The house where singer Marvin Gaye’s life tragically ended can be found in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Gaye was living with his family in the home and on the afternoon of April 1, 1984, intervened in an argument between his parents. The situation escalated and became physical between Marvin and his father, Marvin Gay Sr., who fatally shot his son. Gaye passed away one day before his 45th birthday.
LOCATION: 2101 S Gramercy Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90018
The Freeling house from the 1982, Steven Speilberg produced “Poltergeist,” can be found in Simi Valley, California. Some trees have since been added to the front yard, obscuring the house a bit.
LOCATION: 4267 Roxbury St, Simi Valley, CA 93063
Related articles: Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)
The Victorian home of horrors from the 1985 film “House” can be found in Monrovia, California. It’s an impressive house to see, even if you’re unfamiliar with the film.
LOCATION: 329 Melrose Ave, Monrovia, CA 91016
Related articles: House II: The Second Story (1987)
“Benson,” a spin-off of the television series “Soap,” about a butler becoming the Governor’s “Director of Household Affairs,” ran from 1979 until 1986. The Governor’s house from the show can be found perched atop a hill in Pasadena, California and is much larger than you might expect. The same house was featured on an episode of the TV series “GLOW,” as well as in the films “American Gigolo” and “Monster-In-Law.”
LOCATION: 1365 S Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
The 2005 Steven Spielberg remake “War Of The Worlds,” starring Tom Cruise, was filmed in New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Connecticut and California. The home of Ray Ferrier, played by Cruise, can be found in Bayonne, New Jersey.
LOCATION: 11 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Bayonne, NJ 07002
Ray is seen driving past the Bayonne Bridge on his way home, which runs right beside the house.
In one scene, Ray stands in the street in front of his home and notices a disturbance in the sky.
On the Universal Studios Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood, you can see the plane crash set from the film. It is a very intricate set, with lots of full-scale, realistic wreckage. Cars, ambulances and even an actual, out of use, Boeing 747 were all used for film. Universal made it an interactive exhibition, with fires and smoke as you pass through.
LOCATION: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608
One tip for those perhaps not interested in paying the full price for admission into Universal Studios Hollywood, this set can actually be seen free of charge from a hilltop behind the studio. Just head up to the 3400 block of Blair Dr in Los Angeles for a view of the crash set. It’s obviously not as good as viewing it up close from ground level, but if you’ve got some time to spare, it’s still an interesting sight.
LOCATION: 3400 block of Blair Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90068
While Anaheim is primarily known as the home of Disneyland, another big piece of the city’s pop culture legacy is the rock band No Doubt. The former Stefani house on Beacon Avenue in Anaheim plays a major role in the band’s history. After their formation, No Doubt regularly practiced in the garage of this house. When they finally found their breakthrough hit, “Just A Girl,” the house was seen in the music video (the neighbor’s house to the left could be seen as well), as Gwen Stefani sings in the driveway. The band even named their record label Beacon Street Records, as well as naming one of their albums “The Beacon Street Collection,” all in reference to their beginnings at this home. A shot of the band in the driveway can be seen on the back cover of the album.
LOCATION: 1173 W Beacon Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802
In 2002, MTV found themselves a hit television show when they decided to start following the personal lives of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne and his family. The show ran four seasons until 2005, filming inside the family’s Beverly Hills home. Fans of the show are likely to be disappointed if they attempt to visit the actual house, however. It is obscured by walls, gates and trees, making very little of the house visible to the public. Here we offer what little can be seen. The Osbournes have long since moved out. The house later belonged to singer Christina Aguilera as well, who likewise has long since moved.
LOCATION: 513 Doheny Rd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
The front entrance. Visitors should avoid walking up the front steps, as it is a private, residence.
David O. Russell’s gritty boxing drama “The Fighter” shot mostly in the town of Lowell, Massachusetts, where the real life characters the film is based upon actually lived. The film opens with Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg, working on the streets, accompanied by this brother, Dicky Eklund, played by Christian Bale.
LOCATION: In front of 318 Westford St, Lowell, MA 01851
The two are being filmed by an HBO film crew, which Dicky erroneously believes are documenting his boxing comeback. Micky and Dicky do a playful spar in front of the cameras at this intersection.
LOCATION: Intersection of Westford St / Hastings St, Lowell, MA 01851
The camera then speeds away down Hastings Street.
LOCATION: Hastings St, Lowell, MA 01851 (looking towards Westford St)
Dicky is seen many times throughout the film staying at this drug house, where he smokes crack. He repeatedly tries to escape when his family comes looking for him, jumping into a pile of trash in the back.
LOCATION: 38 Smith St, Lowell, MA 01851
Later in the film, Dicky realizes he’s late for a training session and steps outside of the front door. He then begins running down the street to the gym.
Micky meets Charlene, played by Amy Adams, at this bar. The bar is only shown from interior views in the film.
LOCATION: Buck’s Bar & Grill, 165 Chelmsford St, Lowell, MA 01851
Micky lives at this home, where Charlene confronts him for standing her up on a date.
LOCATION: 11 Marshall St, Lowell, MA 01851
Charlene lives at this house, where later in the film, Dicky comes to the porch. Charlene looks out the window on the right of the second floor and argues with Dicky from the porch, before eventually coming out to the front porch herself.
LOCATION: 105 11th St, Lowell, MA 01850
Several houses were used for the filming of the 1980s sitcom “Mama’s Family,” starring Vicki Lawrence. In the first two seasons, the house seen in the establishing shots was actually located in Kansas City, Missouri (18 W 59th St, Kansas City, MO 64113). However, for exterior shots where the cast was required to be on location, a second home was utilized in Pasadena, California, much closer to where the show taped.
LOCATION: 675 S Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
However, the home most commonly associated with the series, used in seasons 3 through 6, as well as syndicated episodes, is this third house, located not far from the second, in South Pasadena, California. The home is actually located just two doors down from the shrubs Michael Meyers famously stood at in the original “Halloween.” The “Mama’s Family” house can even be seen in a couple shots in the film, if you look closely at the background.
LOCATION: 1027 Montrose Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030
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 