The Young Philadelphians (1959) - Film Locations

 

Coming up on TCM as part of their Summer Under the Stars tribute to actress Alexis Smith, is one of my favorite Paul Newman films, The Young Philadelphians (1959). Newman plays an up and coming young lawyer, who despite having  a respected family name in Philadelphia society, has to work his way up the corporate ladder. Along the way he faces several ethical dilemmas.

As the title suggests, the film is set in Philadelphia, however, the movie was actually filmed in California in Glendale, Pacific Palisades and the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank.  Here are the primary filming locations seen in the film.

The film opens with a scene at a church that is supposed to be located on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. There is even a street sign that reads Rittenhouse Square, but I didn't buy that the film crew would have gone to Philadelphia to shoot this scene so I started researching old Los Angeles churches that had a clock tower. I then found a photo of a matching church in the Los Angeles Library collection. Below are two screenshots of the church in the film, a photograph of the church from the 1920s, and an image showing the same modern day location.

Click images to see larger.

The church as seen in the film.

Don't let the street sign fool you. This is no where near Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square.

Glendale Presbyterian Church.  Corner of Harvard and Louise Streets. Photo Credit: LAPL

Current Glendale Presbyterian Church. Corner of Harvard and Louise Streets.

The Glendale Presbyterian Church building that is seen in the film was constructed in 1923, but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1971. There was so much damage that the building had to be demolished and a new building was later built on the same site on top of the existing basement.

Early in the film we see Paul Newman as a young guy managing a construction site. That big hole in the ground was actually on Warner Bros. New York Street backlot. Below you can see a screenshot showing the New York Street set and a modern image of the same set location.

Warner Bros. New York Street backlot used for a Philadelphia construction site.

Warner Bros. New York Street Backlot.

Paul Newman duking it out on WB's New York Street backlot.

Newman's character ends up falling in love with a young socialite played by Barbara Rush. In one scene Newman takes Rush back to her family home. The exterior of the home was actually the Warner Bros. Brownstone Street. These Warner Bros. facades are constantly being changed for project to project and in fact the facade used in the scene below was again being changed out when I took the modern day image.

Warner Bros. Brownstone Street was used for the home of Barbara Rush.

Warner Bros. Brownstone Street as it appears today.

Below is a view of Newman and Rush on Brownstone Street, but looking across to the other side of the street. The facade used during the time of the film has since been completely wiped out. Today this side of the street is the location of the Warner Bros theatre, which does have a facade that can be used for filming - although it now now way resembles the facade which used to be there.

Newman and Rush on Brownstone Street.

The Warner Bros. Theatre now stands on this site of Brownstone Street.

One of the locations in the film is a bar called Ernie's Cocktails. This too was filmed on the Warner Bros. backlot, on New York Street. This facade also has been greatly changed since the film, but you can see below where I've marked with a yellow box, where the Ernie's facade would have been located.

Warner Bros. New York Street was used as the location for Ernie's Cocktails.

The yellow box marks the portion of the facade used as Ernie's Cocktails.

Below is another shot of the Warner Bros. New York Street backlot, this time at Christmas. I love seeing the fake snow on the ground and people wearing heavy jackets. As this is really California - not Philadelphia - I bet it was 80 some degrees at the time.

Warner Bros. New York Street backlot dressed for Christmas time.

The same corner of the New York Street backlot as it appears today.

The next two comparisons show the site of Paul Newman's law office in the film which was also the New York Street backlot.

The Warner Bros. NY Street backlot was used as the exterior for Newman's law office.

The yellow box marks the location of the New York Street backlot exterior used as Newman's law office.

Looking across the street from Newman's office toward the alley.

The WB New York Street backlot. The alley can be seen to the right of the theatre marquee.

This last location is supposed to be the home of the character played by Alexis Smith. In reality, this home is the former Will Rogers Estate, located at 14253 Sunset Boulevard in the Pacific Palisades. The ranch became a State Park in 1944 and today the site includes the 31-room ranch house, a stable, corrals, riding ring, roping arena, golf course, polo field and riding and hiking trails.

Will Rogers House, 14253 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles was used as the home of Alexis Smith.

