The 1996 film “Swingers” is set in Hollywood and loosely based around writer / actor Jon Favreau’s personal experiences. The film was shot primarily around Hollywood, with some additional filming in Las Vegas. The title of the film itself comes from the Swingers diner (8020 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048), which director Doug Liman and many of the crew frequented. It was intentionally not featured in the film, however, as the filmmakers wanted to use a lesser known location. They landed at what was then known as the Hollywood Hills Coffee Shop, just off the 101 freeway in Hollywood. The Hollywood Hills Coffee Shop was renovated and bought out, later becoming the 101 Coffee Shop in 2001. The changes completely altered the interior from how it appeared in the film, including removal of the booth where the characters sat. However, the coffee shop became synonymous with the film until its closure in 2020. Today, the building has once again changed owners and now operates as the Clark Street Diner. The restaurant has also appeared in the films “The Brady Bunch Movie” and “In the Land of Women,” as well as the TV shows “Entourage,” “Gilmore Girls” and “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.”
LOCATION: 6145 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Mike, played by Jon Favreau, lives just up the road from the coffee shop at this apartment building. The apartment was Favreau’s actual home for a time.
LOCATION: 5870 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Mike and his crew attend a party, located at this home in the Hollywood Hills.
LOCATION: 6161 Temple Hill Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068
After struggling to build up his confidence, Mike gets the number of a woman at the Dresden Restaurant. The restaurant has also appeared in the films “That Thing You Do,” “Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy,” “The Two Jakes,” “What Women Want” and more.
LOCATION: 1760 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
The boys get into a confrontation with another group at what is supposed to be the back of the Dresden. These scenes were actually filmed in the parking lot of Musso & Frank Grill, the oldest restaurant in Hollywood, founded over 100 years ago. The restaurant has popped up in numerous films, including “Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Blonde” and “Ed Wood,” as well as the TV shows “Mad Men” and “Bosch.”
LOCATION: 6667 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
While some of the signage was dressed for the film to make it appear to be the Dresden, the door and brick work all clearly match Musso & Frank Grill and even portions of their iconic “Oldest in Hollywood” sign appears in a few shots, confirming the location.
The 1983 film “Valley Girl,” starring Deborah Foreman and Nicolas Cage, was largely filmed, as the title suggests, in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. The opening shows a helicopter view past the Hollywood sign, overlooking the San Fernando Valley. There is a popular, public hiking trail that goes up to and behind the sign. Here is the view of the Valley from behind the Hollywood sign.
LOCATION: Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, CA 90068 (GPS coordinates: 34.134118, -118.321540)
The early scenes of Julie, played by Foreman, shopping at the mall with her friends were filmed at the Del Amo Shopping Center in Torrance. The same mall was heavily featured in the film “Jackie Brown.” Here is a shot of the former food court. The mall has since been heavily remodeled and the food court not only looks nothing like how it appeared in the film, its actually now located in a completely different section of the mall.
LOCATION: 3525 W Carson St, Torrance, CA 90503
The party scene where Randy, played by Cage, meets Julie was filmed at this home in West Hills.
LOCATION: 23727 Posey Ln, West Hills, CA 91304
As Randy takes Julie into Hollywood, numerous landmarks are shown, beginning with the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
LOCATION: 6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
The Roxy Theatre on Sunset Blvd is also seen.
LOCATION: 9009 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
The characters also drive by the original Pussycat Theater. The building now looks different and the Pussycat is long gone, but the original theater facade was briefly recreated for the film “Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood.”
LOCATION: 6656 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Here is the home of Julie Richman.
LOCATION: 3907 Dixie Canyon Ave, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
This is where the heath food store, owned by Julie’s parents, was located.
LOCATION: 14543 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
The restaurant where Julie eats with her friends was Du-Pars in Studio City. The same restaurant was featured in “Boogie Nights.” The location has since closed down and the building has been completely remodeled.
LOCATION: 12036 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 (now closed)
In a montage of Randy and Julie dating, more iconic city spots are shown, including Casa Vega.
LOCATION: 13301 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
While it’s obvious that an animated show such as “The Simpsons” does not have any actual filming locations, there are a few real world replicas that do a good job of recreating the town of Springfield.
