The 1999 live action adaptation of “Inspector Gadget,” starring Matthew Broderick, is set in the fictional town of Riverton, Ohio, but was filmed in primarily in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Los Angeles, California. The Bradford Robotics Industry, where the Gadget Program is developed, was filmed at this building in Los Angeles. It has been featured in countless films and television series, including “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Beverly Hills Cop II,” “Divergent,” “The Muppets,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “License To Drive,” “Unlawful Entry,” “The Negotiator,” “Wrath Of Man,” “Child’s Play 2” and dozens more.
LOCATION: 635 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
The headquarters of Claw, played by Rupert Everett, was filmed at PPG Place in downtown Pittsburgh. The same building appeared in the film “Fire Down Below.”
LOCATION: 1 PPG Pl, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Inspector Gadget tests out his new body at Fort Duquesne, overlooking the Pittsburgh skyline (Fort Duquesne, 3 Rivers Heritage Trail System, Downtown, Pittsburgh, PA 15222).
Inspector Gadget’s distinctive, narrow house can also be found in Pittsburgh in the South Side Slopes neighborhood.
LOCATION: 7 Roscoe St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
The Riverton Police Station was filmed at the Patriotic Hall in Los Angeles. The same building has been featured in countless films, such as “Flashdance,” “Back To School,” “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” “Stand And Deliver” and more.
LOCATION: 1816 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
The bridge where Inspector Gadget battles Robo-Gadget is the Roberto Clemente Bridge in Pittsburgh.
LOCATION: Roberto Clemente Bridge, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Claw captures Brenda, played by Joely Fisher, at this building in Los Angeles, which is actually part of Los Angeles Center Studios in Downtown Los Angeles. This area, in spite of certainly appearing to be a public street, is actually behind gates and part of the studio. The address of the studio itself is on S Bixel St, but this particular area is near S Beaudry Ave. You can see the area from some public spots, such as near the intersection of W 6th St / S Beaudry Ave, but it only offers a side view from a distance. The studio has been used in hundreds of productions, with this particular area appearing in the films “Frailty,” “Constantine,” “Grandma’s Boy,” and “Wrath Of Man,” just to name a few.
LOCATION: 450 S Bixel St, Los Angeles, CA 90017 (the address of the studio complex is S Bixel St, but this spot is closer to 451 S Beaudry Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017)
The 1983 Adrian Lyne drama “Flashdance” tells the story of an aspiring dancer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The film itself split production between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, California. Alex Owens, played by Jennifer Beals, works at Mawby’s Bar. The location has since been remodeled, but can be found in Downtown Los Angeles near Skid Row. The 1985 sequel “Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment” also filmed at the same location.
LOCATION: 229 Boyd St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Alex backs out of a dance audition at the famed Carnegie Museum & Library in Pittsburgh. The same building appears in the films “The Silence Of The Lambs” and “Pretty Woman,” with the latter using actual footage from this film.
LOCATION: 4400 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Hanna Long, played by Lilia Skala, lives at this home, also located in Pittsburgh.
LOCATION: 2100 Sidney St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
The exterior of the Zanzibar strip club location can be found in Downtown Los Angeles. It is actually part of the property of the infamous Cecil Hotel. The interior was located at 365 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048.
LOCATION: 640 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Nick Hurley, played by Michael Nouri, lives in this home, located in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The famous final audition sequence was shot inside the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall in Downtown L.A. The building has been featured in numerous films, including “Inspector Gadget,” “Back To School,” “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” “Stand And Deliver” and more.
LOCATION: 1816 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
The 2008 Kevin Smith comedy “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” was filmed primarily around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. It is not the director’s first time using the city as his backdrop, having previously filmed portions of “Dogma” there as well.
In the opening credits, Miri, played by Elizabeth Banks, is awakened to the sounds of a car crashing in front of the church on the right.
LOCATION: 161 Hazelwood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15207
Miri lives with her roommate Zack, played by Seth Rogan, at this home, which is located just across the street from the church.
LOCATION: 200 Hazelwood Ave, Hazelwood, PA 15207
The exterior of the high school reunion Zack and Miri attend is also located just across the street from their house at 327 Hazelwood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15207.
Miri works at the Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, which horror fans will know well as the shopping mall from George Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead.” Early in the film, Miri is dropped off at this entrance, which is to the left of the movie theater. The area beside the entrance is now a loading dock, so that portion has changed a bit. The parking numbers still match up however, as well as the mall entrance itself, so just look for row 50 on the signs if you’re uncertain. We’ve also provided GPS coordinates below.
The television series “Mindhunter,” executive produced by David Fincher, who also directed seven episodes, tells the story of two FBI agents and a psychologist who develop the Behavioral Science Unit to understand the psychology of serial killers. Agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, played by Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany, travel the country interviewing convicted serial killers. The series was primarily filmed in the Pittsburgh area, with the city often standing in for other cities, most notably as Atlanta in Season Two.
In the opening scene of the series, Holden Ford contends with a hostage situation, said to be in Braddock, Pennsylvania. Braddock is indeed where the scene was shot.
