In the 1981 Frank Perry film “Mommie Dearest,” Joan Crawford, played by Faye Dunaway, lives in this home, located in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
LOCATION: 417 Amapola Ln, Los Angeles, CA 90077
Mommie Dearest (1981)
Faye Dunaway
Chinatown (1974)
The 1974 Roman Polanski film “Chinatown,” starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, is about a private investigator uncovering corruption in the Los Angeles water system. The production naturally took place around Los Angeles.
The dry river bed where Jake Gittes, played by Nicholson, follows Hollis can be found on Foothill Blvd in Sunland-Tujunga, near the intersection of Foothill Blvd / W Conover St. The Foothill Blvd Bridge overlooks the Tujunga Wash, where the scene was filmed. This area falls in a strange intersection of city jurisdictions, where maps call it anything from Sunland-Tujunga to Sylmar, or Lave View Terrace to Los Angeles. We’ve provided the exact GPS coordinates below for clarity.
LOCATION: Foothill Blvd, Sunland-Tujunga, CA 91342 (GPS coordinates: 34.272220, -118.338135, nearest address 9666 Foothill Blvd, Lake View Terrace, CA 91342)
Jake parks his car in front of this cafe in San Pedro as he follows Hollis. The same cafe appeared in the films “Inherent Vice,” “Gods and Monsters” and “Lovesick,” as well as such TV shows as “T.J. Hooker” and the 2020 version of “Perry Mason.”
LOCATION: 700 W Paseo Del Mar, San Pedro, CA 90731
Jake pretends to photograph his associate on Echo Park Lake in Echo Park, while he actually photographs Hollis and Katherine. The park had become run down for years, but has since been revitalized and you can even take paddle boats out on the lake.
LOCATION: Echo Park Lake, Los Angeles, CA 90026
The mansion of Evelyn Mulwray, played by Faye Dunaway, can be found in Pasadena. Trees in front of the property obscure most of the view.
LOCATION: 1315 S El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
The alleyway where Evelyn is parked can be found in Downtown Los Angeles. It’s an alley for private guests to enter the famous Millennium Biltmore Hotel. This side is facing S Olive St. The lower portion to the left can be seen in the 2018 remake of “A Star Is Born” and the reverse view from S Grand Ave can be seen in the film “Seven.” There is a gate here blocking entrance into the alley, so it’s a bit tricky getting a photo.
LOCATION: Alley between 523 / 525 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA, 90013
Jake visits Noah Cross in Catalina Island. Catalina Island is most synonymous with the film “Step Brothers” and the “Catalina Wine Mixer,” but no actual filming took place on the island for that film. Unlike “Step Brothers,” “Chinatown” really did shoot scenes on the island, located just under 30 miles off the coast of Long Beach, California. The Casino Ballroom building can be seen in the background. For eager visitors, no actual gambling is offered at the Casino Ballrom, in spite of the name.
LOCATION: 1 Casino Way, Avalon, CA 90704
The Mar Vista Rest Home Jake and Evelyn visit is actually the Archer School For Girls, located on Sunset Blvd. The same building appeared in the film “Clean Slate.”
LOCATION: 11725 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Evelyn’s sister Katherine lives at this home, which was later used in the film “Blast From The Past.”
LOCATION: 1972 Canyon Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068
Jake visits the home of Ida Sessions, only to discover a body.
LOCATION: 848 E Kensington Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Jake’s client Curly lives in this East Hollywood home.
LOCATION: 5030 Lemon Grove Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029
The Rules Of Attraction (2002)
Roger Avary’s 2002 adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel “The Rules of Attraction” was set in the fictional Camden College in New Hampshire, but it was actually filmed at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California. In order to achieve this, the filmmakers had to be very careful in blocking their shots, as to avoid the mountains and palm trees that surround the area. Below, we’ll cover many shots seen in the film from around the campus.
This location also appeared in the film “Hell Night.”
LOCATION: 1200 E Colton Ave, Redlands, CA 92374
Sean Bateman, played by James Van Der Beek, sits on these seats towards the end of the film.
The “End of the World” party takes place at this building.
One of the final shots of the movie, where the character of Sean rides away on his bike, was filmed here.
The home of Rupert, played by Clifton Collins Jr., can be found near Koreatown in L.A.
LOCATION: 858 3rd Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90005
Paul and his friends drop off a classmate at a hospital in Downey, although it is never seen from this angle in the film.
LOCATION: 12750 Erickson Ave, Downey, CA 90242
The angle seen in the film faces this way, toward the street.
Sean Bateman drops of Paul at a bus station, which was 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 buildings featured as the bus station could be found at Erickson Ave / Flores St, Downey, CA 90242, but have since been demolished.
During an extended montage, Victor, played by Kip Pardue, is seen traveling all over Europe, with many different locations seen in quick cuts, including Big Ben in London.
LOCATION: Big Ben, London SW1A 0AA, UK
The Eiffel Tower is Paris is also quickly seen.
LOCATION: Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, 5 Av. Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France
Victor is also seen at the Arc de Triomphe, which also briefly appears in Roger Avary’s previous film, “Killing Zoe.”
LOCATION: Arc de Triomphe, Pl. Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, France
Victor eats with Sean and Mitchell, played by Thomas Ian Nicholas, at the former Quality Cafe in Downtown Los Angeles. The diner was a one-time staple of film, appearing in “Seven,” “Training Day,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Ghost World,” “Another Day In Paradise,” “(500) Days Of Summer” “Million Dollar Baby,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “The Heartbreak Kid” and many more. However, it was not an actual restaurant open to the public. Instead it was used solely for filming (much like Johnie’s Coffee Shop in mid-town L.A.). Unless the building was being set up for a production, most of the time it was closed up and locked by a large metal door covering the front windows. So catching a glimpse of it was rare. It ceased to function as a filming location and was completely renovated in 2014. The interior of the property no longer bears any resemblance inside to how it appeared in so many films.
LOCATION: 1238 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017 (since closed and remodeled)
Related articles: Killing Zoe (1993)
Film Oblivion 