Mama’s Family

Several houses were used for the filming of the 1980s sitcom “Mama’s Family,” starring Vicki Lawrence.  In the first two seasons, the house seen in the establishing shots was actually located in Kansas City, Missouri (18 W 59th St, Kansas City, MO 64113).  However, for exterior shots where the cast was required to be on location, a second home was utilized in Pasadena, California, much closer to where the show taped.

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LOCATION: 675 S Oakland Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106

However, the home most commonly associated with the series, used in seasons 3 through 6, as well as syndicated episodes, is this third house, located not far from the second, in South Pasadena, California.  The home is actually located just two doors down from the shrubs Michael Meyers famously stood at in the original “Halloween.”  The “Mama’s Family” house can even be seen in a couple shots in the film, if you look closely at the background.

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LOCATION: 1027 Montrose Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Back To The Future (1985)

The 1985 Robert Zemeckis classic “Back To The Future” is among the most famous of all Los Angeles area films. Countless fans continue to flock to these locations.

Doc Brown’s house can be found in Pasadena.  It’s the Gamble House, a National Historic Landmark and museum, which is open to public tours.  However, only the exterior was used for Doc’s house in the film.  The interior was shot at 1777 Hillcrest Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106, which is a private residence.

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LOCATION: 4 Westmoreland Pl, Pasadena, CA 91103

Doc’s garage, located on the same property, is now a bookstore.

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The street leading up to Marty’s house in 1984 is at the intersection of Sandusky Ave and Kagel Canyon St, not on Roslyndale Ave, where the McFly house is located.

LOCATION: Sandusky Ave / Kagel Canyon St, Los Angeles, CA 91331

Marty McFly’s house can be found in the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles, in the town of Pacoima, California.

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LOCATION: 9303 Roslyndale Ave, Pacoima, CA 91331

The Burger King where Mary hitches a ride on his skateboard, grabbing onto the back of a truck, is still operational and going strong.  You can find it in Burbank, California.

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LOCATION: 535 N Victory Blvd, Burbank, CA 91502

Hill Valley High School is actually Whittier High School.

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LOCATION: 12417 Philadelphia St, Whittier, CA 90601

The Twin Pines Mall is actually the Puente Hills Mall in City of Industry.  The mall occasionally hosts events in celebration of the film.

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LOCATION: Puente Hills Mall, 1600 S Azusa Ave, City of Industry, CA 91748

Inside the mall, you can even find this replica sign for the Twin Pines Mall.  Sometimes when there are special events surrounding the film, they will place this sign outside, as it appeared in the film.

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When Marty travels back in time to 1955, he discovers his neighborhood, the Lyon Estates, has yet to be built. This spot can be found near Chino. To reach it, you take Chino Corona Rd, which passes a women’s prison. The road becomes Cucamonga Ave and there are signs posted that the road is not maintained. Just ahead you’ll find the spot, which actually has an address. We’ve also included GPS coordinates. The area hasn’t changed much since filming and it’s easily the most remote location featured in the film.

LOCATION: 17545 Cucamonga Ave, Eastvale, CA 92880 (GPS coordinates: 33.935527, -117.633307)

George McFly’s house can be found in South Pasadena.

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LOCATION: 1711 Bushnell Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Marty’s mother Lorainne lives at this house, located on the same street, just a few doors down from George’s house.  It was used only for exterior shots.  This house was also used in another Michael J. Fox film, “Teen Wolf.”

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LOCATION: 1727 Bushnell Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

The interiors of Lorainne’s house were filmed at another property on the same road.

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LOCATION: 1705 Bushnell Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

The courthouse square and clock tower can be found on the Universal Studios Lot in Hollywood (100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608).  The building has been used in countless other films, including “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Gremlins” and “Bruce Almighty.”  In 2008, a fire destroyed much of the building, but Universal restored and reopened it in 2009.  Today, it can be seen once again as part of the Universal Studios Tour, but be warned, this area frequently hosts productions and the site is routinely closed off from the tours.  If you’re adamant about seeing the tower, it’s perhaps best to call ahead and find out if it’s showing on a given day.