LOCATION: 218 7th St, Braddock, PA 15104
Here is a closer look at the area where the man holds a woman hostage.
Here is the area where Holden stands and attempts to negotiate.
Bill Tench’s house is seen frequently throughout the series. The home can be found in Pittsburgh.
The 1996 Farrelly Brothers comedy “Kingpin” was shot mostly around Pennsylvania, but like many Farrelly Bothers films, it becomes something of a road trip movie, reaching Reno, Nevada by the film’s climax. In the opening scene of the film, a young Roy Munson practices bowling with his father at the Munson Service Center. The scene is supposedly set in Ocelot, Iowa. It was actually filmed in Mars, Pennsylvania.
LOCATION: 255 Mars Valencia Rd, Mars, PA 16046
Roy bowls with his father at the side of the building, using a homemade lane and bowling pins.
Roy’s father sees him off at P.J.’s Soft Serve. The building was in poor condition when the filmmakers first found it. It is shown in this state when Roy, played by Woody Harrelson, returns to his home town later in the film. The production then fixed it up for the early scenes. The building has since been completely demolished, with a different one now standing in its place, but the surrounding areas still match up. This is located one mile from the Munson Service Center, on the same road.
LOCATION: 441 Mars Valencia Rd, Valencia, PA 16059 (now demolished)
After winning a bowling tournament, Roy takes his car to a mechanic, who tells him someone put sugar in his gas tank. This scene was filmed just a few buildings down from the Munson Service Center and is easily within walking distance.
LOCATION: 229 Mars Valencia Rd, Mars, PA 16046
Only a small part of the building is seen in the film. However, this house across the street is also seen in the background of the scene, confirming the location.
“Big Ern” McCracken, played by Bill Murray, hustles some local bowlers and Roy finds himself in over his head. As they exit the bowling alley, they are confronted by the guys they’ve hustled. Big Ern lets Roy take the fall, as he speeds off and abandons him at the Beaver Valley Bowl in Rochester, with Roy losing his hand in the process. This same location was used in the Michael Douglas film “Wonder Boys” and the TV series “I Am Not Okay With This.”
LOCATION: 25 New York Ave, Rochester, PA 15074
The home of Roy Munson is supposedly located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The real building is actually located in the town of Trafford. Roy’s neighbors sit outside and complain about life, while his landlady lives next door as well. The building has been slightly updated, but is still very recognizable from how it appeared in the film.
LOCATION: 533 5th Street Ext, Trafford, PA 15085
Later in the film, Roy stages a purse snatching on his landlady, in which he rescues her in hopes she’ll cut him a break on his late rent.
Right around the corner from Roy’s apartment was another scene from the film. Roy helps a mother get her stroller up on the sidewalk and then steals the baby’s milk for his coffee.
LOCATION: 5th St / 5th Street Ext, Trafford, PA 15085
Roy first meets Amish bowler Ishmael, played by Randy Quaid, at the Lancaster Bowl. This scene was actually filmed at Mars Lanes, located right across the street from the Munson Service Center.
LOCATION: 262 Mars Valencia Rd, Mars, PA 16046
Ishmael lives at this farm, where Roy tries to persuade him to become business partners. Ishmael’s farm can be found in Fombell. The long path leading down to the farm is located at the intersection of Harvest Ln / PA-288.
When Roy first approaches Ishmael, who is riding his bicycle on the left side of the road, the barn on the right can be seen in the background. This is the same location as above, facing toward PA-288 (also known as Zelienople Rd).
After Ishmael loses a bowling match to a club player, Roy nearly decides to abandon their partnership. They stop on PA-528 (also known as Prospect Rd), where Roy quickly changes his mind and tells Ishmael he was just testing him.
LOCATION: PA-528, Slippery Rock, PA 16057 (near the 528 Boat Ramp, GPS coordinates: 40°57’03.3″N 80°02’34.9″W)
Depending on the map you use, this area may be listed as Slippery Rock, Prospect or Lake Arthur. It is located near the Frank W. Preston Conservation Area.
Roy and Ishmael unsuccessfully attempt to run the same hustle that cost Roy his hand at the former McKnight Lanes in Pittsburgh. The bowling alley has long since closed.
LOCATION: 7507 McKnight Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237 (since remodeled)
Roy and Claudia, played by Vanessa Angel, get into an argument the Jolly Jumper Motel, prompting Ishmael to run away. These scenes were filmed at 100 Blue Spruce Way, Murrysville, PA 15668, but the building has since been demolished.
Roy and Claudia go in search of him at Uncle Willees Reptile Farm, where a rattlesnake bites the owner in the face. The real building is a restaurant known as Willees Tavern and has operated for more than 80 years. The filmmakers clearly gave a nod to the real establishent when naming their fictional reptile farm. It is not far from the early locations seen in the film, such as the Munson Service Center and P.J.’s Soft Serve.
LOCATION: 11150 Babcock Blvd, Valencia, PA 16059
For the film’s climax, Roy and Big Ern square off at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada. The lanes are not open to public use, but there is a bowling museum inside that is open to the public, for those interested.
