The 2002 Alexander Payne film “About Schmidt,” like much of the director’s work, was primarily filmed in Nebraska, with additional filming in Iowa and Colorado. In the film, Warren Schmidt, played by Jack Nicholson, begins retirement from working for an insurance company. The building featured as Schmidt’s workplace, Woodmen Tower, can be found in Omaha.
LOCATION: 1700 Farnam St, Omaha, NE 68102
Schmidt lives with his wife Helen, played by June Squibb, at this home, also located in Omaha.
LOCATION: 5402 Izard St, Omaha, NE 68132
Schmidt embarks on a journey to Denver for his daughter’s wedding. Along the way he decides to stop off and visit his childhood home, only to discover it has been razed and a tire shop now stands in it’s place. This scene was filmed in Council Bluffs, Iowa, which is just over the state border from Nebraska.
LOCATION: 2103 W Broadway, Council Bluffs, IA 51501
Schmidt arrives at the home of Roberta, played by Kathy Bates, which is supposedly located in Denver, Colorado. The real home can actually be found back in Omaha.
The 1978 crime drama “Straight Time,” starring Dustin Hoffman, much like the novel its based upon, “No Beast So Fierce,” by Edward Bunker, is set in the Los Angeles criminal underworld. In the film, Hoffman plays Max Dembo, an ex-con out on probation and adapting to a straight life. Max reconnects with his friend Willy, played by Gary Busey, who lives at this home located near Angelino Heights.
LOCATION: 327 N Bixel St, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Max meets up with Manny, played by Sandy Baron, at The Bat Rack cocktail bar, which could be found in Santa Monica. Max asks Manny to give him a gun.
LOCATION: 2454 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Max uses the gun to rob Ahn’s Market.
LOCATION: 2609 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Max robs a pawn shop, where he obtains more weapons to take on bigger scores. This is located just a few doors down from the former “Quality Cafe,” which has been seen in dozens of films, such as “Seven” and “Training Day.”
LOCATION: 1226 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Max teams up with Jerry Schue, played by Harry Dean Stanton, to start doing robberies together. The pair rob a bank at the Wilshire Colonnade. It has been featured in many films, such as “Zodiac,” “Wrath Of Man,” “Stealing Harvard” and “Earthquake,” as well as such TV series as “Californication,” “American Crime Story: Impeachment” and more.
LOCATION: 3701 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010
After the robbery, the pair swap vehicles at the intersection of W 4th St and S Kenmore Ave.
LOCATION: W 4th St / S Kenmore Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020
The climactic jewelry store robbery was filmed at this building in Beverly Hills, while the back alley scenes were filmed at a different location (138 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212).
LOCATION: 9634 Wilshire Blvd Beverly Hills, CA 90212
The gas station and diner from the end of the film can be found in Lancaster. It is located almost directly across the street from the church from “Kill Bill.”
In the 1998 film “Primary Colors,” John Travolta plays Governor Jack Stanton, a Southern politician with many similarities to Bill Clinton. Stanton serves Thanksgiving dinner on the front lawn with his wife, played by Emma Thompson, at the Banning House in Wilmington, California. Built in 1863, the property was also seen in the 1992 Danny Aiello film “Ruby,” as well as 1995’s “Tales From The Hood” and the TV shows “Quantum Leap” and “Bronk.” The house currently operates as a museum and is open the the public.
LOCATION: 401 E M St, Wilmington, CA 90744
Late in the film, Stanton visits the home of Governor Fred Picker. Picker’s house was filmed at the Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana. The plantation is likewise open to public tours. This house and its distinct row of trees can actually be seen from the road of LA-18. However, you might find it difficult to stop and get a photo, as there is no parking along the street. The plantation was also famously used in the film “Interview With The Vampire.”
While set in the state of Alabama, the 1991 film “Fried Green Tomatoes,” starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy, was filmed almost entirely in Georgia.
Early in the film, the Threadgoode house, where a young Idgie (Mary Stuart Masterson) and her brother Buddy (Chris O’Donnell) live, can be found in the town of Senoia. This house is known as the Travis-McDaniel house. Decades after “Fried Green Tomatoes” completed filming, the same house was featured in a much different kind of film; “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.” Senoia filming locations would also become synonymous with the TV series “The Walking Dead.” The home sits at the corner of Travis St and Bride St.
