The 1991 comedy “Drop Dead Fred,” starring Phoebe Cates and Rik Mayall, was filmed in Minnesota. In the film, Elizabeth, played by Cates, lives at this home, located in Minneapolis.
LOCATION: 2018 Humboldt Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55405
The 2001 comedy “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” starring Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, was primarily filmed in Southern California, with some additional footage shot in Smith’s home state of New Jersey. The film opens in 1970s Leonardo, New Jersey at the Quick Stop Groceries, where Jay and Silent Bob are shown as babies sitting outside the store in strollers. The location is of course famous among Smith fans as the primary location of his debut film, “Clerks.”
LOCATION: 58 Leonard Ave, Leonardo, NJ 07737
As the story jumps to present day, the original characters from “Clerks,” Dante and Randall, played by Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson, talk inside at the counter. Randall decides to call the police on Jay and Silent Bob, to get rid of them loitering outside.
Jay and Silent Bob stand next to the RST Video, where they appear in many of Smith’s other films.
LOCATION: 60 Leonard Ave, Leonardo, NJ 07737
Brodie’s Secret Stash, a fictional take on Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash” was filmed at the real store, formerly located at 35 Broad St, Red Bank, NJ 07701. It has since relocated to a bigger space down the road at 65 Broad St, Red Bank, NJ 07701.
The Mooby’s restaurant seen in the film now sits vacant in North Hollywood. This same location was used as Pig Burgers in “Better Off Dead.” Here Jay meets Justice, played by Shannon Elizabeth, and he and Silent Bob join up with her friends, who turn out to be diamond thieves.
LOCATION: 6223 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606
Justice and her accomplices stop at this liquor store in Winnetka, where Jay and Silent Bob try to stand out front, but can’t get comfortable leaning on the glass windows. The same liquor store also appeared in the film “Magnolia” and The Smashing Pumpkins’ music video for “1979.”
LOCATION: 20001 Roscoe Blvd, Winnetka, CA 91306
The women set up Jay and Silent Bob as patsies, sending them on a mission to rescue a monkey from a testing lab, while they actually stage a diamond heist. These scenes were filmed in Valencia, California.
LOCATION: 27220 Turnberry Ln, Valencia, CA 91355
This area is where the science lab entrance was located.
To the right is where the Diamond Exchange entrance was located.
The Arena Diner, where Jay and Silent Bob escape police, was filmed at the famous Vasquez Rocks. One of the most popular filming locations in all of California, the iconic rocks have appeared in such films as “The Flintstones,” “Dante’s Peak,” “Jingle All The Way,” “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “Starship Troopers,” “Hail, Caesar!,” “Blazing Saddles,” “In The Army Now,” “Paul” and dozens more. Television shows which featured Vasquez Rocks in episodes include “The Fugitive,” “The A-Team,” “MacGuyver” and perhaps most famous of all, the original “Star Trek” series, where the rocks were seen in numerous episodes, serving as multiple different planets. The rocks have also been seen in music videos for Michael Jackson, Radiohead, 311 and many more, as well as countless commercials.
LOCATION: 10700 Escondido Canyon Rd, Agua Dulce, CA 91350
The building where Jay and Silent Bob run into Pumpkin Escobar, a fellow unionized drug dealer played by Tracy Morgan, was formerly located at 1557 N El Centro Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028. It has since been demolished and a parking lot stands in its place.
E! News does a story in front of Mirimax Studios, which does not actually have a real studio lot. The scenes were filmed at the CBS Studio Center in Studio City. The film’s studio lot scenes were all shot here as well.
LOCATION: 4024 Radford Ave, Studio City, CA 91604
At the end of the movie, numerous characters from Smith’s past films are seen coming out of the El Rey Theatre, which is depicted as a movie theater. Jay then invites everyone to the concert “across the street.” The El Rey is in fact a live music venue, not a movie theater, and the closing performance by Morris Day & The Time was filmed inside the same location. The venue also appeared in the films “Night Of The Comet” and “License To Drive.”
