Introduction
On location this month, spanning the USA from Philadelphia to the Los Angeles area!
We start off with the Boyz II Men music video for their song Motownphilly, filmed entirely in Philadelphia.
Then, we take a look at the historic City Hall building in Culver City, California in the Los Angeles area in two movies: One from Laurel and Hardy and the other from the first "talking" movie from the Our Gang / The Little Rascals series.
We wrap up with an amazing view of the Pacific Electric Railway Fletcher Viaduct in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles, from the Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts movie Sneak Easily.
Boyz II Men - Motownphilly (Music Video) (1991)
The Plot
A number one hit in the USA in the summer of 1991, the music video for the Boyz II Men song Motownphilly used filming locations in the group's home town of Philadelphia as the video tells the story of their early days as an aspiring band.
A Filming Location Tour Of Philadelphia
This music video is a great time capsule of the center city area, and most of those locations have held up quite well and look just as nice today as they did back in 1991.
The filming location then and now photo above is from an early scene in the music video. That's the Delaware River and New Jersey in the distance. The group is dancing at Penn's Landing.
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Boyz II Men - Motownphilly - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video
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Boyz II Men - Motownphilly - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
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Laurel and Hardy - Going Bye-Bye! (1934)
The Plot
Laurel and Hardy testify in court against a violent criminal. The criminal is sentenced to jail time. Mr. Laurel was hoping for a more stern punishment and shouts out to the judge, "Aren't you going to hang him?" The criminal vows to break out of jail and take out revenge on Laurel and Hardy!
Filming Location As A Time Capsule
A great example of a movie inadvertently giving us a look at a historic site as it was in the distant past, the Laurel and Hardy movie Going Bye-Bye! filmed right in front of the old City Hall building in Culver City, California. This building appeared in dozens of movies and TV episodes throughout the 20th century up until it was torn down in the mid 1990s.
The above movie location then and now photo shows the entrance to the building as it was in 1934, and the replica of that entrance that occupies the site today.
In Case You Missed It
Quick Preview Video: Watch an excerpt from the complete filming locations video from this movie here:
Laurel and Hardy - Going Bye-Bye! - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video
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Laurel and Hardy - Going Bye-Bye! - Complete Filming Locations Video
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Laurel and Hardy - Going Bye-Bye! - Complete Filming Locations Photo Gallery
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Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Small Talk (1929)
The Plot
The Gang get adopted into homes of wealthy families and marvel at all the modern gadgets, one of which they inadvertently activate to summon the police and fire departments!
Historic City Hall Building In Culver City As A Filming Location
The first of the Our Gang / The Little Rascals "talking" movies, Small Talk features several scenes filmed outdoors, on location.
The Laurel and Hardy movie Going Bye-Bye! (above) gave us a great look at the front of the old City Hall building in Culver City, California. This Our Gang / The Little Rascals movie gives us a look at the side of the building on Duquesne Avenue. Today, a new City Hall building occupies the site, with part of the original building's footprint now an outdoor plaza as you can see in this then and now filming location photo above.
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Quick Preview Video: Watch an excerpt from the complete filming locations video from this movie here:
Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Small Talk - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video
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Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts - Sneak Easily (1932)
The Plot
In the early 1930s, producer Hal Roach was looking to duplicate the success of his Laurel and Hardy movies with a female version of the team. Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd took the roles of Laurel and Hardy, respectively, and this movie is one of the best in the series. The plot is simple: Zasu has accidentally swallowed an explosive and we follow along as Thelma tries to get her to a hospital before she blows up!
Filming Location: A Los Angeles Historical Monument
This particular scene was filmed at the Pacific Electric Railway's Fletcher Viaduct just to the north of Downtown Los Angeles. Originally an all wood trestle built in 1904, in 1927 the center section was replaced with a steel section and this is what we see in the movie. The viaduct lasted until 1959 and today, all that remains are the concrete footings, which have been designated by Los Angeles as Historical-Cultural Monument number 770.
In Case You Missed It
Quick Preview Video: Watch an excerpt from the complete filming locations video from this movie here:
Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts - Sneak Easily - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video
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In case you missed it: My May 2025 featured filming locations then and now photos blog entry.
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