Saturday, June 13, 2015

Another Filming Location Mystery Solved! - The Rockford Files - Episode: Feeding Frenzy (Ice Skating Rink) YEAR: 1976 - SANTA MONICA, Ice Capades Chalet 5th & Broadway in Santa Monica, CA - Jim Garner is seen acting with his brother Jack Garner in this ice skating rink scene - The ice skating rink closed in 1983 and now is: Fred Segal "A beautiful way of providing a venue for entrepreneurial fashion" - Interior Filming: Iceland Ice Skating Center - 14318 Calvert St, Van Nuys

UPDATE 06/13/2015
Viewer Walter Simard was kind enough to let us know that the INTERIOR FILMING was actually done at:
Iceland Ice Skating Center - 14318 Calvert St, Van Nuys, Los Angeles
 
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EXTERIOR FILMING was the  Ice Capades Chalet
The ice skating rink closed in 1983 and currently is:
Fred Segal Clothing
"A beautiful way of providing a venue for entrepreneurial fashion"
500 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 394-7535
 
A big thank you to Joe Nix & Sylvia Stoddard
 
 
 
ABOVE TWO IMAGES: Top Image is the Ice Capades Chalet building as seen today - Above Bottom Image - as seen in the Rockford Files in 1976
 
  • SANTA MONICA, Ice Capades Chalet opened in 1966 and closed prematurely in 1983. The building is still there at 500 Broadway at 5th. The surface was 85 by 201.5 feet with a very low ceiling featuring a mirrored disco-ball in the middle, Pete Lemoine, manager. Art Guiney's equipment business started there as the skate shop. It was the 'home rink' for my oldest son in 1969-70 (and we always lived in Anaheim). Tai Babalonia & Randy Gardner, and Ken Shelley & Jojo Starbuck practiced there. Sylvester Stallone took Talia Shire out for a spin on the ice in the first 'Rocky' movie (although the script pretends its in Philadelphia). From Charli from Philly, "after some research this rink is the famous one used in the Film Rocky, the date scene with Adrienne and Rocky."

  •  
     
     


    
     
    Far left: Jack Garner - Middle: Eddie Firestone - Far Right: James Garner

     

    Monday, June 1, 2015

    The Rockford Files - Another filming mystery solved - Apartment building and swimming pool patio area used in several episodes of the ROCKFORD FILES

    A special thank you to some great "Rockford Files" fans who solved this mystery for me! Jim Suva, Leslie Mccabe, Luis Max Delgado, Stephen P Hallberg, Bill Anderson and Henrik Hoflund Pedersen. 
     
    The below apartment building is actually on the back lot of Universal Studios


    The above two images show an apartment building and the building's patio and swimming pool area from an episode of the Rockford File's titled "The Fourth Man". This same apartment building and pool area was also used in other episodes of the Rockford Files.

    I couldn't figure out why I couldn't find this apartment building in Burbank or the Los Angeles area... But with the help of the above named fans... The mystery was solved! It's a fake apartment building and patio area that is located on the Universal Studios back lot.



    Here's the proof..... The postcard link was found by Henrik Hoflund Pedersen and the bottom photo was found by Jim Suva. I sincerely thank all who helped!

    Sunday, May 24, 2015

    The Rockford Files - Episode: "Rattlers' Class of '63" (1976) We need this Toluca lake apartment building identified



    The above apartment or condo building is named "TOLUCA EAST". I would guess that this building is either in the east portion of the Toluca lake area or in the area just east of Toluca Lake.

    Anybody have any idea of the address of this building?
     
    IT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY A VIEWER:
    The apartment/condo building is located at:
    4140 Warner Blvd. in Burbank, CA
     
    ----------------------------------------
     
    From the comment section:
    Anonymous said...
    I disagree with this location. Viewing the pool area via google maps shows this cannot be the location. Completely different building design in the pool area is featured in the episode.
     
     
    A building can change a lot in 40 years.... but this is without a doubt the building in question. In addition to the exact design details, I contacted management of this unit and they confirmed that the images from the 1976 episode of the Rockford Files are in fact this building,.

