Highway Dragnet (1954) - Film Locations

Last week the blog Paradise Leased provided an update on the status of Apple Valley, California's famous Hilltop House, a once gorgeous modern home that unfortunately has been left to deteriorate over the years. Today, this house built for one of Apple Valley's co-founders, Newton T. Bass, is just a skeleton of the structure it used to be, but the house is now for sale and hopefully some buyer can return the home to its original beauty. You can read and see photos of the home on the Paradised Leased blog here.

The update on the Hilltop House reminded me of the film Highway Dragnet (1954), which was partly filmed in Apple Valley, at another area landmark, the Apple Valley Inn located in the valley just below the Hilltop House. Highway Dragnet stars Richard Conte, Joan Bennett and Wanda Hendrix. It tells the story of a Korean War vet, played by Conte, who is wrongly accused of killing a woman he was seen with earlier inside a Las Vegas bar. Conte must go on the lam until he can clear his name. He gets out of town by hitching a ride with a female photographer (Bennett) and her model (Hendrix). Although the story has a few holes in the plot, it is still entertaining to watch, particularly for all the excellent location filming.

The film starts with scenes in Las Vegas, including a shot of the Golden Nugget and Binion's Horseshoe casinos on Fremont street.

Looking down Fremont Street in Las Vegas.

Fremont Street today. Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

One major change to Fremont Street since the time Highway Dragnet was made is the addition of the Fremont Street Experience, a canopy that produces a colored light show above several blocks of the street.

The Horseshoe casino as seen in Highway Dragnet.

Binion's Gambling Hall formerly The Horseshoe.

After the Vegas scenes, the film shows Conte hitching a ride with Bennett and Hendrix in the desert. The threesome eventually pull over and get a room at the Apple Valley Inn.  The Apple Valley Inn was a hotel developed by Newton T. Bass to help attract land buyers to housing development he created out in the middle of the California desert. During the 1940s and until the 1960s, it was a popular place for many Hollywood celebrities, including Bob Hope, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck.

Police set up a barricade in front of the Apple Valley Inn.

The entrance of the Apple Valley Inn as it appears now.

Highway 18 leading up to the Apple Valley Inn driveway.

Looking down Highway 18 from the Apple Valley Inn driveway.

Conte in front of the Apple Valley Inn.

The Apple Valley Inn. Photo from mysewsweetstudio.blogspot.com

Historic postcard view of the Apple Valley Inn.

Conte, Bennett and Hendrix inside a room at Apple Valley Inn.

An agent stands in front of the Apple Valley Inn pool.

Hendrix sits on the pool's diving board.

Bennett stands by the Apple Valley Inn pool.

The Macdonald Carey family visits the pool at Apple Valley Inn. Photo from Paradise Leased.

When it's revealed that Conte, who police believe to be the killer is hiding out at the Apple Valley Inn, he races out of the place, driving a car right through a police barricade.

Conte drives through a police barricade at Apple Valley Inn.

Exiting the driveway at Apple Valley Inn.

The final scenes take place at the Salton Sea. According to the site Lost Resorts, the Salton Sea was once known as the Riviera of the West or "Palm Springs by the Sea." It is the largest lake in California and used to be a major destination in the 1950s and 1960s for tourist and celebrities. The sea was created by accident. In 1900, developers created a series of canals and dikes to divert water from the Colorado River to turn the arid desert into farming land. In 1905 heavy rains caused the Colorado River to rise, a dike was then broken and the Imperial Valley filled with water, becoming the Salton Sea.

The Salton Sea as seen in Highway Dragnet.

A present day view of the Salton Sea. Photo from Lost Resorts.

Documentary video of the Salton Sea.

Above is a short video clip showing scenes of the Salton Sea and the people that live in the area. Today the area is almost a flooded ghost town. Water levels would continue to rise, flooding buisnesses that surrounded the lake. Salt and fertilizers from run-off accumulated and killed off most of the fish. Now what was a bustling resort area is filled with dead fish, decaying boats and buildings drowning in water.

For more on the Apple Valley Inn read this wonderful post from Paradise Leased.

Highway Dragnet is available for streaming on Netflix and can also be seen on YouTube here.

Off Limits (1953) - Film Locations

Mickey Rooney, Marilyn Maxwell, Bob Hope

In the film Off Limits (1953), Bob Hope plays fast talking ladies man Wally Hogan, a boxing manager-trainer who's fighter, Bullet Bradley, just won the lightweight championship. Unfortunately, Bradley just got drafted into the Army. Hogan's gangster partners convince Hogan to enlist in the Army in order to keep an eye on their fighter. The thing is, Bradley gets rejected while Hogan gets accepted. While stuck in the Army Hogan meets Herbert Tuttle (Mickey Rooney) an unrelenting little guy who thinks Hogan can turn him into a lightweight fighter. Hogan reluctantly takes him on because he is attracted to Tuttle's aunt Connie Curtis (Marilyn Maxwell) an attractive nightclub singer.

Although this film may not be at the top of any list for best Hope films, I still think this is a pretty funny, quick paced comedy. Hope delivers his usual rat-a-tat-tat comedic quips while getting decent support from fellow actors Rooney and Maxwell. And of course, for anyone that follows this blog, it is an added treat to see some of the location filming. In this case, there are scenes that feature the following Los Angeles area communities: Larchmont Village, Culver City, Hollywood, and Venice.

There is a chase scene that begins in Larchmont Village. Hope confronts one of his gangster partners who got him into the military and vandalizes his car that is parked on 1st Street, as payback. What Hope doesn't realize is that the car doesn't belong to the gangster, but to one of the military officers. Hope quickly flees the scene and a chase ensues. 