LOCATION: 5515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Related articles: Clerks (1994), Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jersey Girl (2004), Clerks II (2006), Zack And Miri Make A Porno (2008), Red State (2011), Yoga Hosers (2016), Jay And Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
The 1989 romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally…” was filmed in New York City, Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. After driving across the country together, Sally, played by Meg Ryan, drops off Harry, played by Billy Crystal in front of Washington Square Park in New York City. The park has been seen in countless films, including “Kids,” “Chasing Amy,” “I Am Legend,” “Ghostbusters II,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” “Serpico” and many more.
LOCATION: Washington Square, New York, NY 10012
The most famous scene in in the film is of course when Sally fakes an orgasm for Harry while sitting in the middle of a deli. The deli in question would be Katz’s Delicatessen, located in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Opened in 1888, the deli is wildly popular for it’s sandwiches, consistently ranking among the highest rated in New York City. The restaurant has been seen in many films, including “Enchanted,” “Across The Universe,” “Donnie Brasco,” “We Own the Night” and many more, but it remains most synonymous with “When Harry Met Sally…”
LOCATION: 205 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002
This plaque can be found on the sidewalk in front of the building.
The inside still heavily resembles how it appeared in the film. The walls are completely covered with photos of endless celebrities who have visited over the years. Here is a shot of the backdrop behind Harry and Sally’s table.
Here is the exact spot where Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal filmed their famous scene.
The deli makes the table quite easy to identify by hanging this sign above it, which references the scene’s famous punchline, stating, “Where Harry met Sally… Hope you have what she had! Enjoy!”
If you find yourself in Manhattan and you’re looking for a good sandwich, you can’t go wrong with Katz’s. The prices aren’t cheap, but the portions are large and the deli itself is just as much of an attraction as the food itself.
The 1989 Joe Dante film “The ‘Burbs” is set in the fictional town of Hinkley Hills, which, judging by the opening zoom, would place it somewhere in Iowa. The story unfolds on Mayfield Place, a cul-de-sac road in Hinkley Hills. In reality, the entire neighborhood was a facade, filmed on a studio backlot.
Known as Colonial Street at Universal Studios, the houses and streets have changed significantly over the years. Once used for television classics such as “The Munsters” and “Leave It To Beaver,” the neighborhood was significantly remodeled in 1988 for the production of “The ‘Burbs.”
In the years that followed, as new productions came along, the neighborhood and the homes began to resemble the film less and less. Some houses were relocated, others heavily redesigned, while others still were demolished altogether. Eventually the neighborhood became known as Wisteria Lane on the TV drama “Desperate Housewives.”
To complicate matters further, several of the houses in “The ‘Burbs” were deliberately shot in close-ups, rarely seen in wide shots. Combined with all of the changes over the years, it makes piecing the neighborhood back together a difficult endeavor.
The centerpiece of the film is of course the Klopek house, which is owned by a creepy family that rarely shows themselves, much to the intrigue of all of the surrounding neighbors. Sadly, the home no longer exists. Portions, however, were said to have been reused and incorporated in the design of this house, which later became Bree Van de Kamp’s house on “Desperate Housewives.”
LOCATION: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608
The Peterson house, where Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher live, was also unfortunately demolished and replaced with a different facade.
The house that most closely resembles how it appeared in the film is that of Walter, the old man with the small, white dog. Aside from a paint job and some stairs being added, the house looks pretty much the same.
Ricky Butler, played by Corey Feldman, lives at this house, which was once the home used for “The Munsters,” though it has since been heavily remodeled from how it appeared on the TV series. Likely looking to avoid comparisons to the show, this house was only ever seen in close-up shots of the porch in “The ‘Burbs.”
Colonial Street can be seen as part of the Universal Studios Hollywood Tour and even though the neighborhood has significantly changed and continues to change, movie and television lovers are still sure to appreciate a look around the historic, fictional neighborhood.
Related articles: Matinee (1993), Small Soldiers (1998)
Film Oblivion 