The 1988 John Hughes film, “She’s Having a Baby” was primarily shot in Illinois. However, early in the film Jake and Kristy Briggs, played by Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern, are seen spending their honeymoon driving across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge in El Prado, New Mexico. The bridge is far removed from most tourist destinations, requiring hours of driving through mountains and winding terrain to reach it. Once you’re there, however, it’s instantly recognizable. The same bridge appeared in the films “Natural Born Killers,” “Twins,” “This Must Be The Place,” “Wild Hogs,” “Vacation,” “Paul,” “Terminator: Salvation,” “The Signal,” “Catchfire” and “White Sands.” It gets extremely windy on this bridge, so much so, you can feel the vibration on the bridge as you stand on it.
LOCATION: Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, US-64, El Prado, NM 87529
The Briggs house can be found in Evanston, Illinois, where Hughes also shot scenes for “Sixteen Candles” and “Uncle Buck.”
The 1984 John Hughes film “Sixteen Candles” was filmed in the suburbs north of Chicago. The Baker house can be found in the town of Evanston, where the director also filmed scenes for “Uncle Buck” and “She’s Having A Baby.”
The largely forgotten 1997 sequel “Home Alone 3” was filmed, much like the original movie, in the suburbs north of Chicago. The Pruitt family house can be found in Evanston, Illinois.
LOCATION: 3026 Normandy Pl, Evanston, IL 60201
The home of Mrs. Hess can be found across the street.
The 1989 John Hughes comedy “Uncle Buck,” like most Hughes’ films, was shot around the Chicago suburbs. In the film, Uncle Buck, played by John Candy, comes to babysit the kids at the Russell residence, which can be found in Evanston, where the director also filmed scenes for “Sixteen Candles” and “She’s Having A Baby.”
LOCATION: 2602 Lincoln St, Evanston, IL 60201
Just across the street is the home Buck mistakes as the Russell house when he first arrives.
The 1987 John Hughes film “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” filmed scenes in Illinois, New York and Missouri. The home of Neal Page, played by Steve Martin, can be found in Kenilworth, about 30 minutes north of Chicago.
LOCATION: 230 Oxford Rd, Kenilworth, IL 60043
Late in the film, Neal and Del Griffith, played by John Candy, can be seen walking together in the reverse view, down Warwick Road, as they approach the house.
LOCATION: Oxford Rd / Warwick Rd, Kenilworth, IL 60043
After being pulled over by a cop, Neal and Dell’s car is seen being towed in from of the Old Courthouse Arts Center in the town of Woodstock. The same location appears in the film “Groundhog Day.”
The 1980s film “Some Kind of Wonderful,” written by John Hughes, was filmed entirely around Southern California. Amanda, played by Lea Thompson, lives at this house located in Wilmington.
LOCATION: 1319 W E St, Wilmington, CA 90744
Here is another view of the home.
Keith, played by Eric Stoltz, lives at this home, also located in Wilmington.
LOCATION: 1441 W I St, Wilmington, CA 90744
The high school scenes were filmed at the San Pedro High School.
LOCATION: 1001 W 15th St, San Pedro, CA 90731
Hardy Jenn’s house can be found in Central Los Angeles.
For the 1992 sequel “Home Alone 2: Lost In New York,” the entire, original cast and crew returned, as well as a location from the first film. In the early scenes, the McCalister house is once again on display. The famous home can be found in Winnetka, Illinois. A fence has since been built around the property.
LOCATION: 671 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL 60093
The bulk of the film, however, takes place in New York City this time around. Upon arrival, Kevin is seen riding in a taxi across the Queensboro Bridge. The bridge has been featured in countless films, such as “Manhattan,” “Death Wish” and many more.
LOCATION: 61 Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Path, New York, NY 10044
Kevin takes in many of the city’s landmarks, including Radio City Music Hall. The landmark concert hall has appeared in countless productions, such as “The Godfather,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Annie,” “Rocky III,” “Radio Days” and many more.
LOCATION: 1260 6th Ave, New York, NY 10020
Later Kevin makes his way over to Central Park, where he first encounters the Pigeon Lady, a scary and mysterious woman covered in birds, who essentially serves the same role as Old Many Marley in the original film. Kevin is initially frightened when he sees her feeding birds in front of Gapstow Bridge in Central Park, though the two eventually strike up a friendship.
LOCATION: Gapstow Bridge, Central Park, New York, NY 10019
Very close to Gapstow Bridge is another major location in the film, the Plaza Hotel. “Guests of the new ‘Celebrity Ding, Dang, Dong’ stay at the world-renowned Plaza Hotel, New York’s most exciting hotel experience.” It is a real, well-known hotel in Manhattan, perched right above Central Park. Here is a view of the hotel from the park. The Plaza Hotel has appeared in countless films, such as “The Fisher King,” “They All Laughed,” “Annie Hall,” “King of New York” and many more.
LOCATION: 768 5th Ave, New York, NY 10019
Later in the film, Kevin returns to Central Park at Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, where he flees from the Sticky Bandits. The terrace is another famous New York landmark seen in countless films.
LOCATION: 72 Terrace Dr, New York, NY 10021 (inside Central Park)
A reverse view of the fountain. Here Kevin hides in the back of a carriage, narrowly escaping the bandits.
A couple other, notable locations from the film were actually sets. Uncle Rob’s house, where Kevin once again wreaks havoc on the Sticky Bandits with homemade traps, was a set located on Brownstone Street on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood. The street suffered a fire in 2008 and portions had to be rebuilt.
