Cameron Woods – IAMNOTASTALKER

May 15, 2020May 14, 2020

Donna’s House from “La Bamba”

I would be remiss if, in all my blogging of Cameron Woods (here, here and here), I did not mention the neighborhood’s most famous “resident,” especially since I am asked about it all.the.time. Towards the southern end of the 6200/6300 block of Orion Avenue in Van Nuys sits the picturesque Cape Cod where Donna Ludwig (Danielle von Zerneck) lived in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. I first learned about the locale thanks to Mike, from MovieShotsLA, who took me to stalk Cameron Woods way back in 2008. I was recently reminded of the place while in the area taking photos of the house from the Season 2 finale of You just prior to my dad’s surgery and decided it was high time I dedicate a post to it. So I wandered right on over to snap some more current pics. (“Oh, Donna” stuck in your head yet? ‘Cause it sure is in mine!)

[ad]

The picturesque one-story property, originally built in 1948, boasts 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,931 square feet, original hardwood flooring, a brick fireplace, an open floor plan, a breakfast nook, French doors, a 0.44-acre lot, a pool, a hot tub, a BBQ, a detached 2-car garage, and what a former real estate listing describes as “an entertainer’s backyard.” You can check out some interior images of it here.

The residence last sold in 2013 for $715,000 and, per Zillow, is currently worth a whopping $1.3 million.

Oddly, we are only given one semi-wide shot of the home in La Bamba. In it, you can see how different the property is today. Since filming took place 33 years ago (how is that possible?!?), the white picket fencing out front has been removed (which, per Google Street View, looks to have occurred in 2014) and four gable windows have been added to the roof. Despite those alterations, though, the dwelling is still recognizable from its big-screen stint.

Donna’s residence pops up several times throughout La Bamba . . .

. . . but typically only in very tight shots, as evidenced above and below.

We also get some glimpses of the houses to the immediate north . . .

. . . and south of Donna’s in the scene in which Ritchie Valens (Lou Diamond Phillips) walks his love interest home for the first time.

I was thrilled to discover while looking at MLS images of the property that the actual interior was also used in the movie!

Its aesthetic was quite a bit different at the time, though! (The angle of the MLS photo below is a little off as compared to the screen grab, but it does show the same room – sans wood-paneling and pink walls. You can check out a better matching view of the space here.)

I am not sure if the décor seen in La Bamba was that of the actual homeowners or set dressing, but I am guessing the latter. Either way, it sure is fabulous! Check out that mid-century kitsch! The wall coloring, chandelier, ashtray, lamp, and rotary phone are perfection!

Considering its idyllic qualities, Anywhere, U.S.A. appeal, and the fact that it is located on one of L.A.’s most oft-filmed blocks, I would have guessed that the house had been featured in other productions, but I was unable to dig up any additional cameos.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Donna’s house from La Bamba is located at 6238 Orion Avenue in Van Nuys’ Cameron Woods neighborhood. Many other filming locations can be found on the same street, including Mary-Kate and Ashley’s home from “The Case of Thorn Mansion” episode of The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley at 6332 Orion, Pete’s (Brian Petsos) residence from Bridesmaids at 6309 Orion, and Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and Love Quinn’s (Victoria Pedretti) new pad from the Season 2 finale of You at 6301 Orion.

March 18, 2020March 17, 2020

Pete’s House from “Bridesmaids”

Speaking of Cameron Woods (in case you missed Monday’s post, you can read it here) . . . while wandering around the neighborhood recently I was reminded of a spot that I stalked long ago but had yet to blog about – the house belonging to Pete (Brian Petsos) in the 2011 comedy Bridesmaids. As mentioned Monday, the quarter-mile stretch of Orion Avenue in Van Nuys that makes up Cameron Woods is easily one of the most charming and oft-filmed spots in L.A. Per a 2012 Los Angeles Times article, the two-block idyll was the brainchild of William Buchner. Between 1946 and 1952, the developer built a stretch of large picturesque New England and Cape Cod-style homes on the street’s 6200 and 6300 blocks. Inspired by a road in Connecticut, he constructed the residences on oversized 100-by-300-foot lots, allowing for expansive front and back yards dotted with native walnut trees. His vision was unfortunately cut short due to a disagreement with his partners and a change in zoning laws, so only a handful of properties wound up being built with the remaining lots sold off and subdivided. The small idyll that Buchner did create, though, is a charming oasis seemingly far removed from modern life – so much so that it is commonly referred to as the “Leave it to Beaver block.” And it is at a home smack dab in the middle of it that Annie (Kristen Wiig) shows up for a doomed blind date with Pete in Bridesmaids.

[ad]

In real life, Pete’s house, a charming 1950 residence, is much larger than it appears to be from the street, boasting 4,227 square feet, a whopping 7 bedrooms and 4.5 baths, a 0.60-acre lot, a sprawling backyard with a pool, a spa, a rock waterfall, an arbor, multiple patios, and parking for 12 cars!

