Western location shoot, Hollywood Follies

Post date: Oct 30, 2020 9:10:26 PM

Here is a location I have searched for since the very beginning of this project to no avail. I have had several ideas about where the location scenes from the western in "Hollywood Follies" were done, but until now have only found close matches. It was only recently while driving through Antelope Valley east of Lancaster that I saw scenery that appeared VERY similar...

I immediately pulled up a few screenshots and in a very "Indiana Jones" moment as I was driving watched as the rocks and ridge line in one photo lined up exactly with those in the photo. Eureka!

As luck would have it, this very same location happened to be where I was working for the day (on an exciting top secret project), which granted me access to this spot that is normally closed to the public. This particular site is where they shot the scene with the burning ranch house. In addition to the extreme fire danger here, now this area is protected because of the native vegetation and exploring off-road is expressly forbidden.

Club Ed Movie Set.

This site is found behind what is known as Club Ed Movie Set at 42848 150th Street East outside Lancaster. This combination service station/motel/diner set was built specifically for film production and has been used in countless shows over the years - most notably The Devil's Rejects and Nothing to Lose. Also nearby is Four Aces Movie Ranch, a competing and very similar location.

Four Aces Movie Ranch.

In fact, this whole area is a popular spot for film/TV and especially music video production. "Cactus Jack's", seen in Terminator 2 and the church from Kill Bill are also nearby. As I mentioned, these sites are privately owned and should not be explored without permission from the owners. However, both can easily be seen from the road so quick drive-by photos would be advisable.

My initial guess was that these scenes were filmed in the Alabama Hills given the area's historic use in westerns and the distant mountains which closely resembled the eastern Sierras. However, I am now realizing that this could be a bit of matte painting foolery and perhaps all of these scenes were shot in this area.

Another thought had been Joshua Tree National Park, as it shares similar terrain, rock formations and Joshua Trees. However, I doubted the production's ability to film in the protected environment of the National Park.

I'm hoping with a little more digging in this area to identify some more shots from this sequence, but this is a solid start!