While made to resemble Central Park, the scene where the Pigeon Lady throws bird seeds all over the bandits, saving Kevin from harm’s way in the process, was also a set.
Near the end of the film, Kevin is finally reunited with his mother in front of Rockefeller Center.
LOCATION:45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111
Some props from this film, as well as the first part, can be found on display at Planet Hollywood in Florida.
LOCATION: 1506 E Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
In the 1986, John Hughes penned “Pretty In Pink,” Andie, played by Molly Ringwald, lives on the wrong side of the tracks at this house. While the film is set in a Chicago suburb, the house can actually be found in South Pasadena, California. It really is located near train tracks as well.
LOCATION: 1010 Hope St, South Pasadena, CA 91030
Steff, played by James Spader, throws a party at this Los Angeles house. The same house can be seen in the TV series “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” serving as Dennis and Dee’s mom’s house.
LOCATION: 366 S June St., Los Angeles, CA 90020
The Trax record store where Andie works can be found in Santa Monica. It’s part of the 3rd Street Promenade, an pedestrian shopping mall best accessed on foot.
LOCATION: 1460 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA 90401
The “Meadowbrook High School” seen in the film is a composite of two schools. The exteriors were filmed at John Marshall High School. A regular location in film and television, it has also appeared in such movies as “Rebel Without A Cause,” “A Nightmare On Elm Street,” “Can’t Hardly Wait,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Bachelor Party,” “Grosse Pointe Blank,” “Grease” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” as well as such TV shows as “Boy Meets World,” “Boston Public” and many more. It was even used in the Van Halen music video for “Hot For Teacher.”
LOCATION: 3939 Tracy St, Los Angeles, CA 90027
The interiors were filmed over at John Burroughs Middle School. This is another film staple, having appeared in such movies as “Teen Wolf,” “Never Been Kissed,” “Teaching Mrs. Tingle,” “What Dreams May Come” and many more.
LOCATION: 600 S McCadden Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90005
The senior prom scenes were filmed inside the Crystal Ballroom at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. The hotel has appeared in dozens of productions, with this particular ballroom appearing in such films as “True Lies,” “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.
John Hughes’ 80s classic, “The Breakfast Club,” was filmed at the former Maine North High School, in Des Plaines, Illinois. The filmmakers converted the high school gymnasium into the famous library set. Today, the building is no longer a high school at all. It’s used as an Illinois State Police Station.
LOCATION: 9511 Harrison St, Des Plaines, IL 60016
One of the most highly disputed film locations you’re ever likely to encounter is the football field, where Judd Nelson does his famous fist pump at the end. Some insisted it was filmed at the same high school as the rest of the production; Maine North. Others insisted it was filmed at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois, where John Hughes himself was an alumni. The majority of the arguments centered between these two locations, with former students from each school disputing which field was used. Others still have claimed it was filmed at Maine South High School in Park Ridge or Maine West in Des Plaines. The argument persisted until 2015, when the cinematographer of the film, Thomas Del Ruth, confirmed to the Chicago Tribune it was indeed the now-defunct Main North High School football field; the same location where principle production took place. The field has since been demolished, but the confusion remains so strong, many people to this day still recreate the fist pump photograph at Glenbrook North.
Few filmmakers have ever captured adolescence as well as John Hughes did with a string of hit films in the 1980s. Most of his films were set in the fictitous town of Shermer, Illinois and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is no exception.
While much of the film did indeed film in the Greater Chicago area, Ferris’ house is actually located far from the neighborhoods of Chicago, in Long Beach, California. The same house appears in the films “Red Dragon” and “Not Another Teen Movie.”
LOCATION: 4160 Country Club Dr, Long Beach, CA 90807
Ferris’ high school scenes were filmed at Glenbrook North High School, in Northbrook Illinois. Hughes had previously used the hallways of the school in another of his 80s hits, “The Breakfast Club.” Later in the film, Ferris poses as his girlfriend Sloane’s father, coming up with a scheme to get her out of school. This scene was actually filmed at the Center for Performing Arts, a separate building on the grounds of the high school. The stairs still look exactly the same as they did in the film.
LOCATION: 2300 Shermer Rd, Northbrook, IL 60062
A reverse view at the parking lot from the stairs, where Ferris posed as Sloane’s father.
The police station where Jeanie, played by Jennifer Grey, meets a mysterious man, played by Charlie Sheen, can be found in Downtown Los Angeles. It is only seen from interior views in the film. The building has been featured in countless films and television series, including “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Beverly Hills Cop II,” “Divergent,” “The Muppets,” “Wrath Of Man,” “License To Drive,” “Unlawful Entry,” “Inspector Gadget,” “Child’s Play 2,” “Enough” and dozens more.
LOCATION: 635 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Ferris’ best friend Cameron lives at this house in Highland Park, Illinois. It has unfortunately since been remodeled, but we were able to capture it long before remodeling took place.
LOCATION: 370 Beech St, Highland Park, IL 60035
Late in the film, disaster strikes when Ferris and Cameron accidentally reverse Cameron’s father’s car through the glass wall of this building, down a steep canyon. The building really does exist behind the above house and there really is a steep canyon beneath it, exactly as depicted in the film. This building has not been remodeled.
Some outfits worn by Ferris and Cameron in the film can be seen on display at Planet Hollywood in Florida.
LOCATION: 1506 E Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Film Oblivion 