I did quit blogging, but I couldn’t help to release this blog post to honor some of the places I’ve traveled on my blog. 🙂 I didn’t know that as I traveled around a lot (both domestically around the United States and abroad) that many of the locations I’ve been to have served as a filming location for some prominent and big movies.
As a cinephile, I’ve got to appreciate that. I did learn, though, of these facts in some guided tours, as it had been mentioned these locations were used as movie settings, and I always thought those were cool facts to acknowledge. I wanted to share with you what some of those locations are below! (I know I’ve been to a lot more than listed here, but I don’t exactly know which places all of them are associated with to a movie.)
Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park: Featured in The Goonies (1985)
Cannon Beach in Oregon, specifically showing Haystack Rock, is featured in “The Goonies”. In the movie, it is shown in the scene where the kids are following the treasure map and then use it as a navigational landmark. Bordering Cannon Beach is Ecola State Park, and it is shown in the movie as the area where the kids begin their treasure hunt and where the Fratellis’ hideout is located.
Imperial Sand Dunes: Featured in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Imperial Sand Dunes is the location of the scenes at Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge and the Sarlacc Pit in “Return of the Jedi”.
Elvis Chapel: Featured in Charro! (1969)
Elvis Presley’s movie “Charro!” was filmed at the Apache Land Movie Ranch in Apache Junction, Arizona, and it is located near the Superstition Mountains. One of the prominent structures in the movie is The Elvis Memorial Chapel, and it is now located at the Superstition Mountain Museum. The Apache Land Movie Ranch caught fire and destroyed most of the props except The Elvis Memorial Chapel was one of the only remaining ones, and later, it was moved to the museum.
Mount Lemmon: Featured in Tombstone (1993)
Mount Lemmon was featured for the romantic scenes in “Tombstone” between Wyatt Earp and Josephine Marcus, especially in the scene where they are riding horses. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Mount Lemmon a few times, including some memorable times of rock climbing on its cliffs.
El Tovar Hotel: Featured in National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
El Tovar Hotel, a prominent hotel in Grand Canyon National Park, is a setting for the Griswold family in “National Lampoon’s Vacation”. It is used as their stay during their ill-fated trip to Walley World. El Tovar is visibly shown in the exterior shots of the hotel and in the scene where Clark Griswold attempts to cash a check and later steals from the cash register.
Tower Bridge and River Thames: Featured in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
Tower Bridge in the River Thames of London appears in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, specifically in the scene where Harry flies over it on his broomstick.
Harrods: Featured in The Pumpkin Eater (1964)
The British drama movie “The Pumpkin Eater” was filmed in and outside of Harrods, the department store at Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London. It is shown in the scene where Jo (Anne Bancroft) wanders around the department store and then has a nervous breakdown. This department store is also featured in “Peter Rabbit” (2018).
Westminster Cathedral: Featured in Foreign Correspondent (1940)
I LOVE Alfred Hitchcock movies, and in one of his movies, “Foreign Correspondent”, a church in London, Westminster Cathedral, is featured in a scene where the character Rowley (disguised as a bodyguard) attempts to throw Johnny Jones from the top of the cathedral’s bell tower.
White Cliffs of Dover: Featured in The White Cliffs of Dover (1944)
This movie, “The White Cliffs of Dover”, touched me, and I only discovered it shortly after traveling to Dover, England. The White Cliffs of Dover (the iconic landscape) were featured in aerial shots of the movie. The movie was also filmed in multiple locations, such as the Clarence Brown Ranch in California and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool: Featured in Forrest Gump (1994)
There was a time in my life when I watched this movie “Forrest Gump” several times in a short period of time, I must’ve been so drawn to it (emotions of the story really hit). I’ve recognized some locations as I grew older and traveled around (especially the scenes filmed in Arizona, like one takes place in downtown Flagstaff), and one location that stuck out is the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool area in Washington DC, with the Washington Monument visible in the backdrop. It’s in the scene where Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) gives a speech at an anti-war protest and where he wades into the pool to reunite with Jenny.
Westward Ho in Phoenix: Featured in Bus Stop (1956)
In the movie “Bus Stop”, the Westward Ho hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, is featured in a parade scene. Specifically, the scene shows a parade, part of the annual Jaycee Rodeo Parade, passing in front of the hotel’s main Central Avenue entrance. Marilyn Monroe, who stars in the film, is seen on the street and interacting with the crowd during this parade scene.
