HarborPlace Tower from “The Craft”

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150469

Today’s location is a special request from my good friends Katie and Lavonna, who, in a group text, both suggested I blog about some sites from The Craft as part of my Haunted Hollywood postings.  Now the 1996 horror flick is not one of my favorites and its locales have been pretty well documented elsewhere online, but I am never one to turn down a stalking plea from friends.  So Katie and Lavonna, this one’s for you!  Thankfully, I already had a few sites from the film stockpiled, ahem, stalkpiled.  Back in May 2015, a fellow stalker named Nathan wrote to me asking for some help in tracking down two locales from the movie, the occult shop (I told the story behind that search here) and the building where Nancy Downs (Fairuza Balk) lived with her mom, Grace Downs (Helen Shaver).  Lucky for me, that spot was an easy find thanks to a notation on IMDB which stated that The Craft had done some filming at Long Beach’s HarborPlace Tower.  Though Nathan didn’t think that was the right place, one look around the property on Google Street View told me it was.  I finally made it out to see the structure in person this past May.

[ad]

Construction on HarborPlace Tower (and no, that’s not a typo – per the building’s official website, the name is spelled “HarborPlace” with no spacing) began in 1990 and was completed in September 1992.

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150467

The modern, Art Deco-ish building is comprised of 225 luxury condos.

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150478

The structure boasts 22 floors, though there is no 13th, which I thought was quite fitting being that I am covering HarborPlace as a Haunted Hollywood locale.

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150482

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150485

Building amenities include a pool, a spa, his-and-hers saunas, concierge service, a gym, an underground garage with parking for 600 cars, a 24-hour security guard, a sun deck, a park with artwork designed by sculptor Ned Smyth (some of those pieces are pictured in the images above and below), an expansive lobby, ocean views, and meeting rooms.

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150481

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150475

You can check out a video showing the interior of the building and one of the units here.

HarborPlace Tower 2

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150492

In The Craft, teen witch Nancy places a spell on her abusive step-father causing him to have a heart attack and die.  Thanks to his extensive life insurance policy, Nancy and her mom are subsequently able to move from the trailer park where they live to more upscale digs at HarborPlace Tower.

Screenshot-002840

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150472

In the scene in which Sarah Bailey (Robin Tunney), Bonnie (Neve Campbell), and Rochelle (Rachel True) visit Nancy’s new apartment for the first time, the girls enter the property on its East Ocean Boulevard side.  The buildings visible in the background (located at 555 East Ocean and 455 East Ocean) still look much the same today as they did in 1996 when The Craft was filmed.

Screenshot-002839

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150487

The interior of one of HarborPlace’s actual units stood in for Nancy’s apartment in the flick.

Screenshot-002842

Screenshot-002843

While it was under construction, the building appeared as itself in the Season 10 episode of Columbo titled “Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star,” which aired in 1991.

Screenshot-002844

Screenshot-002845

And in the 1995 action flick Heat, Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) ambushed Hugh Benny (Henry Rollins) at HarborPlace Tower.

Screenshot-002846

Screenshot-002848

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Los Angeles magazine and Discover Los Angeles.

Harbor Place Tower from The Craft-1150483

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: HarborPlace Tower, from The Craft, is located at 525 East Seaside Way in Long Beach.

Hotel Angeleno from “Heat”

Hotel Angeleno Heat (3 of 19)

The Grim Cheaper and I travel back and forth to L.A. so often that sometimes I feel like I live in a hotel – which is not a bad thing, I ADORE hotels.  One that we checked into recently that I absolutely loved was the Hotel Angeleno.  Not only is the place’s architecture unique, vibe spectacularly retro and views breathtaking, but it is also a filming location!  I mean, come on now!  What’s not to love?

[ad]

Hotel Angeleno was originally constructed in 1970 as the Holiday Inn Brentwood/Bel-Air.  Its cylindrically-shaped configuration was a popular one for the hotel chain.  The first of its kind was designed by architect Leonard Lundgren and still stands overlooking Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas.  Lundgren went on to design several similarly shaped structures for the Holiday Inn company, including the Brentwood/Bel-Air outpost.