A full scale recreation of The Simpsons house was built in Henderson, Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas. The house was designed to be an exact replica, with the builders studying over 100 episodes for the series in an attempt to match every detail. When the house was first unveiled, it was painted in the same colors as the show. The home was built as part of a promotional contest in 1997 from the TV network, where the winner could choose between having the house or the cash value of the property at the time, $75,000. The winner ended up choosing the latter and the home went up for sale and became just another private home. There is even an image of Homer by series creator Matt Groening drawn into the cement of the sidewalk leading to the front door. If only a fan with more enthusiasm for the show had won, the home could have been turned into a tourist attraction for fans to come and visit. Nevertheless, looking at the outer facade of the home, you can still see the resemblance to the cartoon.
LOCATION: 712 Red Bark Ln, Henderson, NV 89011
Something much better suited for fans of the show is the Springfield area of Universal Studios Hollywood. Many recreations of the show exist there, in the form of restaurants, rides and stores. Here is a sign welcoming guests to Springfield.
LOCATION: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608
Here is Moe’s Tavern, with the Springfield sign and power plant in the background.
Here is Barney inside Moe’s Tavern, looking for a refill.
Here is the Kwik-E-Mart.
Millhouse is outside enjoying a beverage.
Krusty Buger.
Lard Lad Donuts, the mascot for which is something of a hybrid between Bob’s Big Boy and Randy’s Donuts.
Here is the Springfield Police Station, where Eddie and Lou keep an eye on things.
Meanwhile, Snake is escaping the jail directly above them.
Nearby, Chief Wiggum has crashed his police car into a pole.
Here is the Springfield Department of Motor Vehicles, where Patty and Selma work.
Here is the office of Dr. Nick Riviera.
Disco Stu has closed up shop due to an injury.
Krustyland, where The Simpsons Ride is located.
Cletus is running a chicken restaurant.
Here’s a Duff’s hot dog shop, with the brewery in the background.
Last, but not least, we leave you with the Bumblebee Man’s taco truck.
The 2011 film version of “The Muppets” was shot primarily in the Los Angeles area. The opening dance number, set it “Smalltown USA,” was filmed on the Warner Bros. Studios Lot.
LOCATION: 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505
Gary, played by Jason Segel, runs into this school, where he meets up with Mary, played by Amy Adams. This is also a set on the Warner lot.
The Muppets studio was filmed at the real Jim Henson Company in Hollywood. It is the former site of Charlie Chaplin’s studios. Old photos of Chaplin standing outside can be found online, with much of the buildings still looking the same.
LOCATION: 1416 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
The Muppets Theater is the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.
LOCATION: 6838 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
The exterior gate of Kermit’s mansion is located in Encino.
LOCATION: 4545 White Oak Ave, Encino, CA 91316
The interior of Kermit’s mansion was filmed at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. While the outside of the Greystone grounds is open daily and free to the public, opportunities to tour inside are somewhat rare. The property is owned by the City of Beverly Hills and regularly accommodates productions and private events. Therefore, only a few times a year is access to the inside of the estate possible. Planning ahead is required if you’d like to see inside.
LOCATION: 905 Loma Vista Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Tim Burton’s 1994 film “Ed Wood,” starring Johnny Depp as the notorious, titular filmmaker, was mostly shot around Hollywood, California.
After the premiere of Ed’s play “The Casual Company,” he and the cast read the scathing reviews at Boardner’s bar in Hollywood. The same bar appeared in the film “Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles.”
LOCATION: 1652 N Cherokee Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Ed sees Bela Lugosi, played by Martin Landau, at a funeral parlor. This was filmed at the doorway to the left of Boardner’s, which has no distinguishable separate address.
Bela Lugosi’s house can be found in Gardena.
LOCATION: 1933 W 147th St, Gardena, CA 90249
Ed’s first apartment can be found in Hollywood.
LOCATION: 448 N Ogden Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Bela Lugosi delivers a speech to his fans here.
LOCATION: 1714 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
This building served as Ed’s second apartment.
