While set in the town of Ossining, New York, Don Draper’s house from the TV series “Mad Men” is located in Pasadena, California. It’s actually right around the corner from the house from the movie Father Of The Bride.
LOCATION: 675 Arden Rd, Pasadena, CA 91106
The 1980s classic “The Karate Kid” shot mostly around the San Fernando Valley in California. Surprisingly, many of the film locations are not only still standing, but still closely resemble how they appear in the film. The major exception is Mr. Miyagi’s house, which was torn down.
Daniel Larusso’s apartment still exists in Reseda, California. The apartment looks identical to how it appeared in 1984. However, the neighborhood it’s located in isn’t the safest of areas.
LOCATION: 19223 Saticoy St, Reseda, CA 91335
Daniel embarrassingly arrives in his mom’s run-down car to pick up Ali at her house for a date. This house has since been remodeled.
LOCATION: 4072 Alonzo Ave, Encino, CA 91316
The two go on a date to Golf N’ Stuff, which is a real place and still open to visitors. It’s located further south, down in Norwalk, California.
LOCATION: 10555 Firestone Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650
The location of the Cobra Kai dojo can be found in North Hollywood. The same location was featured in the film “Say Anything…“
LOCATION: 5223 Lankershim Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91601
A glimpse inside the dojo location.
Related articles: The Karate Kid Part II (1986), Cobra Kai
The house where Tom Cruise famously danced in his underwear for the 1983 film “Risky Business” can be found in the city of Highland Park, Illinois, just north of Chicago.
LOCATION: 1258 Linden Ave, Highland Park, IL 60035
The Cunningham house from the classic TV series “Happy Days” can be found nestled in a quiet, residential neighborhood of Los Angeles.
LOCATION: 565 N Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004
One of the most critically acclaimed films of the 1990s, Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” was shot in Southern California. The restaurant that opens and closes the film was the Hawthorne Grill in Hawthorne, California. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed in 1996 and is now an AutoZone.
LOCATION: 13763 Hawthorne Blvd, Hawthorne, CA 90250 (demolished)
Butch discusses throwing a boxing fight with Marsellus Wallace at Starz, a former strip club in Gardena. This location was identified by Rayen Belchere after he spoke with the former management, who confirmed the club was used in the film. The location is only seen from interior views in the film, but photography was not permitted inside and the club has since permanently closed. Here is what the exterior looked like.
LOCATION: 2528 Rosecrans Ave, Gardena, CA 90249
Vincent Vega takes Mia Wallace to the memorable “Jack Rabbit Slims,” which is not a real restaurant. The interiors were built on a studio stage. However, the exterior is in fact a real place, albeit not a restaurant. Located in Glendale, California, the building was originally a bowling alley called Grand Central Bowl, which has long since closed. Today, the building is owned by The Walt Disney Company, which owned Miramax, the company which released “Pulp Fiction.” The building is part of Disney’s larger Grand Central Business Center, which consists of numerous buildings in the area used as business offices. The building is actually tucked away behind a wall and fencing, but the wall is not very tall and it’s easy to get a view over top of it. What is not so easily accomplished is getting a closer view of the building. The property is only open to business staff, so the closest the public can get is the sidewalk.
LOCATION: 1435 Flower St, Glendale, CA 91201
Vincent Vega pays a visit to his friend Lance, played by Eric Stoltz, early in the film, in order to purchase some heroin. After Mia Wallace mistakes Vega’s heroin for cocaine, she overdoses and is rushed to this house in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, for a very tense scene in which they give her an adrenaline shot.
LOCATION: 3519 La Clede Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039
The building where Butch’s boxing match takes place can be found in Pasadena. The marquee has since been changed. The same building was also used in “This is Spinal Tap.”
LOCATION: 129 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103
Later in the film, after Butch has double-crossed Marsellus Wallace, he sneaks back to his apartment, located in North Hollywood, to retrieve his gold watch. A different apartment, located at 11755 Gilmore St, North Hollywood, CA 91606, was used for the courtyard and interiors. Today, that building is no longer accessible to the public.
LOCATION: 11813 Runnymede St, North Hollywood, CA 91605
After a violent confrontation at his apartment, Butch is leisurely driving away, when a chance encounter with Marsellus occurs at this intersection of Fletcher Dr. and Atwater Ave., also located in Atwater Village. Butch is facing NW on Atwater Ave. when he spots Marsellus crossing Fletcher Dr.
LOCATION: Intersection of Atwater Ave. / Fletcher Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90039
Butch quickly floors it and hits Marsellus, before getting in a car collision in the intersection. Marsellus awakens and begins firing his gun at Butch, when a bystander is hit in front of Fosters Freeze, which is at the same intersection. Forsters Freeze was also featured on the television show “GLOW.”