I was a little late to the Bridesmaids game, seeing it for the first time almost a year after it debuted via a SAG screener I received in early 2012. The DVD featured the director’s cut of the movie, which included the blind date scene with Pete. I had no idea until sitting down to write this post that the segment was initially left on the cutting room floor and was not part of the original film! So if you saw Bridesmaids in the theatre or only have the original version on DVD, you’re likely reading this thinking “What blind date scene?” In the bit, Annie arrives at the home of Pete, whom Becca (Ellie Kemper) has set her up with. Instead of immediately heading out, Pete slips upstairs to make a call to his ex-wife and asks Annie to entertain his young son, Tyler (Blake Garrett), who quickly informs Annie that his mother is going to kill her. Things only get worse from there. Needless to say, Pete and Annie fail to make a love connection.

It is obvious from the way the scene was shot that the actual interior of the house was utilized, though it has since been remodeled. You can check out current photos of the inside here.

The pad has a few other credits to its name, as well.

I learned from a commenter named Andrew on the Streamline blog that the place portrayed the residence of Bobby Thompson (Tim O’Kelly) and his family in the 1968 film Targets, though it looked considerably different at the time.

It also served as the home of a zealous Christmas decorator in the Season 2 episode of 9-1-1 titled “Merry Ex-Mas,” which aired in 2018.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Pete’s house from Bridesmaids is located at 6309 Orion Avenue in Van Nuys’ Cameron Woods neighborhood. Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and Love Quinn’s (Victoria Pedretti) new house from the Season 2 finale of You is right next door at 6301 Orion.

March 16, 2020March 14, 2020

Joe and Love’s New House from “You”

I apologize to those who don’t follow me on Instagram or Facebook for not posting updates about my dad here. He was finally moved out of the ICU a couple of days ago, thank God, and is currently progressing in the right direction. Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi and cell signal in the ICU were nil, to the point that I could not even use my cell phone as a hotspot, which explains my lack of new posts. Now that I can get online again, my blogging schedule should return to normal. And I figured what better spot to kick things off with than the house Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) moved into in the final episode of You’s second season, titled “Love, Actually.”

[ad]

One look at the place, with its traditional architecture, large set-back from the street and insane curb appeal, and I knew it was likely located in Cameron Woods, a highly photogenic neighborhood in Van Nuys that is used for filming all.the.time. Situated at the southern end of Orion Avenue, the charming two-block enclave is a latticework of picket-fenced suburban homes, each one seemingly prettier than the last. It’s like a studio backlot come to life! An address number of 6301 was visible on the curb in the episode, so I promptly headed over to 6301 Orion on Google Street View and, sure enough, there was Joe and Love’s new pad looking back at me!

In real life, the idyllic property, built in 1951 but recently remodeled, boasts 2,969 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, a kitchen with Caesarstone counters, a butler’s pantry, countless built-ins, a laundry room, multiple fireplaces, hardwood flooring and wainscoting throughout, a pool, a pond, a motor court, a cabana, gorgeous landscaping, and a 0.58-acre plot of land.

The stunning pad (you can check out interior photos of it here) last sold for $1,885,000 in January 2018.

It is not hard to see how the place came to be used on You. A quintessential slice of Americana, the home perfectly encapsulates the normalcy and traditionalism that Joe will never be able to subscribe to. No amount of white picket fencing or manicured shrubberies can tame his obsessive and murderous ways. Instead, the pad serves as a prison of his own making. As he says upon moving in, “Not every Siberia is cold. Some are 73 and sunny with eco-conscious landscaping.”

Though one of the series’ most notable locales, the residence only appears in a single segment – “Love, Actually’s” closing scene.

Along with the front exterior, the property’s backyard is also featured in the episode, as you can see in the screen capture as compared to the MLS image below.

Considering Cameron Woods’ prolific filming history, it should come as no surprise that Joe and Love’s house has popped up in other productions.

In 1984, it portrayed the home of Mother Blaisdel (Diana Douglas) in the Season 4 episodes of Dynasty titled “The Vigil” . . .

. . . and “The Voice Part 3.”

The pad’s interior also appeared in the episodes, but it looked very different at the time.

The Dixie Chicks race through the house Ferris-Bueller-style in their 1999 “Ready to Run” music video, which you can watch here.

More recently, the property was featured as the home of a man who falls off his roof while installing Christmas decorations in the Season 2 episode of 9-1-1 titled “Merry Ex-Mas,” which aired in 2018.

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

Until next time, Happy Stalking! Smile

Stalk It: Joe and Love’s new house from the final episode of the second season of You is located at 6301 Orion Avenue in Van Nuys’ Cameron Woods neighborhood.