LOCATION: 6383 Yucca St, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Wood visits this church in Toluca Lake to get baptized, in order to obtain funding for his next film.
LOCATION: 4301 Cahuenga Blvd, Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Ed Wood meets Orson Welles, played by Vincent D’Onofrio, at Musso Frank & Grill in Hollywood. The restaurant has popped up in numerous films, including “Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Blonde” and “Swingers,” as well as the TV shows “Mad Men” and “Bosch.”
LOCATION: 6667 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
The premiere of “Plan 9 from Outer Space” takes place at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The famous theater likewise appeared in “Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood,” as well as such films as “The Aviator,” “The Bodyguard,” “Species,” “Batman Forever” and many more. Only the exterior of the Pantages was used. The interiors were filmed at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles (842 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014).
LOCATION:6233 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Much like the first “It” film in 2017, for the sequel, the studio set up a pop-up to promote the film, located at the corner of Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood, California. While the first pop-up highlighted the Neibolt house, for the sequel, the experience was based around The Derry Canal Days Festival and Funhouse.
The pop-up featured games, merchandise and a haunted funhouse. It was on display during August and September of 2019, but has since closed. The actual film was shot primarily in Ontario, Canada.
The 1997 Curtis Hanson film “L.A. Confidential” is one of the most iconic Los Angeles movies of all time, shown through the lens of a 1950s noir film. Aside from two scenes being built as sets; Bud holding the D.A. from the window and the motel shootout at the climax of the film, all other scenes shot at real locations. A vast undertaking, the locations span all over the city.
The Hush Hush office of Sid Hudgens, played by Danny DeVito, can be found at the Crossroads of the World plaza on Sunset Blvd, a former shopping mall featuring a building in the shape of a sea vessel. The location has also been seen in such films as “Indecent Proposal” and “Cafe Society.” Sid’s office is located near the back of the property.
LOCATION: 6671 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
The house where Bud White, played by Russell Crowe, reports to a scene of domestic abuse can be found in Long Beach. It has since been remodeled.
LOCATION: 4216 Rose Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807
This location, a cane and basket supply, serves as the liquor store where Bud first meets Lynn Bracken, played by Kim Basinger.
LOCATION: 1279 S Cochran Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90019
Jack Vincennes, played by Kevin Spacey, makes a drug bust at this house, using it as an opportunity to get some press for himself.
LOCATION: 1714 N Gramercy Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90028
He stands on the street in front of the house speaking to Sid Hudgens, with the camera facing toward Hollywood Blvd. The building in the distance is a former bank, designed by the same architects of the L.A. City Hall. It was dressed to look like a movie theater in the film.
The interior lobby of the police station can be found in Venice. The same building has appeared in numerous films, such as “Assault On Precinct 13,” “The Net,” “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension” and many more.
LOCATION: 685 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Two of Mickey Cohen’s men are gunned down in front of this home.
LOCATION: 4439 Victoria Park Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90019
The exterior of the police station is the Los Angeles City Hall. It’s been featured in endless movies, such as “Liar Liar,” “Chinatown” and “Gangster Squad,” just to name a few. The interiors were a combination of the old Pacific Electric Building (610 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90014), now converted into lofts, and the Old Venice Police Station (685 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291).
LOCATION: 200 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
The Nite Owl Coffee Shop location can be found in Downtown Los Angeles. It’s next to Wild Bill’s Leather from “Seven” and across the street from where Forrest and Lieutenant Dan celebrate New Year’s in “Forrest Gump.”
LOCATION: 119 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Bud follows a lead to the house of Pierce Patchett, played by David Strathairn. Known as the Lovell Health House, the property is located in the hills of Los Feliz, up some very narrow roads at the hilltop, not far from the Griffith Observatory.
LOCATION: 4616 Dundee Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Here is the home of Lynn Bracken, the Veronica Lake lookalike, which sits next to a golf course.
LOCATION: 501 Wilcox Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90004
Jack Vincennes and Ed Exley, played by Guy Pearce, follow a lead on the Night Owl Massacre to this home, which is located just across the street from Bob’s Market from “The Fast And The Furious,” which can be seen briefly in the background.