LOCATION: 2760 Fletcher Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Marsellus chases Butch on foot SW down Fletcher Dr. from the same intersection.
LOCATION: Fletcher Dr., just past Atwater Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039
Marsellus fires one last shot in the distance at Butch, who is standing at the corner of this building in Canoga Park. This location is far away from the earlier shots in Atwater Villiage. It is actually the corner alley next to the Zed’s Pawn Shop, in which both characters make a grave mistake in entering.
LOCATION: The alley left of Crown Pawn Shop at 20933 Roscoe Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91304
Zed’s Pawn Shop is where things take a bizarre, ugly turn for Butch and Marsellus. The real building actually is a pawn shop.
LOCATION: 20933 Roscoe Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91304
The motel where Butch and Fabienne stay was demolished in 1996. Formerly known as the River Glen Motel, this building now stands in it’s place. Only the exteriors were used in the film. The interior of the motel was a set, albeit designed to resemble the River Glen Motel rooms.
LOCATION: 2934 Riverside Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90039 (now demolished)
What can be better lined up at the location is the view down Riverside Drive, seen as the couple leaves the motel on a chopper. Everything here still matches how it appeared in the film, with the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge visible in the distance. The same bridge was seen in the film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”
Near the end of the film, Jules and Vincent find themselves in “The Bonnie Indecent,” in which they are in sudden, urgent need of getting rid of a body. They arrive here at Jimmy’s house, played by Quentin Tarantino. It is here they meet “The Wolf,” played by Harvey Keitel.
LOCATION: 4145 Kraft Ave, Studio City, CA 91604
The site of Monster Joe’s Truck and Tow can be found in Sun Valley. The area has changed some since filming took place.
LOCATION: 12143 Branford St, Sun Valley, CA 91352
To see our “Pulp Fiction” location page, click here.
Related articles: Reservoir Dogs (1992), Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill (2003), Death Proof (2007), Django Unchained (2012), Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood (2019)
The house from “Father of the Bride” can be find in a quiet neighborhood in Pasadena, California. The house still looks nearly identical to how it appeared in the film.
Right around the corner in this same neighborhood is the house from Mad Men.
LOCATION: 843 S El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106
Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic portrayal of the 1970s and 1980s porn industry, “Boogie Nights,” was shot all around Southern California, but like many of his early works, was primarily based around the San Fernando Valley.
The opening shot of the Reseda Theater can be found on Sherman Way in Reseda, California. The theater has long since closed, but plans are underway to reopen the property as a mutiplex.
LOCATION: 18443 Sherman Way, Reseda, CA 91335
Just down the street is the “Hot Traxx” nightclub, which is now a church. Also right around the corner is the workplace of Quiz Kid Donnie Smith in “Magnolia.”
LOCATION: 18419 Sherman Way, Reseda, CA 91335
Dirk Diggler’s parents’ house is located far south of the Valley, down in Torrance, California.
LOCATION: 3503 187th St, Torrance, CA 90504
Jack Horner takes Dirk out for a meal with Amber Waves and Rollergirl at Du-Pars Restaurant and Bakery in Studio City. The same restaurant was featured in the film “Valley Girl.” The location has since closed down and the building has been heavily remodeled.
LOCATION: 12036 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 (now closed)
Jack Horner’s house is tucked away in the city of Covina. The property is not easily visible from the street.
LOCATION: 19515 E Cameron Ave, Covina, CA 91724
The side of the house, where Little Bill, played by William H. Macy, witnesses his wife having sex outside, while a group of party guests watch.
The back of Jack Horner’s house, with the patio and swimming pool, where the party takes place.
Later in the film, Dirk Diggler moves into his own house, located in Woodland Hills.
LOCATION: 4214 Lobos Rd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Amber Waves makes a documentary about Dirk Diggler, which itself is based on the documentary “Exhausted: John C. Holmes, the Real Story.” The bridge Dirk stands in front of is the Colfax Ave footbridge in Studio City. It can be found near the intersection of Colfax Ave and Ventura Blvd. Once you spot the overpass on Colfax, the bridge is just beneath it and can easily be accessed by foot.
LOCATION: Near the intersection of Colfax Ave / Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 (nearest address is 4028 Colfax Ave, Studio City, CA 91604)
Towards the end of the film, things take a darker turn as Dirk solicits himself to perform sexual acts for money. The alley where he meets the man in the truck is still there, but the buildings to the left has since been demolished. The church in the background can still be seen. This location is very close to the donut shop in the film.
LOCATION: 18128 Sherman Way, Reseda, CA 91335
Buck Swope picks up some donuts at the aforementioned Miss Donuts. This is in Reseda, near the church seen above and the “Hot Traxx” location.
