Melanie Griffith

Body Double (1984)

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The 1984 Brian De Palma film “Body Double” was shot in Southern California. Early in the film, Jake Scully, played by Craig Wasson, can be seen grabbing some food from the Tail O’ The Pup hot dog stand. The hot dog shaped site was originally located on La Cienega Blvd. At risk for demolition, it was relocated to San Vicente Blvd in the mid-80s, which is where the film shot its scenes. The business then closed in 2005 and the stand was put in storage until 2022, when it finally reopened in West Hollywood. The iconic stand has appeared in countless films, such as “L.A. Story,” “Annie Hall,” “Ruthless People,” “My Girl 2,” “Heartbreaker” and more.

LOCATION: 8512 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069 (previously located at 329 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048 at the time of filming, originally located at 311 La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211)

Jake Scully lives at this building, located near the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles.

LOCATION: 322 N Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Jake gets a drink at the bar of Barney’s Beanery, another iconic Los Angeles relic, located in West Hollywood. The location appeared in the films “The Doors,” “Stuck On You,” “Out of Bounds” and more. It is perhaps most famous for its celebrity clientele. There are long standing, alleged stories that Jim Morrison was once kicked out for urinating on the bar and that Quentin Tarantino wrote portions of “Pulp Fiction” there.

LOCATION: 8447 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Jake stays on a friend’s couch at the Hollywood Tower Apartments.

LOCATION: 6200 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Jake is seen searching jobs at the The Original Farmer’s Market in Fairfax.

LOCATION: 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Jake meets Sam, played by Gregg Henry, at an acting class formerly located at 8451 Melrose Pl, West Hollywood, CA 90069. The building has since been demolished.

Sam invites Jake to the home of his rich friend, where he is house sitting. These scenes were filmed at the Chemosphere; a famous modernist house designed by John Lautner in the Hollywood Hills. The home has also appeared in the films “Charlie’s Angels” and “Tomorrowland,” as well as the TV show “The Outer Limits” Only the exteriors were seen in the film, the interiors were built on a studio stage.

LOCATION: 7776 Torreyson Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Sam shows Jake the home of Gloria, played by Deborah Shelton, through the window with a telescope. In the film, the house is depicted as being in direct site from the Chemosphere house, but in reality it is located over five miles away in West Hollywood.

LOCATION: 1405 Miller Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90069

The front gate of Gloria’s home is a different location altogether, located near Los Feliz.

LOCATION: 4733 Cromwell Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Jake parks in this area.

In the distance he sees a mysterious man apparently stalking Gloria.

Jake follows Gloria and the man over to Beverly Hills, to the Rodeo Collecting shopping plaza, which had newly opened at the time of filming. The entrance seen in the film is still there, but a building has since been built atop it.

LOCATION: 421 N Rodeo Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Here is the area where Jake follows Gloria up the escalator.

Jake stands outside of this storefront and watches Gloria.

Jake continues following Gloria over to a beachfront motel in Long Beach. Gloria is first seen here talking at the lobby area, facing 11th Pl.

LOCATION: 1700 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802 (S 11th Pl)

She then walks down 11th Pl to where it dead ends.

Gloria and Jake are seen walking down the stairs on the left. The building is no longer a motel and is now residential apartment units. The stairs have a gate and it is only accessible to tenants. There is a public stairway just to the right, however.

LOCATION: 33 S 11th Pl, Long Beach, CA 90802

Jake then continues to follow Gloria to the Bixby Passageway Tunnel Mural, located just a short distance away in Long Beach, near the public parking lot on Junipero Ave. While the tunnel itself has since permantenly closed and is now sealed off, the mural itself remains there.

LOCATION: 19 Junipero Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802 (GPS coordinates: 33°45’49.0″N, 118°10’05.2″W)

The Frankie Goes to Hollywood night club scenes were filmed in Downtown Los Angeles, in what is now a shoe store. The 1985 horror film “Fright Night” was also filmed here.

LOCATION: 1600 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

The film’s climax was shot at the Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades in Sylmar. While the area is fenced off and not accesible to the public, it can still be easily seen from the road. It is also easily seen from the nearby Interstate 5 freeway, where many Southern California motorists will probably recognize it as a familiar sight.

