The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)

The sleepy town of Mayberry, North Carolina is kept in order by Sheriff Andy Taylor, and at times, undone by Deputy Barney Fife.  A widow, Andy raises his son Opie with help of his Aunt Bee.  An eclectic group of townsfolk include barber Floyd, cousins Goober and Gomer and Mayor Pike.  

The Andy Griffith Show was a ratings success during its entire run, even ranking in the top for the final season.  It was a spinoff of The Danny Thomas Show/Make Room For Daddy.  The series won Don Knotts five Emmy Awards.  Of the 240 episodes produced, 159 aired in black & white and 90 in color.  The show is well-remembered for it's opening theme and sequence with Andy and Opie heading toward the fishin' hole.      




Location: Myers Lake

Address: 2600 Franklin Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA

If you park at the Eugene & Michael Rosenfeld Auditorium, it is a short walk off Franklin Canyon Drive as it loops around...

Sam and Paul's deaths from Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)  and The Brady Bunch (1969-1974) camping grounds were also filmed around this area.

Location Visited: February 2025

Locations Master List

 

Head Of The Class (1986-1991)

 

Class is in session for a group of gifted students attending the Individual Honors Program at Manhattan's Millard Fillmore High School.  Out-of-work actor and substitute history teacher Charlie Moore's initial roll call consisted of Maria Borges, Arvid Engen, Darlene Merriman, Simone Foster, Jawaharlal Choundhury, Alan Pinkard, Eric Mardian, Sarah Nevins, Dennis Blunden and Janice Lazaratto.  Charlie eventually became their full-time teacher and pushed his students to think.  Head Of The Class holds the distinction of being the first U.S. sitcom to film in the Soviet Union with a two-part episode "Mission to Moscow."  Later seasons saw the student roster change a bit and Charlie's acting career finally taking off, causing him to depart before the final season.  Howard Hessemen, formerly of WKRP in Cincinatti (1978-1982) fame, felt the series had drifted away from what was promised and left the show.  He was replaced with Billy Connolly, who received his own spin-off, Billy, that further explored his personal life.  Head Of The Class saw a short-lived revival in 2021.

Location: Millard Fillmore High School

Address: 40 Irving Place, New York, NY

Gramercy Arts High School

Location Visited: January 2025

Location Master List

The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy (1994)

 

East coast rapper Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G or Biggie Smalls, was born and raised in Brooklyn.  Juicy, the first single off his debut album, describes his tough upbringing.  The song samples the instrumental and some lyrics from Mtume's 1983 hit Juicy Fruit.  For the video, Biggie is seen on St. James and Fulton Streets where he grew up, showing his ascent from poverty to the lap of luxury.

Location: Notorious B.I.G's Townhouse

Address: 208 St. James Place, Brooklyn, NY

Location: Street Corner

Address: 932 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 

Location: Running Down The Street

Address: 920 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY

Location: Subway Station & Street Light Pole

Address: next to 910 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 

Location: Strolling Down The Street

Address: 969 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY

The Crown Fried Chicken awning makes it difficult to get an exact matching shot.

The Notorious B.I.G.'s childhood home is located at 226 St. James Place, just down the street from the these spots...

Locations Visited: December 2024

Locations Master List

School Ties (1992)

High school senior David Greene is given the opportunity of a lifetime when he receives a scholarship to the prestigious St. Matthew's Academy.  He leaves a depressing Scranton, PA for the sprawling Massachusetts campus and immediately hits it off with his roommate and football teammates.  He also catches the eye of a pretty blonde.  All seems to be going well until they find out David's Jewish.  He quickly becomes the campus pariah and the scapegoat when it's discovered someone cheated on an exam.  When he goes to confess, David discovers one of his peers exposed Charlie Dillon as the real cheater to the headmaster.  He then calls Matt Damon a prick.

School Ties is an excellent film but unfortunately a stellar cast, many who would springboard to stardom, couldn't put it on the dean's list of 1992 movies.  The film didn't quite make back its budget and quickly left theaters.  

Location: The Cemetery

Address: 938 E 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA

St. Michael's Cemetery

Most of the church has been turned into an apartment building.

Location: The Greene House

Address: 1009 E 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA

Location: Walsh's Tavern

Address: 637 Atlantic Street, Bethlehem, PA

The yellow fire hydrant is still there.  Unfortunately a car pulled up just before I was going to take the photo...

Location: The Mobil Station

Address: 1768 Main Street, Northampton, PA

Location: Chip's Lucheonette

Address: 2015 Main Street, Northampton, PA

Location: The Roxy Theater

Address: 2004 Main Street, Northampton, PA

Location: The Steel Stacks

Address: 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA

Locations Visited: December 2024

Locations Master List