Location Filming in Los Angeles [Paperback]

For those familiar with Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series, you already know that Marc Wannamaker has written several books in this series. He has literally thousands of pictures going back to the start of the last century to the present, very intensive in the teens, twenties and thirties though he holds some gems from the latter decades.

For those who are not but interested in photographs of the bygone era, "Location Filming in Los Angeles" is an excellent book to start. The book is broken down into chapters in terms of location: 1) Downtown, 2) Hollywood and West Hollywood, 3) Malibu to Long Beach, 4) The Westlake and Culver City, 5) Beverly Hills and Mid-Wilshire, 6) San Fernando Valley and 7) Classic Hollywood Landscapes. The photographs are normally two to a page accompanied with prose that starts with a more specific location and year. The prose or the photograph's description is quite clear of who the people are, if applicable what movie it is from and other applicable data in a concise manner.

Besides Wannamaker, two other esteemed historians have co-authored this fascinating book. Karie Bible gives tours at Hollywood Forever and owner of [...] that specializes in advertising silent,golden era, independent and foreign films and its calendar lists what's playing with special notes to those screenings where the film makers are present for questions and answers. Harry Medved has co-authored books and has served as public relations director for the Screen Actors Guild, Warner Bros. Online and Fandago.

This may be an eye opening experience for some as Los Angeles has been China, India, France and others in many productions. For instance, the Bradbury Building in Downtown L.A. was in "Blade Runner", "The White Cliffs of Dover" and "I, the Jury" to name a few. The Yamashiro Restaurant built in Hollywood in 1914 has been used many time. The stars in the photographs include the young Francis Ford (John Ford's brother), Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Martin & Lewis, Jack Nicholson, many others too many to mention.

Suffice to say, one you get this book, you will have a hard time putting in down until you've read it cover to cover. Happy history hunting.

The timing of this very entertaining and informative book about the history of location filming in Hollywood could not come at a better time. Governmental influences have made California less attractive to film companies for major motion pictures because of tax issues, meaning that films once secure in the motion picture lots or in the streets and landscapes of Southern California are now being shot in the more financially friendly Canada and the Midwestern and Eastern United States. Another factor that makes this well photographically documented history survey is the fact that computer generated imagery has replaced actual places with green screens and blue screens on which 'fake' scenery is projected in the editing department. So this book is a solid reminder of how films used to be made - and hopefully will return to being made in Hollywood and environs.

The survey is enhanced by the planning, design and writings from Karie Bible (who is devoted to the glories of Old Hollywood), archivist Marc Wanamaker, and writer and PR impresario Harry Medved. Their input enhances the images of old films - and many not so old films. Famous, well used locations are compared in multiple films, and exotic areas one thought to be in far away places are shown to be easily accessible spots right here in Southern California. For film buffs, and for those who love the history of the Golden Days of Hollywood, this book is a must. Grady Harp, December 10

For fans of movies, this book uses archival stills to document popular sites in the Los Angeles area which have been utilzed in movies over the years since early film makers first decided that California was a great place to make movies.
If you have ever wondered such things as "where was Mildred Pierce's beach house located", you more than likely will get your answer and more. While this book covers a lot of filming locations and often contains pictures of the same location when used repeatedly in different movies, the supporting text goes into great detail to note differences when the locations appear slightly different. It also documents the fate of films, such as lost films which is unfortunately quite common and goes back to when films were viewed as a temporary commodity and were destroyed to salvage the silver nitrate in their stock. Additionally, films were unfortunately stored improperly and often resulted in rusted cans filled with dust and gelatinous goo.
While many of the location settings have disappeared through the passage of time, there are a surprising number of locations that are readily identifiable and remain unaltered. One of the things I really enjoy are the sheer number of locations that were dressed to sub for exotic locales. The versatility of the area continually amazes me and this book bears witness to that.
The three authors of this book have proven their expertise as Hollywood/ Film historians and are unerringly accurate. The stills chosen for this compilation cover a gamut of eras and genres and I thought they made a lot of sense for this first entry in what I hope will become a multi-volume series. As an aside, the stills are clear and in very good condition.
The Images of America series is a strong entry in a trend toward regional history. In this particular case, it has a far more universal appeal for most readers and is thoughtful, interesting, and informative. It is a great resource for movie fans.