Will Rogers Ranch House. Source

In addition to airing on TCM, The Young Philadelphians is currently available for streaming on Warner Archive Instant and is available on DVD through ClassicFlix. The film, directed by Vincent Sherman, stars Paul Newman, Barbara Rush, Alexis Smith and Robert Vaughn.

Meet John Doe (1941) - Film Locations

Frank Capra is one of those directors where I can watch just about any one of his films and be entertained. Many of Capra's movies are heavily sentimental, wholesome message pictures which some critics have dismissively referred to as "Capra-corn." Although Capra's filmmaking style may seem a bit old-fashioned, for me personally it's one of the qualities I enjoy about Capra's films, and regardless of Capra's style, the subject matter in his films from the 1930s and 1940s, are just as relevant now as they were then. Whether it be a naive scout leader who thinks by becoming a senator and going to Washington he can help his country in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) or a presidential candidate who struggles to stick by his ideals and not sell out to special interest groups in State of the Union (1948), Capra's films touch on subjects that still strike a chord as a contemporary viewer watching the current political circus taking place.

The film Meet John Doe (1941), starring the always wonderful to watch Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck, is another Capra classic portraying a "common man" fighting greed and corruption for the greater good of society. In this story, Stanwyck is a reporter who finds out that she is being laid off. For her last column she publishes a letter from a fictional "John Doe" who threatens to kill himself on Christmas Eve in response to society's inattention to people in need. When the letter is printed it causes a sensation and newspaper sales spike.  Stanwyck is kept on at the newspaper to continue her charade and to exploit the popularity of John Doe to sell more papers. After interviewing several hobos, Stanwyck discovers John Willoughby (Gary Cooper), a former baseball player in need of cash to repair an injured arm, to portray her John Doe.

With Cooper as the face of John Doe, Stanwyck continues to be John Doe's voice through her typewriter, publishing a series of letters from John Doe in the newspaper. With people all over the country stirred by John Doe's philosophy, the newspaper's publisher, D.B. Norton, decides to take things further and hires Cooper to give radio speeches which Stanwyck will write. A grassroots movement begins with John Doe supporters around the country creating John Doe clubs, with the simple philosphy of "Be a better neighbor."Intending to capitalize on John Doe's growing popularity, Norton plans to use John Doe to endorse him as a presidential candidate. Cooper himself begins to believe the John Doe philosophy, realizes he is being used and attempts to make things right with the public by exposing the entire scheme.

There is no real life city mentioned in the film, only a fictional town called "Millville" but the exterior scenes were all filmed in the Los Angeles area, including the Warner Bros. Studio backlot in Burbank. Here are a few of the Meet John Doe filming locations as they appear today.

Looking south down Vine Street just above Yucca Street.

Looking down Vine St. above Yucca St. as it appears today.

When John Doe is going to make his premier on radio, the scene opens with a shot of a guy hammering an advertisment to a pole that is on Vine Street in Hollywood. The camera gives us a view looking south down Vine Street from just above Yucca Street. We get a glimpse of the Broadway Hollywood building on the right. Just behind the bill advertising "Hear John Doe TONIGHT 9 P.M. W.B.N." is where today stands the Capital Records building, which wasn't finished until 1956, fifteen years after Meet John Doe was made.

NBC Studios, corner of Sunset Blvd. and Vine St.

Former site of NBC Studios at Sunset and Vine.

The location where Cooper gives the radio speech as John Doe is NBC Studios in Hollywood, located at the northeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street. The art deco NBC building opened in 1938 and was the West Coast headquarters for NBC Radio Networks. In 1962 NBC moved to a new building in Burbank and in 1964 the Hollywood location was demolished. Today the site is the home to a Chase bank.

The "Millville" town square is Midwest Street at Warner Bros.

Midwest Street at Warner Bros. Studio, Burbank, Ca.

Later in the film, after Cooper realizes he is being used and decides to go back to obscurity, he is recognized in a diner in the small town of "Millville." Millville is really part of the Warner Bros. Studio backlot area known as Midwest Street. In the screenshot above the people of Millville frantically run across the town square to get a glimpse of John Doe. Midwest Street has appeared in numerous films including The Hard Way (1943), East of Eden (1955), The Music Man (1962), Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970) and The Monster Squad (1987) to name a few.