LOCATION: 1255 Bellevue Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026
The investigation leads to this house on N Bronson Ave, which has since been destroyed by fires. What’s left of the house is still standing, but will almost certainly be razed altogether soon.
LOCATION: 1241 N Bronson Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
A woman is held captive at this home in Lincoln Heights.
LOCATION: 496 E Ave 28, Los Angeles, CA 90031
The property is also seen from this hilltop view in the film.
The suspects escape, but are tracked down at the home of Roland Navarette, where a shootout ensues.
LOCATION: 2618 San Marino St, Los Angeles, CA 90006
Pierce Patchett throws a party at the John Snowden House in Los Feliz. A famous architectural design by Lloyd Wright, the house gained infamy when a book alleged that one of the former owners tortured Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia victim, inside the home, although this has never been proven. The house is only seen from interior views in the film. It pops up again in another scene, when Vincennes and Dudley Smith, played by James Cromwell, discuss their investigation in the kitchen. The house has been featured in Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” as well as the TV series “I Am the Night.”
LOCATION: 5121 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
LOCATION: 6245 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
A dead body is found at this motel on Sunset Blvd.
LOCATION: 6720 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Bud visits the house of Meeks.
LOCATION: 1704 Morton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Exley meets with Vincennes at the famous Formosa Cafe, an iconic spot in West Hollywood. The restaurant has also been seen in such films as “Swingers,” “The Big Empty” and “The Majestic.”
LOCATION: 7156 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046
Jack visits the house of Captain Dudley Smith.
LOCATION: 5668 Berkshire Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90032
While the climactic motel shootout was built as a set, it was not constructed on any studio lot. Instead is was built on the grounds of the Inglewood Oil Field in Culver City, giving it the strong illusion of being a real location.
When word began to spread that Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood” would be using practical set dressing to convert Los Angeles back to 1969 block by block, we knew this rare occurrence was something we should capture as much as possible for the fleeting moments it took place.
We typically avoid visiting filming locations while a project is in active production. There are so many moving pieces, restricted areas and things in the way, it almost always proves best to wait until a production has left. However, this film proved to be an exception. Documenting the locations in real time made for a much different, more challenging process. Some areas, such as Hollywood Blvd, were lined with large crowds actively watching for nights on end. Other places, such as the Spahn Ranch set, were quite low profile and known to very few. The locations were so impressive, we’ve deviated a bit from our usual format to show some set dressing and behind the scenes photos. Not everything made it to camera, so we thought it was worthwhile to showcase the level of detail that went into the project. While there are some minor spoilers in this article, we did our best to avoid any major ones.
The early scenes of Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt, on the set of “Bounty Law” were filmed at Melody Ranch in Newhall, California. This is not Tarantino’s first time filming at Melody Ranch. Some scenes from”Django Unchained” were also filmed there. Melody Ranch does offer tours to the public, which is a rarity among movie ranches in Southern California. However, the challenge is that it’s a very popular filming location, often booked for months at a time. There are only a few opportunities a year you can successfully book a tour and it is typically on very short notice. Here’s a look at several buildings seen in the film during the “Bounty Law” advertisement.
LOCATION: 24715 Oakcreek Ave, Newhall, CA 91321
Rick and Cliff sit down for an interview along the boardwalk in front of this building. The interior was used extensively as the brothel where Thandie Newton’s character works in “Westworld.” The interior of this building was also featured in Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” where Dr. King Schulz has a confrontation with the sheriff.
Rick and Cliff head to Musso & Frank Grill to meet Marvin Schwarzs, played by Al Pacino. Musso & Frank Grill is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood, founded over 100 years ago. The restaurant has popped up in numerous films, including “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Ed Wood,” “Blonde” and “Swingers,” as well as the TV shows “Mad Men” and “Bosch.”
LOCATION: 6667 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Rick and Cliff sit at the bar when Marvin first arrives.
After the meeting, Rick and Cliff head to the parking lot in back and have a quick chat in front of this sign.
The flashback of Rick crashing his car is in front of the Frolic Room on Hollywood Blvd. The same bar was used in such films as “L.A. Confidential” and “The Little Things.”