W. 1st Street at S. Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles

W. 1st Street at S. Larchmont Blvd as it appears today.

This scene takes place in the fictional "City of Ashton." You will even see in the screenshot below, that the service station has the Ashton city name painted on the side of the building, but of course, the real location is Larchmont Village. At the time the film was made, the Ashton Super Service really was a Richfield service station that was located at the corner of S. Larchmont Boulevard at W. 1st Street. The service station building has been demolished (now a Bank of America building stands at the corner) but the buildings seen in the background of the screenshot you will notice still exist.

Ashton Super Service, really Richfield Service Station.

The Richfield Service Station has been replaced by Bank of America.

The Service Station as seen in the film. 1st Street at Larchmont Blvd.

1st Street at Larchmont Blvd as it appears today.

In the screenshot below we can see the northwest corner of S. Larchmont Boulevard. Where the "Drugs" sign hangs is now a Chase Bank. Fourteen years later, Hope would be back at this same intersection to film another comedy, Eight on the Lam (1967), directed by the same director, George Marshall. In the distant background you will notice that the home at the end of the block is still there.

Hope confronts the gangster at 1st Street and Larchmont.

W. 1st Street at S. Larchmont Blvd as it appears today.

After Hope vandalizes the car he flees the scene in Larchmont Village and the chase begins. In the scenes below Hope and his followers drive pass the historic Culver Hotel in Culver City, from different directions. The Culver Hotel is located at 9400 Culver Boulevard. In the first scene comparison Hope and Maxwell drive pass the Culver Hotel and round the corner onto Van Buren Place. This part of the street is now closed to traffic and is a pedestrian only walkway.

Hope and Maxwell pass the Culver Hotel.

The Culver Hotel as seen from the end of Van Buren Place.

In the next scene Mickey Rooney and one of the military officers following Hope and Maxwell drive by the Culver Hotel and turn onto Van Buren Place from the other side of the hotel.

Looking at the Culver Hotel from Van Buren Place.

The Culver Hotel as it appears today as seen from Van Buren Place.

In the next scene below, Rooney and the officer drive by the Culver Hotel from the other end of the hotel. Rooney and the officer are in the jeep driving down Culver Boulevard and then making a right onto Cardiff Avenue.

Rooney drives down Culver Blvd, passing the Culver Hotel.

Looking across Culver Boulevard at the Culver Hotel.

As Rooney turns onto Cardiff Avenue we get a small glimpse of the building at the corner. That building is still there and today it is the site of a Bank of America. That's two Bank of America's now in one location post.

Rooney turns onto Cardiff Ave from Culver Boulevard.

The corner of Cardiff Ave and Culver Blvd as it appears today.

In the screenshot below, Rooney is seen driving down Hughes Avenue in Culver City and then rounding the corner onto Washington Boulevard. As he rounds the corner we get a glimpse of the historic Culver Theatre, now the remodeled Kirk Douglas Theatre. The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Boulevard.

Rooney drives down Hughes Ave towards Washington Blvd.

The corner of Hughes Ave and Washington Blvd.

Rooney drives by the Culver Theatre.

The Culver Theatre is now the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

The side of the Culver Theatre.

The side of the Theatre. The liquor store on the right is now gone.

This next scene was the last one I found. I noticed there was what looked like a church steeple in the background so I was looking for churches that had that same style steeple, but I couldn't find any matches. Then, while walking down Washington boulevard it became obvious that the Studebaker building was the one located at 10003 Washington Boulevard. There is still a church down the street, the St. Augustine Church, but the steeple appears to have changed.

Studebaker dealership at 10003 Washington Blvd. Culver City

Looking towards 10003 Washington Blvd, Culver City.

This next scene I discovered on a lucky hunch. When I saw the building on the right of the screenshot I thought it looked familiar, like one I remember passing regularly on Highland Avenue in Hollywood. As it turns out, it is located on Highland Avenue at the corner of Romaine Street and the building is still  there.

The chase continues down Highland Ave at Romaine St.

Looking down Highland Ave. at Romain St. in Hollywood.

Highland Ave. at Romaine St. in Hollywood.

Highland Ave. at Romaine St. in Hollywood.

What's interesting about the film is that the chase scene is supposed to be in the fictional City of Ashton, but really takes place in four different Los Angeles area neighborhoods. In this last scene the chase suddenly jumps to Venice, California. 

In the scene below we get a glimpse of the 1939 Venice Post Office building located at 1601 Main Street, Venice. The Venice Post Office is located on the left of the screenshot. I just learned yesterday from a Los Angeles Conservancy e-newsletter that USPS is planning to sell the site to movie producer Joel Silver. According to the e-newsletter, Silver "has restored two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residences, the Storer house in Hollywood and Auldbrass in South Carolina." The L.A. Conservancy is working with Silver to ensure the building is protected.

Looking down Winward Ave, near Main Street in Venice.

Looking down Winward Ave. Venice Post Office on left.

Another view down Winward Ave, looking across Main St.

Looking across Main St. down Winward Ave. in Venice.

In this final comparison, we have a close up shot of Bob Hope and the military police who have finally caught up with him. In the background are the buildings that today are the  Cafe Collage and the Winward Farms market located at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Winward Avenue in Venice. And also, a third Bank of America!

Bob Hope is caught. The Winward Farms building is in the background.

The Cafe Collage and Winward Farms buildings as they appear today.

Off Limits (1953) is a fun film and worth checking out. It's available on DVD and also currently available for streaming on Netflix.

Have you seen this film? What are your thoughts?