Whenever Helen Ramirez has family visiting from Guatemala, she asks them to watch “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and the “Back to the Future” series before they come.
She and Liz Highstrete are the chair and vice-chair of the L.A. Conservancy volunteer committee that created several self-guided walking tours of filming locations throughout Los Angeles during the pandemic.
“My cousins were huge, huge ‘Back to the Future’ fans, so when I took them to the Gamble House, they were like, ‘Oh my God, this house is real,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Yes. Yes, it is.’”
Then she takes them to the tunnel in Griffith Park where the “Back to the Future Part II” chase scene was filmed. The tunnel is also the location of the entrance to Toontown in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
In this week’s edition of The Times’ guide to Hollywood careers, we’re delving into the world of locations. What’s it like to be a location scout? What do you do if you want your own home to be a filming location?
“Successful filming should be a win-win,” said veteran location scout Lori Balton. “The production gets an evocative location, with depth and nuance, and the site gets a location fee.”
In the case of historic properties, this fee often goes to support the maintenance of the location, she said.
Highstrete pointed to L.A.-set films like 1955’s “Rebel Without a Cause” and 1997’s “L.A. Confidential” that showcase numerous unique locations throughout the city. There are also newer films like 2009’s “(500) Days of Summer,” 2016’s “La La Land” and 2019’s “Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood” — that are also love letters to L.A.
These memorable Hollywood backdrops are often easy to visit. We gathered a list of some of Los Angeles’ memorable filming locations, including some recommendations from Ramirez, Highstrete and Balton. Which ones have you been to? Are there others you recommend? Email us at utility@latimes.com to let us know.
