CB1100 Monthly Photo Challenge

[GoldOxide_imp]

Just got back home from being out of town for the past few weeks, other than a quick stop for a day at home to dump my dirty clothes, repack and head out of town again.

Had to get lots of errands done yesterday to catch up, so I took the CB and snapped some pics in my neighborhood. This weekend, I'm working at the museum, so I should be able to get some photos of a few movie locations in L.A. Proper.

The first photo is one of the entrances to Main Place Mall. Just a generic indoor shopping mall built in the '80s. But, it has some unique interior features, and when Arnold strode through it in the opening scenes of Kindergarten Cop in 1990, I recognized it instantly. It was also used in Timecop in '94.

My city, Orange, was once, as the name implies, a hub of citrus orchards. The central "Old Town" area featured fruit packing houses, warehouses, rail lines and many houses for the orchard owners, foremen and workers. The center of old town features a large, round park with a big fountain in the middle. It's surrounded by a traffic circle connecting Chapman and Glassell streets which form four spokes featuring many shops and restaurants built from the early 1900s through the '40s. For years, the area was left in very original condition, giving it an "Anytown USA" look, and making it a very popular filming destination.

It was not uncommon for Mrs. G and I to be walking through the neighborhood and stumble on a film set. Once, walking up to our favorite Italian joint, it had been converted into a diner, and was surrounded by muddy early '70s cars. Apparently it was a scene from a TV show set in the south just after a flood. On another stroll, in October, the streets were covered in fake snow and Christmas decorations. A camera car was driving along with a brand new Chrysler rolling slowly down the street - no doubt a commercial for "End of year specials at your local Chrysler dealer".

Chapman College, two blocks to the north, has been growing like wildfire through the neighborhood. This has caused Old Town Orange to become overrun with students, and many of the old shops and restaurants have gentrified into chic eateries. Thankfully, many have been careful to retain the original look of the neighborhood, but a few have not, erasing much of the old town flavor.

Some of the old elements remain, however. The Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do was filmed extensively in Orange, depicting Erie, PA in the late 50s/early 60s. In one scene, when the band first hears their hit song on the radio, one character runs out of the Army Navy store, while another one listens to the song in Mr. C's Record Shop. Both are still there today.

One of the key film locations was Watson's Drug Store, where the band sat at the soda fountain counter and mulled over names for their new band, settling on the "One-ders". After filming, Watson's left many of the filming elements in place, and had posters from the movie proudly on display. Very sadly, within the past few years, Watson's has closed, and was converted into a rather generic Mexican restaurant, that, so far, has not proven to be very popular. I had dinner there recently, and we were the only people in the place. Oh well.

More to come!

Like. Looks like a fun place to peruse.