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The filming locations of The A-Team
“Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem… if no one else can help… and if you can find them… maybe you can hire… The A-Team.”
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These few words from the credits have haunted several generations. Released in 1983, The A-Team won over millions of viewers around the world. Regularly rebroadcast, still today, it is one of the most cult series.
Accused of a theft they did not commit, the four team members vowed to defend noble causes. The team consisting of Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith (George Peppard), Lieutenant Templeton “Faceman” Peck (Dirk Benedict), Captain Henry “Howlin’ Mad” Murdock (Dwight Schultz) and Sergeant Bosco Albert “B.A.” Baracus (Mister T.), is serving the widow and orphan. From Texas to Arizona, former soldiers do not hesitate to throw themselves into the lion’s den if they have to.
If the episodes seem to take them from one end of the United States to the other, in reality it is California which is taken by storm and more particularly Indian Dunes.
Indian Dunes, the trip around the world
Scenes at an airport? Indian Dunes. An amusement park? The Six Flags Magic Mountain nearby, in Valencia. A souvenir sequence in Vietnam? The forests of Indian Dunes. A huge ranch of about 2.4 km2 rented for filming.
Owned by Newhall Land & Farming Company, the location was regularly requested for scenes set in the American Southwest. But sequences in Brazil, Japan, France, Germany, Africa, Afghanistan, Burma, Central America or Vietnam are also shot there. With its hills, fields, riverbeds or woodlands, different places in the world could be represented in one.
Give and take
In addition to the rental, the film crews regularly left the sets, railroad lines, equipment such as vehicles or machines. Equipment that allowed the farm to continue its activity without spending a penny, but also other productions to use them.
A small airport was built in the 1960s with a single runway. First for company planes, then rented for movies or television, like The A-Team.
Indian Dunes was also the scene of a tragic helicopter accident. This last one having cost the life of Vic Morrow and two children actors, Myca Dinh and Renee Shin-Yi Chen during the shooting of the movie Twilight Zone: The Movie.
A lot of nice people
Among the productions filmed here, Mac Gyver, The Incredible Hulk and The Fall Guy have all used Indian Dunes sets.
For The A-Team, it includes the ranch, the forest, the airport and the immense deserts typical of the American West.
Since 1990, Indian Dunes has resumed its farming activities. This was due to a reduced interest in the kind of television programs and action films that were produced there.
The other locations of The A-Team
In addition to Indian Dunes, other locations have also appeared in the show.
General Stockwell’s Ranch
Saddlerock ranch was used to be general stockwell’s. Hunted by the government for years, the A-Team is caught up in season 5 and then tried. Its members then had a choice: to languish in prison or to work for the government, at the orders of General Hunt Stockwell (Robert Vaughn). This season, with only 13 episodes, was the last for many reasons. At first public interest was waning and then there were growing tensions between Mister T and George Peppard. Now used for filming and entertaining, the Saddlerock Ranch also features a few local caves covered with pictographs painted by the Chumash Indians. There are also many exotic animals and the site is part of the original Spanish land grant.
Address: Saddlerock Ranch, 32111 Mulholland Highway, Malibu, California, USA
Center Street
Sometimes the A-Team would join civilization. And when that happened, production used Center Street in Piru. This small historic town, founded in 1887, has hosted many film shoots because of its picturesque location and its proximity to Los Angeles, home of many studios. Among the productions, NCIS, Monk, Murder, she wrote, Van Helsing, The Amateurs, Water for Elephants and Avicii’s Wake Me Up. The gold jewellery worn by Mister T was a real test for the actor. Their total weight varied between 16 and 18 kg.
Address: Center Street, Piru, California, USA
Fire Station 23
In episode 5 of season 4, the A-Team is confronted with the mysterious disappearance of homeless people. Their investigation leads them to this disused fire station. This one is actually very active, but not for firefighters. Abandoned in 1960 for a more modern building, the building became a film location in the early 1980s. Among them a well-known film, Ghostbusters. If the exterior shots of the barracks were shot in New York at 14 North Moore Street, the interior scenes take place in this building. We hope these plans went “smoothly”.
Address: Fire station 23, 225 East 5th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA
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