Stately Wayne Manor has BURNED DOWN

[CoasterMatt]

This is just sad...

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Stately Wayne Manor is no longer.

A Wednesday night fire gutted a Tudor style mansion that served as the home of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, in the 1960's "Batman" television series, said Lisa Derderian, a spokeswoman for the Pasadena Fire Department. It was being remodeled by the owners, she said.

"It was a fully engulfed inferno, for lack of a better term," Derderian said. TV footage showed flames leaping high into the night sky.

Holy inferno, Batman; where do we park the Batmobile now?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Actually, not to worry. It seems reports that this was the one used for hte TV series aren't true. That one is down the steet. This one was used in "at least one Batman movie", but not he TV series.

link (http://www.nbc4.tv/entertainment/5065025/detail.html)

[Ghoulish Delight]

Uh-oh. Coincidence? (http://abc.net.au/science/news/enviro/EnviroRepublish_1473208.htm) I think not! Better start stocking up on tuna nets lest they expand their reign of terror!

[Motorboat Cruiser]

I've been there and seen both houses (sort of, see below). The one that was misidentified as Wayne Manor has been in a bunch of movies and one of the batman films. It was the home to Rocky Balboa in "Rocky 3". People frequently mistake it for the one from the series, which is down a block or so and not viewable from the street.

Other houses on this particular street include the "Father of the Bride" house (from the remake) and the Governor's Mansion on the 70's series "Benson". Around the corner is the original "Dennis the Menace" house. Lots of filming sites in this area.


As an aside, long before we had annual passes, I used to be very fond of finding filming locations. I suppose it comes from being a history buff. Coming from the east coast where history is everywhere to here left a little to be desired. There is, however, a wonderful film history in this area and it's pretty interesting. One weekend, we set out to find the steps that Laurel and Hardy moved the piano up in the classic film "The Piano". We found it hidden in a little community and it hasn't changed much. We also found the street with the staircase from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and that was nifty as well.

Anyway, it's just another one of those geeky things that I'm into. :)

[Moonliner]

I used to be very fond of finding filming locations.

I've always thought it would be interesting to try Film Archeology. Look for sites where they crashed a car over a cliff and look for broken parts, find a lake where a prop gun was tossed in and scuba for it, etc... I'll bet there are lots of bits and pieces that never get cleaned up after a shoot.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

I've always thought it would be interesting to try Film Archeology. Look for sites where they crashed a car over a cliff and look for broken parts, find a lake where a prop gun was tossed in and scuba for it, etc... I'll bet there are lots of bits and pieces that never get cleaned up after a shoot.

Hard to say. In a lot of scenes like you describe, they will film the close up shots at one of the studio backlots. Still, I would imagine that there is a lot of debris that still lies around some areas where they did location shooting. There is a place near Malibu that they filmed most of the outdoor scenes to "M.A.S.H.". I wonder if there is an I.V. bag or something still lying around somewhere. Likewise, there is a mock western town that was used for Bonanza and Gunsmoke. Must be a spur or bullet or something in the dirt.

Some of the more infamous places have probably been combed over pretty good. I know that the Spahn Ranch where Manson and his friends spent a lot of time used to have a major problem with people wandering the grounds looking for suveniers.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Likewise, there is a mock western town that was used for Bonanza and Gunsmoke. Must be a spur or bullet or something in the dirt. Didn't THAT go up in flames a few years back?

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Hmm, after doing a little research, this (http://www.melodyranchstudio.com/) is the town I was thinking of. There is mention of a fire in the 50's but nothing recently. This is where gunsmoke was filmed. Bonanza however, was filmed near Lake Tahoe. It would appear that it is intact as well.

Having said that, I do remember a story about a fire in the last couple of years. Can't seem to find where it was though.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I know some ranch in the Simi hills where some TV show was filmed burned recently. Hmmm...

[Motorboat Cruiser]

I've been googling for a while and can't find any reference but I know I remember it too. Strange.

[Freaky Tiki]

a part of me has died in the inside

[PanTheMan]

I know some ranch in the Simi hills where some TV show was filmed burned recently. Hmmm...


Did you know part of where they filmed "Little House on the Prarie" in Semi Valley back in the 70's is now a Wal Mart?

Did you also know one of the fires in the Semi Area was caused by the the burning of $250K worth of marajauna that got out of hand? I Guess the cops had to leave the fire unattended, when they suddenly got the munchies for Krispy Kreme.

[Freaky Tiki]

I Guess the cops had to leave the fire unattended, when they suddenly got the munchies for Krispy Kreme.

Oh NO! You totally just went there!

[Kevy Baby]

I know some ranch in the Simi hills where some TV show was filmed burned recently. Hmmm...I've been googling for a while and can't find any reference but I know I remember it too. Strange.
The place you are thinking of was originally known as Corriganville (http://www.surfnetinc.com/chuck/corvlle.htm), and later became Hopetown (when it was purchased by Bob Hope). It experienced a couple of fires over the years, with the latest a few years back which polished off most of what was left.

I remember going there when they used to have motocross races there in the seventies (we lived just over the hill in Chatsworth).

Also, many of the exterior scenes of "The Lone Ranger" and many other Westerns were filmed in Chatsworth. In the hills north of the where the 118 freeway now runs, west of Topanga.

The acreage (and the exterior location sets) where they filmed MASH (near Malibu) actually DID burn in the middle of production of the series's final episode (ever wondered about that disjointed part of that final episode?).

And I can tell you the original "Bad News Bears" was filmed at Mason Park in Chatsworth. I know because A) I played T-Ball there the season before they filmed the movie, and B) I was an extra in it (although I forget which "team" I played for - I think you saw my ankle for about three frames).

"Poltergeist 2" exterior shots of the house were filmed in Chatsworth (just north of Rinaldi, west of DeSoto). The house the family lived in was just a facade (as it was destroyed in the movie), but it was at the end of a row of recently built houses.

And somewhere around 70-80% of ALL porn movies are shot in the San Fernando Valley.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Thanks for all that info, Kevy. Interesting stuff!

[CoasterMatt]

Chatsworth is also the home to the Nuclear Muffin Test Kitchen's primary research facility/donut stash. :D