Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar)

EvilRocketeer

Master Member
Warning: Picture heavy

Last year I took a road trip up the coast of California.....on the way... i dropped by several film locations of the rocketeer.....

the following are pictures of the Griffith Observatory, Ennis House, and the Bigelow Hangar in Santa Maria.....

I dropped by the exact location of the Bulldog Cafe....unfortunately...the site is on private property and the owner refused to let photos be taken of the area....

I plan on visiting the rest of the locations some time in 2013....


Griffith Observatory: Scenes filmed in November 1990

Scenes include Cliff Secord meeting Neville Sinclair and the Valentine mob to switch the pack for Jenny, the ground battle between the FBI and the Nazis, Neville abducting Jenny and taking her to the zeppelin.

The rest of the Griffith Observatory/ Zeppelin fight scene took place at Indian Dunes Raceway and San Rafael.

Aerial view:

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Exterior Views:

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Walkway: the Rocketeer meet the Valentine mob and Neville

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Statue Near walkway:

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Stairs Neville Sinclair takes Jenny up to the Zeppelin

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Rocketeer Blasts off to rescue Jenny:

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Ennis House: I found mixed reports online about this location....several sites claimed the movie was filmed inside....while other sites said "sections of the Ennis House were recreated in detail, including the patterned art glass, on a studio set. The Rocketeer went as far as adding an upper floor".....I havent looked into it that much...but figured to include it anyways..

Aerial View:

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Exterior:

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Damage on the exterior:

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Front:

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Damage to the Front:

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Street View:

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Bigelow Hangar in Santa Maria


Info on the Hangar:
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Aerial of the original location of the Hangar: Thanks to a fellow finhead for the info

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Exterior:

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Inside: the roof inside had to be replace due to termite infestation....the Bigelow Painted Logo was saved....

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Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

Pretty cool stuff dude. The Ennis house looks like a building from blade runner, the tiles look very similar.
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

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I could almost swear this is the same setting in "Yes Man" with Jim Carey, where he does a burnout on the Ducati.
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

Dude, what a trip! Awesome photos. Thank you for posting. I have wanted to do the same thing for several of the places in movies I love. I'm glad to see your passion for such a fun movie.

:thumbsup
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

That is awesome! I've always wanted to see Ennis House, its in so many of my favorite movies!
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

Thats because it is a building in BR.

Great pics and a shame to see Ennis house still suffering from damage :(


Pretty cool stuff dude. The Ennis house looks like a building from blade runner, the tiles look very similar.
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

Thats because it is a building in BR.

Great pics and a shame to see Ennis house still suffering from damage :(

Yeah you would think that it would be pretty simple to make a mold and recast some tile designs to bring it back to its former glory.
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

A few board members here actually did cast some tiles off the house when they used to sell them.

The house sustained major structual damage though and at one point there were rumors it would have to be demolished.

I hope not!



Yeah you would think that it would be pretty simple to make a mold and recast some tile designs to bring it back to its former glory.
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

I could almost swear this is the same setting in "Yes Man" with Jim Carey, where he does a burnout on the Ducati.

you are right....yes man was filmed at the griffith observatory for a few scenes....kinda funny you mentioned it....i visit the griffith frequently...and it was closed off one day because they were filming yes man....


Dude, what a trip! Awesome photos. Thank you for posting. I have wanted to do the same thing for several of the places in movies I love. I'm glad to see your passion for such a fun movie. :thumbsup


thanks for the compliments......i love checking out film locations......so far this year...i checked out the Home Alone House and church, Uncle Buck House, Father of the Bride House, Doc's house from BTTF, Ferris Bueller House and some locations in Chicago, and a ton more.....it's a hobby of mine....Its always a fun and exciting adventure.....



That is awesome! I've always wanted to see Ennis House, its in so many of my favorite movies!

i love the ennis house.....if i had the money...i would had purchased it...Frank Lloyd wright is an amazing architect....i would love to own one of his creations...just sad to see it in the current condition it is in


A few board members here actually did cast some tiles off the house when they used to sell them.

The house sustained major structual damage though and at one point there were rumors it would have to be demolished.

I hope not!


i highly doubt it will demolished....billionaire Ron Burke purchased it several years ago for 4.5 million...Burke is a huge fan of historic architecture and frank lloyd wright.....as a teenager....burke had a private tour of the ennis house...

it was sold to the right person that could get the job done in restoring it completely.....

i think the restoration in 2007 was able to stabilize the house and to restore several areas.....the bricks were decaying due to rain and the northridge earthquake....i read somewhere that the bricks were poorly constructed which is why they are decaying in a fast rate...

ill post more pictures of the damage soon...photobucket is being a pain...hate the new site
 
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Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

Rocketeer Ennis House Promotional Photos:
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More pictures of the damage:
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Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

Very cool! Glad you enjoyed the sight seeing. I met William Dear, one of the writers of The Rocketeer and director of Harry and the Henderson's, at The New Beverly Cinema last year. Awesome guy!
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

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I could almost swear this is the same setting in "Yes Man" with Jim Carey, where he does a burnout on the Ducati.

This was actually used in the James Dean classic, Rebel Without a Cause. Actually, the whole observatory was used.
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

It was also used in The Terminator.
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

Cool pictures. I need to visit a few of these locations one day. The Ennis House still looks great with all the damage.
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

Awesome photos man!

I recently went to L.A. for some training and I had to see some sights from my favorite movie and show. I went to Marty's house from BTTF and the "Twin Pines/Lone Pine Mall" where the DeLorean first time travels. I also saw the building they use for Dunder Mifflin in "The Office". It's such a rush to see these places in person!
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

The Ennis house also looks like the house used in the original House on Haunted Hill with Vincent Price.
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

Awesome! That's one film I'd like to revisit (and hopefully see those real sites someday).
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar

EvilRocketeer, is Burke currently living in Ennis House? Or is it simply being restored and unopened to anyone in the mean time?
 
Re: Rocketeer Film locations Today (Griffith, Ennis House, Santa Maria Bigelow Hangar


Believe it or not, the Ennis House (or Ennis-Brown House, as it's sometimes called) does not appear in any finished version of "The Rocketeer" (1991). Some filming was done with the Jeff and Mike characters outside the house, but that brief shot did not make it into the final print or any of the video releases. It's a tribute to the skills of the set designers, construction people and decorators that it's commonly accepted that the Ennis House was used as a location in "The Rocketeer". The interior was actually an elaborate set built on Stage #1 at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.
 
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