Sunday, January 22, 2017

The Brady Brides (1981)





A new decade brings new additions to The Brady Bunch (1969-1974).  Jan finally gets the spotlight when she announces her engagement to tightwad Phillip Covington III.  But when Marcia's whirlwind romance with her carefree beau gets serious, she realizes she no longer wants to be Mrs. Marcia Dentist, but rather Mrs. Wally Logan. A double wedding is planned, and once the modern vs. conventional catfights subside, the rest of the bunch is reunited.  When it comes time for house hunting, both brides realize they can't afford their own place and decide to shack up together.  Hilarity ensued as the sisters, and more so their husbands, clashed on married life and everyday living.  Carol and newlywed Alice dropped in at times to offer advice and keep the peace.

Originally, The Brady Brides was supposed to be a television movie called The Brady Girls Get Married, but was later cut up into the first three episodes.  It did, however, rerun as a television movie later on.  This is the only time all nine cast members appear together since the original series went off the air.  All other Brady reincarnations had one daughter missing at one time or another.  Seven more episodes aired and then that awful theme song was never heard of again.

Thanks to Linsday at Iamnotastalker.com for finding this location.

Location: Marcia and Wally & Jan and Phillip's House
Address: 11813 Hartsook Street, Valley Village, CA












Location Visited: October 2016

Related Locations:

The Brady Bunch (1969-1974)A Very Brady Christmas (1988)The Bradys (1990)The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)A Very Brady Sequel (1996)The Brady Bunch Convention (2014)




Friday, January 13, 2017

Family Matters (1989-1998)




Sassy elevator operator Harriette Winslow and her middle class family were the focus of this Perfect Strangers (1986-1993) spin-off.  Family Matters had a modest debut but things really started to matter ;-) with the introduction of the next-door neighbor to end all sitcom next-door neighbors - nerdy, accident-prone Steve Urkel.  Proving popular with audiences, Family Matters soon became The Steve Urkel Show a phenomenal hit and Harriette and her family got the shaft (see what I did there?)  Actress Jamiee Foxworth resorted to a career in porn after her character was simply written out without any explanation.  That must of been harder to swallow than...well, you know.

Location: The Winslow Residence
Address: 1516 W Wrightwood Avenue, Chicago, IL

The house to the left has been torn down and replaced with a monstrosity...









Location Visited: October 2016

Related Locations:

Perfect Strangers (1986-1993)


Thursday, January 12, 2017

Perfect Strangers (1986-1993)





Get out of the city!  Perfect Strangers was The Odd Couple of the 80s. Naive, carefree Balki Bartokomous flees the Greek island of Mypos in search of his American relatives and stumbles upon his high-strung, tight-assed co-zin Larry in Chicago.  Together, hijinks ensue in The Windy City. The fish-out-of-water comedy was a TGIF pioneer, spinning off Family Matters (1989-1998), and running an impressive eight seasons.  Now that deserves The Dance of Joy. 
  

Location: Title Card Shot
Address: Looking toward Wabash/Irv Kupcinet Bridge, Chicago, IL




Location: Balki and Larry Jog In The Park
Address: Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL

Not an exact match-up but you get the idea...




Location: Balki Pets The Horse
Address: 806 N Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL



You can actually grab a horse on E Tower Street...





Location: Larry's Newstand
Address: 78 E Washington Street, Chicago, IL   E Randolph Drive entrance




Location: Braving The Wind
Address: 360 N Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL






Location: Wrigley Field
Address: 1060 W Addison Street, Chicago, IL

Larry and Balki first cross Clark Street...








Location: The El Train
Address: 210 N Wabash Avenue, Chicago, IL




Location: Exiting Underground 
Address: 17 N State Street, Chicago, IL







Location: Seasons 1 & 2 Apartment Building
Address: 1100 S Main Street, Los Angeles, CA

Just the first story is still around...




Location: Seasons 3 & On Apartment Building
Address: 326-34 W Dickens, Chicago, IL




Locations Visited: October 2016

Related Locations:

Family Matters (1989-1998)




Monday, January 9, 2017

I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989)



Among the parade of battered women television flicks comes this heart wrenching story of Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped at the age of seven and held captive by deranged pedophile Kenneth Parnell until he was fourteen.  An exhaustive search by his family proved unsuccessful.  When Steven became a teenager, Parnell brought home five year old Timmy White.  Steven found the courage to return Timmy to his parents and finally rescue himself.  He was finally reunited with his family although it was quite estranged.  Unfortunately, the tragedy didn't end there.  Four months after I Know My First Name Is Steven aired, Steven was killed in a motorcycle accident.  Timmy White died in 2010 of an embolism.  And Steven's brother, Cary, is on death row for the 1999 killing of four women in Yosemite National Park.  There was no prior information about the filming locations for I Know My First Name Is Steven, but luckily a few addresses and street signs clued me in on their whereabouts.

I Know My First Name Is Steven was filmed in Eagle Rock, Glendale, Sun Valley, San Fernando, Van Nuys and Los Angeles, CA

Location: The Stayner House
Address: 5148 Vincent Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

It's undergone some recent remodeling...






In the movie, this street looks like it could very well be in Merced, CA.  Little did the audience know it's lined with palm trees...




Location: The Auto Parts Store
Address: 5030 1/2 York Boulevard, Glendale, CA

It's still an auto parts store today...




Location: Merced Elementary School
Address: 2225 Doris Place, Silverlake, CA









Location: Victor's House
Address: 2691 Queen Street, Glendale, CA







Location: The Used Car Lot
Address: 12341 Branford Street, Sun Valley, CA




Location: Steven Goes Christmas Shopping
Address: 5056 N Eagle Rock Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA






Location: Steven's Comptche, CA High School
Address: 7705 Summitrose Street, Tujunga, CA  Mt. Lukens High School






Location: Timmy White's Elementary School
Address: 1097 5th Street, San Fernando, CA








Location: Parnell Abducts Timmy
Address: De Foe Street & N Brand Boulevard, San Fernando, CA








Location: Merced High School
Address: 6535 Cedros Avenue, Van Nuys, CA






This was also Ridgemont High from Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

Location: Cary's Gas Station
Address: 1258 N Avenue 51, Eagle Rock, CA









Locations Visited: October 2016, October 2018


Locations To Be Found: 

Jody's House
The Bridge
The Courthouse
Merced Toy Store
The Green Hotel