Got a challenge from Debbie a few weeks back to find the house used in the 1992 movie Beethoven and its many subsequent sequels. Debbie had just read my post on the Camden house from the television series 7th Heaven and was struck by how similar it looked to the home used in the Beethoven movies. Due to their similarities, she thought the two houses might be located in the same neighborhood and wanted me to find out. Well, while Debbie was certainly right that the Beethoven house does bear a striking resemblance to the 7th Heaven home, the two are actually located about 25 miles apart from each other. Mike, from MovieShotsLA, had actually shown me the Beethoven house a few months back during one of our many stalking trips. I had yet to blog about it, though, as I could not seem to find a copy of the movie anywhere and I needed one to make screen captures. For some reason, none of the Blockbuster stores in my area carry the title. Ugh! Then, last week, out of the blue, my fiancé caught an airing of Beethoven’s 2nd on TV, remembered that I had been looking for a copy of the movie, and TiVo’d it for me. Yay! I’m so glad I’m marrying this guy!!! 🙂
I am very happy to report that the Beethoven house looks EXACTLY the same today as it did back in 1992 when the movie was filmed – right down to the exterior paint color!!! So love it! In fact the ONLY difference I noticed between the onscreen house and the real life house were the trees in the front yard. Today those trees are considerably larger than they were at the time of filming, which isn’t at all surprising being that the movie was shot over 17 years ago.
Interestingly enough, fellow stalker Amanda told me that when she went on the Universal Studios Hollywood Tour a few years back, her guide pointed out a home on the Wisteria Lane set (which was then known as “Colonial Street”) and said that it was used in the Beethoven movies. And while it’s quite possible that a replica of the real life home was re-created on the Universal backlot and used for some filming, I believe that the majority of the exterior scenes were actually shot at the real life house in South Pasadena. According to this fabulous website, the Wisteria Lane set was in fact used in the first Beethoven movie, but not for any of the house scenes. Apparently, the backlot street was featured in the scene when the dogs escape out of the back of a van.
Surprisingly enough, I’ve never actually seen any of the Beethoven movies, so I am not sure how many of the installments were filmed at this house. I do know for sure that it was used in the first Beethoven movie and in Beethoven’s 2nd, but from what I’ve been able to discern online, the other four sequels (yes, the movie had a total of FIVE sequels!) were filmed elsewhere.
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂
Stalk It: The Beethoven House is located at 1405 Milan Avenue in South Pasadena. The home from the 1970’s television series Family is located just up the road from the Beethoven house at 1230 Milan Avenue.
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