This Month's Filming Locations Quick Preview Videos
Click the image above to read about each of these filming locations then and now videos and to view a quick excerpt from each of them.
This month we're looking at an episode of the popular 1970s TV cop show CHiPs, plus three comedy short films from the 1920s and 1930s.
Starting off, we look at Ponch and Jon from CHiPs involved in a chase through the streets of downtown Culver City, California. Then, it's back to 1925 and the Our Gang / The Little Rascals movie The Love Bug with a funny scene where Joe negotiates a kiss from Peggy Ahern.
We then check out the 1936 Charley Chase movie On The Wrong Trek, with a cameo appearance by Laurel and Hardy!
And finally, a fascinating look at the Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice Beach in 1921 courtesy of Buster Keaton's comedy short The High Sign.
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This Month's Featured Filming Location Photos
On location this month with Our Gang / The Little Rascals in their comedy movie Free Wheeling and the Michael Jackson music video Thriller.
Click the image above to see the filming locations then and now photo comparisons for each of these filming locations.
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Filming Location Videos and Photo Galleries
Right now, there are more than 150 movie, TV series and music video filming locations video documentaries and 2,000+ then and now filming location photos here on the site and accessible to anyone who has made a small donation and is a current member of the site.
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A complete listing of every movie, TV series episode and music video covered on the site is here: Video and Photo Listings
Special Event! Culver City Historical Society Watch Party!
Click the image above to view my "watch party" I held at the Culver City Historical Society in April, 2025.
I showed my then and now filming locations video documentary of the Our Gang / The Little Rascals movie "Fish Hooky" and one of those unintentionally funny 1960s "educational" films that we all had to endure back in elementary school.
The evening ended with some brief excerpts from my filming location video documentaries from The Twilight Zone, Charlie's Angels, CHiPs, Hunter and Starsky and Hutch.
This Month's Filming Locations Quick Preview Videos
CHiPs - Return of the Turks (1978)
Two men ram 22(!) cars on the highway and refuse to stop when Ponch and Jon chase them through the streets of downtown Culver City, California.
At the time this chase scene was filmed, downtown Culver City was in steep decline. Many of the storefronts along the streets are showing their age (by this time 50+ years old) and the overall vibe is "seedy" and "gloomy." Even the landmark Culver Hotel - by this time converted to low-rent apartments - is looking old and tired.
Comparing Culver City as it looked in this 1978 episode of CHiPs to how the area looked when Charley Chase, Laurel and Hardy and Nat Carr filmed here in the 1920s and 1930s - the decline is very apparent.
Current members can view the filming locations then and now photo galleries for these films to see the contrast. Just make sure you have logged into the site first before clicking the links below:
Laurel and Hardy - Putting Pants On Philip - Filming Locations Then and Now Photo Gallery
Charley Chase - Limousine Love - Filming Locations Then and Now Photo Gallery
Nat Carr - Traffic Tangle - Filming Locations Then and Now Photo Gallery
If you've made a small donation to the site and are a current member, you can view the COMPLETE filming locations video in the TV Series Filming Locations Videos section of the site by clicking here to Login and then clicking here and scrolling down the page a bit: CHiPs - Return of the Turks - Filming Locations Then and Now Documentary Video
Our Gang / The Little Rascals - The Love Bug (1925)
Cupid's arrow has struck Farina, Joe and Mickey!
There's quite a bit of on location filming in this one, with the bulk of it in the Palms neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles. This particular Quick Preview excerpt focuses on a scene where Joe is trying to woo Peggy Ahern on a picturesque bench under a tree. Sadly, the tree, bench and charm of this spot are all long gone.
If you've made a small donation to the site and are a current member, you can view the COMPLETE filming locations video in The Little Rascals Filming Locations Documentary Videos section of the site by clicking here to Login and then clicking here and scrolling down the page a bit: Our Gang / The Little Rascals - The Love Bug - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
Charley Chase - On The Wrong Trek (1936)
Charley Chase - On The Wrong Trek (1936)
Charley Chase - On The Wrong Trek (1936)
Hen-pecked Charley is on a driving vacation with his wife and mother-in-law.
This Quick Preview video is from a scene where the vacationers encounter two hitchhikers. Charley's mother-in-law says that they should offer them a ride because they have "kind faces." Charley says they look like "a couple of horse thieves!" The two hitchhikers are... Laurel and Hardy!
The scene was filmed at Hillsboro Avenue and South Robertson Blvd in Los Angeles, which just happened to be the entrance to the Hal Roach Studios (which produced this movie) ranch. In the almost 90 years since this movie filmed there, the ranch and surrounding area has been fully developed and today is part of the Beverlywood neighborhood.
If you've made a small donation to the site and are a current member, you can view the COMPLETE filming locations video in the Charley Chase Filming Locations Videos section of the site by clicking here to Login and then clicking here and scrolling down the page a bit: Charley Chase - On The Wrong Trek - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
Buster Keaton - The High Sign (1921)
Charley Chase - On The Wrong Trek (1936)
Charley Chase - On The Wrong Trek (1936)
Buster is hired by a gang to assassinate a rival and... is hired by the target to be his personal body guard!
This comedy short movie filmed all along the Los Angeles area coast, starting off in Redondo Beach, moving on to the Pike amusement park in Long Beach and ending up in Venice Beach. The Quick Preview video focuses on the scenes in Venice Beach.
The complete filming locations video is worth a look, though, as it provides some very interesting history on both the Moonstone Beach section of Redondo Beach (there used to be a roller coaster there!) plus a look back at the historic Pike amusement part in Long Beach.
If you've made a small donation to the site and are a current member, you can view the COMPLETE filming locations video in the Buster Keaton / Harold Lloyd / Charlie Chaplin Filming Locations Videos section of the site by clicking here to Login and then clicking here and scrolling down the page a bit: Buster Keaton - The High Sign - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
This Month's Featured Filming Location Then And Now Photos
Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Free Wheeling (1932)
One of the best Our Gang / The Little Rascals movies in the series, Free Wheeling is packed with action and on location filming.
In 1932, Spanky had just joined the series and he gets some good lines, but by this time, Stymie and Dickie were the stars and it's their relationship that adds greatly to this movie. Dickie plays a rich kid who "craves excitement" and Stymie is working with the other kids in the neighborhood providing a taxi service.
The Gang's taxi is a wonder to behold, one of the more memorable contraptions in the series. Dickie offers to pay for a ride in the taxi. There's a slight delay when the mule (which served as the "engine") gets drunk and runs away. Stymie finds a rope and ties the taxi to the back of a nearby truck and the truck pulls away with the taxi in tow.
The filming locations for this Our Gang / The Little Rascals movie are familiar ones, all located in the Palms neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles and used in many other films in the series. In the climactic final scenes of the movie, the taxi has lost its brakes and is "free wheeling" down the very steep hill on Overland Avenue, ending up in a haystack at the corner of Overland Avenue and Rose Avenue, as shown in the photo above.
Aerial imagery from 1928 through 2025 shows that the vacant lot where the haystack was located has never been built upon. Today, a parking lot for a strip mall that was built in 1985 occupies that part of the lot. So, if you were to visit 3300 Overland Avenue today and stand in the parking lot right in front of the entrance to 3300 Overland Avenue #103, you would be standing at the exact spot where the haystack was located!
If you have donated to the site and are a current member, you can see all the filming locations, then and now, from this classic movie by Logging into the site and then going to The Little Rascals Filming Locations Photo Galleries here: Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Free Wheeling - Filming Locations Then and Now Photo Gallery
The complete filming locations documentary video for this movie is in The Little Rascals Filming Locations Documentary Videos section of the site. You can view the video by Logging into the site and clicking here and scrolling down the page a bit: Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Free Wheeling - Complete Filming Locations Documentary Video
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Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson's groundbreaking long-form music video from 1983.
As the music starts, we get a great view of the Palace Theatre located at 630 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles.
Built in 1910 as the Orpheum Theatre, its name was changed to the Palace Theatre in 1926. Today, the outside of the theatre is in not-so-good shape, however I have heard from several people that the owners still rent out the theatre for events and concerts, at least as of this writing in October, 2025.
The theatre was designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural monument in 1989.
If you have donated to the site and are a current member, you can see all the filming location photos, then and now, from this classic music video by Logging into the site and visiting the Music Video Filming Locations Photo Galleries here: Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations Then and Now Photo Gallery
The complete filming locations documentary video for Thriller is in the Music Video Filming Locations Videos section of the site. You can view the video by Logging into the site and clicking here and scrolling down the page a bit: Michael Jackson - Thriller - Complete Filming Locations Then and Now Video
Just a small donation gives you full access to the site - over 150 filming location video documentaries and over 2,000 then and now filming location photos.
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Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
The zombies start to emerge from their hideouts!
This is the first look we get at the "zombie dance" street location, Union Pacific Avenue at South Calzona Street in the southern section of the Boyle Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles.
When Thriller was filmed here over 40 years ago, the area was full of old, dilapidated warehouses and factories, many dating back to the early 1900s. Today, those buildings are slowly being replaced by newer "light industrial" structures. One of those newer structures is visible in the background: The new Union Commerce building built in 2024.
Although buildings come and go, underground utilities usually remain untouched for decades, and the manhole from which the zombie is emerging is in the same location today as it was when Thriller was filmed.
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Looking east on Union Pacific Avenue towards the intersection of South Calzona Street.
Union Pacific Avenue has been widened a bit since Thriller was filmed here, but the large red brick building in the upper left portion of the photo still stands, as it has since it was built in 1941.
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
This is the famous haunted house, located at 1345 Carroll Avenue in the historic Angelino Heights district of Los Angeles. It was constructed in 1887.
This was my first time visiting this neighborhood and this particular block is chock full of beautifully preserved homes built in the late 1800s through early 1900s. If you're visiting the Los Angeles area, make sure to add this on your list of places to see!
