What are some of your favorite holiday movies? Are they the classics,
like “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “Christmas Story”? Do you prefer the more
modern comedies like “Bad Santa” and the “Home Alone” series? No matter your
style of film, you are bound to be curious about the many different places in
which the scenes were filmed. The following are some of the more noteworthy
that were shot in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
“It’s a Wonderful Life”
Many of the locations that were used for filming “It’s a Wonderful
Life” have since been torn down. However, the ranch-style house on Viro Road in
La Canada Flintridge is still standing there. It even looks much the same as
when it graced the silver screen in 1946. Another location that was used was
the Beverly Hills High School, for the Charleston dance contest. The town’s
setting was on Balboa Boulevard and Burbank Boulevard, in Encino.
National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation”
This film may have been set in Chicago, but it was filmed nearly
completely in LA. Specifically, it was filmed at the Warner Bros. studios in
Burbank. When Clark goes to a store and receives a lingerie show, they were
using Bullocks Wilshire in Koreatown. Today, this building has been turned into
a law school. Frank Shirley’s house was filmed at the Mattison Boyd Jones house
on 727 West Kenneth Road in Glendale. Next time you are around the area, be
sure to drive past or stop at these spots where one of your favorite holiday
movies was filmed.
“The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”
The non-cartoon version that was released in 2000, featuring Jim Carey,
was filmed almost entirely at the Universal Studios lot in Los Angeles. Each
year during December, the lot holds a “Grinchmas Celebration” on specific days.
Since many other family movies have been filmed there, including Harry Potter,
it is an excellent place to visit if you are ever around Los Angeles.
“Surviving Christmas”
This movie featuring Ben Affleck may not be a classic, but it is one of
the finest modern Christmas films. It was filmed in both Chicago and Los
Angeles. One of the more noteworthy spots was the University High School at
11800 Texas Avenue in Los Angeles, which was the setting for Doo-Dah’s play.
The end scene at Cindy’s Restaurant was actually at 1500 Colorado Boulevard.
The scene at “Poor Don’s Treeland” was filmed at Meinke’s Garden Center.
These and thousands of other film locations in the Los Angeles area can be found and booked through All Pictures Media Film Locations.
