Tomorrow : Yesterday and Today - The Star Trek Filming Locations

[Sir Rhosis]

Too lazy to look it up, but isn't Bronson Caverns actually a man-made tunnel bored through the mountain?

Sir Rhosis

EDIT: To answer my own question: Yes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronson_Canyon

Another view: http://www.thehollywoodsign.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/7CaveMap.jpg

 

[Botany Bay]

I like that overhead shot you found. Let's add it as a reference :

 

[Botany Bay]

1967

2014

1967

2014

1967 : Senensky needs to be careful here, or the Roman planet will have its own HOLLYWOOD sign :

2014 : Wow. I actually matched a shot from the episode (total fluke) :

 

[scotpens]

. . . You've got those closed off dirt roads like in the pic above, you've got trees for forest scenes, and then you've got the canyon and the caves which could be used for anything from a desert scene, a rock quarry, or an alien planet -- and all of it within a stone's throw of the studio.

You're probably familiar with the old Hollywood adage: "A rock is a rock, a tree is a tree. Shoot it in Griffith Park."

 

[Botany Bay]

No, first I'd heard of it actually, but I can sure see why they say that

I think Bread and Circuses is unique in that it's the only TOS episode where "indoor" shoots were taken "outdoors" ie : the cave where the slaves are hiding was shot in the Batcave at Bronson Canyon, not at the studio.

1967

I believe these caves were also used for Rura Penthe in TUC -- or perhaps it was the canyon area rather than the cave itself, I am not 100% sure.

The cave today (had to rush this one - was running late and made a hasty exit thru the cave ) :

So, a couple of Bread and Circuses shots I couldn't pick out :

I'm sure this forest is pretty close to the Canyon, but I couldn't pick it out. Trivia : Kirk and co were supposed to be hunted down in the forest by dogs, but working with animals was a no-no for the ever-practical Bob Justman.

But, the biggest mystery for me from this location -- where is "beamdown hill"?

If anyone heads up to Bronson Canyon, try finding it for me please. It might have weathered away I guess, but I am really curious now where it might be. I think its probably around here somewhere (red circle), but who knows?

 

[Christopher]

You're probably familiar with the old Hollywood adage: "A rock is a rock, a tree is a tree. Shoot it in Griffith Park."

Which isn't always true. I was amused recently watching a Bionic Woman episode that was supposedly set in the South American jungle but was really just the sparsely wooded Hollywood hills. It was not even slightly convincing, especially not in the helicopter shots.

 

[ST-321]

Such a great thread. It makes me want to take a trip back to California.

 

[Botany Bay]

Welcome to the board.

I know what you mean, I want to visit again, too.

Some...enterprising...LA fan should start running tours of these places. Tie it in with a Paramount studios tour, maybe?

I know I'd rather do this than sightseeing celebrity homes or whatever.

I was going to upload the next batch of pictures but Trekcore's screencaps pages are down at the moment. Hopefully they're up by the end of the weekend and I'll do some more

 

[Botany Bay]

If you are in this area, I'd recommend a visit to Griffith Observatory, just nearby :

Even if astronomy's not your thing, it is an amazing old building, with very nice LA city views.

An episode of VOY (Future's End I think) was filmed there - specifically when they staged some kind of shootout on the front entrance lawn :

But the real attraction for TOS fans is deep inside the building, on one of the lower levels :

Leonard has been a longtime supporter of the Observatory, tipping in a big donation to help with its refurbishment. In return, they named the theatre after him. Without spoiling anything, go watch the movie that screens in there

 

[PCz911]

Ok, I was motivated and went to Vasquez rocks with my kid to find the exact shooting locations for arena. When I get a mo, I'll upload the images of the show vs the park. They were actually pretty easy to match as the production company didn't move out of the car park.

 

[Botany Bay]

Looking forward to seeing them PCz911

With Trekcore's screencaps still down I can't post anything else for the moment, but here's a suggestion for somewhere Trek-themed to eat while visiting these locations :

You are heading to Lucy's - a Mexican restaurant across the road from Paramount that has been there for half a century.

Gene Roddenberry loved Mexican food -- and Lucy's was his Mexican of choice. He would often sneak in there with whoever he was involved with for lunch.

I don't have any pics of the interior, but it's one of those places where you wish the walls could talk. How many after work drinks did the TOS writers have here?

There are autographed celebrity pictures everywhere, and the Mexican-loving Star Trek creator himself gets a larged signed plaque displayed prominently in one of the outdoor courtyards.

NEXT STOP : Ekos, McKinley Rocket Base and Sigma Iotia II.

 

[PCz911]

Heres a link to a website with great info on Vasquez rocks and Star Trek
http://www.herocomm.com/EverythingElse/ReturnToVasquez.htm

 

[doubleohfive]

Looking forward to seeing them PCz911

With Trekcore's screencaps still down I can't post anything else for the moment, but here's a suggestion for somewhere Trek-themed to eat while visiting these locations :

You are heading to Lucy's - a Mexican restaurant across the road from Paramount that has been there for half a century.

