As snow falls on “O’Hara’s Pub” in the opening scenes of Terry Zwigoff’s “Bad Santa,” the sunny streets of Venice, California are probably the last thought in the minds of the viewers. However, that’s exactly where the scenes were shot, at a store front along the famous Abbot Kinney Boulevard. A wooden facade was partially built over the store front, along with a neon sign, with only the outer brick lining still visible. It’s located just a couple doors down from the record label where Paul Rudd works in “This Is 40.”
LOCATION: 1100 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Willie, played by Billy Bob Thorton, lives at this apartment, located in Long Beach.
LOCATION: 1161 Magnolia Ave, Long Beach, CA 90813
Willie finds someone searching through his motel room. This scene was also filmed in Long Beach.
LOCATION: 446 W Pacific Coast Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90806
Willie hides out at Thurman Merman’s house, which can be found in West Hills, California.
In the 2008 comedy “Step Brothers,” Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly famously waged war on the front lawn to this house in Altadena, where their characters find themselves suddenly living together.
LOCATION: 1987 Midwick Dr, Altadena, CA 91001
The spot where Brennan and Dale, played by Ferrell and Reilly respectively, get beat up by child bullies was filmed at Veteran’s Hospital in North Hills. There are quite a number of buildings and roads on the premises, so it can be tricky finding the exact spot used in the film. To locate it, you must first turn onto Puller Rd. Each building has a large number on it. A bit down Puller Rd, you’ll see the building from the film, which is building 4. It can be easily identified by the long wall surrounding the yard in front of it. The same building was also featured in Rob Zombie’s “Halloween,” as well as such films as “Argo” and “Accepted.”
David Fincher’s 1997 thriller “The Game” mostly shot around the San Francisco area. However, the home of Nicholas van Orton, played by Michael Douglas, is tucked away in Woodside, California. The house is known as the “Filoli Mansion.” The house has also been seen in the films “Heaven Can Wait,” “Dying Young,” “George of the Jungle,” “The Joy Luck Club” and the 1980s TV drama “Dynasty.”
It is not a private residence and tours of the property are open to the public. There are a couple things to keep in mind, however, if you do plan a visit. First of all, the house can be tricky to locate if you’re using GPS. The property is not visible at all from Cañada Road. All you’ll see is land and trees. Also, most GPS systems do not show the driveway to the property, which is off to the side a short drive, so it’ll appear on most maps as having no access. This is not the case of course. Simply head past the house until you see an opening to the north. This driveway will lead you up to the guard house. The second thing to keep in mind is the property is intermittently closed. Anything from special events to seasonal closings may prevent you from visiting, so be sure to schedule in advance and verify the place is open when you plan on stopping.
LOCATION: 86 Cañada Rd, Woodside, CA 94062
The office of Nicholas van Orton is seen through the alleyway of Leidesdorff Street in San Francisco.
LOCATION: 465 California St, San Francisco, CA 94104 (view seen in the film is from Leidesdorff St)
As Nicholas and Christine, played by Deborah Kara Unger, walk away from the hospital, they pass this building, with the Los Angeles Stock Exchange engraving seen in the shot. A security vehicle approaches and they take a quick left at this corner and begin running. In the film, it cuts to an alley, but in reality, this corner is actually just an entrance into the building.
LOCATION: 618 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Nick’s brother Conrad, played by Sean Penn, becomes paranoid and accuses Nick of conspiring with the creators of the game. He runs from Nicholas down these stairs.
LOCATION: Joice St Steps, Joice St, San Francisco, CA 94108 (located between 740 and 750 Joice St, San Francisco, CA 94108)
Later in the film, Nicholas visits the home of Christine, played by Deborah Kara Unger, where they soon finds themselves under attack. This location can actually be found in Los Angeles, not far from Dodger Stadium.
LOCATION: 439 Savoy St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Nicholas and Christine speed away from gunfire, first driving past the intersection of Laguna Ave / Laveta Terrace, Los Angeles, CA 90026. They continue down this unnamed alley between Laguna Ave and Echo Park Ave, where they lose the van tailing them.
LOCATION: Near 1109 Laguna Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90026 (GPS coordinates: 34°04’33.6″N, 118°15’25.5″W)
Nicholas kicks Christine out of his car on N Ave 19, before quickly changing his mind and letting her back in. The overpass has since changed some with wider lanes.
LOCATION: N Ave 19, Los Angeles, CA 90065 (GPS coordinates: 34°04’53.2″N, 118°13’35.8″W)
After escaping from Mexico, Nicholas visits the former Johnie’s Broiler in Downey, where he attempts to get a ride back to San Francisco. The restaurant has a unique history, having appeared in many other films, such as “Heat,” “Short Cuts,” “License To Drive,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “One Hour Photo,” “My Stepmother Is An Alien” and many more. In 2007, the building was unfortunately demolished. However, Bob’s Big Boy purchased the property years later and rebuilt it based on the original blueprints and even some of the same materials. So what stands now closely resembles what was seen in the film.
LOCATION: 7447 Firestone Blvd, Downey, CA 90241
The climax of the game takes place at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, inside The Garden Court restaurant. This area is just though the main entrance of the hotel and is typically easily accessible. However, the hotel does sometimes run events in this space, at which time it may be blocked off.
LOCATION: 2 New Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94105
At the end of the film, Nicholas cones outside of the hotel to talk to Christine, who is about to get into a car parked across the street. The same signs on the buildings that are seen in the film still exist there today.
The main entrance to the hotel is seen in one of the reverse shots of the scene.
Much like “The Simpsons,” the setting of “The Wonder Years” was intended to be nonspecific, as to represent any American town. However, the Arnold house from the show can be found in a very specific city; Burbank, California. The house still looks nearly identical to how it appeared on the show.
LOCATION: 516 University Ave, Burbank, CA 91504
Just across the street is Winnie Cooper’s house, exactly as depicted on the show. The house has changed a bit, but still mostly resembles how it appeared on the show.
LOCATION: 525 University Ave, Burbank, CA 91504
After three seasons, the Coopers relocate to a new home, said to be miles away. In reality, the house is in the same neighborhood.
LOCATION: 501 Tufts Ave, Burbank, CA 91504
Paul Pfeiffer’s house wasn’t seen much in the series, but it did pop up a couple times. It can be found on the same street as Winnie Cooper’s second house.
LOCATION: 536 Tufts Ave, Burbank, CA 91504
An alternate home was also used for Paul Pfiefer’s house. It can be found in the same vicinity as the other homes. In fact, it’s located directly beside the first Pfeifer house.
LOCATION: 537 University Ave, Burbank, CA 91504
While the Arnold house is of course the most well known, fans of the show should also check out the other houses when in the neighborhood. All of them are within blocks of one another and can be seen in mere minutes.
If there’s one location that should someday be converted into a tourist attraction, it would probably be the house from Home Alone. A truly iconic film spot, it seems an exercise in futility to try to manage a private life at the residence, yet to this day, it does indeed remain private. The house can be found in the quiet neighborhood of Winnetka, IL, a bit north of Chicago. A fence has since been built around the property.
LOCATION: 671 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL 60093
They left the garage door open, just like in the film. The garage has since been demolished.
The church from the film can be found over in Wilmette, IL. This is the Trinity United Methodist Church, which was used as the exterior location for the film. The interior of the church was actually an entirely separate location; the Grace Episcopal Church (924 Lake St., Oak Park, IL 60301).
LOCATION: 1024 Lake Ave, Wilmette, IL 60091
Some props from the film and it’s sequel can be found on display at Planet Hollywood in Florida.
LOCATION: 1506 E Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