Mountain America Stadium: Featured in A Star Is Born (1976)
One of my favorite actors is Barbra Streisand, and she appeared in the 1976 version of “A Star is Born”. She stood in the very same location in the Sun Devil Stadium at Arizona State University (also known as Mountain America Stadium). It was used as the filming location for several concert scenes that featured Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, especially as the backdrop for a large concert performance, including scenes with Kristofferson’s character accidentally riding a motorcycle off the stage.
Marina Bay Sands in Singapore: Featured in Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
The iconic infinity pool on the 57th-floor Sands SkyPark on Marina Bay Sands serves as the backdrop for a grand romantic gesture and a synchronized swimming performance in “Crazy Rich Asians”. There are also panoramic view shots of the Singapore skyline from the observation deck. Marina Bay Sands can also be seen in the ending, where there is a fireworks show.
Horseshoe Bend: Featured in Planet of the Apes (1968)
Horseshoe Bend in Arizona is the area for the “Forbidden Zone” that Taylor, Zira, and Cornelius traverse when fleeing Ape City in “Planet of the Apes”.
Catalina Island: Featured in Jaws (1975)
Most of the “Jaws” movie was shot in Martha’s Vineyard of Massachusetts, but did you know Catalina Island was used as a location? It was used for the filming of the shark’s point-of-view shots during the opening scene with Chrissie Watkins’s nighttime swim. The reason Catalina Island was used to be filmed for that was that the clarity of the water was better there. “Chinatown” movie was filmed in Catalina Island too.
Downtown Phoenix: Featured in Psycho (1960)
I have walked around in several of the cross streets in Downtown Phoenix, having lived in Arizona for 6+ years. You can see Downtown Phoenix in the opening scenes of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”. In the aerial opening view, you can see the city’s skyline and the Jefferson Hotel (now Barrister Place). The opening sequence includes a panning shot of the downtown area. It is also shown when Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) sees her boss while driving in her car, specifically in between Central Ave and Adams St. On Jefferson St., the Luhrs Building makes an appearance in the aerial opening view, and the Luhrs Tower appears in the background of the scene where Marion Crane crosses the street with the deposit she was supposed to make for her boss.
Chicago of Board Trade Building: Featured in Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008)
The Chicago Board of Trade Building serves as the exterior of Wayne Enterprises headquarters in both “Batman Begins” and in “The Dark Knight”.
Malibu Pier: Featured in Taken 2 (2012)
The Malibu Pier is featured in the movie “Taken 2”. The pier is shown as a location where Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) enjoys a quiet moment at the end of the movie.
Balboa Park: Featured in Citizen Kane (1941)
Balboa Park in San Diego was used as a filming location for Orson Welles’s “Citizen Kane”. It is used in the opening newsreel sequence that depicts Xanadu, the fictional estate of Charles Foster Kane. You can also see the park’s landmarks like the El Cid statue and the San Diego Museum of Art.
Queen Mary: Featured in Chaplin (1992)
There is a scene in the film “Chaplin” where a young Charlie Chaplin (Robert Downey Jr.) returns to the U.S. aboard the Queen Mary and learns he’s been barred from the country. That particular scene was filmed on the actual Queen Mary, where it is now permanently docked in Long Beach, California.
Skógafoss: Featured in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
Skógafoss waterfall in Iceland was featured in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”. You can see it in the scene where Walter Mitty is shown hiking with Sherpas towards the Himalayas.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon: Featured in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in Iceland was featured in “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”, specifically for a three-minute sequence. The location in the movie is supposed to be a remote village in Siberia, but it is filmed in Iceland at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon.
The Venetian Resort: Featured in Rat Race (2001)
The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas was featured in the comedy movie “Rat Race”, which includes the casino, the lobby, the entrance to its valet parking garage, and exterior.
Honorable mentions
If you’re wondering if you traveled somewhere where it was used as a movie setting, maybe because that place appeared to look too surreal and beautiful to not be used as one, I recommend checking out this site Movie-Locations.com to find confirmation. You can also search up some of your favorite movies to see where they’ve been filmed, if it’s part of your curiosity.