Gene Roddenberry loved Mexican food -- and Lucy's was his Mexican of choice. He would often sneak in there with whoever he was involved with for lunch.

I worked on a show for ABC down the street at Raleigh Studios Hollywood from 2010 to 2013. We went to Lucy's once (and only once) during that time and the experience was rather terrible. They find every way they can to charge you for everything there with hidden fees and charges during happy hour. If the food had been excellent, it might have been worth it but we were met with such a negative experience we never went back. Osteria La Buca down the street was much, much better. Lucy's was probably a much better experience in the '60s, but today it's been largely recognized for how subpar it is.

 

[PCz911]

I am sorry, for the life of me I still don't know how to add photos to this bbs.

Instead I'll send a link to my tumblr where I have just uploaded images of Vasquez vs screencaps.

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/pcztos

 

[Nerys Myk]

I am sorry, for the life of me I still don't know how to add photos to this bbs.

Instead I'll send a link to my tumblr where I have just uploaded images of Vasquez vs screencaps.

See the little square along the top of the reply field with the mountain in it? Click on that and enter the url of the picture in the field that pops up.

 

[Christopher]

^Also, the Tumblr link is password-protected so I can't see any photos there anyway.

 

[EnriqueH]

Looking forward to seeing them PCz911

With Trekcore's screencaps still down I can't post anything else for the moment, but here's a suggestion for somewhere Trek-themed to eat while visiting these locations :

You are heading to Lucy's - a Mexican restaurant across the road from Paramount that has been there for half a century.

Gene Roddenberry loved Mexican food -- and Lucy's was his Mexican of choice. He would often sneak in there with whoever he was involved with...

I worked on a show for ABC down the street at Raleigh Studios Hollywood from 2010 to 2013. We went to Lucy's once (and only once) during that time and the experience was rather terrible. They find every way they can to charge you for everything there with hidden fees and charges during happy hour. If the food had been excellent, it might have been worth it but we were met with such a negative experience we never went back. Osteria La Buca down the street was much, much better. Lucy's was probably a much better experience in the '60s, but today it's been largely recognized for how subpar it is.

The place has been in business, it seems, for a long time, so the quality could very well have gone downhill.

I went to a seafood place when I was 13 and it was one of the best dining experiences I can remember. When I went back for my honeymoon, the food was still good, but the clientele had gone downhill, way downhill and so the ambiance was rather poor. 2 years later, the place caught fire and torn down.

Owners and management change, so it might've been an awesome restaurant back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, but it could be horrible now. I'd still be curious to check it out being that The Great Bird liked going there.

 

[EnriqueH]

Gene Roddenberry loved Mexican food -- and Lucy's was his Mexican of choice. He would often sneak in there with whoever he was involved with for lunch.

I worked on a show for ABC down the street at Raleigh Studios Hollywood from 2010 to 2013. We went to Lucy's once (and only once) during that time and the experience was rather terrible. They find every way they can to charge you for everything there with hidden fees and charges during happy hour. If the food had been excellent, it might have been worth it but we were met with such a negative experience we never went back. Osteria La Buca down the street was much, much better. Lucy's was probably a much better experience in the '60s, but today it's been largely recognized for how subpar it is.

Looking forward to seeing them PCz911

With Trekcore's screencaps still down I can't post anything else for the moment, but here's a suggestion for somewhere Trek-themed to eat while visiting these locations :

You are heading to Lucy's - a Mexican restaurant across the road from Paramount that has been there for half a century.

Gene Roddenberry loved Mexican food -- and Lucy's was his Mexican of choice. He would often sneak in there with whoever he was involved with...

I worked on a show for ABC down the street at Raleigh Studios Hollywood from 2010 to 2013. We went to Lucy's once (and only once) during that time and the experience was rather terrible. They find every way they can to charge you for everything there with hidden fees and charges during happy hour. If the food had been excellent, it might have been worth it but we were met with such a negative experience we never went back. Osteria La Buca down the street was much, much better. Lucy's was probably a much better experience in the '60s, but today it's been largely recognized for how subpar it is.

The place has been in business, it seems, for a long time, so the quality could very well have gone downhill.

I went to a seafood place when I was 13 and it was one of the best dining experiences I can remember. When I went back for my honeymoon, the food was still good, but the clientele had gone downhill, way downhill and so the ambiance was rather poor. 2 years later, the place caught fire and torn down.

Owners and management change, so it might've been an awesome restaurant back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, but it could be horrible now. I'd still be curious to check it out being that The Great Bird liked going there.

 

[EnriqueH]

My computer is acting up this morning: how do I delete accidental double posts?

 

[Christopher]

^If you hit the edit button on one of your own posts, there's a "Delete" option in the edit window, the third of the four buttons in the lower right. Pressing it gives you a pair of "Deletion Options," and you click the "Delete Message" option, followed by the "Delete this Message" button in the bottom right corner.