“The Golden Palace” was a spin-off of the classic sitcom “The Golden Girls,” which aired for one season from 1992 to 1993. The show tells the story of Blanche, Rose, and Sophia opening a hotel in Miami. The hotel, known as “The Golden Palace,” is actually known as “The Carlyle” and can be found along the famous Ocean Dr in Miami Beach. The same hotel was featured in the films “The Birdcage” and “Scarface,” as well as the TV show “Miami Vice.”
The 1998 thriller “Wild Things,” starring Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell and Denise Richards, was filmed in Florida. In the film, Kelly Van Ryan, played by Richards, lives at this home with her mother Sandra, played by Theresa Russell. The front of the house is seen when Sam Lombardo, played by Dillon, gives Kelly a ride home.
LOCATION: 40 E Star Island Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139
The house can be found on the famed Star Island in Miami Beach. While Star Island isn’t technically private, it does have a guarded entrance and you’ll have to speak with the guard in order to gain access. However, there are many boat tours that will take you around the island. Just disregard their information about filming locations, as most of it is fabricated and incorrect. In one scene, Kelly can be seen standing near the water in this area skeet shooting.
Kelly gets into an altercation with Suzie Toller, played by Campbell, at the pool. The two then proceed to have sex in the pool while Sergeant Ray Duquette, played by Kevin Bacon, secretly videotapes them.
Sam is accused of rape and stands on trial at the Dade County Courthouse. The building was also seen in the 1981 Sydney Pollack film “Absence of Malice” and the 1995 action film “Bad Boys.”
The 2019 Steven Soderbergh film “The Laundromat,” which tells the story about the Panama Papers scandal, was filmed in numerous locations, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles and the Florida Keys. After a boat capsizes, Ellen Martin, played by Meryl Streep, finds she is unable to get compensation from the accident, as the insurance company has been bought out by a mysterious company in Nevis, a small island in the Caribbean Sea.
When Ellen’s attempts to contact the Nevis-based company are unsuccessful, she travels there to confront manager Malchus Boncamper, played by Jeffrey Wright. These scenes were actually filmed in Key West, Florida. The area is first seen in a dream sequence as Ellen crosses this street.
LOCATION: 109 Fitzpatrick St, Key West, FL 33040
As Ellen approaches the area, named Hunkins Waterfront Plaza in the film and Kino Plaza in reality, it becomes a CGI composite of a couple different locations. We first see this strip of the actual plaza.
As the camera continues to pan over, a massive building is shown. This is actually the Sunkist Headquarters building in Sherman Oaks, California. The building has been featured in several films, such as 2004’s “Paparazzi” and 2017’s “The Hero.” It has also been seen in such TV series as “Too Old To Die Young,” “Alias,” “Knight Rider” and more.
LOCATION: 14130 Riverside Dr, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Back at Kino Plaza in Key West, the scene plays again, this time no longer a dream as Ellen approaches the plaza. However, it is again modified, this time with a facade set built over part of the plaza. Here is what the area actually looks like without the facade.
Ellen bumps into Malchus, not knowing who he is, and asks questions about his firm’s location. Malchus lies to her and walks away. This area is mostly the same, but the wall is depicted with dozens of PO boxes lining a brick facade. Here is how it actually appears.
The view of the plaza as Ellen and Malchus speak is relatively unchanged.
Jürgen Mossack, played by Gary Oldman, becomes concerned when he hears one of his clients has been arrested. The film then cuts to a scene in Mexico with Will Forte and Chris Parnell, credited as Doomed Gringo #1 and #2, drinking at a bar. These scenes were filmed at the Melody Ranch Studio Backlot in Santa Clarita, California, also commonly known as the Veluzat Movie Ranch. The ranch, which is available for tours, has been featured in countless films, such as “3 From Hell,” “Dante’s Peak,” “Friday The 13th Part III,” “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter,” “Last Man Standing,” “Chaplin,” and many more. It was also featured in the TV show “Westworld” as the Mexican town of “Las Mudas.”