In the 1990 romantic comedy “Pretty Woman,” Vivian, played by Julia Roberts, lives at this Hollywood hotel. The real hotel is located right off of Hollywood Blvd, exactly as depicted in the film. At the end of the movie, Edward, played by Richard Gere, climbs the fire escape with roses and the two passionately kiss.
LOCATION: 1738 N Las Palmas Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Vivan stays at a luxurious hotel in Beverly Hills.
LOCATION: 9500 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Vivian and Edward walk past the Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain at Grand Park in Downtown L.A. The same fountain was seen in “(500) Days Of Summer.”
LOCATION: Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Edward’s office can be found in Downtown Los Angeles.
LOCATION: 333 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
The opera house was a composite of three locations. The exterior, supposedly located in San Francisco, is actually the Carnegie Museum & Library in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The same building appears in the films “The Silence Of The Lambs” and “Flashdance.” In fact, this film used the actual footage from “Flashdance” as their establishing shot after their planned location fell through. The interior lobby was filmed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (900 W Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007), while the theatre was filmed at Walt Disney Studios (500 S Buena Vista St, Burbank, CA 91521).
Curtis Hanson’s excellent, overlooked 2000 film “Wonder Boys” takes place within the literary circles of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the film was also shot. The film ranks among Hanson’s finest works and features an impressive, ensemble cast. We highly recommend it if you’ve never seen it.
This house is where Michael Douglas’ character lives in the film, disheveled and struggling to finish writing his second book.
LOCATION: 359 S Atlantic Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Later in the film, the confrontation with “Vernon Hardapple” takes place in the parking lot of this bowling alley. The bowling alley is also seen in the Farrelly Brothers comedy “Kingpin,” where Woody Harrelson’s character loses his hand.
Unlike the first two installments of Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy, which used Chicago to double as Gotham City, the third and final installment, “The Dark Knight Rises” used an amalgam of cities, which included Pittsburgh, New York City and Los Angeles. Here we take a look at some of these locations.
Bane robs the Gotham City Stock Exchange, which was filmed in the heart of New York’s financial district on Wall Street. However, the production used the JP Morgan building, located directly across the street from the New York Stock Exchange.
LOCATION: 23 Wall St, New York, NY 10005
As Bane unleashes an explosion at the Gotham football stadium, as well as all across Gotham, Blake, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is rocked by one of the explosives and his car flips over as he drives down this alley. While many of these shots were filmed in Pittsburgh, this particular alley can be found in downtown Los Angeles. It’s located on Terminal Street, which intersects with 7th Street, just past Alameda Street.
LOCATION: Terminal St, Los Angeles, CA 90021 (a nearby address to arrive around the alley would be 1371 E 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021)
The police get trapped in a tunnel under the 6th Street Bridge, also in Downtown L.A. The bridge has been seen in countless films over the years, including “Grease,” “Terminator 2: Judgement Day,” “Gone in Sixty Seconds,” “Drive” and many more. The original bridge was demolished in 2016, with a new bridge built in its place in 2022. The area where the scene took place has changed quite a bit.
LOCATION: Under the 6th St Bridge, at the intersection of lower E 6th St / Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (heavily remodeled)
The scenes of Scarecrow sentencing people to punishment was filmed at Union Station, a train station in downtown Los Angeles. It has been featured in many films, such as “Blade Runner,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Species,” “Bugsy,” “Pearl Harbor” and more.
LOCATION: 800 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Over at the 3rd Street Tunnel in downtown Los Angeles is where Catwoman, played by Anne Hathaway, uses the Batpod to blow up some cars, which have been piled up to obstruct the entrance. The view seen in the film is on the side of the tunnel that faces Flower Street. The same tunnel was also seen in “Darkman.”
LOCATION: W 3rd St., at the entrance facing S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90810
The Batpod Catwoman rides can be seen on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum, also in Los Angeles.
LOCATION: Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Moving over to Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Mellon University was used for a couple key sequences, near the film’s climax. Bane released the prisoners from Blackgate Prison, which was shot at Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute. The building’s address is on Fifth Ave., but you’ll actually have to turn the corner to the side of the building facing Dirthridge St. to see the spot used in the film.
LOCATION: Software Engineering Institute, 4500 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (facing Dirthridge St)
The Mellon Institute, which is located right beside the Software Engineering Institute, served as Gotham City Hall, where Bane and Batman do battle on the steps of the building.
LOCATION: Mellon Institute, 4400 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Lastly, we leave you with a shot of the Batmobile Tumbler from the film, which is on display at Warner Bros. Studios, as part of their tour.
The climax to Kevin Smith’s biblical comedy “Dogma” takes place at a church in Pittsburgh, where the majority of the film was likewise shot. Loki and Bartleby, played by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, attempt to bring the apocalypse upon Earth, battling Jay and Silent Bob. Even God makes an appearance. It’s also the site of George Carlin’s character introducing “Catholicism Wow!” and the famous “Buddy Christ.”
Film Oblivion 