Hotel Angeleno Heat (2 of 19)

Hotel Angeleno Heat (5 of 19)

During its tenure as a Holiday Inn, the property offered mid-level lodging.  In April 2005, it was taken over by the Joie de Vivre hospitality company and a massive renovation process was started.  The site re-opened in February 2006 as the much more upscale Hotel Angeleno.

Hotel Angeleno Heat (10 of 19)

Hotel Angeleno Heat (11 of 19)

Thankfully though, its unique exterior was left largely untouched.

Hotel Angeleno Heat (7 of 19)

The 17-story structure sits above the Interstate 405, just north of the Sunset Boulevard exit.  Each room features a private balcony (as well as complimentary parking and free Wi-Fi), most of which offer amazing views.  Our room boasted views of the freeway and it was fascinating to watch traffic start accumulating on the northbound side at around 2 p.m. and remain at a standstill until well past 10.

Hotel Angeleno Heat (1 of 12)

Hotel Angeleno Heat (5 of 12)

Our room also had a spectacular view of the Getty Center.

Hotel Angeleno Heat (2 of 12)

Hotel Angeleno Heat (3 of 12)

Not to mention a vertigo-inducing view of the street below.  The GC is not a fan of heights and he couldn’t even bring himself to step out onto the balcony.

Hotel Angeleno Heat (6 of 12)

Hotel Angeleno Heat (7 of 12)

Occupying the top floor of the Angeleno is the circularly-shaped restaurant West.

Hotel Angeleno Heat (16 of 19)

Hotel Angeleno Heat (18 of 19)

We had the pleasure of dining at West while staying at the hotel and not only is the food spectacular, but the views are simply uh-ma-zing.

Hotel Angeleno Heat (15 of 19)

Hotel Angeleno Heat (14 of 19)

The Holiday Inn Brentwood/Bel-Air was most notably featured in the 1995 action classic Heat, as the spot where Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) moved upon leaving his wife.  Very little of the hotel can actually be seen in the movie, though.

ScreenShot611

ScreenShot612

In the Season 1 episode of Starsky and Hutch titled “Death Ride,” which aired in 1975, Det. Ken ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (David Soul) and Det. Dave Starsky (Paul Michael Glaser) stopped by the Holiday Inn to pick up a witness named Andrew Mello (Jeff Corey).

ScreenShot600

ScreenShot605

Thanks to the Dear Old Hollywood blog, I learned that the 1976 film Two-Minute Warning opened with a scene of a sniper taking a shot from a balcony at the Holiday Inn Brentwood/Bel-Air.

ScreenShot599

ScreenShot590

The hotel’s interiors were also shown in the movie, including a room;

ScreenShot591

ScreenShot592

a hallway;

ScreenShot593

ScreenShot594

the lobby;

ScreenShot595

ScreenShot596

and the front desk.

ScreenShot597

ScreenShot598

In the 2004 hit Sideways, Miles (Paul Giamatti) drove by the Holiday Inn on his way to pick up Jack (Thomas Hayden Church).

ScreenShot614

There was even some filming going on when we were staying there!  Just as we were checking out, my mom spotted Justin Jedlica, aka the “Human Ken Doll,” filming a segment for a reality show.  So I, of course, just had to ask for a pic.

Hotel Angeleno Heat (19 of 19)

For more stalking fun, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.

Hotel Angeleno Heat (1 of 19)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Hotel Angeleno, from Heat, is located at 170 North Church Lane in Brentwood.  You can visit the hotel’s official website here.

