Page 65 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD in Los
Angeles, right; a vineyard in the Santa
Ynez Valley, opposite.
If you are hungry, snack on an apple
fritter at Randy’s Donuts, the oft-filmed and
hard-to-miss 24-hour drive-through bakery
with a giant donut on its roof, seen in Iron
Man 2 (2010). Soak in the views of Los
Angeles at Griffith Observatory first made
famous in the James Dean film, Rebel
Without a Cause (1955) and more recently
seen in San Andreas (2015), Terminator
Genisys (2015) and McFarland, USA (2015).
Or join Dearly Departed Tours for their spe-
cial Halloween Horror Film Location Tour
around Hollywood and Pasadena.
LA isn’t the only place movies are shot.
San Francisco has been the backdrop for
countless films. San Francisco Movie Tours’
three-hour bus excursion visits locations
where 70 movie scenes from more than 55
movies were filmed (Vertigo, Mrs. Doubtfire,
Basic Instinct, The Rock, Contagion, The Pur-
suit of Happyness). Down the coast a bit,
Monterey Movie Tours winds through Mon-
terey, Pacific Grove and Carmel,
spotlighting locations of other films. Even
farther south, if you enjoy wine, follow the
path forged by Miles and Jack on their
tasting road trip through the Santa Barbara
wine country in Sideways (2004).
Perhaps you’re nostalgic for classic films
such as American Graffiti (1973) filmed in
downtown Petaluma (30 miles north of San
Francisco), and East of Eden (1955) shot in
Mendocino, or Some Like It Hot (1959)
filmed at the Hotel del Coronado in San
Diego. Or you want to retrace Tippi
Hedren’s steps in Alfred Hitchcock’s sus-
pense film, The Birds, shot in Bodega Bay
and other parts of Sonoma County and in
San Francisco.
Studio Tours and TV Audiences
Other ways to get a glimpse of the entertain-
ment business are to take a studio tour or
attend a live taping of a TV show.
Although there are movie studios in
other parts of California, notably Pixar Ani-
mation Studios and Lucasfilm in the San
Francisco Bay Area, most are located in and
around Los Angeles. Those that offer
behind-the-scenes studio tours include
Warner Bros. (interact with the DC Comics
universe and peek into the costume and
prop room for the Harry Potter movies),
Universal (Hollywood’s most famous back
lot covering 13 city blocks on four acres),
Sony Pictures (formerly the historic MGM
studios famous for Gone with the Wind and
The Wizard of Oz) and Paramount studios
(the one studio that is still located in Hol-
lywood). Many movies that are shot on
location also often have scenes shot on a
studio soundstage.
Check for tickets before going on a studio
tour because many require advance tick-
eting or reservations. Ask your guide if you
can take a peek into a current movie shoot
and you may spot a celebrity walking by.
Game shows, talk shows and TV come-
dies often need a live audience. Free studio
audience tickets are handled through dis-
tributors such as On Camera Audiences,
Audiences Unlimited and 1iota.
Watch a Movie
While in LA, consider doing what Angelenos
love to do: watch movies. During the
summer, enjoy a classic film under starlight
with the dead and the living at the Hollywood
Forever Cemetery, going on its 18th season.
Catch a movie where many directors
screen their films and sometimes key off
audience reactions to tweak a scene or
two at the AMC Century City 15 Theatres at
Westfield Century City shopping center.
Soak in the Hollywood of an earlier era by
watching films at historic movie palaces
such as the beautifully restored 1923 Vista
Theatre with its Egyptian-themed Art
Deco interiors.
When you next watch a movie filmed in
the state, remember that not only are you
experiencing the drama of life, you’re also
getting a taste of California.
2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 63