Introduction
A historic filming location from the classic 1932 Our Gang / The Little Rascals movie Free Wheeling gets us started this month. Then, just in time for Halloween, we'll visit several filming locations from the 1983 Michael Jackson music video Thriller.
Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Free Wheeling (1932)
The Plot
Free Wheeling is packed with action and on location filming and is one of the best Our Gang / The Little Rascals movies in the series.
When this movie was filmed in 1932, Spanky had just joined the series and has a minor role. But by this time, Stymie and Dickie were the stars and their relationship adds greatly to the charm of this movie. Dickie plays a bored rich kid who "craves excitement" and Stymie is working with the other kids providing a neighborhood taxi service.
The Gang's taxi is a wonder to behold, one of the more memorable contraptions in the series. Dickie offers to pay for a ride in the taxi. There's a slight delay when the mule (which served as the "engine") gets drunk and runs away. Not wanting to disappoint a "paying customer," Stymie finds a rope and ties the taxi to the back of a nearby truck. The truck pulls away with the taxi in tow and the "excitement" that Dickie craves begins!
A Time Capsule Of The Rural Westside Of Los Angeles
Filming locations for this Our Gang / The Little Rascals movie are familiar ones to anyone who has watched the series. They're all located in the Palms neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles. For the final scene of the movie, the taxi has lost its brakes and is "free wheeling" down a very steep hill on Overland Avenue. Stymie spots a haystack at the bottom of the hill and Dickie drives the taxi right into it. The haystack location was at the corner of Overland Avenue and Rose Avenue, and is shown in the then and now filming location photo above.
Aerial photos of this area of Los Angeles from 1928 through 1985 shows that the vacant lot where the haystack was located has never been built upon. Today, there's a parking lot for a strip mall (built in 1985) that occupies the part of the lot where the haystack was located. So, if you were to visit 3300 Overland Avenue today and stand in the parking lot right in front of the entrance to 3300 Overland Avenue #103, you would be standing at the exact spot where the haystack was!
In Case You Missed It
Quick Preview Video: Watch an excerpt from the complete filming locations video from this movie here:
Our Gang / The Little Rascals - Free Wheeling - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video
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The Little Rascals - Free Wheeling - Complete Filming Locations Video
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Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
The Plot
Michael Jackson takes his girlfriend to a scary movie. After the movie, they walk through a scary neighborhood and run into zombies!
A Historic Theater In Downtown Los Angeles As Filming Location
As the music starts, we get a great view of the Palace Theatre located at 630 South Broadway in downtown Los Angeles.
Built in 1910 as the Orpheum Theatre, its name was changed to the Palace Theatre in 1926. Today, the outside of the theatre is in not-so-good shape, however I have heard from several people that the owners still rent out the theatre for events and concerts, at least as of this writing in October, 2025.
The theatre was designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1989.
In Case You Missed It
Quick Preview Videos: Watch the four excerpts from the complete filming locations video from Thriller here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #1
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #2
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #3
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #4
Member Exclusive - Full Then and Now Filming Locations Documentary Video and Photo Gallery
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Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
And don't miss the complete photo gallery of filming locations then and now here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Complete Filming Locations Photo Gallery
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Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Thriller Filming Location - The Zombies Emerge!
This is the first look we get at the "zombie dance" street location, Union Pacific Avenue near South Calzona Street in the southern section of the Boyle Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles.
When Thriller was filmed here over 40 years ago, the area was full of old, dilapidated warehouses and factories, many dating back to the early 1900s. Today, those buildings are slowly being replaced by newer "light industrial" structures. One of those newer structures is visible in the background: The new Union Commerce Center built in 2024.
Although buildings come and go, underground utilities usually remain untouched for decades, and the manhole from which the zombie is emerging in the then and now filming location photo above is in the same location today as it was when Thriller was filmed.
In Case You Missed It
Quick Preview Videos: Watch the four excerpts from the complete filming locations video from Thriller here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #1
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #2
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #3
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #4
Member Exclusive - Full Then and Now Filming Locations Documentary Video and Photo Gallery
If you have made a small donation and are a current member, you can view the ENTIRE filming locations video by clicking here to Login and then clicking here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
And don't miss the complete photo gallery of filming locations then and now here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Complete Filming Locations Photo Gallery
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Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Thriller Filming Location - The Famous Zombie Dance Scenes
Looking east on Union Pacific Avenue towards the intersection of South Calzona Street.
Union Pacific Avenue has been widened a bit since Thriller was filmed here, but the large red brick building in the upper left portion of the photo still stands, as it has since it was built in 1941.
In Case You Missed It
Quick Preview Videos: Watch the four excerpts from the complete filming locations video from Thriller here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #1
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #2
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #3
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #4
Member Exclusive - Full Then and Now Filming Locations Documentary Video and Photo Gallery
If you have made a small donation and are a current member, you can view the ENTIRE filming locations video by clicking here to Login and then clicking here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
And don't miss the complete photo gallery of filming locations then and now here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Complete Filming Locations Photo Gallery
Make A Small Donation To Unlock All The Thriller Filming Location Photos!
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Michael Jackson - Thriller (1983)
Thriller Filming Location - The Haunted House Scene
This is the famous haunted house, located at 1345 Carroll Avenue in the historic Angelino Heights district of Los Angeles. It was constructed in 1887.
This was my first time visiting this neighborhood and this particular block is chock full of beautifully preserved homes built in the late 1800s through early 1900s. If you're visiting the Los Angeles area, make sure to add this to your list of places to see!
In Case You Missed It
Quick Preview Videos: Watch the four excerpts from the complete filming locations video from Thriller here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #1
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #2
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #3
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations - Quick Preview Video #4
Member Exclusive - Full Then and Now Filming Locations Documentary Video and Photo Gallery
If you have made a small donation and are a current member, you can view the ENTIRE filming locations video by clicking here to Login and then clicking here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Filming Locations Then and Now - Complete Documentary Video
And don't miss the complete photo gallery of filming locations then and now here:
Michael Jackson - Thriller - Complete Filming Locations Photo Gallery
Make A Small Donation To Unlock All The Thriller Filming Location Photos!
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Did You Miss Last Month's Blog?
In case you missed it: My September 2025 featured filming locations then and now photos blog entry.
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