Citigroup Center from “Opportunity Knocks”

Citigroup Center (18 of 20)

One of my favorite movies from my teen years is Opportunity Knocks.  I first saw the 1990 comedy in the theatre with my uncle and cracked up all the way through.  I have watched it countless times since and its hilarity has not waned in the slightest.  I knew that the flick was lensed largely in Chicago and recently asked It’sFilmedThere’s Chas (a native of nearby Indiana) to track down its locations.  One that he had some trouble with was the building that housed the office of Milt Malkin (Robert Loggia).  I thought it looked like an L.A.-area property and, as it turns out, I was right.  While the vast majority of the movie was shot in the Windy City, the exterior of Mitch’s office can actually be found in downtown Los Angeles.  (Although, this blurb from Shot On This Site, which I came across while researching for today’s post, has me wondering if more scenes – most likely interiors – were shot in L.A.)  In real life, Milt’s office was located in the Citigroup Center at 444 South Flower Street.

[ad]

The 625-foot, 48-story Citigroup Center was designed by the A.C. Martin & Partners architecture firm and was completed in either 1979 or 1981, depending on which website or book you are reading.

Citigroup Center (3 of 20)

Citigroup Center (1 of 20)

The structure, which originally served as the Los Angeles headquarters for Wells Fargo Bank, was first named the Wells Fargo Bank building.  When WFB acquired Crocker Bank in 1986, the company’s headquarters were moved to Crocker Center.  The property then became known as the 444 Plaza Building (or the 444 Flower Building) until the early 2000s when Citigroup Inc. moved in and changed the name to Citigroup Center.

Citigroup Center (5 of 20)

Citigroup Center (7 of 20)

Citigroup Center played the headquarters of the Malkin Blower Company in Opportunity Knocks.  The building was only shown in one brief establishing shot, in the scene in which Milt first brought Eddie (Dana Carvey) to visit his office.

ScreenShot229

ScreenShot228

The sculpture visible in the scene is named “Shoshone” and was built by artist Mark DiSuvero in 1982.

Citigroup Center (10 of 20)

The 45-foot tall piece, which is painted in two different shades of red, was constructed out of 13 steel I-beams and weighs 25 tons.

Citigroup Center (17 of 20)

The CRA/LA website states that the abstract sculpture “is aligned to frame the Bonaventure Hotel like an easel.”

Citigroup Center (9 of 20)

Citigroup Center was not used for the interior of the Malkin Blower Company in Opportunity Knocks.

ScreenShot230

ScreenShot231

Interior filming took place at a building located somewhere in downtown Chicago, as is evidenced by the Chase Tower . . .

ScreenShot233

. . . and Crain Communications Building visible outside of Milt’s window.

ScreenShot234

Citigroup Center has been immortalized onscreen countless times over the years.  In the 1980s television series L.A. Law, the offices of the McKenzie-Brackman law firm were housed in the building.

ScreenShot224

ScreenShot225

In 1986’s 52 Pick-Up, Citigroup Center was where Barbara Mitchell (Ann-Margret) worked.

ScreenShot252

ScreenShot253

Citigroup Center was the site of the bank heist at the end of 1995’s Heat.  Only the exterior of the building was used, though. The bank’s interior can be found a few blocks east at 350 South Grand Avenue.  (Michael Heizer’s geometrically-shaped North, South, East, West art installation is visible in the scene.)

ScreenShot244

ScreenShot245

In 1999’s Fight Club, one of the Fight Club members tried to start a scuffle in the forecourt of Citigroup Center’s street-level entrance.

ScreenShot239

ScreenShot240

Citigroup Center was also featured in Gotcha! and To Live and Die in L.A, but, unfortunately, I could not find copies of either movie with which to make screen captures for this post.  And while several websites state the building appeared in Baby Boom, I scanned through the 1987 comedy and did not see it pop up anywhere.

Citigroup Center (11 of 20)

For more stalking fun, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Los Angeles magazine online.  And you can check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic, here.

Big THANK YOU to Chas, from the It’sFilmedThere website, for finding this location!  Smile

Citigroup Center (14 of 20)

Until next time, Happy Stalking!  Smile

Stalk It: Citigroup Center, aka Mitch’s office from Opportunity Knocks, is located at 444 South Flower Street in downtown Los Angeles.