LOCATION: 6245 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Rick Dalton lives on Cielo Drive next door to Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie. The real entrance to Cielo Dr is seen multiple times in the film. The houses seen in the film are not actually located on the real Cielo, but the Tate house is a pretty close representation of what was there in 1969. Most of Cielo is actually public, but the path up to the former Tate residence is private. The entrance area seen in the film is visible from the public portion of the road.
LOCATION: Cielo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
The actual home used as the exterior for Rick Dalton’s house can be found in a cul-de-sac in Studio City. It’s actually one of three locations used in the film to composite Rick’s home, as each of the individual locations lacked specific features needed for the story. The Studio City home was used extensively, however, with many scenes recognizable to it. Unlike Cielo Dr, Alto View Dr is a public road.
LOCATION: 10969 Alta View Dr, Studio City, CA 91604
The driveway is featured in many scenes in the film, with a large painting of Rick placed on the left side.
Here is the front entrance of the home. The door was painted green in the film.
Rick’s pool overlooking the city is a real pool at the home.
Here is an alternate view of the pool, along with the area where Rick stores his flamethrower.
As Rick is memorizing his lines for an upcoming role at his pool, the camera shifts over to the Tate/Polanski house, which is a geographically accurate shot.
The house next door serves as the home of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski. The home is a departure from how the real house on Cielo appeared, but it serves Tarantino’s story well. This is actually one of two locations used for the home. We cover the second location later in this article.
LOCATION: 10974 Alta View Dr, Studio City, CA 91604
Here is a view of Rick Dalton’s house on the right and the Tate/Polanski gate on the left.
Here’s a closer look at the gate to the Tate residence.
Here is the area where Charles Manson, played by Damon Herriman, parks a Twinkies delivery truck. Cliff observes him from the roof as he goes looking for Terry Melcher.
Here is the road leading into the cul-de-sac of the Dalton and Tate/Polanski residences, which is seen a few times in the film.
After dropping Rick off at his home, Cliff drives at high speeds down Hollywood Blvd as he heads home.
LOCATION: Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Here is Brad Pitt waiving to the crowd on the street.
Tarantino acknowledging the crowd of onlookers as well.
Here’s a deeper look at the set dressing around Hollywood Blvd, which was completely transformed back to 1969 for the film.
Cliff’s trailer, supposedly located on the grounds of the Van Nuys Drive-In Theatre (a real drive-in theater long since closed), was a combination of two locations. The drive-in sign was built by the production at the Saugus Speedway in Santa Clarita, which now serves as the site of the Santa Clarita Swap Meet. Cliff drives past the white fencing and enters here.
LOCATION: 22500 Soledad Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91350
The camera cranes up over the sign, which was a creation of the production and we’re seamlessly transported to a second location. The drive-in itself is the Paramount Drive-In Theaters.
LOCATION: 7770 Rosecrans Ave, Paramount, CA 90723
Sharon Tate and husband Roman Polanski attend a party at the Playboy Mansion. This was filmed at the real former Playboy Mansion. The property sits in a residential neighborhood and if you didn’t know what you were looking for, it would be very easy to drive past without any idea. It should be noted from the street you can mostly just see the front gate. Since the passing of Hugh Hefner, the property has transitioned over to new owners, into a place for corporate functions, private events and film and television production, as well as undergoing substantial renovations.
LOCATION: 10236 Charing Cross Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Sharon dances in the back area on the left, near the grotto. The mansion has appeared in countless films, such as “The House Bunny,” “Beverly Hills Cop II,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” the 2014 version of “The Gambler,” “The Phantom” and many more.
After the party at the Playboy Mansion, the film cuts to morning at the home of Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate. This is not the same home in Studio City seen earlier in the film. Roman is seen sitting in the back yard with his dog. This home can be found in Tarzana and was painted red for the film. It sits right next to another filming location; the winding road seen to the left of the frame was featured prominently in “Licorice Pizza.”
