Maude (1972-1978)

 

Maude Findlay is an outspoken liberal residing in Tuckahoe, NY with her husband Walter, divorced daughter Carol and her grandson Phillip.  Maude was spun off from the highly successful All In The Family (1971-1979) as Maude was Edith Bunker's cousin.  The character was loosely based on creator Norman Lear's then-wife Frances.  Like its predecessor, the series dealt with serious subject matter such as alcoholism, suicide and abortion.  Rounding out the cast was Conrad Bain, who would go on to star in Diff'rent Strokes (1978-1986), and Rue McClanahan, who would co-star with Bea Arthur on The Golden Girls (1985-1992).  The series was a ratings success for the first four seasons, with Bea Arthur winning an Emmy after the fifth.  Maude itself spun off Good Times, exploring the family life of Maude's housekeeper, Florida Evans.  

Location: Maude's House

Address: 1011 Harvard Avenue, Claremont, CA

Location Visited: July 2023

Locations Master List

Eurythmics - You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart (1988)

It's hard to think about 80's music without thinking of Eurythmics.  The British duo came strong out of the gate with their massive international hit Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), which can still be heard on the radio daily.  Musical geniuses Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart achieved some success in the US, but fared better across the pond, especially by the time their Savage album was released.  It was more experimental than their previous efforts but nonetheless delivered some incredible songs.  Unfortunately, none of their singles from the album cracked the Top 40, one being You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart.  Annie sings about a relationship in ruins and her desire to leave.  For a segment of the music video, Annie is seen at a Ralph's supermarket.  With the hills in the background, my initial thought was it was located in the San Fernando Valley.  After combing through dozens of them, I came up empty and felt a chill in my heart.  But luckily Robert Patterson at Set-Jetter.com was able to find it even though it has gone through a major renovation and is unrecognizable today, but big thanks to Robert. 

Location: Ralph's Supermarket

Address: 14049 Moorpark Street, Sherman Oaks, CA

The large parking lot is no longer but the billboard toward the right appears to be the same, though now it has a palm tree in front of it...

The one area that does still look somewhat the same is the apartment complex across the street...

Location Visited: May 2023

Locations Master List

L.A. Law (1986-1994)

 

Attorneys and staff at McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak were at the center of this legal drama set in the City of Angels.  Cases ranged from sexual harassment to the death penalty. Four-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Drama Series, L.A. Law, or La Law if you’re from St. Olaf, consistently placed in the top 30 for most of it's run.  Perhaps one of the greatest exit-stage-left moments of television had Rosalind Shays falling down an elevator shaft toward the end of the fifth season.  In addition to L.A. Law, Steven Bochco created several hit series during the 1980s and 1990s including Hill Street Blues, Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989-1993) and NYPD Blue.

Location: McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney & Kuzak Law Firm

Address: 444 Flower Street, Los Angeles, CA

The interior of this building was Clark's Office in Christmas Vacation (1989)

Location Visited: March 2023

Location Master List

Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989-1993)

 

Child prodigy Douglas "Doogie" Howser earned a perfect SAT score at the age of six.  He completed high school in just nine weeks.  He graduated Princeton at the age of ten.  He completed medical school at the age of fourteen.  He can prescribe drugs, but he can't buy beer.  Now in his second year residency at Eastman Medical Center, Doogie saves lives in between studying for his road test, hanging with his best friend Vinnie and his girlfriend Wanda.  

Doogie Howser, M.D. was the brainchild of Steven Bochco and David E. Kelly.  The series was not particularly loved by critics nor a Nielsen favorite, but premiered during the television dramedy craze and entertained audiences for four seasons.  Neil Patrick Harris was not the ABC executives first choice for the role but their temperature eventually warmed up after successful test screenings.  The series had a memorable theme song for the opening credits, which told the series' premise through newspaper headlines.  Ratings eventually flatlined and the show was canceled, with Doogie resigning from Eastman Medical and heading for Europe.

Location: Eastman Medical Center

Address: 18350 Roscoe Boulevard, Northridge, CA  Northridge Hospital

Location: The Howser Residence

Address: 796 Amalfi Drive, Pacific Palisades, CA

The house seen on the show was torn down after the series went off the air...

Locations Visited: April 2023

Locations Master List

Wilson Phillips - Hold On (1990)

 

What do you do when your parents were part of  successful singing groups?  Why, form one yourselves!  That's what the offspring of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas did.  In 1989, Chynna Phillips & Wendy and Carnie Wilson merged to form Wilson Phillips.  Their smooth harmonies helped catapult their debut album to #2, which produced three #1 hits.  

Their first single, Hold On, not to be confused with other Hold On song by En Vogue that was released at the same time, is an inspirational track about finding inner strength to make it to tomorrow.  Chynna Phillips wrote the lyrics during a stint with drug abuse.  For the video, the girls are seen up in the mountains and down at the beach singing while tourists look on with intrigue and bewilderment.

Hold On was filmed in Venice and Mt. Baldy, CA

Location: The Beach

Address: Speedway & Sunset Court, Venice, CA

Location Visited: April 2023

Locations Master List

A Different World (1987-1993)

Denise Huxtable found herself college bound after the third season of The Cosby Show (1984-1992).  Her obvious choice for higher education was Hillman College, the alma mater of Cliff, Claire and Russell Huxtable.  Among the student body were Denise's roommates Jaleesa Vinson and Maggie Lauten, one of the few white students at the historically black college.  Southern belle Whitley Gilbert and ladies' man Dwayne Wayne rounded out the cast.  Cast changes occurred after the first season, with Denise dropping out and Maggie disappearing, making room for new characters Kim and Freddie while stories shifted more to social issues.    

The premise for A Different World originally revolved around a white student attending a historically black college, but that then changed to a black student with a white friend at a historically black college.  It was decided to spin-off The Cosby Show since Denise Huxtable had graduated high school.  After Meg Ryan dropped out, a pre-Oscar Marisa Tomei was cast as Maggie.  Prior to the second season's production, Lisa Bonet announced she was pregnant and it was decided to have her character drop out and return home.  Denise would travel to Africa during The Cosby Show's fifth season and be off-screen while Bonet was pregnant.  Debbie Allen took over the creative reigns to make the series more realistic in its portrayal of a historically black college.  A Different World ran for six seasons, and thanks to its lead-in, was a ratings success during its first four seasons.

Location: Hillman College
Address: 350 Spelman Lane, Atlanta, GA 30314 

Spelman College

Spelman College is America's oldest historically black college for women and was one of the institutions that inspired Hillman College.  Bessie Strong Hall served as Gilbert Hall, the dorm for Denise, Whitley, Jaleesa and Maggie...

Giles Hall is seen as the main classroom building...

Location Visited: August 2017

Related Locations:

The Cosby Show (1984-1992)

Locations Master List

Fleetwood Mac - Big Love (1987)

It had been five long years since Fleetwood Mac released an album.  During their extended hiatus, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham all released solo efforts, some having more success than others.  After eighteen months in the studio, Tango In The Night was finally released.  It was well-received, spawning four hit singles.  Initially meant to be included on his solo album, Big Love was the first song released and became a top 5 hit.  Sadly, Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac shortly after the album's release and Big Love would not be performed live until the band reunited for The Dance in 1997.  For the video, the band plays on the grounds of a sprawling estate as the camera continuously zooms out layering in shots of Lindsey and his big love.

Location: The Mansion

Address: 1325 Prospect Drive, Redlands, CA

The "house on a hill" used in the video is the Kimberly Crest House, built in 1897.  

This location was also used in Hell Night (1981).

Location Visited: February 2023

Related Locations:

Fleetwood Mac - Gypsy

Locations Master List

 

Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation (1989)

After two lackluster albums, Janet Jackson finally broke out with Control.  With five singles reaching the top five, plus another top twenty hit, following that up seemed like a chore.  But she was more than up for it as her Rhythm Nation 1814 album surpassed its predecessor in sales and charting singles.  All seven reached the top five, with four of them going to number one.  Rhythm Nation remains the only album to have seven top five hits on the Billboard Hot 100.  Still with me?  While the bulk of the album tackled social issues, many of the singles dealt with the usual topic of love.  But Rhythm Nation was not one of them.  Calling for racial harmony, the song was an anthem at the dawn of a new decade.

The video for Rhythm Nation is one of Janet's all-time best, most notably the choreography.  Janet and her nation members perform elaborate dance moves in a post apocalyptic warehouse.  Rhythm Nation was filmed in black & white, driving home the call for racial unity.  It came as no surprise when it won Best Choreography at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.  Part of the video was filmed in The Bradbury Building, the oldest commercial building in Downtown Los Angeles, and most notably used in 1982's Blade Runner.

Location: The Elevator

Address: 304 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA

Location Visited: February 2023

Related Locations:

Janet Jackson - Nasty (1986), Janet Jackson - Let's Wait Awhile (1987), Janet Jackson - Escapade (1990)

 

Locations Master List