Bob’s Big Boy Broiler in Downey from “License to Drive”

P1000401

Hold onto your hats, my fellow stalkers, ‘cause today’s post is going to be a long one!  Another Bob’s Big Boy location that the Grim Cheaper and I stalked recently was the legendary Bob’s Big Boy Broiler, aka Johnie’s Broiler, located on Firestone Boulevard in Downey.  I had been longing to stalk the historic restaurant ever since 1988 when it stood in for Archie’s Atomic Drive-In in fave movie License to Drive.  Sadly though, shortly after I moved to Southern California ten years ago, the eatery shuttered it doors and was then later partially – and illegally – demolished.  It was not until this past year that the place re-opened and I was finally, finally able to drag the GC out there to see it in person.

P1000406 P1000402

P1000399 P1000403

Johnie’s Broiler was first founded in 1958 by former Clock-Broiler-restaurant-chain-partner Harvey Ortner and his wife, Minnie.  In 1950, the couple purchased a poultry farm located at the corner of Firestone Boulevard and Old River School Road in Downtown Downey and hired architect Paul B. Clayton to design a Googie-style coffee shop on the 2-acre site.  According to Clayton’s 2005 obituary in the Los Angeles Times, the architect later called the restaurant “the most important commercial design of his entire career”.  Harvey’s Broiler, as it was then-named, was an immediate success, sometimes attracting over 5,000 patrons in a single weekend.  Much as it was depicted in License to Drive, the spot was a popular high school hang-out where teens would come to grab a bite to eat and show off their cars.  In 1965, the Ortners retired and sold their restaurant to a man with the last name of Johnson.  He changed the eatery’s moniker to Johnie’s Broiler.  Shortly thereafter, a former Harvey’s chef named Christos Smyrniotis purchased the property.  He still owns the restaurant to this day.   And while it continued to be successful, especially as a filming location, for whatever reason Johnie’s closed its doors in February of 2002.  It was then transformed into a used car dealership and the interior was heavily remodeled to suit the needs of its new tenant.

P1000409 P1000415

P1000416 P1000420

When the car dealership’s lease expired a few years later, a new tenant named Aras Yanik moved in.  Yanik immediately filed demolition permits with the City of Downey, but those permits were rejected.  Local residents and area preservations were horrified at Yanik’s plans to level the historic site and quickly took action, having the property declared eligible for the California Register of Historical Places, which protected it, in theory at least, from any alterations.  But despite the historical status and the city’s rejection of the demolition permits, at approximately 3 p.m. on the afternoon of Sunday, January 7th, 2007, Yanik illegally began to demolish the restaurant.  Police were called in and Yanik was slapped with three misdemeanor charges and his lease on the property was revoked.  Sadly though, the damage was done.  The beloved coffee shop had been almost entirely destroyed.

You can watch a video which features numerous photographs of the destruction by clicking above.

P1000376 P1000379

P1000395 P1000396

P1000380 P1000388

In April 2008, Bob’s Big Boy franchise owner Jim Louder signed a lease with Smyrniotis and, along with help from Downey’s Redevelopment Agency and the Downey Historical Society, set about salvaging materials from the wreckage site and rebuilt the eatery in its entirety, using the original Harvey’s blueprints.  The restoration project won the Los Angeles Conservancy’s prestigious President’s Award and the new Bob’s Big Boy Broiler opened to much fanfare on October 19, 2009.

[ad]

ScreenShot1111 ScreenShot1107

ScreenShot1110 ScreenShot1109

Johnie’s Broiler has been featured in countless productions over the years, many more so than I could ever dream of chronicling here.  But I will do my best to try.  In License to Drive, Les Anderson (aka Corey Haim) and his buddies, Dean (aka Corey Feldman) and Charles (aka Michael Manasseri), get into a scuffle with some punks while dining at the fictional high school hangout “Archie’s Atomic Drive-In”.

ScreenShot1097 ScreenShot1098

ScreenShot1100 ScreenShot1099

In 1988’s My Stepmother Is an Alien, Johnie’s is where Celeste Martin (aka Kim Basinger) goes to find breakfast recipes.