Few movie cars are as famous than the Delorean, with many fans building their own replicas.  There were in fact seven vehicles built for use in the original trilogy, with only three still known to exist.  Below is the first of those three, which appeared throughout the original film and in both sequels.  After spending 25 years as part of Universal Studio’s Hollywood Tour, the car had begun showing signs of wearing and many key pieces had been removed, including the famed flux capacitor.  A team was hired to meticulously restore the car back to it’s original form and the vehicle is now on permanent display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California.  The second Delorean is on display at Universal Studios Florida, while the third is privately owned.

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LOCATION: Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

A look inside the restored vehicle.

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Here is the restored flux capacitor.

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One vehicle from the original film which can still be seen on the Universal Studios Hollywood Tour is Biff Tannen’s 1946 Ford Convertible.  Some vehicles from the sequels can also be seen there, but here we’ll strictly focus on the first film.

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LOCATION: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608

Related articles: Used Cars (1980), Back To The Future Part II (1989), Back To The Future Part III (1990), Death Becomes Her (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Cast Away (2000)

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

Tim Burton’s 1985 film “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” introduced the world to Paul Rubens’ classic character, Pee-Wee Herman.  In the film, Pee-Wee lives at this South Pasadena home.

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LOCATION: 1848 Oxley St, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Later in the film, Pee Wee is chased around the Cabazon Dinosaurs.  The dinosaurs are a roadside attraction in Cabazon, California and can be seen from the 10 freeway.  Originally built by a sculptor and theme park artist as a way to attract customers to his nearby restaurant, the dinosaurs now operate as a small museum and gift shop.  The dinosaurs were also seen in the 1984 film “Paris, Texas” and the 1989 film “The Wizard.”

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LOCATION: 50700 Seminole Dr., Cabazon, CA 92230

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Pee-Wee gets chased by some kids on bikes at this park in North Hollywood.  The same park was famously featured in the film “Say Anything…

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LOCATION: North Hollywood Park, 11430 Chandler Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Francis lives at this house. The homeowners have since added a lot of shrubs along the front of the property, obscuring the view a bit.

LOCATION: 401 S Hudson Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020

The bike from the film can be seen at the Hollywood Museum in Hollywood, California.

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LOCATION: Hollywood Museum, 1660 Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90028

They also have one of Pee Wee’s costumes, though it is said to be from the TV show, not the film.

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Related articles: Frankenweenie (1984), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), Ed Wood (1994), Big Fish (2003), Big Eyes (2014), Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children (2016)

My So-Called Life

The short-lived, but well remembered 90s TV drama “My So-Called Life,” where Claire Danes and Jared Leto got their starts, was set in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, as is the case with so many films and TV series, the house seen in the show was actually based in Southern California.  It can be found in South Pasadena.  The house was also used in Rob Zombie’s 2007 remake of “Halloween.”

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LOCATION: 1110 Glendon Way, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Step By Step

The 90s sitcom “Step By Step,” starring Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers, was a staple of the “TGIF” line-up, which also included “Full House,” “Perfect Strangers,” “Family Matters” and more.  While set in the town from Port Washington, Wisconsin, the house from the show can be found in South Pasadena, California.  It was of course only used as an exterior shot, with all interiors filmed on a studio stage.  Also, in case you’re wondering, the theme park from the opening credits is likewise in California, at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia.

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LOCATION: 2011 Fletcher Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Old School (2003)

The frat house from the 2003 Will Ferrell comedy “Old School,” where “Mitch-a-palooza” takes place, can be found at this South Pasadena home.

LOCATION: 1803 Bushnell Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Frank the Tank, played by Ferrell, lives at this home in Altadena.

LOCATION: 2284 Mar Vista Ave, Altadena, CA 91001

Mitch, played by Luke Wilson, discusses ways to save the fraternity at this restaurant, which was also featured in the film “Role Models,” as well as such TV shows as “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Scandal” and “The X-Files.”

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LOCATION: 601 Fair Oaks Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Frankenweenie (1984)

The house from the 1984 short film “Frankenweenie,” directed by Tim Burton, was filmed in South Pasadena. Burton later remade the film as an animated feature in 2012. Here is the home of the Frankenstein family, played by Shelley Duvall, Daniel Stern and Barret Oliver.

LOCATION: 816 Stratford Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Related articles: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), Ed Wood (1994), Big Fish (2003), Big Eyes (2014), Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children (2016)