Is Palos Verdes the Movie Capital of the World? By Consultant, Author, Journalist, Speaker, and Trainer Fred Fuld III
Did you know that the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, starring Johnny Depp and Keira Knightly, had some scenes filmed at the old Marineland of the Pacific; plus the sea sequences of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, were filmed off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes? How about the Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore movie, 50 First Dates? It had scenes from the Trump National Golf Club, also in RPV.
Who would have thought that Palos Verdes would be a great location for a motion picture or television production? Of course, the area does provide stunning views of the ocean, Catalina Island, and the Los Angeles Metropolitan Basin. Not to mention the beaches, the greenery, the luxurious homes, and the horse and hiking trails.
Filming in Palos Verdes has been going on for many years. The 1940 Alfred Hitchcock motion picture, Rebecca, had scenes from Palos Verdes. Double Indemnity, from 1944, also included some locations from Palos Verdes.
Mommie Dearest, the 1981 biographical movie of actress Joan Crawford and her abused daughter, Christina Crawford, had scenes from Chadwick School, which makes sense because Christina actually attended Chadwick.
On the movie, Lethal Weapon, a house on Via Segovia on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, was used for Michael Hunsaker's house. Jack Ryan’s house, in Patriot Games, was in Palos Verdes, too.
The war movie, Dunkirk, filmed the explosion and gunfire sequences at the Point Vicente Interpretive Center and Lighthouse, of all places. When the characters Noah Cross and Jake Gittes share a lunch in the 1974 Roman Polanski movie Chinatown, it was shot at the Portuguese Bend Riding Club in Rancho Palos Verdes. Even Annie Hall, which is supposed to be a New York based movie, had some scenes from Palos Verdes.
In case you are wondering if there are any other movies or shows with Palos Verdes included that you might have missed or forgotten about, here are a few. Some movies that used Palos Verdes locations include, Inception, Boogie Nights, The Birdcage, Flashdance, the James Bond movie Moonraker, and many, many more.
As for TV shows, you can occasionally spot Palos Verdes in Sea Hunt, Star Trek: Pickard, and The O.C.
We can’t leave out Rolling Hills. The 1987 romantic drama, Some King of Wonderful, starring Mary Stuart Masterson and Lea Thompson, uses the Peninsula Center Shopping Center in Rolling Hills Estates.
Whenever you watch a movie or TV show, keep your eyes open and be on the lookout for other scenes from Palos Verdes. Who knows? You might see a house on your street appear on a movie.
Fred Fuld III, Consultant - Author - Journalist - Speaker - Trainer
Fred Fuld III was born in San Pedro and grew up on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. He is the author of Let Me Entertain You With Antique Stock Certificates. He is also an executive producer of a couple documentaries.
He is the author of several other books, including:
Beach Detective: Exploding Surfboard
He was a former executive in the financial services industry who started out working as a stockbroker, and later as a market maker on the options floor of the Pacific Stock Exchange. He then became vice president of a San Francisco-based investment management firm. He also worked as an adjunct professor for the College of Business of California State University East Bay.
He is the publisher of WallStreetNewsNetwork.com and has written numerous articles for various publications. Television appearances include CNBC, Fox Business News, and Globo TV.
He has given speeches at the Museum of American Finance in New York City, The Money Show in both San Francisco and Las Vegas, California State University East Bay in Concord, the Peninsula Seniors Association, and numerous other venues.