LOCATION: 18231 Sherman Way, Reseda, CA 91335
The drug dealer robbery is planned from the El Royale Hotel in Studio City.
LOCATION: 11117 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604
Things reach a crescendo with a drug deal gone bad, at this house in Encino. Sadly, the house has since been demolished and a new home build in it’s place. Luckily, we we able photograph it prior to it’s demolition.
LOCATION: 16801 Encino Hills Dr, Encino, CA 91436
Related articles: Hard Eight (1996), Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), Licorice Pizza (2021), One Battle After Another (2025)
Michael Jackson’s classic music video for “Thriller” was filmed around Los Angeles, California. The exterior of the theater where Michael watches watches a film can be found in Downtown Los Angeles.
LOCATION: 630 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014
In the Angelino Heights neighborhood near Echo Park, you’ll find the house from the video. The same home appeared in the film “Teen Witch.” Just a couple doors down is the house from “Charmed” (also seen in “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo”) and across the street is the house from “Grandma’s Boy.”
LOCATION: 1345 Carroll Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026
The dance scenes in the street were filmed in Downtown Los Angeles. This area has since become heavily populated by the homeless.
LOCATION: Union Pacific Ave / Calzona St, Los Angeles, CA 90023
The opening credits to the TV series “Full House” is of course remembered for a shot of the Tanner family driving across San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
LOCATION: Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
Another San Francisco landmark seen in the opening credits is the Painted Ladies, a row of Victorian homes facing Alamo Square Park.
LOCATION: 710 – 720 Steiner St, San Francisco, CA 94117
The house from the series can be found in San Francisco as well, where the show was famously set. In 2016, it was purchased by the show’s creator, Jeff Franklin, who hopes to use it for filming, as well as possibly opening it up to the public. We’ll see what happens with the home, now that it’s back in the Tanner fold, so to speak.
LOCATION: 1709 Broderick St., San Francisco, CA 94115
Michelle’s honey bee uniform from the show can be found on display on the Warner Brothers Studio Tour.
LOCATION: 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505
Related articles: Fuller House
The comedy classic “National Lampoon’s Vacation” is set all across the United States, but a good portion of the filming was based in Southern California.
Early in the film, Clark, played by Chevy Chase, visits a car dealership with his son Rusty, to trade in their vehicle. After the dealership fails to stock the vehicle they requested, Clark asks for his old car to be returned, only to find it has been destroyed. These scenes were filmed in Glendale, Califonia.
LOCATION: 900 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91204
The Griswold house, set in Chicago, Illinois, is actually located in near Griffith Park in Los Angeles, California. You’ll likely drive right past if it you visit the Griffith Observatory.
LOCATION: 2310 N Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027
The hotel where Clark goes skinny dipping with “The Girl in the Ferarri,” played by Christie Brinkley, is the Guesthouse Hotel in Norwalk, California. Despite some remodeling and changes in ownership, the pool area is still fairly recognizable to how it appeared in the film. The scene where Clark runs into The Girl in the Ferrari at thehotel lounge was also filmed here, but that section, while still a lounge, has unfortunately been remodeled beyond recognition.
LOCATION: 12500 Firestone Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650
The gas station where Clark has trouble finding the gas tank can be found in Flagstaff, Arizona.
LOCATION: 2515 E Butler Ave, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
When the Griswolds get lost in a bad neighborhood, the rough streets were actually filmed on the Warner Bros. Studio lot. This is the spot where Clark is getting directions, while the guys on the street steal his hubcaps.
LOCATION: 4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505
When Aunt Edna dies, the family drops her off at Cousin Normie’s house, which can be found in Flagstaff.
LOCATION: 3025 W Wilson Dr, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
The production was clever when it came to filming the “Walley World” entrance at the end of the film. While the amusement park used in the film was Six Flags Magic Mountain (26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy., Valencia, CA 91355), the memorable entrance was a totally different location; the Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. This overpass was used as the entrance, with a matte painting of the Walley World sign and the roller coasters in the background. The overpass is actually on the outskirts of the park, right beside the Westfield Santa Anita mall. In this case, the exact address is tricky, as the grounds are large and it only navigates you to the general vicinity. A tip on how to find the exact spot is to drive down W Huntington Dr. towards S. Baldwin Ave. As you near the mall’s parking lot, drive past the overpass entrance and proceed to the next entrance, into the mall parking lot. As soon as you turn off of Huntington Dr. to the mall, you’ll immediately see this view of the Santa Anita Park parking lot on your right, with the Walley World overpass in the distance.
LOCATION: 285 W Huntington Dr, Arcadia, CA 91007
Related articles: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
