Filming Locations

[TJP]

# 3.11:

I'm pretty sure the recording studio (Kenny, Lilimae,...; also used in # 3.12 with Ginger) is the former Evergreen Recording Studios (later LA Sound Gallery) at 4403 West Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank, CA 91505:

 

[TJP]

# 3.14:

The opening scene features Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City. We see the Half Moon Motel through the windscreen; that place was already used in # 1.12 (compare my post no. 34 in this thread). It's now a different motel, the basic structure is still the same though. The street looks much nicer nowadays than back then:

The motel at approx. 01:46 is located at 3900 South Sepulveda. It was completely remodeled, but the one next door, Deano's Motel (visible in the background as they approach), is still there:

Not entirely sure, but these grounds at approx. 41 minutes into the episode look like the southwestern part of the Los Angeles Equestrian Center (480 Riverside Drive, Burbank, CA 91506) to me:

 

[TJP]

# 3.16:

I am pretty sure I saw the residence of Lew Ayres' character on some other show before, but can't remember where. It's definitely not the same as the house from "The Three Sisters" as someone suspected earlier in this thread. Unfortunately, I can't identify it at this time, but my guess would be somewhere in Hancock Park, Fremont Place or Pasadena.

 

[CVU360]

I may have found the answer to the question about interior shots at Knots Landing Motors from a tweet by Constance McCashin yesterday. She posted a photo of the Lorimar call sheet from a fourth season episode that was the first time her son Daniel played Daniel Avery. At the bottom was the advance schedule for scenes being shot the next day of production. It lists various scenes at KLM all being shot at Crenshaw Ford.

I had always thought that the dealership scenes were shot in an actual Ford dealership. My family owned a Ford dealership at the time and I recognized posters, paint charts and brochure racks. Those items would have been incredible prop details if the scenes were staged elsewhere.

The street number in the showroom window not matching 5311 SE Crenshaw does remain a mystery.

 

[TJP]

I may have found the answer to the question about interior shots at Knots Landing Motors from a tweet by Constance McCashin yesterday. She posted a photo of the Lorimar call sheet from a fourth season episode that was the first time her son Daniel played Daniel Avery. At the bottom was the advance schedule for scenes being shot the next day of production. It lists various scenes at KLM all being shot at Crenshaw Ford.

I had always thought that the dealership scenes were shot in an actual Ford dealership. My family owned a Ford dealership at the time and I recognized posters, paint charts and brochure racks. Those items would have been incredible prop details if the scenes were staged elsewhere.

The street number in the showroom window not matching 5311 SE Crenshaw does remain a mystery.

If I'm not mistaken, the street number in the showroom window is 5311 from season 2 on. The street number didn't match in season 1 though. I think season 1 was similar, but not the same location. I would have to revisit the early episodes, but the stairs were on the opposite side if I remember correctly. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

This is the showroom from season 1 (screen grab from # 1.06) with a probably different location at 8960 "so-and-so street". Maybe Googling historic car dealerships in and around Culver City with that street number might help.

 

[TJP]

# 3.17:

The footage of the Sid's grave in this episode gave away more hints about the location. It's still the same as for his funeral in # 3.03, but I didn't address the topic there because I wasn't sure. I can confirm now that this is Inglewood Park Cemetery (720 E Florence Ave, Inglewood, CA 90301). The geocoordinates of the mausoleum in the background are 33.969641372993436, -118.33914478042317:

 

[Retired Account 1]

If I'm not mistaken, the street number in the showroom window is 5311 from season 2 on. The street number didn't match in season 1 though. I think season 1 was similar, but not the same location. I would have to revisit the early episodes, but the stairs were on the opposite side if I remember correctly. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

This is the showroom from season 1 (screen grab from # 1.06) with a probably different location at 8960 "so-and-so street". Maybe Googling historic car dealerships in and around Culver City with that street number might help.
View attachment 28849

The Crenshaw ford interior, where they filmed

 

[TJP]

cheaproberts -- yes, Crenshaw Ford is definitely where the filmed from season 2 on.

The Knots Landing Motors interiors of season 1 were a different location though, I think (unless Crenshaw Ford renovated between seasons 1 and 2 and the original street number in season 1 was a prop).

 

[TJP]

# 3.18:

The exteriors of Laura's apartment building are from 3958 Bentley Avenue in Culver City, CA 90232:

As usual, Lorimar took an abundance of establishing shots when filming on location. "Superfluous" footage that remained unused on "Knots" later made it to other shows, including "Falcon Crest" (Claudia Chadway's apartment in season 7), for instance. The building is still there, with minor changes that left the overall architectural style intact.