ScreenShot1000 ScreenShot1002

ScreenShot1003 ScreenShot1004

In 1989’s She’s Out of Control, Doug Simpson (aka Tony Danza) takes his daughter Katie (aka Ami Dolenz) and her boyfriend Joey (aka Dana Ashbrook) to Johnie’s for a bite to eat.

ScreenShot1127 ScreenShot1128

In 1989’s Earth Girls Are Easy, Valerie (aka Geena Davis), Candy (aka Julie Brown) and their new alien friends, Mac (aka Jeff Goldblum), Wiploc (aka Jim Carrey), and Zeebo (aka Damon Wayans), drive by Johnie’s Broiler in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene.

ScreenShot1019 ScreenShot1020

ScreenShot1023 ScreenShot1022

In 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do with It, Johnie’s is where Ike Turner (aka Laurence Fishburne) and Tina Turner (aka Angela Bassett) get into a fist-fight.

ScreenShot1073 ScreenShot1076

ScreenShot1079 ScreenShot1081

In 1993’s Short Cuts, Johnie’s is the restaurant where Doreen Piggot (aka Lily Tomlin) works.

ScreenShot1083 ScreenShot1086

ScreenShot1087 ScreenShot1088

Johnie’s shows up twice in the 1994 comedy Reality Bites.  It first appears as the spot where Lelaina Pierce (aka Winona Ryder) runs into Troy Dyer (aka Ethan Hawke) after her disastrous job interview during which she is unable to define the word “irony”.

ScreenShot1090 ScreenShot1096

ScreenShot1094 ScreenShot1095

It later pops up in my very favorite scene in the entire movie as the restaurant where Lelaina and Vickie Miner (aka Janeane Garogalo) discuss the television series Melrose Place.

ScreenShot1014 ScreenShot1017

ScreenShot1015 ScreenShot1016

In 1995’s Heat, Johnie’s Broiler is where Neil McCauley (aka Robert De Niro) tries to kill one of his crew members, Waingro (aka Kevin Gage).

ScreenShot1009 ScreenShot1010

ScreenShot1011 ScreenShot1013

In 1997’s The Game, a destitute Nicholas Van Orton (aka Michael Douglas) stumbles into Johnie’s to ask patrons for a ride to San Francisco.

ScreenShot1025 ScreenShot1026

ScreenShot1027 ScreenShot1030

In 1998’s Can’t Hardly Wait, Johnie’s is where Preston Meyers (aka Ethan Embry) meets The Angel (aka Jenna Elfman) while trying to call Barry Manilow on a payphone.

ScreenShot1057 ScreenShot1058

ScreenShot1064 ScreenShot1063

In the Season 7 episode of The X-Files titled “Orison”, which aired in 1999, Johnie’s stood in for a supposed-bus stop/coffee shop in Harrisburg, Illinois where Fox Mulder (aka David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (aka Gillian Anderson) search for a murder suspect.

ScreenShot1069 ScreenShot1072

ScreenShot1070 ScreenShot1071

In the 1999 movie Jawbreaker, Johnie’s is where Courtney (aka Rose McGowan), Julie (aka Rebecca Gayheart), and Marcie (aka a pre-Dexter Julie Benz) discover that they have accidentally killed their friend.

ScreenShot1104 ScreenShot1106

ScreenShot1101 ScreenShot1102

In my favorite scene from 2000’s Bounce, the diner was where Abby Janello (aka Gwyneth Paltrow) removed toilet paper off of the shoe of an unknowing woman.

ScreenShot1033 ScreenShot1034

ScreenShot1036 ScreenShot1037

Supposedly the restaurant also appeared in Mission: Impossible II, but I scanned through the movie earlier today and did not see it anywhere.  It did however appear in Limp Bizkit’s 2000 video for the song “Take A Look Around”, which was featured on the Mission: Impossible II soundtrack.

You can watch that video by clicking above.

ScreenShot1119 ScreenShot1121

ScreenShot1124 ScreenShot1120

Johnie’s was also used in the 2000 music video for the Bob Dylan song “Things Have Changed”.