LOCATION: 19471 Rosita St, Tarzana, CA 91356
The scene where Cliff fights Bruce Lee supposedly takes place on a studio backlot. In reality, it was filmed at a high school, with heavy set dressing added to make it appear like a backlot. The school is Excelsior High School in Norwalk, which was also featured in the film “Grease 2.” Cliff sits outside of Rick’s trailer, which is parked in this lot. Randy, played by Kurt Russell, speaks with Rick in his trailer and reluctantly agrees to hire Cliff onto the stunt team.
LOCATION: 15711 Pioneer Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650
Here is the area where the fight between Cliff and Bruce Lee takes place.
Janet, played by Zoë Bell, comes across the two men sparring and insists Cliff be fired on the spot.
The Manson Family girls are introduced digging through the dumpsters at the Super A Foods market. The same market was seen in the films “A Star Is Born” and “Crossroads.”
LOCATION: 2924 Division St, Los Angeles, CA 90065
It’s difficult to see, but the actresses playing the Manson girls, including Harley Quinn Smith, are gathered by the dumpster in the center of this shot.
The Manson girls then walk away with their haul, making their way past this mural of James Dean from the film “Giant.” This was located at a pharmacy just across the street from the Super A Foods market. It was added by the production and is unfortunately no longer painted on the actual location.
LOCATION: 2922 Division St, Los Angeles, CA 90065
Here’s a look at some more of the shoot from Super A Foods.
Cliff and Rick stop at this intersection, where Cliff first sees Pussycat, played by Margaret Qualley, crossing the street with the Manson Family girls.
LOCATION: Corbin Ave / Greenbriar Dr, Los Angeles, CA 91356
While driving, Cliff again spots Pussycat sitting in front of the Pandora’s Box nightclub looking for a ride. Pandora’s Box was a real nightclub in West Hollywood, which was at the center of protests over a curfew in 1966. The building was eventually demolished in 1967. For the film, the production recreated the former nightclub at Jospeh’s Cafe on Ivar Ave. Here’s a view of when the production was setting up for the scene.
LOCATION: 1775 Ivar Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
From the reverse view at the same location, Cliff can be seen in his car with the Capitol Records building in the background.
Here’s a couple more shots from when the Pandora’s Box shoot was prepping.
On her way to the theater, Sharon picks up a hitchhiker on Wilshire Blvd.
LOCATION: Near the intersection of Wilshire Blvd / S Beverly Glen Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Sharon parks in this lot and parts ways with the hitchhiker.
LOCATION: Near 972 Gayley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Sharon stops by the Bruin Theater to watch herself in the film “The Wrecking Crew” with Dean Martin. The Bruin is still in operation, though the marquee is now digital. Fatboy Slim’s music video for “Praise You” shot in front of the same theater.
LOCATION: 948 Broxton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024
The Fox Theater right across the street is also seen in several shots.
LOCATION: 961 Broxton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Here’s a closer look at the Fox Theater, with the finished marquee for the film.
Here is the view across the street from the Bruin Theater, when it was dressed for filming.
Here is the exterior of the book store Sharon Tate visits. It’s not a book store in realty, but this is what it looked like when it was fully dressed.
LOCATION: 10909 Weyburn Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024
This travel agency was also seen in the film. It was another creation of the production and not an actual travel agency.
Here are some more views of the area when production was in progress.
Cliff takes Rick down Hollywood Blvd and they pass the famous Pantages Theater.
LOCATION:6233 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Cliff runs into Pussycat once again in front of Jackalope Pottery in North Hollywood.
LOCATION: 10726 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601
Here is the area when filming was taking place. It was overflowing with crew at the corner.
Just across the street, Quentin Tarantino stood on the right, along with Rick Dalton’s car on the street.
Cliff heads onto the freeway with Pussycat, turning from Hollywood Blvd onto the 101 northbound ramp.
LOCATION: US-101 northbound ramp, near Hollywood Blvd / N Van Ness Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Pussycat takes Cliff to Spahn Ranch, which was a very accurate recreation built at Corriganville Park in Simi Valley. Originally the production hoped to film at the real Spahn Ranch, but due to the fact that the entrances were bulldozed over, it made the land difficult for building sets. Much like Spahn Ranch, the nearby Corriganville is also a former movie ranch which hosted many westerns in during the 1950s and 1960s, before being destroyed by widlfires. The land now operates as a public park, but there are many signs explaining the land’s film history and the frames of the old buildings are still in the ground.
