Inside Daisy Clover - Film Locations

Inside Daisy Clover (1965)

You would think the film Inside Daisy Clover, with a cast starring Natalie Wood, Christopher Plummer, Robert Redford, Roddy McDowall, and Ruth Gordon would be a somewhat entertaining film. Quite the contrary. This film is terrible! I think what bothers me the most is watching Natalie Wood play a 15 year-old tomboy when she was already in her late twenties. It was really distracting as she doesn't look at all like a teenager. What makes it worse is that Wood's acting is so over exaggerated. Even if Wood's performance isn't considered, the story is weak and emotionless and I don't think any cast could have saved this picture.

Nevertheless, I think the film is worth watching to get some glimpses of the Warner Bros. studio lot as it appeared in the mid-1960s as well as the Santa Monica Pier. In this blog post I have captured some of scenes from both the studio and the pier to compare how the locations appear today.

Santa Monica Pier Merry Ground (Inside Daisy Clover)

Wood plays a teenager in the 1930s with dreams of being a star. At the beginning of the film Wood walks into the old Merry Go-Round building found at the front of the famous Santa Monica Pier to make a record of herself singing. She later sends the recording to the movie studios hoping she will be noticed. Above is a screenshot of the building as seen in the film and below is the same building as it appears today - and it still has the merry go-round!

Merry Go-Round Building, Santa Monica Pier (February 2010)

Santa Monica Pier as seen in Inside Daisy Clover

Above is another shot of the pier as it appears in the film. Below is the same building as it appears on the Santa Monica Pier today.

Building on Santa Monica Pier

Natalie Wood, Ruth Gordon Home

Above is a screenshot showing the trailer that Natalie Wood and Ruth Gordon (Wood's mother in the film) live in located on the pier. Below is a shot looking where the trailer stood in the film. If you look carefully you will notice a funny pointy roof building towards the back of both images.

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Pier Bridge as seen in Inside Daisy Clover

Wood's character does get discovered by Raymond Swan (Christopher Plummer), the head of the fictional Swan Studios. He arranges to have Wood picked up from her home on the pier and brought to the studio.

Santa Montica Pier Bridge (February 2010)

Entrance to "Swan Studios"

Above is the entrance to Swan Studios which is really the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California. I couldn't tell where this was on the lot immediately, but then I noticed the different rooftops and was able to match them up. If the film was accurate, Wood's chauffeur would be driving towards the exit of the studio, not entering the studio. The studio gate seen in the film is completely fake.

Warner Bros. lot (February 2010)

Roddy McDowall meets Natalie Wood

Above Roddy McDowall, one of the studio execs, meets with Wood at the Swan Studio lot. In the background we can see what is the main executive building on the Warner Bros. lot.

Warner Bros. Executive Building

Passing WB Soundstage 16

Roddy McDowall leads Natalie Wood pass soundstage 16, the largest soundstage on the Warner Bros. studio lot.  Below is the same alleyway as it appears today.

Alleyway next to WB Soundstage 16

Entrance to WB Stage 16

Above McDowall and Wood enter soundstage 16. The building to the right is the Mill where they create many of the sets and the set pieces.

WB Soundstage 16 Entrance (February 2010)

Warner Bros. Lot as seen in Inside Daisy Clover

Above is a screenshot showing some of the soundstages on the Warner Bros. lot and below are the same buildings as they appear today. The soundstage where the people are standing in both images is currently being used for the television show Chuck.

Warner Bros. Studio Lot

So, although the film is terrible for entertainment value I still recommend watching this film if you're interested in seeing the Warner Bros. lot and the Santa Monica Pier as they appeared in the 1960s. As you can see from the images, these locations have changed, but not as dramatically as one might think.

You're thoughts?

The Monster Squad - Finale Locations

The Monster Squad - Blu-ray

One of my favorite childhood movies has got to be hands down, The Monster Squad. The film was not very successful when it was released in theaters and still many people haven't heard of the film, but for those who have seen it as kids, it has become a cult classic. The film, which was released in 1987, was always hard to find on VHS and it was never released (until recently) on DVD, so my brother and I ended up wearing out a recording that we taped off of Cinemax years ago. Apparently, many fans were doing the same thing - making their own recordings from the few times the film aired on television.

Thankfully, Lionsgate has now released a 20th Anniversary edition of the film, loaded with plenty of extras, including a five part film retrospective featuring cast and crew interviews. The newly remastered film looks better than I have ever seen it. Of course, probably anything would look better than the worn out VHS copy I taped off of TV. I just finished watching a blu-ray version of the film that I got for Christmas and I'm amazed at how well the film holds up.

For those of you who haven't seen The Monster Squad, in short, Co-writer and Director, Fred Dekker wanted to make a film that would be "The Little Rascals" meets the Universal Monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman, Gillman, and Mummy. It has a similar feel to The Goonies, another 80s kids adventure film, but monster themed rather than pirate themed.

During my recent viewing of the film I noticed that the finale all takes place on the Warner Bros. studio backlot in Burbank, CA, specifically, the small town themed set. Below are some screenshots matched with some photos I have taken during the past year.