    Saturday, May 23, 2015

    The Rockford Files - Episode: The Reincarnation of Angie (1975) Billy's Diner on 5th - Paty's Restaurant on Riverside Drive - Marie Callenders Pies on Riverside Drive - The beautiful actress Elayne Heilveil - Copper Penny Family Coffee Shop

    Elayne Heilveil played Angela Perris - She would later appear on another episode of the Rockford Files and get married to Jim Rockford prison buddy Angel Martin 

    ABOVE PHOTO: Jim Rockford butts heads with FBI Agent Dan Shore (played by the late great Wayne Tippit) at Billy's Diner on 5th Street - which was actually the sidewalk cafe of Paty's Restaurant 10001 Riverside Drive - which is still operating in Toluca Lake California.



    ABOVE THREE PHOTOS: Different scene shots from the 1975 episode of the Rockford Files - which were filmed at Patys Restaurant. The above photo shows the same intersection as it looks likes in 2013 - 38 years later. 

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    WE HAVE AN UPDATE 
    I need some help on the below photo....
    Above Photo: This scene shot is from the same episode as the above images. Jim Rockford can be seen talking on a payphone - Jim was speaking with FBI Agent Dan Shore.
    The overhead sign seen outside of the telephone booth in the upper left hand corner reads
    ???????  PENNY
    It appears to be possibly a restaurant sign maybe????
    This scene was the scene just before Rockford meets Shore at Paty's Restaurant, so I believe this location is probably in or around Toluca Lake.
    Anybody have any idea as to what business that sign belongs to?
    Thanks 
    UPDATE: An alert viewer informed us that this is the: Copper Penny Family Coffee Shop 
    which had multiple locations.
    This one appears to be by an expressway/freeway ramp and probably is in either Burbank, CA or the Toluca Lake neighborhood.
    Anybody know????

    2ND UPDATE: From the comment section
    I can assure you that Copper Penny Family Coffee Shop as seen in that image was the one once located at: Riverside Dr & N Pass Ave, Burbank, Los Angeles, California.
    Just blocks from the movie studios. 
    I am a retired police officer from Burbank, CA and was a frequent visitor to that location.

    CAN ANYBODY CONFIRM THIS?

    ----------------------------------------
    From the comment section: Unknown said...
    In scene that shows the investment building behind Jim Rockford you also see the image of a white railing. This can also be seen across from Paty's on google maps

    https://www.google.com/maps/place/10001+Riverside+Dr,+Toluca+Lake,+CA+91602/@34.1522079,-118.3496425,3a,52.5y,159.76h,76.33t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1syu68pnd0uUnmLcJnCpyjPQ!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x80c2be325c7d3801:0x77b108cc5918dc00!6m1!1e1


    ABOVE PHOTO: Holiday Inn: 21101 VENTURA Blvd · WOODLAND HILLS, CA
    I really like the old Holiday Inn green signs...Too bad they are no longer in use.

    ABOVE PHOTO: My Brother’s BBQ: 21150 Ventura Blvd Woodland Hills, CA
    The yellow building next dor to the BBQ joint was a hardware store...It is no longer there.
     

    Friday, May 1, 2015

    The Rockford Files - Episode: The Trees, the Bees and T.T. Flowers (1977) We found the filming location of FREEDOM Farm & Golden Grove Apartments - ACTORS: Sherman Royle - Robert DoQui - Scott Brady - Karen Machon - Strother Martin - Gretchen Corbett - 18304 (E) Collins Street, Los Angeles, California

      
    ABOVE & BELOW PHOTOS:  18304 Collins Street, Tarzana, California - The above images are still photos from the Rockford Files episode and the below photo is how these apartments look today.
    NOTE: A corrected photo has been added below.
    18403 Collins Street, Tarzana, CA 91356
    I thank our alert viewers who supplied the blog with the correct information!
     
     
    ABOVE PHOTO: Alex Rocco played the slick stock broker Sherman Royle   
     
    ABOVE PHOTOS: The late veteran actor Robert DoQui played the tough S.W.A.T. Commander on this episode of the Rockford Files - The late great Scott Brady returned to a second appearance of the Rockford Files as the mobbed up land developer. Scott Brady was also a tough guy in a previous episode called "Gearjammers"
     
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    BELOW PHOTO: The naturally beautiful actress Karen Machon on the far left, Strother Martin  as seen in the wheelchair as T.T. Flowers, Gretchen Corbett as Jim Rockford's attorney Beth Davenport and of course James Garner and Noah Beery Jr.

    Monday, March 30, 2015

    Rockford Files Season 6 Episode 8 The Hawaiian Headache





    An E-mail from KVS Travel / Shawn Kelchner:

    The Beach scene where the guys are counted the money:

    Rabbit Island in the background, Waimanalo Beach, can be seen.