LOCATION: Melody Ranch Studio Backlot (a.k.a. Veluzat Movie Ranch), Forest Rte 5N28, Santa Clarita, CA 91390 (GPS coordinates: 34°29’03.5″N 118°30’25.1″W)
The interior of the bar the men drink at is the same building seen in the above shot, on the right side.
Forte’s character makes the mistake of going to what he thinks is the bathroom, but turns out to be a private office space of some criminals in the middle of business.
Jürgen and Ramón Fonseca, played by Antonio Banderas, speak to the camera about privacy and secrecy while shopping at Fields Market in Canoga Park, California. The store is a staple of film and television, appearing in such films as “Bird Box,” “Lady Bird,” “Matchstick Men” and “Birds Of Prey: And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn,” as well as such television shows as “Desperate Housewives,” “American Horror Story” and dozens more. It has also been seen in countless commercials and music videos.
LOCATION: 23221 Saticoy St, Canoga Park, CA 91304
Gu Kailai, played by Rosalind Chao, tells a story of a Chinese police chief targeting a Falun Gong temple, where people engage in a spiritual practice deemed illegal. The temple is supposedly located in China, but was actually filmed at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.
LOCATION: 1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108
The Huntington Library is a very popular filming location, with hundreds of productions shot around the vast, kaleidoscopic grounds. We can’t name them all, but “Mank,” “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “A Cinderella Story” are just a few among them.
The 1994 James Cameron film “True Lies,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, was filmed in numerous cities and states, including Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Baltimore, Rhode Island and the Florida Keys. In the film, Harry Tasker, a secret agent for U.S. counterterrorism played by Schwarzenegger, pursues a terrorist named Aziz, played by Art Malk. Aziz flees through hotels on a motorcycle, while Harry pursues on horseback.
The chase first passes through the former Ambassador Hotel, which has since been demolished. The hotel was a staple of film and television, appearing in such films as “The Graduate,” “Forrest Gump,” “Seven,” “Bobby,” “True Romance,” “L.A. Story,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “The Mask” and dozens more. Only this post and statue from the original building remain at the location.
LOCATION: 3400 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (now demolished)
The chase continues at the Westin Bonaventure hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Harry rides a horse through the water as Aziz takes a hostage inside the elevator.
LOCATION: 404 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Harry in turn takes his horse up the opposite facing elevator.
Here is the elevator entrance Aziz takes. Both elevators used in the film are marked with plaques noting their appearance in the film.
Here’s a closer look at one of the plaques. There are several more around the hotel, noting some of the other films shot there, including “In the Line of Fire” and “Forget Paris.” We appreciate when locations celebrate their film history in this manor.
Here is the elevator entrance Harry takes up to the roof.
Taking things a step further, the hotel dedicated the entire hallway leading from the parking garage to the lobby to all of it’s cinematic history. The Westin Bonaventure is one of the most frequently filmed locations in all of Los Angeles. In addition to the previously mentioned films, movies such as “Interstellar,” “Rain Man,” “Lethal Weapon 2,” “Strange Days,” “Nick of Time,” “Hard to Kill,” ‘Playing God” and many more have all filmed at the hotel and posters for many of them line their walls. Here is the “True Lies” poster on display at the hotel.
Harry threatens Simon, played by Bill Paxton, as he holds him on a ledge at the Sepulveda Dam in Van Nuys. The dam has likewise been featured in many films, such as “Escape From New York,” “Gattaca,” “The Italian Job,” “Iron Man 2” and many more. It has also appeared in such TV shows as “American Horror Story,” “Alias,” “Knight Rider” and more.
LOCATION: Sepulveda Dam, 15758 Burbank Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406
The base of the dam is open to the public and there is a large recreation area surrounding it, with trails leading directly to the dam. There are several options for areas to park and the length of the hike to reach the dam depends on where you choose to start. It can be a short walk or a long one, depending on your preference, but all of it is on level ground and what we consider fairly easy to traverse on foot.
