Penelope Spheeris

Suburbia (1983)

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The 1983 film “Suburbia,” directed by Penelope Spheeris, was shot in Southern California. The home of Evan Johnson, played by Bill Coyne, seen early in the film can be found in Downey.

LOCATION: 10267 Branscomb St, Downey, CA 90242

The home is seen again later in the film when Evan returns to take his brother Ethan.

As Evan leaves home, he is seen walking down the street as the opening credits roll.

Evan sits in front of Johnie’s Coffee Shop Restaurant in midtown Los Angeles.  The restaurant closed many years ago, but still operates as a filming location.  It has appeared in many films, such as “Reservoir Dogs,” “The Big Lebowski,” “American History X,” “Miracle Mile” and “Gone in Sixty Seconds.”

LOCATION: 6099 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Jack, played by Chris Pedersen, rides with Evan when his car breaks down. They push the vehicle in front of this building.

LOCATION: 12160 Downey Ave, Downey, CA 90242

Josh throws a bottle at a bus near this area.

LOCATION: Near 9211 Stewart and Gray Rd, Downey, CA 90241

As the boys drive toward the T.R. house, they pass a series of abandoned homes. At the time, the neighborhoods were being cleared out for the construction of the 105 freeway. Many areas seen in the film were demolished, but some still remain and have since been fixed up. Below are a couple of examples of the homes seen in passing.

LOCATION: 9648 Belcher St, Downey, CA 90242

LOCATION: 9652 Belcher St, Downey, CA 90242

The T.R. House itself would have stood just north of Angell St, Downey, CA 90242, but has since been demolished. The 105 freeway now exists in its place.

The nicer neighborhood where the boys rob some houses can be found in Montebello. The boys stop at this intersection where they see a dead cat in the road.

LOCATION: N Juarez St / Lexington Ave, Montebello, CA 90640

The boys steal food from this home.

LOCATION: 122 W Los Amigos Ave, Montebello, CA 90640

The second house the boys steal from, where the owner discovers them, can be found here.

LOCATION: 1005 Yorktown Ave, Montebello, CA 90640

While its never seen from this angle in the film, here is a view of the front of the home.

The boys pull up to a garage sale at the end of Gneiss Ave in Downey, when they encounter the men seen earlier in the film shooting dogs.

LOCATION: Near 12280 Gneiss Ave, Downey, CA 90242

The shot of the boys walking in slow motion through an upscale neighborhood, which was also featured on many of the films posters and cover art for home video releases, was filmed in Hancock Park.

LOCATION: Near 325S S Plymouth Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90020

They are seen in close-up walking past this home, which is never seen in a wide angle in the film.

LOCATION: 333 Plymouth Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90020

The kids are seen stealing the grass in the lawn from this house, which has since been heavily remodeled. Its located directly across the street from one of the homes they steal from earlier in the film in Montebello.

LOCATION: 1006 Yorktown Ave, Montebello, CA 90640 (remodeled)

Skinner, played by Timothy O’Brien, gets into a fight in front of this home.

LOCATION: 7949 Borson St, Downey, CA 90242

The boys visit this liquor store.

LOCATION: 8253 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

This location served as the home of Sheila’s parents.

LOCATION: 315 Plymouth Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90020

This location served as the funeral home seen near the end of the film. The building has since been remodeled some.

LOCATION: 1000 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015

The Little Rascals (1994)

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The 1994 remake of “The Little Rascals” was filmed around Southern California. The boys’ “He-Man Womun Haters Club” formerly sat on a hillside overlooking Downtown Los Angeles. The location was on Figueroa Terrace, but as is the case with most open land in Los Angeles from decades ago, the area has since been developed. Here is the general vicinity where the clubhouse would have been.

LOCATION: 1031 Figueroa Terrace, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Looking the opposite direction at N Beaudry Ave, the road can actually be seen in the background of several shots of the clubhouse, such as when Waldo leaves with Darla.

The canal where Alfalfa serenades Darla can be found at the Venice Canals near Venice Beach. This location still largely looks the same as it did in the film. There are numerous bridges in the neighborhood. The boys eavesdrop over their boat at the bridge connecting Linnie Canal to Court C. The exact same bridge has also appeared in some very different films, including “A Nightmare On Elm Street” and Oliver Stone’s “The Doors.”

LOCATION: The bridge between Linnie Canal / Court C, Venice, CA 90291 (GPS coordinates: 33.985319, -118.464566)

When a fire breaks out at the clubhouse, Buckwheat and Porky rush to a phone booth to call the fire station, but give up when they can’t remember the number for 9-1-1. They walk away, not noticing a fire station directly across the street. This scene was filmed in North Hollywood.

LOCATION: 5320 Tujunga Ave, Los Angeles, CA 91601

Darla’s house can be found in Burbank. The house was painted white in the film. Alfalfa brings Darla flowers, when he is suddently interrupted by Waldo and his dog.

LOCATION: 537 Delaware Rd, Burbank, CA 91504

Spanky takes Alfalfa to Darla’s ballet recital, where he insists Alfalfa break up with her. This scene was filmed at the famous Castle Green Apartments in Pasadena. The scene was shot on the side of the property facing S Raymond Ave. The boys are seen walking down this entrance, with the Stats Floral Supply building visible behind them (the white, painted letters are no longer there).

LOCATION: 99 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

The boys wait outside for Darla for a bit, but have to flee inside to escape some bullies by disguising themselves as ballerinas. Most of this area is obscured by fencing and hedges from the street, but you can see into the property from a couple spots. Castle Green has been featured in countless films, such as “True Romance,” “The Sting,” “Wild At Heart,” “Deja Vu,” “Sneakers,” “Bugsy,” “The Last Samurai,” “Puppet Master” and many more.

The Beverly Hillbillies (1993)

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For the 1993 movie adaptation of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” the Clampett family lives in this house, which is not located in Beverly Hills, rather in Pasadena. The property has appeared in many productions, such as “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement,” as well as the television shows “Charlie’s Angels,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Knight Rider” and many more.

LOCATION: 1288 S Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106

While part of the home can be seen from the street, it is only a side of the house and doesn’t give you a proper perspective of just how large it really is.

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