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10 cult filming locations that have now disappeared
Whether it’s a hit series or an Oscar-winning film, some locations can’t stand the test of time, bankruptcy or unwary owners. Monuments that have now disappeared.
Malcolm’s house – Malcolm
Series of the 2000s, Malcolm is considered one of the best sitcoms of all time. Everyone remembers the adventures of this family like no other, with Bryan Cranston funnier than ever, Jane Kaczmarek excelling as the authoritative mother, Justin Berfield as Reese the not-so-smart brother, Frankie Muniz as Malcolm the gifted and Erik Per Sullivan, Dewey the whipping boy. Well, almost everyone remembers it.
The lead actor, Frankie Muniz, confided in 2017 that he had forgotten almost everything about his Malcolm years following several strokes. At the time of the shooting, the house was rented for $3,000 a day. Today it is part of these mythical places disappeared. Destroyed to make way for modern two-storey architecture, it remains an essential stop for fans. Probably one of the reasons why the owner erected a fence, rather rare in these neighborhoods but understandable due to the success of the series.
Address: 12334 Cantura Street, Studio City, California, USA
Quality Cafe – (500) Days of Summer, Se7en, Gone in 60 Seconds, Catch me if you can, Million Dollar Baby, Mad Men, Numb3rs…
The list is a long one of those Hollywood productions and TV series that have chosen the Quality Cafe in Los Angeles in the past. This historic diner was closed in 2006 before being permanently swallowed up by the Teragram Ballroom next door in 2014. So if the place hasn’t completely disappeared, the essence of the place is no longer there.
Address: 1238 West 7th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA
Goodfellas Diner – Goodfellas
It was during this historic dinner, which was used for many filming shoots, that Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) learned of the death of Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). The phone booth on which Jimmy spends his anger was dismantled but the spirit of the film was still present, so much so that the restaurant had been renamed “Goodfellas”, the original title of the feature film. Unfortunately, the premises disappeared in a fire in June 2018.
Address: 56-26 Maspeth Avenue, Maspeth, USA
Lenox Lounge – Shaft
The unorthodox police officer and nephew of John Shaft, J.P. Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson), goes to this Lenox Avenue bar following a call for a racist assault. This is the beginning of a high-voltage investigation. Now demolished, the Lenox Lounge was founded in 1939 by Dominic Greco. Many jazz artists have played within these walls such as Billie Holiday, Miles Davies or John Coltrane. A must in pop culture, the bar appeared in White Collar, American Gangster, Mad Men or Madonna’s video clip, Secret.
Address: 288 Lenox Avenue, New York, USA
Paramount Ranch – Westworld
In 2018, California suffered the deadliest fires since 1933, including Woolsey Fire in November 2018. With around 30 people dead, the toll was extremely heavy. 250,000 inhabitants had been ordered to evacuate the area to avoid further tragedies. Numerous buildings disappeared to fire in this vast area, including the Paramount Ranch. That name may not mean anything to you, but you’ve probably seen it before. Opened in 1927 by Paramount Pictures, the Paramount Ranch covered nearly 11 square kilometres and appeared in numerous films and series.
The Adventures of Marco Polo, Wells Fargo, but also Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Mentalist and more recently Westworld. In the famous series recounting the exploits of androids living in a futuristic amusement park, the ranch serves as the backdrop for the town of Escalante. The church, which is particularly important in the plot, was already built before the film crews set up their cameras, but was given a more imposing bell tower for the purposes of the fiction. It is the only construction that survived the flames that devastated this mythical property.
Address: 2903 Cornell Road, Agoura Hills, California, USA
Azure Window Rock – Game of Thrones
It was one of the most popular tourist spots on the island of Malta. Every year, millions of tourists came to Gozo to admire the Azure Window, a huge limestone arch over the Mediterranean Sea that dates back to the 19th century. The place had been immortalized in the Game of Thrones series by serving as the backdrop for one of the most memorable episodes of the saga. It is at his feet that the marriage between Daenerys and Khal Drogo, the chief of the Dothraki, takes place in the first season. This appearance in the series had resulted in an increase in the number of tourists visiting the site. Remarkable for its beauty, the Azur Window had also appeared in films such as Clash of the Titans (1981) and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).
But after spanning the 20th century, the natural monument bowed out on March 8, 2017. It collapsed into the sea under the effect of wind and waves during a storm. Nothing remains of the bridge or its limestone pier, both having disappeared. “Reports commissioned over the years had warned that this natural monument would suffer greatly from natural corrosion. This sad day has come,” commented Joseph Muscat, the Maltese prime minister, while adding that he was “heartbroken”. The authorities had tried to preserve the site by banning access to it in December 2016. Passage over the arch was then no longer allowed, on pain of a fine of €1,500. But that was not enough, no law prevents the time to carry out his work.
Address: Azure Window, Triq id-Dwejra, San Lawrenz, Malta
Hotel Riviera – Diamonds Are Forever, Very Bad Trip, Las Vegas 21, Austin Powers, Casino
Built in 1955, this hotel-casino has been immortalized in numerous films including the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever, Martin Scorsese’s incredible Casino and the thundering Very Bad Trip. Closed in 2015, the hotel will be replaced by an extension of the nearby convention centre. Dynamite in 2016, it’s a whole piece of history that collapsed in a few moments, filmed by helicopters.
Address: 2901 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
The Landmark Hotel and Casino – Mars Attacks
While he was in the middle of shooting Mars Attacks, Tim Burton learned that the Landmark Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas was going to be destroyed in November 1995. Nostalgic for this establishment where he stayed, he decides to immortalize it in his film. The destruction was filmed and then, thanks to the magic of the special effects, the fault lies with the Martians. A nice way to pay tribute to the building.
Address: 364 Convention Center Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Home – Teletubbies
The pretty house and the imaginary land of the Teletubbies also met with a tragic fate. The premises were rented by the BBC to a farming couple from the UK. Once the show was over, the sets were dismantled and the surroundings cleared. But many fans then went to the site to pay homage to their idols. Annoyed by these untimely intrusions, the couple decided to completely submerge the small valley used for filming. There is only one pond left today. Anything’s good for drowning fish.
Address: Sweet Knowle Farm, Redhill Bank Rd, Wimpstone, Warwickshire, UK
Scotland Yard – Murder, she wrote
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is interrogated in New Scotland Yard about the murder of the director (Robin Sachs). The iconic New Scotland Yard on Broadway, now a destroyed building, has been filmed countless times. It was the headquarters of the police force from 1967 to 2016. Scotland Yard, and its famous triangular symbol, moved in 2016 to Victoria Embankment. Murder, she wrote, Columbo, The Persuaders!, most of the police series have appropriated the building’s facade in their adventures.
Address: 8-10 Broadway, Westminster, London, UK
The Fantrippers Buying Board
Cult! series: 100 mythical places of series (French Edition)
Cults! series tells you the secrets of the places that made the history of the series.
Discover the history of the restaurant in Breaking Bad, the castle in Game of Thrones, the house in Stranger Things and many other mythical places in a new book.
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By Damien Duarte
Passionné par la culture pop depuis son enfance, ses références vont de Donald Duck à Batman en passant par Marty McFly. Fantripper dans l'âme, voyager sur les traces de Ghostbusters, James Bond ou des héros de romans comme Cotton Malone fait partie d'un séjour idéal et réussi !