The Nice Guys (2016)

The 2016 Shane Black film “The Nice Guys,” starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, takes place in Los Angeles in 1977. Much of the filming took place in Southern California, with some additional filming in Atlanta, Georgia. The opening shot is seen behind the Hollywood sign.  There is a public hiking trail that goes up to and behind the sign.  The sign itself is heavily monitored by security.

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LOCATION: Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, CA 90068 (GPS coordinates: 34°08’02.8″N, 118°19’17.5″W)

Early in the film, Jackson Healy, played by Russell Crowe, beats up a man at this house, which can be found in the View Park-Windsor Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. The house has since been remodeled a bit. This same home is briefly seen in “Lords Of Dogtown.”

LOCATION: 3975 Kenway Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90008

The Hollywood First National Bank Building is briefly seen as a radio announcer repeats a smog advisory. The same building also appears in the film “Twins“, as well as briefly in the background of a rooftop scene in “Reservoir Dogs.”

LOCATION: 6777 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

The home of Holland March, played by Ryan Gosling, can also be found in the View Park-Windsor Hills neighborhood.

LOCATION: 4255 Enoro Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90008

The home of Misty’s Aunt, whom March takes on as a client, can be found in the same neighborhood.

LOCATION: 4585 W Mt Vernon Dr, View Park-Windsor Hills, CA 90043

The exterior of the bowling alley where March’s daughter Holly, played by Angourie Rice, has a birthday party can be found in Covina, a bit far away from most of the other locations in the film.

LOCATION: 1060 W San Bernardino Rd, Covina, CA 91722

Healy and March encounter Amelia’s protest group on the stairs of City Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. The building has been featured in endless films, such as “They Live,” “L.A. Confidential,” “Liar Liar,” “Ray,” “Fracture,” “Gangster Squad,” “Impulse,” L.A. Bounty” and more.

LOCATION: 200 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Healy and March meet with Amelia’s mother, played by Kim Basinger, at The John Ferraro Building in Downtown L.A. It has been featured in countless films and television shows, such as “Inception,” “Hancock,” “The Omega Man” and more.

LOCATION: 111 N Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

The empty plot of land where Holly reads alone can be found in Baldwin Hills.

LOCATION: 5245 Veronica St, Los Angeles, CA 90008

The Hollywood Tower Apartments are briefly seen as March speculates maybe the birds can’t breathe, as he sits stuck in traffic. The same apartments appears in the film “Body Double.”

LOCATION: 6200 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028

The home of Misty Mountains, played by Murielle Telio, can be found back in View Park-Windsor Hills.

LOCATION: 5003 Parkglen Ave, View Park-Windsor Hills, CA 90043

Lethal Weapon (1987)

The tower where the woman falls to her death in the opening of the 1987’s “Lethal Weapon” was filmed at the International Tower Condos in Long Beach, California.

LOCATION: 700 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802

Roger Murtaugh, played by Danny Glover, shows up in front of the same tower to investigate.  The Villa Riviera condos can be seen in the distance.

Murtaugh’s house, seen in much of the film, was not a real house.  It was a set on the Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank, California.  The ranch was offsite from the main Warner Studio lot and not available for public tours.  The house had been used in countless productions, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” “American Beauty,” “Hook, Line and Sinker,” “WandaVision” and many, many more.  It had the most complete interiors of any set on the ranch, much of which was seen in the film. The entire ranch was demolished in 2023, with sound stages taking over the space.

LOCATION: 411 N Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505 (demolished)

The building where Martin Riggs, played by Mel Gibson, uses his unique methods to neutralize a potential suicide jumper was filmed at the Emser Tile building in West Hollywood.

LOCATION: 8431 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Riggs and Murtaugh grab hotdogs at the corner of Western Ave and Wilshire Blvd, with The Wiltern music venue in the background.

LOCATION: Western Ave / Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010

The Monster Squad (1987)

The cult 1980s film “The Monster Squad” shot mostly on studio lots, but there are a couple real world locations.  The school the boys attend is the Richland Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles.

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LOCATION: 11562 Richland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90064

One of those more memorable locations was the house of the “Scary German Guy.”  It could be found in Santa Monica, but as is often the case around Southern California, new owners came along, demolished the property and built a more modern house in it’s place. Here is what it looks like now.

LOCATION: 229 12th St, Santa Monica, CA 90402 (now demolished)

Sean’s house was a facade, located on the Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank.  This studio lot was separate from the main Warner backlot and was not open to public tours.  The same house was used in the 1970s TV series “The Partridge Family.” The entire ranch was demolished in 2023, with sound stages taking over the space.

LOCATION: 411 N Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505 (demolished)

The climactic battle against the monsters was filmed on the main Warner backlot, which is of course open to tours.  The boys make their way to this church, which was also seen in another 1980s horror classic, “The Lost Boys.”

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LOCATION: 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505

Here is a wider view of the town square, which was also famously used as the fictional town of “Stars Hollow” in the TV show “Gilmore Girls.”

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Dracula stands in front of this house, which is another facade on the Warner lot.  The same home was seen in “Gremlins” and “Deadly Friend,” as well as the TV series “Growing Pains” and “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.”

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Seeing the locations of “The Monster Squad” is a tricky proposition, as it involves a mixture of studio and real world locations, not all of which we covered here.  Whether you’re a nostalgic fan from the film’s initial release, or a new fan just discovering it for the first time, “The Monster Squad” continues to have an undeniable cult following.