The Spahn Ranch set took a couple months to build, but when it was finished, it shot very quickly and was demolished just a few weeks later. Having done plenty of research on the real Spahn Ranch and The Manson Family long before this film was ever announced, we were quite well versed in the subject matter. Standing in person at what was a near exact, full scale replica of Spahn Ranch remains one of the most memorable location experiences we’ve ever had. The production design and attention to detail was incredible. If you go there now, it’s empty land again, but here we’ll take a look at when the set existed.
LOCATION: 7001 Smith Rd, Simi Valley, CA 93063 (Spahn Ranch sets now demolished)
George Spahn’s house plays a key role in the scene, as Cliff insists on speaking with the old man, played by Bruce Dern.
Some more views of the Spahn house.
Here is a view of the front of the Spahn set, including the famous truck. The signs for the Longhorn Saloon and Rock City Cafe are spot on to the original ranch.
Here is the horse stable area where Clem sits on the fence.
Here are some more views around the ranch.
After leaving Spahn Ranch, Cliff picks up Rick in front of the Columbia Pictures building. This is actually in front of Paramount Pictures Studio Tour building.
LOCATION: 5515 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Rick is photographed with a new love interest in tow at a restaurant, supposedly located in Rome, Italy. This is actually the Cicada Restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles. The interior is also seen in another scene of Marvin Schwarz calling Rick as he sits at the bar. The restaurant has been featured in numerous films, such as “Mank” “Pretty Woman,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Indecent Proposal,” “Suicide Squad” and “Bruce Almighty,” as well as such TV shows as “Mad Men, “The Morning Show” and “American Horror Story.”
LOCATION: 617 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Rick returns from Italy with his costar. The couple is seen walking past the wall tiles of Terminal 6 at LAX Airport. These tiles can be found along the pedestrian tunnel in the lower level and are only accessible to airline passengers and staff, as they make their way to baggage claim or the exits. Tarantino also filmed Pam Grier in this area in the opening of “Jackie Brown.”
LOCATION: Terminal 6, 1 World Way, Los Angeles, CA 90045 (lower level, arrivals area)
In the third act, a montage of businesses are shown turning on their neon lights as night falls, leading up to the conclusion of the film.
An old Taco Bell is also shown. This was located much further south in Tunstin. The building was abandoned and the production came and made it look like an operational Taco Bell from 1969.
LOCATION: 14232 Newport Ave, Tustin, CA 92780
The famous Cinerama Dome in Hollywood is seen next.
LOCATION: 6360 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
The Vine Theater on Hollywood Blvd is also seen. This was part of the production design for when Cliff is seen driving home early in the film.
LOCATION: 6321 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
The Supply Sergeant sign is also seen illuminating. This remains an active business on Hollywood Blvd.
LOCATION: 6664 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Chili John’s in Burbank is also briefly seen.
LOCATION: 2018 W Burbank Blvd, Burbank, CA 91506
Der Wienerschnitzel is actually a taco stand today, which the production altered to make it appear like it did back in the 1960s.
LOCATION: 1910 W Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90810
Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Voytek Frykowski have dinner that evening at the El Coyote restaurant. This is where the real people ate that night and the film shot at the actual location.
LOCATION: 7312 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Here is a view of the front entrance of El Coyote, which remains in business to this day.
Rick and Cliff have dinner at the same evening at Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks.
LOCATION: 13301 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
The location actually appears twice in the film, with one of the booths inside also standing in as a restaurant supposedly in Spain.
We leave you with Quentin Tarantino’s hand and foot prints in front of the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. While in no way a filming location, we felt it was nevertheless fitting to include.
LOCATION: 6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
It was a unique experience walking through 1969 with the production and we hope these photos help you share in that experience. There’s actually many locations we captured where the production shot, but were not featured in the final film. Perhaps there will be a longer or alternate cut someday. For now, we’ll keep to the places that made it into the film.
Film Oblivion 