LOCATION: 204 Bridge St, Senoia, GA 30276
The bridge and train tracks where Buddy gets into an accident is literally right across the street from the Travis-McDaniel house, at the same corner of Travis St and Bridge St. There is even an early shot in the film showing Buddy cross the street from the bridge to the house. For those looking to get to these tracks beneath the bridge, there’s no need to attempt to climb down the steep embankment. It levels off with the tracks for easy access about one block down, at the corner of Travis St and Clark St, where you can walk your way back up the tracks. The train tracks more or less reach a dead end there as well, running off into a reclaimed horizon of trees and woods.
LOCATION: Intersection of Travis St and Bridge St, Senoia, GA 30276 (across from 204 Bridge St, Senoia, GA 30276)
The most famous location from the film is of course the Whistle Stop Cafe, found in the town of Juliette, Georgia. It is a real, operational cafe and they do indeed serve fried green tomatoes. Visitors should note, however, the cafe is open daily during only lunch hours. The entire town embraces it’s connection to the film and really, the businesses there survive because of it, attracting tourists from around the country seeking out the locations. Mostly, you’ll find food and antiques there, but there are a few other novelties, which we’ll try to cover. First, we’ll look at the cafe itself.
LOCATION: 443 McCrackin St, Juliette, GA 31046
The window advertises fried green tomatoes, just like in the film.
A view of the porch of the Whistle Stop Cafe.
And a look inside.
A poster for the film can be found on the wall, with a chair in front for photos.
A look at the train tracks next to the cafe. As you can see, the train depot building is no longer there.
This building across the street refers to itself as “Ruth and Idgie’s Place.”
A few other surrounding buildings, briefly seen in the film.
If you’re a film location fan like us, it’s definitely worth it to take the detour from Atlanta over to the smaller towns of Senoia and Juliette. While you’re in Juliette, be sure to also check out the bridge from the end of the film “Baby Driver.”
The classic 1997 James Cameron film “Titanic” was of course filmed primarily on a recreated set of the famous ship, which was built at Fox Baja Studios in Mexico. In 2017, however, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California held a unique exhibition on the ship, where it combined real artifacts from the sunken ship alongside props and sets from the film. It was the largest collection of artifacts from passengers of the ship since the fateful night it collided with an iceberg a century before.
The exhibit has unfortunately since closed, but here we’ll take a look at some of the props, costumes and sets from the film that were on display.
This is the set of the famous scene where Jack, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, draws a nude Rose, played by Kate Winslet.
Here are some props from the scene, including Rose’s mirror, butterfly hairpin and comb, as well as her “Heart of the Ocean” necklace.
Here is Jack’s sketchbook and pencil case. On top of the sketchbook is also the note Rose leaves for Cal, played by Billy Zane. She places the note inside his safe, along with the necklace. Her note reads, “Darling – Now you can keep us both locked up inside your safe. Rose.”
This is the set of Jack and his friend Fabrizio’s cabin, designed for third class passengers.
Here is the Marconi Room, another set from the film, where the ship sent out it’s distress calls and communicated with other ships. Without it, no one would’ve known why or where the ship had sunk.
Jack Dawson’s suit as he boards the ship.
Rose wears this dress while the ship is sinking.
Molly Brown, played by Kathy Bates, wears this dress.
Bruce Ismay, played by Jonathan Hyde, wears these pajamas and overcoat.
Here is a dress worn by one of the first class passengers in the film.
Moving on to more props from the film, here is the clock and cherub from the grand staircase of the ship, where Jack greets Rose.
Some scale miniatures were also built for the film, including a 45 foot long model of the ship. Here are some pieces from the miniature.
The ax Rose uses to free Jack, who is handcuffed in his cabin.
While the exhibit closed down in 2018, due to the enduring popularity of both the film and the history of the ship itself, these artifacts are bound to find their way into another, future exhibition.
We leave you with one last prop from the film, which was not part of the Reagan Library exhibit. Rather, it can be found at Planet Hollywood in Florida. It’s the piece of wood that Rose floats on at the end of the film.
LOCATION: 1506 E Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
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