Most of the places you see
on TV shows are located on studio lots. But there are many others scattered
throughout southern California that you could see any time, though you might
get in trouble knocking on the door. This has become a hobby of mine (visiting,
not trespassing), and during my several yearly trips to Los Angeles I’ll
usually schedule at least an hour for one drive-by of a landmark that is part
of our television heritage.
Here are some of my
favorites, as well as one that I finally plan to cross off my to-do list later
this year.
The Brady Bunch House
This was the first classic
TV site I tracked down. Though more than two decades have passed since my first
visit, I can still recall what a strange sensation it was to actually stand
before a home that I only knew as part of a fictional world. I’ve been back
several times since, and every time, for the briefest of moments, it still
feels like stepping into TV land. The house doesn’t look the same as it did on
the series – there’s a wrought-iron fence surrounding the front to keep weirdos
like me at a safe distance, and the upstairs window you see on the show was
never actually there. But the shape of the Studio City dwelling, especially
when framed by the mountains in the background as it often was on The Brady
Bunch, remains unmistakable.
If you’d like to check it
out, head west on Ventura Blvd. to Tujunga Ave., turn left and then make a
right on Dilling St. You’ll know it when you see it.
Townsend Investigations
I wonder how many people
who drive by 189 N. Robertson in Beverly Hills even realize they’ve just passed
the office where Charlie Townsend summoned his Angels.
The two-story red brick edifice was shown in almost every episode of Charlie’s
Angels, though you’ll never seen
any of the Angels (or even Bosley) entering or exiting the building. Whenever
I’m doing research at the nearby Margaret Herrick Library, I always take
Robertson back to Wilshire, hoping to see Jill Munroe’s Cobra parked out
front.
Walton’s Mountain
Last year I was enjoying a
deep-dish pizza at actor Joe Mantegna’s Taste of Chicago restaurant. I was
seated at the window facing south, when my friend asked, “See anything
interesting?” I took another look at the CVS across the street and told
him I didn’t. Then he started whistling the Waltons theme, and suddenly it dawned on me – the mountain
behind the condos and shopping centers was Walton’s Mountain. Perhaps it took
longer to register because one doesn’t expect a peak associated with
Depression-era Virginia to be looming majestically over Burbank.
Squad 51
I used to love watching Emergency on Saturday nights. Paramedics John Gage and Roy
DeSoto reported for work at Squad 51, a real fire station (actually Station
127) located in Carson, California. The site has since honored its TV
connection with a plaque dedicated to Emergency writer and producer Robert A Cinader, who also
created the series. You’ll find the station at 2049 E. 223rd St.,
just off the San Diego Freeway.
Fantasy Island
No need to charter a plane
to a remote island to see where Mr. Roarke and Tattoo greeted their guests. The
building where Tattoo rang the bell at the start of each episode is the Queen
Anne Cottage at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. It’s in
the city of Arcadia – take the 210 Freeway to the Baldwin St. exit and follow
the signs. Even without the classic TV connection, it’s a beautiful place to spend
a day.
The Batcave
Near the beginning of
almost every Batman episode,
you’ll see the Batmobile speed through a hidden passageway before making the
14-mile drive to Gotham City. What you’re looking at is the Bronson Caves in
LA’s Griffith Park. This is one of
those instances where the reality of the location falls far short of its
fictional fame. Once you’ve made the quarter-mile hike from the parking lot on
Canyon Drive, you’ll a rather undistinguished cave entrance, basically a mouse hole-shaped opening leading into a short tunnel. The
surrounding scenery is nice, though.
General Hospital
For more than 20 years, General
Hospital opened with a shot of an
ambulance speeding toward a stately white building. This one is really easy to
find – it’s the old Los Angeles County General Hospital, now a wellness center
of the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center. Get
on the 10 Freeway and look to your right, just before the 10 turns into the
101. The address is 1200 N. State St.
The Hooterville
Cannonball and Water Tower
I haven’t visited these
yet, as they are located in the Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown,
California. That’s a 6-hour drive from Los Angeles and almost 3 hours from San
Francisco. But I love Petticoat Junction. It’s everything that Comfort TV is supposed to be – simpler times,
kinder characters, and optimistic, uplifting messages.
So this fall I plan to climb
aboard that little train, and think about a time and place where life was like
that, even if it never really existed.
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