Millville City Hall

The city hall building on Midwest Street.

Looking across the Millville town square.

Looking across Midwest Street.

Near the end of the film, Cooper is supposed to give a big speech as John Doe endorsing Norton for president. Instead, Cooper plans to expose the whole deceptive scheme. The big speech takes place in a stadium and the stadium that was used for filming was Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. The stadium was located on 10 acres between San Pedro Street to the west, Avalon Blvd to the east, E. 41st Place to the north, and E. 42 Place to the south. The stadium opened on September 29, 1925 and for 33 seasons was the home to the Angels and for 11 seasons it was also the home to the rival Hollywood Stars. The stadium was eventually demolished in 1969.

Wrigley Field Los Angeles as seen in Meet John Doe.

Aerial view of Wrigley Field's opening in 1925.

Image from Los Angeles Public Library.

Aerial of the site of Wrigley Field as it looks today.

In the two images above, the first yellow rectangle shows the portion of the stadium that appears in the film and in the second image the yellow rectangle shows where that portion of the stadium would be if the stadium were still standing.

In the two images just below, the first is a screenshot showing the inside of Wrigley Field as seen in the film and the second is a clearer vintage photo from 1937, during a game of Hollywood comedians against Hollywood leading men.

Inside view of Wrigley Field as seen in Meet John Doe.

1937 Comedians vs. Leading Men game.

Image from Los Angeles Public Library.

The end of the film involves Cooper contemplating jumping from City Hall on Christmas Eve. Although Los Angeles is not mentioned as the location of the story, the city hall that is used for the story is the Los Angeles City Hall as seen in the screenshot below. However, it looks like the LA City Hall was recreated in one of the Warner Bros. Studio sound stages. For one, the skyline is different and second, although possible, its not likely to be snowing in downtown Los Angeles.

City Hall as seen in Meet John Doe.

The Los Angeles City Hall.

I highly recommend this film. If you haven't yet seen this classic, ClassicFlix currently has Meet John Doe available on DVD to buy or to rent.

Images (c) Warner Bros. Entertainment, (c) 2013 Google, (c) 2013 Microsoft Corporation Pictometry Bird's Eye (c) 2012 Pictometry International Corp.

Jersey Boys (2014) - Film Locations

Jersey Boys, the hit Broadway musical about Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons, is getting the cinema treatment. The film version, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Christopher Walken and Vincent Piazza, hits theaters on June 20, and a new trailer was released today. One thing I spotted immediately in the trailer was a scene that was clearly filmed on the Warner Bros. New York Street backlot set in Burbank, California. 

The below screenshot was taken from the trailer. As the movie has not yet been released, I don't know exactly what is taking place in the scene, but it looks like the band must be arriving to perform at a concert. Notice how with a little movie magic the film designers were able to change the background to appear differently from what the actual background looks like. If you go see this movie in theaters, keep your eyes open for this scene.

Click images to see larger.

A screenshot from Jersey Boys (2014).

The Warner Bros. New York Street backlot set.

A wider view of the Warner Bros. New York Street backlot set.

Below is the full trailer for Jersey Boys. I must admit, when I first heard that Clint Eastwood was directing a musical I was a bit skeptical, but the trailer looks interesting and I'm much more excited than I was before.

Official Trailer for Jersey Boys (2014).

So what do you think of this upcoming film?

All images (c) Warner Bros.

The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971-1972) - Film Locations

The Jimmy Stewart Show wasn't a hit when it originally aired during the 1971-1972 television season and likely wouldn't perform well today, but classic film fans may enjoy watching this sitcom that features one of the silver screens greatest stars. Yes, the show is hokey, but come on, it has Jimmy Stewart with all his 'Aw, shucks' likability! I could watch Stewart mumble the alphabet and find it amusing. And in addition to Stewart the cast includes the lovely Julie Adams, John McGiver, and a few guest stars including Beulah Bondi and Vincent Price.

Stewart plays James K. Howard, an anthropology professor at the local university of a small fictional town. Things are fine in Howard's life until his oldest son moves back home bringing his own family after their house burns down. Howard's simple life suddenly becomes more crowded and complicated.