LOCATION: Los Angeles Aqueduct Cascades, Sylmar, CA 91342 (near the intersection of Balboa Blvd / Foothill Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91342)

Related articles: Carrie (1976), Scarface (1983)

Another Day In Paradise (1998)

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The 1998 Larry Clark film “Another Day in Paradise” was filmed around Southern California. Early in the film, Bobbie and Rosie, played by Vincent Kartheiser and Natasha Gregson Wagner, stay the Nate Starkman & Son Building in Los Angeles. It has been featured in countless films and shows, perhaps most famously “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.” Other films that shot here include “Wrath Of Man,” “Color Of Night,” “Saw,” “Repo Man,” “Rising Sun,” “Date Night,” “Lovelace” and many more.

LOCATION: 544 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

This view of the opposite side of the street is seen as Mel, played by James Woods, drops Bobbie off. The same area was seen in “Child’s Play 2,” “Out For Justice,” “Saw” and more.

Rosie goes shopping with Sid, played by Melanie Griffith, at this building in Norwalk. It’s depicted as a clothing store in the film, with drawings of women’s faces on the red panels on the right. One of the buildings across the street was seen in the films “Frailty” and “Best Men.”

LOCATION: 12124 Front St, Norwalk, CA 90650

The business next door is depicted as a Greyhound station in the film. Currently both spaces are merged and occupied by a single business.

Bobbie and Mel rob a pharmacy at this building, also located in Norwalk. It is not far from the clothing store location.

LOCATION: 12330 Firestone Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650

The characters eat at the famed Quality Cafe in Downtown Los Angeles.  The diner was a one-time staple of films, appearing in “Seven,” “Training Day,” “Ghost World,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “(500) Days Of Summer” “Million Dollar Baby,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “The Heartbreak Kid” and dozens more.  However, it was not an actual restaurant open to the public.  Instead it was used solely for filming.  Sadly, it ceased to function as a filming location and was completely renovated in 2014.  The interior of the property no longer bears any resemblance inside to how it appeared in so many films.

LOCATION: 1238 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017 (now closed and remodeled)

Related articles: Kids (1995), Bully (2001), Ken Park (2002)

Milk Money (1994)

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The 1994 comedy “Milk Money” was filmed around Cincinnati, Ohio. In the film, a young boy named Frank, played by Michael Patrick Carter, lives at this home with his father Tom, played by Ed Harris.

LOCATION: 1330 Hayward Ct, Cincinnati, OH 45208

Frank’s school can be found about one block over from the house. Both locations are easily within walking distance from one another.

LOCATION: 1339 Herschel Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45208

Frank and his friends travel to the city, where they end up meeting a prostitute named V, played by Melanie Griffith. V brings the boys back to her hotel, which was filmed at the Fort Washington Hotel in Cincinnati. The large sign is gone, but the building otherwise still looks similar to how it appeared in the film.

LOCATION: 621 Main St, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Tom and V kiss in from of an ice cream parlor, which is located in Lebanon, about 30 minutes north of Cincinnati.

LOCATION: 22 S Broadway St, Lebanon, OH 45036

The same ice cream parlor was seen in the 1978 film “Harper Valley P.T.A.”

The interior can be seen as some confused locals are under the impression Tom and V are siblings.

The building across the street is also seen briefly in the film. Tom and V are out for a date and run into one of the families of Frank’s friend. The father has clearly been a past client of V and the encounter ends awkwardly, with V leaving.

LOCATION: 27 S Broadway St, Lebanon, OH 45036

Roar (1981)

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The 1981 film “Roar” has been called “the most dangerous film ever made” and may well be exactly that.  The film was created by director Noel Marshall and his then wife Tippi Hedren, who both star, after they drew inspiration to raise awareness against animal poaching while visiting Africa.  Marshall and Hedren began raising a variety of big cats at their home, eventually purchasing a ranch in Acton, California.

Using large, untrained animals, the film is scripted, but with the unpredictable behavior of the animals, it often feels like a documentary.  Initially shooting scenes in Santa Clarita, filming shifted to Acton and the troubled shoot, which involved 70 injuries to the cast and crew, continued on for 5 years.  Actress Melanie Griffith, daughter to Tippi Hedren, was among the injured, requiring facial reconstructive surgery after being attacked by a lion.

The film eventually saw release in 1981, but only hit theaters outside of the U.S. upon initial release.  However, 34 years later, it was finally re-released into theaters in 2015, including the United States, and has since gained a cult following.

Today the ranch in Acton, known as the Shambala Preserve, is still operated by The Roar Foundation, founded by Tippi Hedren.  The ranch offer tours, but reservations fill up quickly.

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LOCATION: 6867 Soledad Canyon Rd, Acton, CA 93510

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