Helen, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, is sent on a staged spy mission to the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Gib, played by Tom Arnold, informs her she is undercover as a prostitute and her mission is to plant a bug in one of the rooms, leading to her famous striptease scene for Harry. The hotel is another staple of film, having appeared in such movies as “Ghostbusters,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Independence Day,” “Fight Club” and dozens more.
LOCATION: 506 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071
The Crystal Ballroom of the same hotel also appeared in the film for the tango scene between Harry and Helen. This particular ballroom has also appears in such films as “Pretty In Pink,” “Rocky III,” “The Bodyguard,” “Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys” and more. It has also appeared in such TV shows as “True Blood,” “Bridgerton” and more.
Aziz’s men kidnap Harry and Helen, loading them in a van and driving up this ramp of the Millennium Biltmore, which is located just past the hotel on S Grand Ave. The same area can be seen in the 2018 version of “A Star Is Born,” “Chinatown” (on the upper ramp to the right) and from the reverse angle in the film “Seven.”
Late in the film, a major action sequence takes place at the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys. Harry peruses terrorists at the bridge, as they attempt to transport some nuclear warheads across it. The location is featured in another action sequence in the James Bond film “License To Kill” and also appears in the films “Key Largo,” “2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Up Close & Personal,” “CrissCross” and “The Triangle,” as well as the TV series “Burn Notice.”
LOCATION: Seven Mile Bridge, Marathon, FL, 33050 (GPS coordinates of the start of the bridge: 24.706964, -81.124353)
There are two bridges there, built to connect Knight’s Key to Little Duck Key. The one on the right, originally known as the Knights Key-Pigeon Key-Moser Channel-Pacet Channel Bridge, is now commonly referred to as the Old Seven Mile Bridge. It was constructed from 1909 to 1912 and eventually decommissioned in favor of a new bridge, seen on the left, which was completed in 1982 for vehicular traffic. A portion of the Old Seven Mile Bridge is still open to pedestrian traffic and cyclists. However, it has been under reconstruction since 2017 and is expected to reopen by the end of 2021. Sections of the Old Seven Mile Bridge were missing altogether and the production rebuilt portions for the film, as well as using miniatures for some of the explosions.
The 1989 James Bond film “License to Kill,” starring Timothy Dalton, was filmed in the Florida Keys and Mexico. In the opening scenes, Bond can be seen riding across the famous Seven Mile Bridge. The location is also featured in an action sequence when Franz Sanchez, played by Robert Davi, stages a daring escape. The same location was also featured in the films “True Lies,” “Key Largo,” “2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Up Close & Personal,” “CrissCross” and “The Triangle,” as well as the TV series “Burn Notice.”
There are two bridges, built to connect Knight’s Key to Little Duck Key. The one on the right, originally known as the Knights Key-Pigeon Key-Moser Channel-Pacet Channel Bridge, is now commonly referred to as the Old Seven Mile Bridge. It was constructed from 1909 to 1912 and eventually decommissioned in favor of a new bridge, seen on the left, which was completed in 1982 for vehicular traffic. A portion of the Old Seven Mile Bridge is still open to pedestrian traffic and cyclists. However, it has been under reconstruction since 2017 and is expected to reopen by the end of 2021.
LOCATION: Seven Mile Bridge, Marathon, FL, 33050 (GPS coordinates of the start of the bridge: 24.706964, -81.124353)
Felix Leiter’s wedding takes place at this church in Key West. Bond and Leiter parachute from the sky to attend.
LOCATION: 1010 Windsor Ln, Key West, FL 33040
Felix Leiter’s wedding reception is held at this property.
LOCATION: 707 South St, Key West, FL 33040
The owners are clearly fans of the film, as the house address is designed as an homage to the iconic “007” logo.
Bond meets with M at the Ernest Hemingway House, which is the real location where the legendary author once lived in the 1930s. The home was designated a national historic landmark in 1968 and is open to public tours.
