LA Film Locations From the '70s & '80s

The upscale homes in the exclusive Bixby Knolls neighborhood in Long Beach appear to be favorites for filmmakers. Among the area’s several homes immortalized on film is Ferris Bueller’s house, a location that featured prominently in the movie. Other movies shot nearby: American Pie 1 & 2, Weird Science, Red Dragon, and Donnie Darko. If you tour the area, please don’t disturb the residents.

"Golden Girls" was one of the wholesome '80s sitcoms about a group of elderly women living together in Miami. The house (which in the sitcom was owned by character Blanche Devereaux) is actually located in posh Brentwood and is worth about $3 million. It's a private residence so you can only view it from the street. 

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is probably one of the top 10 music videos of all time making zombies cool almost 30 years before "The Walking Dead." This is the exact location of the dance scene in the last few minutes of the 14-minute video. Even though the scene is filmed in darkness you can still make out the same brick buildings that stand today.

Though the exterior shots of the Ghostbusters Firehouse were of another firehouse in New York, the interior shots of the Ghostbusters’ offices were shot here in L.A.s historical Firehouse 23. It has also served as location for Big Trouble in Little China, Ghostbusters II, The Mask, Police Academy, A-Team, and Lost Highway, among others.

Happy Days fans will remember this as the Cunningham family’s house where dropout greaser The Fonz (Henry Winkler) supposedly rented an upstairs room and gave the straight-laced family some lessons in cool.

If you saw MJ’s Thriller as a kid in the ‘80s, it probably freaked you out more than you’d care to admit. We invite you to check out the dilapidated house that couldn’t withstand a gang of pop-music crazed dancing zombies.

North Genesee Avenue doesn't have quite the same ring as Elm Street. Pictures before the renovation show the house to be pretty much what it was in the film - a nightmare. It's almost unrecognizable from its dilapidated state in the movie. Being the subject of an iconic slasher '80s slasher film certainly did a lot to boost the asking price to $2.1 million in 2013 - that and a full renovation. 

Perfect for any American road trip is a stop at the Griswold's home from the 1983 movie. Oddly enough the house was located by a couple of movie buffs and the information spread throughout the internet. The house is looking much more posh these days and the vehicles outside are a bit nicer than the green station wagon that was ugly even in 1983. There's a huge wrought iron-style gate outside - an implici...

The Brady Bunch house is easily one of the most recognizable homes in TV history. Today it’s partly obscured by a tree, some hedges, and a white iron and brick gate, but it’s still unmistakable. Go for a gander—but don’t disturb the current residents.

Set in Korea, shot in Calabasas, the iconic TV series M*A*S*H lives on in the hearts of fans as well as this lovingly reconstructed set where the original once stood. Alas, the famed mobile army surgical compound set was destroyed by a fire during the filming of the final episode in 1982.

The SFV would have become world-famous even without the help of one extraterrestrial, but E.T. sure helped this L.A. County region seal its place in film history. This Spanish-style house with the terracotta-tiled roof is the home of E.T.'s boy savior, Elliot. Director Steven Spielberg specifically chose this house because it was framed by a magnificent mountain backdrop. The house is privately owned so ...

The famous San Fernando Valley has been the subject of songs (Tom Petty) and movies ("Valley Girl"), and is also the home to billionaires and celebrities. But perhaps its most sentimental asset is being the backdrop for the most famous movie in history - "E.T." The iconic scene, where Elliot escapes with his alien friend on a flying bicycle silhouetted by the moon, was filmed here. Director Steven Spielb...

This split-level house was only used for its exterior as most of the indoor scenes were shot at the studios. Apart from maintenance and a light face-lift, the house hasn't changed too much from its appearance in the classic horror film. Even though this abode is decidedly safe, its typical suburban appearance was meant to starkly contrast against the malevolent paranormal activity experienced by the Free...