You can watch that video by clicking above.

ScreenShot1038 ScreenShot1039

ScreenShot1041 ScreenShot1043

Johnie’s was also used extensively in the music video for the 2001 Staind song “For You”.

You can watch that video by clicking above.

ScreenShot1051 ScreenShot1049

ScreenShot1047 ScreenShot1050

It also popped up in the 2001 Kurupt “It’s Over” music video.

ScreenShot1044

A cartoon rendering of the restaurant was even made for that video . . .

. . . which you can watch by clicking above.

ScreenShot1065 ScreenShot1066

ScreenShot1067 ScreenShot1068

The diner was featured in the 2001 music video for Madonna’s “What It Feels Like For a Girl”.

Which you can watch by clicking above.

ScreenShot1112 ScreenShot1113

ScreenShot1115 ScreenShot1117

It was also used in Knoc-turn’al’s “The Knoc” music video in 2002.

You can watch that video by clicking above.

ScreenShot1005 ScreenShot1006

ScreenShot1007 ScreenShot1008

In the ultra-creepy 2002 movie One Hour Photo, Johnie’s is the coffee shop where Seymour Parrish (aka Robin Williams) ate a late-night dinner after getting off work at the local photo lab.

ScreenShot1052 ScreenShot1053

ScreenShot1054 ScreenShot1056

Most recently, Bob’s Big Boy Broiler appeared in the Season 4 episode of Mad Men titled “Tomorrowland”, in the scene in which Sally Draper (aka Kiernan Shipka) spills a milkshake and her father, Don Draper (aka Jon Hamm), is shocked to discover that his girlfriend, Megan Calvet (aka Jessica Pare), is not upset by it.

P1000381 P1000383

P1000382 P1000392

That scene was shot in a booth located in Johnie’s side room, which was the same room that appeared in the Melrose Place scene in Reality Bites.

P1000412 P1000413

There is quite a bit of erroneous information out there about Johnie’s Broiler’s filming history.  For instance, the 2003 flick Matchstick Men was not filmed at Johnie’s, but at KJ’s Diner & Restaurant near LAX; 1998’s American History X was not filmed at Johnie’s in Downey, but at the Johnie’s Coffee Shop Restaurant located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile District of L.A.; 1980’s Midnight Madness was also shot at Johnie’s Wilshire, not at the Broiler; as was the Sean Kingston video for the song “Beautiful Girls”.

Until next time, Happy Stalking and Happy Voting – don’t forget to vote for me to be the face of About Me!  Today is the VERY LAST day to vote, so please get those votes in!   Smile

Stalk It: Bob’s Big Boy Broiler, aka Johnie’s Broiler, aka Archie’s Atomic Drive-In from License to Drive, is located at 7447 Firestone Boulevard in Downey.  You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.

Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank from “Heat”

IMG_2603

While doing some stalking in the Burbank area way back in November of last year, I dragged the Grim Cheaper out to the Bob’s Big Boy restaurant on Riverside Drive to grab a bite to eat.  And even though the eatery has quite a vast Hollywood history, is a filming location, serves fried food (my favorite!), and is currently the oldest remaining Bob’s in the entire restaurant chain, for whatever reason in my ten-plus years of living in Los Angeles I had yet to dine there.  But, let me tell you, the place was well worth the wait!  Both the GC and I absolutely LOVED it!

IMG_2607 IMG_2606

Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank was originally built in 1949 by franchise owners Scott MacDonald and Ward Albert, and was designed by Wayne McAllister, the legendary Googie-style architect who also designed the Biltmore Hotel’s Biltmore Bowl ballroom, the Sands Hotel and Desert Inn in Las Vegas, and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Cinegrill nightclub.  In 1993, after several changes in  ownership and a few dining room remodels, the property was purchased by the MacDonald family, who immediately set about an extensive renovation in order to restore the Streamline-Moderne-style eatery to its original glory.  The MacDonald’s also added a front patio to the premises, re-fabbed the famous exterior signage, and, best of all, re-instated car-hop service from 5 to 10 p.m. each Friday and Saturday night.  So incredibly cool!  In 1993, the restaurant was also deemed a California Point of Historical Interest.