LOCATION: 907 Whitehead St Key West, FL 33040
Here is the area where Bond meets M and has his license to kill revoked.
An armed guard is posted at the lighthouse across the street, known as the Key West Lighthouse (938 Whitehead St, Key West, FL 33040). Bond becomes a rogue agent and escapes.
Bond arrives by boat at the Barrelhead Bar to meet Pam Bouvier, played by Carey Lowell. They get into an altercation with Dario, played by a young Benicio Del Toro. The building is currently a restaurant.
The 2019 stoner comedy “The Beach Bum,” directed by Harmony Korine, was filmed in Miami and the Florida Keys. The film stars Matthew McConaughey as Moondog, a man who indulges in every form of pleasure and debauchery he can find. Early in the film, Moondog joins a singer on the stage of the Schooner Wharf Bar in Key West, where he sings and recites a new poem he wrote. The bar and restaurant, which calls itself a “last little piece of Old Key West,” is a local favorite, with frequent musical performers. What is seen in the film is not unlike the real experience.
LOCATION: 202 William St, Key West, FL 33040
Before heading up to Miami, Moondog feeds a stray cat some water at the Hogfish Bar and Grill. This is another local favorite just outside of Key West and well worth a visit.
LOCATION: 6810 Front St, Stock Island, FL 33040
Moondog’s house, where he lives with his wealthy wife Minnie, played by Ilsa Fisher, can be found on the famed Star Island in Miami Beach. Moondog is seen approaching the home on a boat, where he climbs up onto the property. While Star Island isn’t technically private, it does have a guarded entrance and you’ll have to speak with the guard in order to gain access. There are many boat tours that will take you around the island, however. Just disregard their information about filming locations, as most of it is fabricated and incorrect.
LOCATION: 46 W Star Island Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139
This area is shown in quite a few scenes of the film.
The front of the house is briefly shown in one scene, as Moondog approaches on a bicycle as some police officers stand outside.
The 2002 film “Red Dragon” was shot around Baltimore, Maryland, Southern California and the Florida Keys. In the opening scene, Will Graham, played by Edward Norton, successfully captures Hannibal Lector, played by Anthony Hopkins. In the aftermath of those events, Graham has retired to a quiet life in the Florida Keys. Graham’s house is said to be located in Marathon, Florida. The home is actually located about 30 miles north of Marathon, in the village of Islamorada. The house sits far back from the road, behind another property and many trees, so it is not visible from the street.
LOCATION: 183 Carroll St, Islamorada, FL 33036
The other side of the property is briefly seen when Jack Crawford, played by Harvey Keitel, visits to persuade Graham to assist in the pursuit of a serial killer known as Tooth Fairy.
Graham visits the Tooth Fairy’s crime scene at the Leeds family house, which is supposedly located in Atlanta, Georgia. In reality, the home can be found in Long Beach, California. The house, seen under the cloak of night, may not be immediately recognizable to viewers, but it was more famously featured as the home of Ferris in the 1986 comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” The same home was also featured in the films “Not Another Teen Movie” and “American Dreamer.”
Francis Dolarhyde, played by Ralph Fiennes, picks up a morning newspaper at this corner, where he has a brief confrontation with the man selling the papers. The same alley, which leads to the back of the Los Angeles Theater, can be seen the film “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.”
LOCATION: Lindley Pl / W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
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.
LOCATION: 631 Parra Grande Ln, Montecito, CA 93108
Manny’s home can be found in the Mt Olympus neighborhood of Los Angeles.
LOCATION: 2271 Hercules Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Thanks to Phil Savenick for contributing a note on El Fureidis.
Much like the first “Bad Boys” film, the sequel “Bad Boys II” is set in Miami, Florida. According to information online, the house of Marcus, played by Martin Lawrence, is somewhere on Bay Road, near Sunset Islands. It is a particularly difficult location to identify. The house is only seen from two angles in the film. First, the back yard facing the water is seen and then the front of the house, facing out to the street is seen. There is never a direct shot of the front of the house. Several resources have attempted to identify the house by what can be seen on the waterfront. We attempted to identify it by what could be seen on the street. There is in fact a shot where an exact street sign can be seen in the background, which is E Rivo Alro Dr. This places the home on Venetian Islands.
