ZZ Top - Legs (1984)

 

Rock band ZZ Top is instantly recognizable by their members' long beards, sunglasses and hats.  Sadly, the group recently lost bassist Dusty Hill.  Mostly a blues group, synthesizers were not recognizable on their albums until 1983's Eliminator.  Their most commercially successful album spawned the hit single Legs, ZZ Top's first top ten hit.  The song was later featured in a series L'Eggs pantyhose ads in 1988.     

The music video is a modern day Cinderella story with model Wendy Frazier playing a tormented shoe sales girl who gets a makeover and some help from some sexy ladies who know how to use their lower limbs.  She lands her dream man - the burger chef at the diner a few doors down the strip mall.  Together, they hop into a Ford Eliminator a ride off into the sunset just like Sandy & Danny.  A mishap with film developing called for reshoots, which was done at a completely different shopping center.  It may have been a blessing in disguise as the video went on to win Best Group Video at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards. 

Legs was filmed in Santa Clarita and Panorama City, CA

Location: Shopping Center #1

Address: 23335 Lyons Avenue, Santa Clarita, CA  Old Orchard Center

Location: Shopping Center #2

Address: 9050 Van Nuys Boulevard, Panorama City, CA

Locations Visited: June 2021

Locations Master List

Small Wonder (1985-1989)

 

Engineer Ted Lawson's latest creation is Vicki The Robot (Voice Input Child Identicant) to aid handicapped children.  She possesses enormous strength and delivers dialogue better than Megan Fox.  The family passes her off as human, joining Man-At-Arms and Orko as 1980's secret keepers, especially from Harriet, the annoying-as-hell girl next door.  Even though she's made of plastic with microchips here and there, Vicki grew over the seasons, which was explained as her receiving upgrades.

Small Wonder is considered by many to be one of the worst sitcoms of all time.  A bizarre premise, cheap-looking production value and an irritatingly catchy theme song, the series was ridiculed left and right.  But that didn't stop it being popular with children, including myself.  I admit, I tuned in every Saturday.  Like many sitcoms, there was backstage drama.  Only this time it wasn't with the cast, it was with the parents of the child actors.  The show was quietly canceled after the fourth season but Vicki continued to bring love and laughter on DVD and Antenna TV reruns.

Location: United Robotronics

Address: 20950 Warner Center Lane, Woodland Hills, CA  

Warner Center Corporate Park

Location Visited:  June 2021

Locations Master List

Red Eye (2005)

 

The last thing hotel manager Lisa Reisert expected on the red eye home from her grandmother's funeral was to be held hostage 30,000 feet in the air by the charismatic Jack Rippner.  Her occupation is pivotal to Jack's plan to off the Secretary of Homeland Security.  She must comply or her father will be taken out.  Upon landing, Lisa escapes her captor, thwarts the assassination attempt, saves her father and gets continued use of her high school field hockey stick. 

Horror mastermind Wes Craven, who brought us A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream (1996) soars to new heights with the aerodynamic thriller Red Eye.  Along with a bag of peanuts, the claustrophobic film serves top notch acting by Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy and breezes by with a running time rivaling Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later (1998).  Critically praised, it achieved a decent box office return, though not quite as high as Flightplan, the other 2005 thriller in the sky.  Yet both films make flying Spirit Airlines seem like a vacation.   

Red Eye was filmed in Los Angeles, CA and Miami Beach, FL

Location: Lux Atlantic Hotel Exterior
Address: 100 South Pointe Drive, Miami Beach, FL

Location: Joe Reisert's House

Address: 327 Lorraine Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA

Thanks to Robert Patterson at Set-Jetter for finding this location.

Locations Visited: March 2021, June 2021

Locations Master List

Guns N' Roses - November Rain (1992)

 

Hard rockers Guns N' Roses shot ;-) to stardom in the late 80s with their Appetite for Destruction album.  Mostly known for high octane songs like Welcome to the Jungle and Sweet Child 'o Mine, most band members reluctantly recorded the ballad November Rain for their 1991 release Use Your Illusion I.  Their epic opus, clocking in at just under nine minutes, is the longest song to ever crack the top 10 on The Billboard Hot 100.  An initial recording of the song took place during the Appetite for Destruction sessions.  

November Rain is one of Guns N' Roses most memorable videos.  Axl Rose's then-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour portrays his bride, whom he later grieves the loss of.  Slash performs a memorable guitar solo out in the New Mexico desert in front of a small church, which was transported from LA.  The song also has one of their most memorable live performances, closing the 1992 MTV Video Music Award with Elton John.  

November Rain was filmed in Los Angeles, CA and Galiesteo, NM

Location: The Church

Address: 310 S Van Ness Avenue, Los Angeles, CA  St. Brendan Catholic Church

Location: The Rainbow Bar & Grill

Address: 9015 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA

Situated on LA's famous Sunset Strip, The Rainbow Bar & Grill is a legendary hangout for rock bands from the 70s and 80s so it made perfect sense to use it as the bar in the music video... 

Locations Visited: June 2021, June 2023

Locations Master List

One Day At A Time (1975-1984)

Divorcee Anne Romano packs up her two teenage daughters and heads to Indianapolis to start over.  Settling into their new apartment, they find a friend in Dwayne Schneider, the building's super.  One Day At A Time and its infectious theme song ran for an impressive nine seasons.  Like many other Norman Lear productions, such as All In The Family (1971-1979), The Jeffersons (1975-1985) and Sanford and Son (1972-1977), the show tackled some serious subjects.  Several cast members came and went, most notably star Mackenzie Phillips, who departed after the fifth season due to substance abuse problems but later returned in a recurring role.  An unnecessary remake ran for three seasons beginning in 2017.  The series was based on creator Whitney Blake's own life.  Thanks to Chas Demster at It's Filmed There for finding these locations.

Location: The Ramano House

Address: 4954 Willow Crest Avenue, North Hollywood, CA

Location: The Apartment Building

Address: 656 S Ridgeley Drive, Los Angeles, CA

 Locations Visited: June 2021

Locations Master List