IMG_2612

Visiting Bob’s Big Boy, one is immediately transported back in time, thanks largely to its curved counter and open kitchen ;

IMG_2617 IMG_2621

cantilevered roof and petal-like umbrellas,

IMG_2601 IMG_2604

and commanding 50s-style signage –

IMG_2602 IMG_2619

IMG_2618 IMG_2622

the most impressive of which is the 70-foot-tall free-standing display sign pictured above.

IMG_2611

And the food!  Oh, the food!  I ordered the chicken strips and they were absolutely out-of-this-world!  And don’t even get me started on the ranch dressing!  I was almost ready to start eating it by itself, soup-style, it was so good!  The GC opted for the famous “Big Boy” double-decker hamburger, which he loved.  The “Big Boy” was originally invented by Bob’s Big Boy founder Bob Wian in 1937 and was the precursor to the now-legendary McDonald’s Big Mac.  He created the sandwich as a joke one night when one of his regular customers asked for a “different” kind of burger.  And the rest, as they say, is hamburger history.  Amazingly, Bob was also one of the very first restaurant owners to offer his employees a profit-sharing plan and medical insurance.

IMG_2609

Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank has been a celebrity hangout since the very beginning.  Just a few of the stars who have been spotted there over the years include Bob Hope (who was a regular), James Dean, Mickey Rooney, Dana Andrews, Jonathan Winters, Alexis Smith, Debbie Reynolds, Craig Stevens, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Taylor Lautner, Tiffany Thornton, Tori Spelling, Melissa Joan Hart, David Henrie, Taylor Swift, Joey Lawrence, Cheech Marin, Selena Gomez, Jay Leno, David Lynch, Dennis Haskins, and Freddie Prinze Jr.  During the summer of 1965, all four members of The Beatles famously dined at one of the eatery’s back booths, which is pictured above.

IMG_2608

That occasion was marked with the gold plaque pictured above, which one employee told me has been stolen countless times over the years.  I cannot tell you how much I hate hearing things like that! Apparently, the owners were sick of constantly having to replace the sign, so for a time they left the wall in that area blank.  Thankfully though, the plaque was back in its proper place when I stalked the restaurant last year.

[ad]

ScreenShot978 ScreenShot979

And, as I mentioned above, Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank is also a filming location!  The diner was featured twice in the 1995 heist movie Heat.  It first popped us as the restaurant where a fresh-out-of-prison Donald Breedan (aka Dennis Haysbert) got hired as a janitor/cook.

ScreenShot980 ScreenShot987

ScreenShot984 ScreenShot985

Towards the end of the movie, it shows up once again in the scene in which Neil McCauley (aka Robert De Niro), Michael Cheritto (aka Tom Sizemore), and Chris Shiherlis (aka Val Kilmer) convince Donald to be the driver for their upcoming bank heist.  Apparently there was once a plaque displayed in the booth where that scene took place commemorating the occasion, but it was stolen countless times as well and had yet to be replaced in November.

ScreenShot989 ScreenShot991

ScreenShot993 ScreenShot994

In the Season 8 episode of Dancing with the Stars, Derek Hough took Lil’ Kim to Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank to get her into character for their upcoming 50s jive performance.  You can watch a clip of that segment being filmed here.

ScreenShot988

Until next time, Happy Stalking and Happy Voting – don’t forget to vote for me to be the face of About Me!  There are only five voting days left – you can vote once every 24 hours now through Tuesday, September 20th.  Smile

Stalk It: Bob’s Big Boy, from Heat, is located at 4211 West Riverside Drive in Burbank.  You can visit the restaurant’s official website here.  Priscilla’s Coffee Tea & Gifts, from Desperate Housewives, which I blogged about back in December of 2009, is located just across the street from Bob’s at 4150 Riverside Drive in Burbank.