shot its scenes. The business then closed in 2005 and the stand was put in storage until 2022, when it finally reopened in West Hollywood. The iconic stand has appeared in countless films, such as “L.A. Story,” “Annie Hall,” “Ruthless People,” “My Girl 2,” “Heartbreaker” and more.

LOCATION: 8512 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069 (previously located at 329 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048 at the time of filming, originally located at 311 La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211)

Jake Scully lives at this building, located near the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles.

LOCATION: 322 N Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Jake gets a drink at the bar of Barney’s Beanery, another iconic Los Angeles relic, located in West Hollywood. The location appeared in the films “The Doors,” “Stuck On You,” “Out of Bounds” and more. It is perhaps most famous for its celebrity clientele. There are long standing, alleged stories that Jim Morrison was once kicked out for urinating on the bar and that Quentin Tarantino wrote portions of “Pulp Fiction” there.

LOCATION: 8447 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Jake stays on a friend’s couch at the Hollywood Tower Apartments.

LOCATION: 6200 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Jake is seen searching jobs at the The Original Farmer’s Market in Fairfax.

LOCATION: 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Jake meets Sam, played by Gregg Henry, at an acting class formerly located at 8451 Melrose Pl, West Hollywood, CA 90069. The building has since been demolished.

Sam invites Jake to the home of his rich friend, where he is house sitting. These scenes were filmed at the Chemosphere; a famous modernist house designed by John Lautner in the Hollywood Hills. The home has also appeared in the films “Charlie’s Angels” and “Tomorrowland,” as well as the TV show “The Outer Limits” Only the exteriors were seen in the film, the interiors were built on a studio stage.

LOCATION: 7776 Torreyson Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Sam shows Jake the home of Gloria, played by Deborah Shelton, through the window with a telescope. In the film, the house is depicted as being in direct site from the Chemosphere house, but in reality it is located over five miles away in West Hollywood.

LOCATION: 1405 Miller Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90069

The front gate of Gloria’s home is a different location altogether, located near Los Feliz.

LOCATION: 4733 Cromwell Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Jake parks in this area.

In the distance he sees a mysterious man apparently stalking Gloria.

Jake follows Gloria and the man over to Beverly Hills, to the Rodeo Collecting shopping plaza, which had newly opened at the time of filming. The entrance seen in the film is still there, but a building has since been built atop it.

LOCATION: 421 N Rodeo Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Here is the area where Jake follows Gloria up the escalator.

Jake stands outside of this storefront and watches Gloria.

Jake continues following Gloria over to a beachfront motel in Long Beach. Gloria is first seen here talking at the lobby area, facing 11th Pl.

LOCATION: 1700 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802 (S 11th Pl)

She then walks down 11th Pl to where it dead ends.

Gloria and Jake are seen walking down the stairs on the left. The building is no longer a motel and is now residential apartment units. The stairs have a gate and it is only accessible to tenants. There is a public stairway just to the right, however.

LOCATION: 33 S 11th Pl, Long Beach, CA 90802

Jake then continues to follow Gloria to the Bixby Passageway Tunnel Mural, located just a short distance away in Long Beach, near the public parking lot on Junipero Ave. While the tunnel itself has since permantenly closed and is now sealed off, the mural itself remains there.

LOCATION: 19 Junipero Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802 (GPS coordinates: 33°45’49.0″N, 118°10’05.2″W)

The Frankie Goes to Hollywood night club scenes were filmed in Downtown Los Angeles, in what is now a shoe store. The 1985 horror film “Fright Night” was also filmed here.

LOCATION: 1600 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

The film’s climax was shot at the Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades in Sylmar. While the area is fenced off and not accesible to the public, it can still be easily seen from the road. It is also easily seen from the nearby Interstate 5 freeway, where many Southern California motorists will probably recognize it as a familiar sight.

LOCATION: Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades, Sylmar, CA 91342 (near the intersection of Balboa Blvd / Foothill Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91342)

Related articles: Carrie (1976), Scarface (1983)

Carrie (1976)

February 13, 2023February 26, 2023 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1976 horror classic “Carrie,” directed by Brian De Palma, was filmed in Southern California. Early in the film, Carrie, played by Sissy Spacek, is seen walking home from school along E Santa Paula St toward N 6th St in Santa Paula, California. Most of the trees lining the street have since been removed.

LOCATION: N 6th St / E Santa Paula St, Santa Paula, CA 93060

A boy riding a bicycle begins to tease Carrie when she uses her telekinetic powers to knock the boy off his bike.

The home of Sue Snell, played by Amy Irving, could be found in Pacific Palisades. However, it has since been heavily remodeled and no longer appears anything like how it did in the film.

LOCATION: 773 Amalfi Dr, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 (heavily remodeled)

Carrie’s house has likewise long since been demolished. It could be found in Santa Paulo. The house next door, which could be seen in the background of some shots, still matches up.

LOCATION: 122 N 7th St, Santa Paula, CA 93060 (now demolished)

Later in the film, Tommy, played by William Katt, is seen approaching from here as he arrived to pick up Carrie.

Several of the high school scenes were filmed at Palisades High School. The girls are seen playing volleyball on the basketball courts. The same school was used in the 2003 remake of “Freaky Friday” and the TV series “Saved By The Bell,” as well as many more productions.