The show almost exclusively filmed on the Warner Bros. lot. There are very few scenes that were filmed outside the studio. The center of town was the Midwest Street exterior set and the neighborhood was Residential Street/Kings Row which branches off of Midwest Street. Other exterior sets used include the Jungle/Lagoon set as well as an office building on the lot.

Click images to see larger.

Stewart in front of "Valley Elementary School."

Valley Elementary School. An office building on the WB lot.

On the show, in addition to Stewart's older son, he and his wife have a young son that is just ten years old. The younger son attends Valley Elementary School which in reality is just an office building on the Warner lot located not far from the present location of the iconic studio water tower.

Stewart talks with his son at Valley Elementary School.

The office building on the Warner lot used for the elementary school set.

The Howard Family Home on Residential Street/Kings Row.

A contemporary view of the Howard Family home house.

Above is a comparison of the Howard Family home which is one of the houses located on Warner's Residential Street. Below are views of a couple more homes located on Residential Street which can be seen on the show.

Stewart rides his bike down Residential Street.

A contemporary view of Residential Street.

The view from the Howard's front yard.

The same view on Residential Street.

The next few comparisons feature the Midwest Street exterior sets.

The center of Midwest Street as seen in The Jimmy Stewart Show.

Contemporary view looking towards the center of Midwest Street.

Stewart drives through Midwest Street.

Midwest Street on the Warner Bros. lot.

Stewart arrives at a Leather Goods shop.

The Leather Goods facade as it appears now.

Stewart's older son works at the East Valley Construction Co. which is an exterior set located on Midwest Street. This facade and the one next to it actually look quite different from the way they did at the time of the show. In the next few comparisons I've used a red rectangle to mark the building/sign for the East Valley Construction Co. site.

East Valley Construction.

Contemporary view of the East Valley Construction Co. facade.

East Valley Construction can be seen in the background.

Looking along the facades that include East Valley Construction.

The East Valley Construction sign location is marked by the red rectangle.

The next comparison shows the view looking inside out from the East Valley Construction facade. The same building that can be seen through the window can still be seen in the background today.

Jonathon Daly and Ellen Geer inside the East Valley Construction set.

The view looking from the East Valley Construction location.

The Howard family arrives at church.

A contemporary view of the church set.

Julie Adams at an art contest. The City Hall facade can be seen in the background.

A contemporary view of the Midwest Street City Hall facade.

The comparison below is of of an exterior set that no longer exists on the Warner Bros. backlot. The first image is a screenshot from The Jimmy Stewart Show where the set is used as Josiah Kessel College. The second image is a screenshot from the film The Music Man (1962) which used the same set as a school in the fictional River City, Iowa. I'm keeping my eyes peeled now to see where else this set appears to see if I can pin point when this set disappeared from the lot.

UPDATE (November 22, 2013) Thanks to Steve Bingen, one of the co-authors of the excellent book MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot, I've learned that the set below used for the Josiah Kessel College was a backlot set known as "Hank's School" and was once located on the backside of the Hennesy Street set, where the Park Place set is located today. According to Steve, "Hank's School got its name from a TV series called Hank from the early 60s. Although the set predated the show. Village of the Giants is another film where its possible to get a good look at the set. It was also Boatwright University in The Waltons in the 70's. It was taken down in 1995 when Batman Forever did a rebuild of Hennesy Street."

Josiah Kessel College in The Jimmy Stewart Show.

A screenshot from The Music Man (1962).

The Park Place set stands where the Josiah Kessel College/"Hank's School" set once stood.

This last comparison is a view of the Jungle/Lagoon backlot set. In The Jimmy Stewart Show there is an episode where Stewart and his younger son are seen fishing from a pier.

Stewart fishing with his son on the Warner backlot.

The Jungle/Lagoon set on the Warner Bros. backlot.

The Jimmy Stewart Show is not available on DVD but can currently be viewed on the Warner Archive Instant streaming service.

More Midwest Street/Residential Street on screen appearances covered here on Dear Old Hollywood include: The Hard Way (1943), East of Eden (1955), Rebel Without a Cause (1955),  No Time For Sergeants (1958), The Music Man (1962), Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came? (1970), Nickelodeon (1976), The Monster Squad (1987).

All images (c) Warner Bros. except where otherwise noted.