 

[TJP]

# 3.20:

The institution where Richard is treated (his room, hallways, the huge stairway and the painting room) is the concrete building of the former Pacoima Hospital, nowadays Phoenix House of Los Angeles at 11600 Eldridge Avenue in Lake View Terrace, CA 91342. Note that the exteriors in the establishing shot are from elsewhere (not identified yet).

The Great Contender bar (exterior scene with Val and Olivia) is actually the Hideaway at 12122 Kagel Canyon Road in Sylmar, CA 91342. It was a popular Lorimar filming location and was propped with the fake name for this episode while, on "Falcon Crest" its actual name was kept:

 

[TJP]

# 3.21:

Richard's sanitarium (exteriors) is now the main building at King Gillette Ranch at 26800 West, Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas, CA 91302:

 

[TJP]

# 3.22:

The opening scene with Lilimae and Valene is from Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey, CA:

 

[TJP]

General information on season 3 (until the season 8 finale):

Season 3 is the first year with the new main title design (the cul-de-sac / talent image montage is no longer in use). The cliffs at the beginning of the main title are from the Palos Verdes peninsula, but I'm not entirely sure about the exact section. Maybe someone else knows or wants to compare the shot with aerials on Google Maps:

The end credits are new this season, too, and will be presented in the same way until the finale of season 8. This is a helicopter shot of the Palos Verdes peninsula. The flyover features Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes Estates, starting approximately over Flat Point Rock and moving in a circle in northern direction along the coast. The camera is facing north, then northeast and finally east:

 

[TJP]

The Crenshaw ford interior, where they filmed

I revisited # 1.06 for the interiors of Knots Landing Motors. I have to correct myself. It is clearly the same location, which is recognizable by the distinct stairway and its railing, so it was definitely Crenshaw Ford in season 1 as well. It seems they refurbished the place a bit though. I think the street number we see in season 1 (8690) is a prop (stickers on the glass above the entrance). From season 2 on, you can see the real street number -- it's quite faint and visible only when you have a recording of the episode in good resolution. It seems those were outline figures. Maybe the producers felt there was no reason to cover them because with the TV resolution in those days, nobody would have been able to identify the street number as "5311". Just a guess. But it's kind of awkward they no longer used the prop street number.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

This is a helicopter shot of the Palos Verdes peninsula. The flyover features Malaga Cove in Palos Verdes Estates, starting approximately over Flat Point Rock and moving in a circle in northern direction along the coast. The camera is facing north, then northeast and finally east

Oh wow.

Off the back of this I just looked at Flat Point Rock on Google Maps in 3D satellite view and had a really uncanny feeling of familiarity. Those scenes from the title sequences can get completely embedded in the psyche.

 

[TJP]

# 4.01:

Bates Motel: As cheaproberts pointed out in post no. 7 in this thread, this is what used to be Casa Malibu Inn t 22752 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CA 90265 (pictures are included in his post, so I refrain from reposting).

The establishing shot for Mack's office shows the Hall of Justice at 211 West Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. The building was photographed from the corner of North Broadway @ West Temple in eastern direction, with the Spring Street Courthouse (the white building) visible in the background before the camera pans upwards:

 

[TJP]

Oh wow.

Off the back of this I just looked at Flat Point Rock on Google Maps in 3D satellite view and had a really uncanny feeling of familiarity. Those scenes from the title sequences can get completely embedded in the psyche.

I'm sure the closing scene of the pilot with Sid and Karen in the vintage car was filmed somewhere in that area also. Maybe someone wants to help identify it by comparing the scene with a virtual walk down on several streets on Google Maps...

 

[TJP]

We sometimes see the street signs when characters drive or walk into the cul-de-sac. The often covered Crystalaire Place with the prop sign "Sea View Circle", that's for sure. But the cross street, McLennan Avenue, was also used for a couple of scenes. From the cul-de-sac, you can sometimes see that the actual street sign was propped as well. It's clearly visible that there are three words on the sign, but I haven't seen any close-up or at least a scene that is close enough so the lettering would be legible. Does anyone know if there is a scene where the fictional street name is legible?

 

[TJP]

# 4.02:

J.R.'s limo turns into Balboa Boulevard from Knollwood Drive (heading south on Balboa after taking the turn) in Granada Hills at the beginning of the episode:

Not a location, but location-related. This is so embarrassing: When J.R. appears at Val's door, the backdrop is just awful. You can immediately tell that it's a fake background (a matte painting), and it doesn't resemble Abby's house at all. What were they thinking?!

 

[TJP]

# 4.03:

The street where Richard discovers the run-down restaurant is North LaCienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA:

The restaurant used to be at 133 North LaCienega. The building from those days was either demolished and rebuilt or remodeled beyond recognition:

The scene with Kenny and Gary is just nearby. The black building's address is 50 North La Cienega: