Introduction
In this blog post, we head back to the days of the breakdancing craze to look at two movies from 1984: Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo and it's predecessor, Breakin'.
We'll tour the real-world Los Angeles filming locations and see what they look like today, 42 years later.
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) - Filming Locations Part 1
The Plot
Local breakdancers work to raise $200,000 to save a local community center from developers.
The Filming Location: A Quiet Los Angeles Residential Block
One of the early dance scenes in the movie was filmed on the 2700 block of Guirado Street in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Most of the homes on this block were built in the 1920s and this scene captures them as they looked back in the 1980s. This excerpt from the full Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo filming locations then and now documentary video gives us a great look at several of the original 1920s homes, along with a wider view of the block as seen from the intersection of Guirado Street and Orme Avenue. Not much has changed - thankfully - since 1984 when the movie filmed here.
Watch A Quick Preview Filming Location Video Now
Because Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo filmed extensively on location, I've created FOUR Quick Preview Videos!
Click the link below to watch the first quick excerpt from the full Filming Locations Then and Now video:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #1
Member Exclusive - Full Then and Now Filming Locations Documentary Video and Photo Gallery
If you have made a small donation and are a current member, you can view the ENTIRE filming locations video by clicking here to Login and then clicking here:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
And don't miss the complete photo gallery of filming locations then and now here:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Photo Gallery
New Around Here And Not Yet A Member?
If you make a very small donation to the site, you'll unlock over 150 full-length filming locations then and now videos and over 2,000 filming locations then and now photos.
Click here to donate and become a member now!
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) - Filming Locations Part 2
Hollenbeck Park Filming Location
The dancing moves on from Guirado Street to historic Hollenbeck Park on the west side of the neighborhood.
This park has a long history as a filming location, having been used for movie shoots as far back as the 1910s. I've covered several movies here on the site that have filmed scenes at Hollenbeck Park, including:
- The 1929 Laurel and Hardy classic comedy movie Men O'War
- The Old Wallop (Members Only), a 1927 movie from the Our Gang / The Little Rascals series
- Dollar Dizzy (Members Only), a 1930 movie starring Charley Chase
Hollenbeck Park has changed quite a bit since Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang / The Little Rascals and Charley Chase filmed there a century ago. By 1984 when Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo filmed scenes there, the beautiful flower and shrubbery beds were gone and many of the original trees had been cut down. However, the basic layout of the park remained the same and what was captured on film in 1984 is pretty much what the park looks like today.
Casa del Mexicano Filming Location
Next up on our filming locations then and now tour is a visit to the Casa del Mexicano community center on the east side of Boyle Heights.
Built in 1914, this building has a long history serving the community. Currently, it is the home for the The Floricanto Center for the Performing Arts. This excerpt from the complete then and now filming locations video gives us a look at the main entrance to the building at Calle Pedro Infante. The exterior paint has changed (it was only painted in those bright colors for the movie shoot), but the rest of the structure looks as it did in 1984.
Watch A Quick Preview Filming Location Video Now
Click the link below to watch the second quick excerpt from the full Filming Locations Then and Now video:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #2
Member Exclusive - Full Then and Now Filming Locations Documentary Video and Photo Gallery
If you have made a small donation and are a current member, you can view the ENTIRE filming locations video by clicking here to Login and then clicking here:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
And don't miss the complete photo gallery of filming locations then and now here:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Photo Gallery
A Very Small Donation Unlocks All The Site Content!
If you make a very small donation to the site, you'll unlock over 150 full-length filming locations then and now videos and over 2,000 filming locations then and now photos.
Click here to donate and become a member now!
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) - Filming Locations Part 3
Underneath A Historic Los Angeles Landmark
A clash with a rival breakdancing gang was filmed beneath the historic Lorena Street Bridge.
This filming location gives us a fascinating look at this designated Los Angeles Cultural Monument (Monument #265). The massive concrete arches are on full display here, and the only changes to this filming location is the additional paving of the alley beneath the bridge.
Quick facts about the Lorena Street Bridge:
- Location: 3329 4th St, Los Angeles
- Construction Completed: 1928
- Architectural Style: Reinforced concrete catenary arch structure commissioned under the 1920s City Beautiful Movement
This bridge also served as a filming location for the 1988 cop movie Colors. I'll be posting a then and now filming location video documentary on the scene from that movie in the coming months.
Watch A Quick Preview Filming Location Video Now
Click the link below to watch the third quick excerpt from the full Filming Locations Then and Now video:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #3
Member Exclusive - Full Then and Now Filming Locations Documentary Video and Photo Gallery
If you have made a small donation and are a current member, you can view the ENTIRE filming locations video by clicking here to Login and then clicking here:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
And don't miss the complete photo gallery of filming locations then and now here:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Photo Gallery
Unlock All The Site Content With A Very Small Donation!
If you make a very small donation to the site, you'll unlock over 150 full-length filming locations then and now videos and over 2,000 filming locations then and now photos.
Click here to donate and become a member now!
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) - Filming Locations Part 4
Finishing Up Our Tour Of 1984 Boyle Heights
As we approach the end of the movie, we take a look at three more filming locations, all in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The Historic Hollenbeck Park Boathouse
One of the few architectural links to movies filmed there in the 1920s is the Hollenbeck Park boathouse. We get a great view of this beautiful structure in a scene featuring Adolfo Quinones and Lucinda Dickey.
The boathouse is prominently featured in the 1929 Laurel and Hardy movie Men O'War (Members Only) and it looks exactly the same today as it did in 1929 and in 1984 when Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo filmed here.
Blueberry Hill Steps
Long flights of steps have been used in movies going back as far as the 1920s. The most famous of these is The Music Box Steps in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. Here's a few of the films featuring these uniquely Los Angeles movie "props" that are on the site:
- Laurel and Hardy - The Music Box (1932)
- The Three Stooges - An Ache In Every Stake (1941) (Members Only)
- Edgar Kennedy - It's Your Move (1945) (Members Only)
In Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, the character Turbo (played by Michael Chambers is being chased and ends up tumbling down the Blueberry Hill steps, located where East 6th Street and Camulos Street meet.
Back To Casa del Mexicano
The final scene of the movie finds us once again at the Casa del Mexicano filming location.
Watch A Quick Preview Filming Location Video Now
Click the link below to watch the fourth quick excerpt from the full Filming Locations Then and Now video:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #4
Member Exclusive - Full Then and Now Filming Locations Documentary Video and Photo Gallery
If you have made a small donation and are a current member, you can view the ENTIRE filming locations video by clicking here to Login and then clicking here:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
And don't miss the complete photo gallery of filming locations then and now here:
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Photo Gallery
Become A Member Now!
If you make a very small donation to the site, you'll unlock over 150 full-length filming locations then and now videos and over 2,000 filming locations then and now photos.
Click here to donate and become a member now!
The Movie That Started It All: Breakin' (1984) - Turbo Broom Scene Filming Location
Breakin' was the first of the breakdancing movies, predating Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo by just a few months.
There's a wonderful scene in the movie that's inspired by a brilliant Fred Astaire scene from the 1951 movie Royal Wedding. This legendary scene has Astaire using a hat rack as his dancing partner! It's something that you really should take a look at - it's an amazing piece of film:
Fred Astaire Dances With Hat Rack In The Movie Royal Wedding
The Turbo Broom Dance Scene
This scene from Breakin' starts off with a wink and a nod to Fred Astaire and then moves outside of 700 North Heliotrope Drive on the corner of Melrose Avenue where the character Turbo (played by Michael Chambers) proceeds to dance with a broom.
There's great views of the buildings across the street on Melrose Avenue, along with 707 North Heliotrope Drive. Fortunately, all of these buildings, which date back to the 1920s, retain their original historic architectural style and look just as the did when they were captured on film in 1984.
Watch The Full Filming Location Video Now
Click the link below to watch the full Filming Locations Then and Now video - no membership required:
Breakin' - Turbo Broom Dance Scene Filming Location Video
Member Exclusive - Full Then and Now Filming Location Photo Gallery
If you have made a small donation and are a current member, you can view the ENTIRE filming locations then and now photo gallery by clicking here to Login and then clicking here:
Breakin' - Turbo Broom Dance Filming Location Then and Now - Complete Documentary Photo Gallery
A Very Small Donation Unlocks All The Site Content!
If you make a very small donation to the site, you'll unlock over 150 full-length filming locations then and now videos and over 2,000 filming locations then and now photos.
Click here to donate and become a member now!
Support This Site To See All The Filming Location Videos And Photo Galleries
Support the site with a small donation to become a member and enjoy full, unrestricted access to the extensive collection of filming location content!
In case you missed it: My September 2026 featured filming locations then and now videos blog entry.
Return To Filming Locations Blog Main Page