Above, the "Scary German Guy" and some of the kids are parked out front of a church. Below is a view of the same church today. It recently was refurbished for the TV show Eastwicke.

Church on WB Backlot

Vampires Attack!

Above is a "Fox Photo Lab" and a Burger King as seen in the film. Below are the same structures today. Unfortunately, my shot doesn't include the Burger King building but I do show it in another picture further down.

Sportmart

Above is a sporting goods store featured in the film. In the shot Rudy is about to shoot the lady vampires with a wooden arrow. The next two photos below show the row of buildings that made up the stores in this scene.

Sportmart Building

Above is a screenshot looking across the central town square towards the City Hall structure. Below is a view looking across the same park as it appears today.

Another shot of the Burger King as seen in the film. Below a better picture of the building used as the Burger King.

Above Dracula arrives for the fight. Below is a view of the same street corner with same house in the background.

Above the Monster Squad are able to open the vortex of time and all the monsters and people are being sucked away. Above is shot of one of the buildings seen in the film and below is a photo of the same building as it appears today.

City Hall building on Warner Bros. Backlot

During the end credits you get a good glimpse of this area of the backlot, looking across the park. Below is one of my photos looking across the same park.

The Monster Squad - Movie Trailer

Are there any Monster Squad fans out there? You're thoughts?

Related Post: East of Eden Film Locations.

Rebel Without a Cause: Film Location Update

James Dean dragged into Police Station

I recently took some new photos for another Rebel Without a Cause film location. This time I got the Police Station which can be seen at the beginning of the film when James Dean is being dragged by two cops. See the screenshot above.

The Police Station was actually a facade located on the the Midwestern Street of the Warner Bros. Studios backlot. Below is a photo showing how the same facade appears today.

Police Station Facade

If you look closely you can see that the facade is now being dressed to look like a high school, more specifically, "Eastwick High School," for the upcoming TV Show, Eastwick, airing this Fall on ABC.

The Police Station is now Eastwick High School

Police Station/Eastwick High School on WB Backlot

To see my full Rebel Without a Cause film post click here.

East of Eden: Film Locations

East of Eden

Much of James Dean's first major film, East of Eden, was filmed on location in central California, but there were a few scenes filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank. One scene in particular, the parade scene, was shot on the Midwest Street backlot. Here are some screenshots from the parade scene matched with some of my photos of the Midwest Street backlot. [scroll down to see additional updates added on November 18, 2013].

Click images to see larger.

East of Eden - Parade Scene

Above, the parade goes through town in what is supposed to be the Salinas Valley, but really it is the Warner Bros. Midwest Street backlot. Below is my photo showing the same area as it appears today. Notice one big difference? No dirt in the streets. Yes, dirt was brought in to cover the streets of the backlot in order to establish the time period of when the film takes place - 1917.

Midwest Street, Warner Bros. Studios

Chapel as seen in East of Eden

Above is a screenshot showing a chapel that can be seen during the parade scene. Below is the same chapel as it appears today.

Chapel on Midwest Street, Warner Bros. Studios

Drug Store - East of Eden

Above is a screenshot of the drug store. Julie Harris and Richard Davalos can be seen cutting between the cars.

Drug Store Location - Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank

Watching the Parade from the Park

Above Julie Harris and Richard Davalos watch the parade go by from the middle of the park. Below is a photo showing the park looking further out. That fountain in the middle is actually a set piece for a new TV show called Eastwick, based on the film The Witches of Eastwick. The show will be airing on ABC this fall.

Park in Midwest Street Backlot, Warner Bros. Studios

James Dean Stands Along Parade Route

Below is a photo I took of the buildings that appear behind James Dean when he stands along the parade route. Although the buildings have been repainted and changed slightly you can still make out the patterns on the windows.

Midwest Street, Warner Bros. Studios

Updated November 18, 2013

Raymond Massey, Julie Harris and James Dean

The "Trask" house located on Kings Row on the Warner Bros. backlot.

Previously this post on East of Eden film locations only included those locations seen on Warner Bros. Midwest Street backlot. Today I've updated this post to include the "Trask" family home set where James Dean, Raymond Massey, and Richard Davalos live in the film. The house is also located on the Warner Bros backlot, on a residential street just off of Midwest Street that is sometimes referred to as Kings Row (after the 1942 film titled Kings Row). Above is a comparison of the house and below is a comparison of the view looking down the sidewalk in front of the house.

Looking down the sidewalk from the Trask home on Kings Row.

A contemporary view looking down the sidewalk in front of the Trask home.

I also recently came across this brilliant video put together by Herve Attia which does an excellent job of doing a video comparison of the central California locations seen during the opening scene of East of Eden. You can push a button on the lower right corner of the video to expand to full screen.

 

East of Eden (1955) Opening scene filming locations comparison.

If you want to see where James Dean lived when he left New York for California to film East of Eden check out an earlier post of mine here.

If you want to see some film locations from another James Dean film click here.

You're thoughts?