Looking at houses on E Rivo Alto Drive, a relatively short road, trying to match up screen shots with the outside view, we found one possible candidate to be this home. Quite a few on the details align, but not all. It’s possible the home was a composite of more than one location or some remodeling has since occurred. We don’t typically include unconfirmed locations, but due to the fact no other resources we found even mention E Rivo Alto Dr, we wanted to present it as a possible location of the home.
LOCATION: 205 E Rivo Alto Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139
The estate of the villainous Johnny Tapia, played by Jordi Mollà, was filmed at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The villa has been seen in many films, including “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “The Money Pit” and “Iron Man 3.” The villa is open to public tours and regularly hosts special events. Photography is permitted both inside and outside of the property.
LOCATION: 3251 S Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33129
Later in the film, a shootout takes place in the garden area of the property.
Bodies litter the street in front of this building, which serves as the Miami Bank in the film.
LOCATION: 570 NE 81st St, Miami, FL 33138
The mortuary Mike and Marcus break into is actually the McArthur Dairy building.
LOCATION: 6851 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33138
Here are some props from the film, on display at Sony Pictures Studio.
LOCATION: 10202 W Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
In the 1991 film “Doc Hollywood,” Michael J. Fox plays a soon-to-be big city surgeon named Ben Stone, who suddenly finds himself stranded in the town of Grady, South Carolina. However, most of the film was actually shot in Central Florida in the town of Micanopy.
Ben crashes into the fence in front of the house of Judge Evans, who sentences him to community service at the local hospital. The house of the Judge is not an easy location to find. You won’t see much via google street view. We couldn’t even find an address for the house itself. Located in the unincorporated community of Evinston (considered part of Micanopy on most maps), the house is located on a dirt road, just off SE 182 Ave. The easiest way to find it is to locate Evinston United Methodist Church, Micanopy, FL 32667. The dirt road across from the church is the one that will lead you to the house. The exact GPS coordinates are posted below.
LOCATION: GPS coordinates: 29.488394, -82.229219, just off SE 182 Ave, Micanopy, FL 32667
Here is a better view of the house.
The Main Street of Grady, where most of the locations in the film are found, is NE Cholokka Blvd. It is a little strip consisting mostly of antique stores. This view, when the Mayor shows Ben the town, is near the intersection of NE 3 Ave and NE Cholokka Blvd
LOCATION: NE Cholokka Blvd & NE 3 Ave, Micanopy, FL 32667 (Note: In the actual town, the street signs refer to NE 3 Ave as NE Magnolia Ave)
Looking left at nearly the exact same spot would have been the cafe, which was a set built for the film and has long since been demolished. Just beside it though is the mechanic shop where Ben gets his car repaired. This is a real building and still stands. It is not a mechanic shop, however. It is an antique store called the Micanopy Trading Outpost.
LOCATION: 205 NE Cholokka Blvd, Micanopy, FL 32667
The speaker box through which Ben speaks to the mechanic can still be found in the window.
The interior was also used in the film. Here is where the mechanic’s office area was located.
Ben is seen running down this sidewalk towards the butcher shop, afraid his pig has been slaughtered.
LOCATION: 214 NE Cholokka Blvd, Micanopy, FL 32667
Just beside it is the butcher’s shop.
LOCATION: 302 NE Cholokka Blvd, Micanopy, FL 32667
Across the street from the butcher’s shop is the hospital from the film. We could not find an exact address number, but the sign out front says Hirsch Antiques. We’ve also provided the GPS coordinates below.
LOCATION: House of Hirsch Too Antiques, Micanopy, FL 32667, GPS coordinates: 29°30’19.9″N 82°16’45.1″W
Ben stands to the right on the porch and watches Lou, played by Julie Warner, in a parade.
Film Oblivion 