LOCATION: 15777 Bowdoin St, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

The girls are also seen out on the football field of Palisades High School.

Later in the film, Carrie’s classmates play a horrific prank on her as they head to a slaughterhouse to collect some pig’s blood. These scenes were filmed in the city of Vernon. The same building and mural appears in “Zabriskie Point” and the 1977 film “Angel City.”

LOCATION: 3049 E Vernon Ave, Vernon, CA 90058 (near the intersection of Bandini Blvd / S Soto St)

The murals have since changed a bit, so these are approximations of the areas seen in the film.

A second high school was used for the scene where Freddy, played by Michael Talbott, asks to join the prom committee. This scene was filmed in San Fernando.

LOCATION: 576 N Maclay Ave, San Fernando, CA 91340

Carrie is seen entering a drug store, which can be found in Santa Paula.

LOCATION: 910 E Main St, Santa Paula, CA 93060

The boys stop in the building next door to rent some tuxedos.

LOCATION: 910 E Main St, Santa Paula, CA 93060

The exterior gym scenes were filmed at the Hermosa Beach Community Center. While a few brief shots of the interior are seen in the film, all of the interior prom scenes were filmed on a set at Culver Studios (9336 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232).

LOCATION: 710 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

Carrie tells Miss Collins, played by Betty Buckley, that she has been invited to prom.

The iconic shot of Carrie leaving as the gym is engulfed in flames was filmed here at the Hermosa Beach Community Center.

Related articles: Scarface (1983), Body Double (1984)

Scarface (1983)

March 1, 2021February 26, 2023 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1983 Brian De Palma film “Scarface,” starring Al Pacino, is set in the underworld of Miami, telling the story of the rise and fall of Tony Montana. While Miami was used for several locations, Los Angeles also stood in for the city for quite a bit of the film, due to the fact that the Miami Tourist Board declined the producers several filming requests, fearing the subject matter would deter tourism. Some later scenes in the film were also shot in New York.

When they first arrive in Miami by way of Cuba, Tony Montana, played by Pacino, stays in a detention center with his friend Manny Ribera, played by Steven Bauer. The detention center scenes were filmed under the I-10 Freeway, near the I-110 interchange in Los Angeles. In the film, Tony and Manny are mostly seen beneath the Eastbound lanes, near W 17th St and Georgia St. However, that area is within a fenced off, gated parking lot. The Westbound lanes on the opposite side, while not seen from that angle in the film, run over Venice Blvd and offer a bit easier photography and general view of the area. This area is located very close to the opening robbery scene from “Heat.”

LOCATION: Beneath I-10, near W 17th St & Georgia St, Los Angeles, CA 90015 (GPS coordinates: 34.037791, -118.273057)

As Tony and Manny arrive in Miami Beach for a drug deal, the pull up next to “The Carlyle.” The same hotel was famously featured in the film “The Birdcage,” as well as the TV shows “The Golden Palace” and “Miami Vice.”

LOCATION: 1250 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139

On the same street is the location of the infamous hotel where Tony’s drug deal goes bad and one of his crew is killed with a chainsaw. The building has since been remodeled and is now a drug store. However, the facade out front, as well as the staircase, remain in tact.

LOCATION: 728 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139

The drug deal takes place on the top floor.

This sign is posted at the front of the building to the right of the stairs, noting it as the filming location. There are also a few photos from the film inside, behind the cash registers.

Here is the area across the street where Manny waits.

The violence spills out onto the streets as Tony executes the man with the chainsaw in front of the hotel next door.

LOCATION: 720 Ocean Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Tony meets with drug kingpin Alejandro Sosa at his home in Bolivia. The real location is actually in Montecito, California. The house sits far back from the road and is not visible from the street. This estate is located just minutes away from Tony’s mansion in the film.

LOCATION: 656 Park Ln, Montecito, CA 93108

Frank Lopez, played by Robert Loggia, owns this auto dealership, where he yells at Tony for making a deal without consulting him beforehand.

LOCATION: 8825 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

As he rises in power, a montage is shown of Tony expanding his empire. He and his crew deposit large amounts of money at this bank, located in Encino.

LOCATION: 16000 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91436

Tony is shown emerging from this building, which has the name “Montana Management Co.” in the film. The building can be found in West Hollywood, California.

LOCATION: 8623 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

This building has the name “Montana Travel Co.” in the film. It is located directly across the street from the above location. Despite the addresses on Sunset Blvd, both buildings actually face Sunset Plaza Dr. This same area has also been featured in the films “Armed and Dangerous” and “Model Shop.”

LOCATION: 8619 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

In the same montage, Tony is seen opening a beauty salon for his sister Gina, played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. This is again located next to the above two locations in West Hollywood, on the opposite side of the street on Sunset Blvd. All three locations are in very close proximity to one another.

LOCATION: 8648 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

The exterior used as Tony Montana’s house can be found in Montecito, California, near Santa Barbara. Tony marries Elvira, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, at the home, which added a second story facade for the production. Known as El Fureidis, the property sits far back from the road and is not visible from the street. Many Miami-based tour guides tell tourists the home is located in Miami, which is incorrect. El Fureidis hosts over 100 species of palm trees and is famous for being the source of the rare species of palm trees found in Disneyland’s Adventureland and Jungle Cruise ride. Walt Disney, Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy and Winston Churchill are among the many famous guests said to have visited the estate.