If you have made a small donation to the site and are a current member, you can see all the filming locations then and now photos from this music video by Logging into the site and visiting the Music Video Filming Locations Photo Galleries section of the website by clicking here: Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations Then and Now Photo Gallery
The full filming locations documentary video for Thriller is in the Music Video Filming Locations Videos section of the site. Current members can view it by Logging into the site and clicking here and scrolling down the page a bit: Michael Jackson - Thriller - Complete Filming Locations Documentary Video
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Special Event! Culver City Historical Society Watch Party!
On April 22, 2025 I paid a visit to Culver City, California, the Heart Of Screenland, where I was honored to present a watch party showing a few of my filming location then and now videos and photos from the 1930s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s covering Culver City, Venice and the nearby neighborhood of Palms to a full house at the Culver City Historical Society.
We started out by watching my complete filming locations documentary of the 1933 movie "Fish Hooky" by The Little Rascals. I chose this Little Rascals movie because we get to see some amazing views of the Venice Amusement pier in addition to the (then) beautiful Ballona Creek which today is a massive concrete flood control channel.
Next up on the program was one of those "educational" films that, if you were a kid growing up in the USA in the 1950s - 1970s, you no doubt were forced to watch at school. This film, "The Strange Ones," has as its theme "Don't talk to strangers." Made on a very low budget, "The Strange Ones" was filmed entirely on the streets of Culver City and in nearby Venice. As an added bonus, the video below includes a Zoom interview I conducted with the star of the movie, "Karen." So, even if you were there that night, you'll want to watch this video for the interview "bonus" feature!
Third on the "watch list" were some excerpts from my filming location then and now videos from several TV series filmed in the neighborhoods of Culver City from the 1960s - 1980s, including The Twilight Zone, Charlie's Angels, CHiPs, Starsky and Hutch and Hunter.
To close out the evening, I took questions from the audience and hung around afterwards to chat.
Grab some popcorn and click the image below to watch the video.
Site Stats
Laurel and Hardy
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy - The Iconic Comedy Team
This is the most comprehensive website in the world for Laurel and Hardy filming locations. There are currently 20 filming location documentary videos covering Laurel and Hardy movies here on the site. The Laurel and Hardy on location photo galleries now contain 280 then and now Laurel and Hardy film location then and now photo comparisons.
View the list of Laurel and Hardy movie location videos and photo galleries by clicking the photo above to find the answer to the question "Where were Laurel and Hardy movies filmed?"
Our Gang / The Little Rascals
The answer to the question "Where was The Little Rascals filmed?" is right here!
There are now 45 filming location then and now documentary videos and 692 then and now on location photo comparisons covering the Our Gang / The Little Rascals movies here on the site.
View the list of The Little Rascals movie location videos and photo galleries by clicking the photo above.
The Three Stooges
The Three Stooges didn't do as much on location filming as Laurel and Hardy or Our Gang / The Little Rascals, but every so often - especially in the 1930s - the Stooges would venture outside the studio to film.
At the moment there are 7 filming location documentary videos and 90 filming location then and now photo gallery photos covering the movies of The Three Stooges here.
Where were The Three Stooges movies filmed? View the list of The Three Stooges filming locations videos and photo galleries by clicking the photo above and you'll see!
TV Series
Filming locations from popular TV shows like Star Trek, The Sopranos, CHiPs, I Dream of Jeannie, The Twilight Zone, Emergency and many more are presented both as filming location then and now documentary videos and on location photo galleries.
There are currently 12 TV series filming location then and now documentary videos and 216 on location then and now photo comparisons in the TV Series section of the site.
Start by browsing through the list of TV Series filming location videos and photo galleries by clicking the photo above.
Music Videos
Music videos film on location too!
Music video filming locations from Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Boyz II Men, Spandau Ballet and more are in the Music Videos section of the site.
There are currently 9 music video filming locations documentary videos and 130 music video then and now on location photo comparisons on the site.
See the list of Music Video filming location then and now videos and photo galleries by clicking on the photo of Madonna above.
Other Comedy Films
The oldest and newest movies covered on this site are here in the Other Comedy Films section of the site, going back to a Charlie Chaplin movie from 1915 all the way up to a Tyler Perry movie featuring Madea from 2009.
Movies from Abbott and Costello, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and other legendary comedians are covered in this section of the site, which currently has 27 then and now filming location documentary videos and 428 on location then and now photo comparisons.
See the complete list of movies covered in the Other Comedy Films section of the site by clicking the photo above.
Funny Educational Films
Funny Educational Films
Funny Educational Films
From those days in the classroom when you were forced to watch "safety" movies...
This section of the site currently has three (unintentionally hilarious) educational movies filming location video documentaries and 108 then and now location photos.
Click the photo above to view the list of Funny Educational Films here on the site.
Charley Chase
Funny Educational Films
Funny Educational Films
Not very well known these days, but Charley Chase was a top-notch comic actor, writer and director back in the 1920s and 1930s. He even was involved in putting together The Little Rascals way back in 1922!
Charley Chase quite often filmed on location, and the site currently features 16 Charley Chase movie filming locations then and now documentary videos and 204 filming location photo comparisons.
To view the list of Charley Chase movie location videos and photo galleries, click the photo above.
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