The Big Fix (1978) - Film Locations Part Two

This is my second entry on the filming locations for the Richard Dreyfuss detective film, The Big Fix (1978). To read part one click here. In this second post we get to see more of downtown Los Angeles as well as a few scenes filmed in Santa Monica, Venice, East Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.

As Dreyfuss continues his investigation, he follows a lead that takes him to a neighborhood just east of downtown Los Angeles in the Boyle Heights area. In the scene below, Dreyfuss parks his Volkswagen on Glenn Avenue with the intersection of South Grande Vista Avenue just behind him.

Dreyfuss parked on Glenn Ave at S. Grande Vista Ave

Looking up Glenn Ave toward S. Grande Vista Ave

In the next comparison, Dreyfuss gets out of his car and we get a view looking east down Glenn Avenue. Other than some new trees, the area looks mostly the same. Many of the apartment buildings seen in the film have murals painted on them and even thirty years later many of the murals are still there.

Dreyfuss looking down Glenn Ave near S. Grande Vista Ave.

Looking down Glenn Ave near S. Grande Vista Ave.

Dreyfuss follows a woman through East Los Angeles who runs into the El Mercado, "the market," located at 3425 East First Street, Los Angeles to try and get away. The El Mercado is a large complex made up of a few restaurants, a bakery, and a swap meet/market area.

El Mercado, 3425 E. 1st Street, Los Angeles

El Mercado as it appears today.

In the next scene Dreyfuss pays a visit to Oscar Procari, Sr. (Fritz Weaver) to see if he can dig up more information for his case. Dreyfuss parks across the street from the parking garage entrance at 524 S. Flower Street in downtown Los Angeles (near the Los Angeles Library). Dreyfuss goes into what looks like in the film to be a private athletic club.

The building Dreyfuss visits next to the parking

garage at 524 S. Flower Street, Los Angeles.

The building on Flower Street as it appears today.

At night, Dreyfuss meets up with John Lithgow at the Triforium sculpture located at Temple Street and Main Street in downtown Los Angeles. The sculpture was unveiled in 1975, just three years prior to this film.

Dreyfuss and Lithgow in front of the Triforium sculpture.

The Triforium sculpture at Temple and Main Streets

as it appears now.

The District Court building and the Los Angeles City Hall building are landmarks that can also be seen at this intersection as seen in the aerial view below.

An aerial view of the Triforium sculpture.

In a scene when Dreyfuss is driving around in his Volkswagen he goes past the Dolores Restaurant that was once located on the northeast corner of Le Doux  Road and Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The building has been razed and replaced by a modern office building which includes a Wells Fargo bank. Does anyone have any memories of eating at this Dolores locations?

Dolores Restaurant at Le Doux Rd and Wilshire Blvd

The corner of Le Doux Rd & Wilshire Blvd now with

an office building where Dolores Restaurant once stood.

Below, Dreyfuss is back in downtown Los Angeles, this time with his kids and they are running up the stairs to the Pico Boulevard entrance of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Dreyfuss on the stairs of the Los Angeles Convention Center

on Pico Boulevard.

Looking down Pico Blvd towards the Harbor Fwy.

The LA Convention Center stairs are on the right.

The Pico Blvd entrance to the LA Convention Center.

The Pico Blvd entrance as it appears today.

The next few scenes all take place in the beach community of Venice. Below, Dreyfuss is running towards his car which is parked across the street from a shop at 1227 Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Dreyfuss running to his car on Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice.

Looking down Abbot Kinney Blvd toward Aragon Court

1227 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, Ca.

The building at 1227 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice

as it appears today.

A gang of men run down Alhambra Court towards

Aragon Court in Venice.

Looking down Alhambra Court towards

Aragon Court in Venice as it looks today.

In the scene below, a squad of police cars race down Wright Street near downtown Los Angeles.

1587 Wright Street, Los Angeles

1587 Wright Street, Los Angeles

Dreyfuss takes his kids with him while he trails a lady through Santa Monica and Venice.

The parking lot at the Santa Monica Pier as seen in the film.

The Santa Monica pier parking lot as it appears today.

Looking at the Santa Monica pier from the parking lot.

A view of the Santa Monica pier as it appears now.

In the next scene, Dreyfuss and his boys follow a woman down the steps alongside the Santa Monica pier. The restaurant in front of them selling hot dogs is now the Carousel Cafe located at 1601 Ocean Front Walk.

Dreyfuss and boys heading towards 1601 Ocean Front Walk.

1601 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, Ca

Dreyfuss and his boys continue down Ocean Front Walk from Santa Monica and take it all the way down to next door Venice, ending at the Israel Levin Senior Adult Center at 201 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, Ca. The Israel Levin Senior Adult Center is still there on Ocean Front Walk, but the building has had a dramatic makeover. The windows have been covered, the front entrance has changed, and the whole building is now covered in a giant mural.

Israel Levin Senior Adult Center as seen in the film.

201 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, Ca

The Senior Center as it appears today.

The next comparisons are just a couple blocks down Ocean Front Walk from the Senior Center in Venice. What was the Land's End Restaurant in the film is now the Candle Cafe & Grill located at 325 Ocean Front Walk.

Dreyfuss standing at 401 Ocean Front Walk, Venice.

Looking at 401 Ocean Front Walk as it appears today.

Dreyfuss and boys at the Land's End Restaurant.

The Land's End Restaurant is now the

Candle Cafe & Grill.

The end of the film all takes place back in downtown Los Angeles near the Convention Center. This area has been completely redeveloped since the time of the film. Many of the buildings have been razed to make room for an expansion of the Convention Center and other new buildings. Dreyfuss is driving down the 110 Freeway and he spots the man he is looking for on the rooftop of a building near the Convention Center building.

Dreyfuss drives on the freeway near the LA Convention Center.

An aerial view of the freeway and Convention Center.

Dreyfuss finds his suspect on the rooftop. The tall building in the background is the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall located at 1816 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles.

Bob Hope Patriotic Hall can bee seen in background.

Aerial view of the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall at

1816 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles

To read part one of The Big Fix (1978) film locations click here.

Your thoughts?

On Vacation: The North Woods Part One

Entrance to the Little Bohemia Lodge

Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin

Following in the footsteps of many classic Hollywood stars including Bing Crosby, actresses Janet Gaynor, Joan Crawford and Elizabeth Taylor, my wife and I took a vacation to the North Woods of Wisconsin. Although, it wasn't the Hollywood connections that attracted us to the area, but the same things that have attracted so many people to the area: the fresh aroma of pine trees, crystal clear lakes, fishing, boating, wildlife and a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

As a kid, I looked forward to vacationing in the North Woods every summer. I had not visited in over 15 years and had longed to go back, as well as show my wife, a born and raised Los Angeles city girl, what life in the woods is like. The moment we arrived in northern Wisconsin we were greeted by the familiar scent of pine. We saw bald eagles, loons (a common bird in the area), turtles, fish, otters, plenty of deer, woodpeckers, and numerous other wild critters. It was a landscape far different from the cityscape we left behind in LA. We were in the middle of the woods, far from most everything but nature. It's no wonder why so many of the big Chicago gangsters of the 1930s and 1940s also came to the North Woods of Wisconsin to get lost. 

Little Bohemia Lodge, Site of the John Dillinger Shootout

Yes, that's right, gangsters. During the 1930s and 1940s, whenever things got heated in Chicago, many of the gangsters would flee to the North Woods to hide out from the law. Many gangsters had cabins in the area or stayed at one of the small lodges in the woods. Sometimes the gangsters weren't hiding out. They were just looking for a relaxing vacation. Even gangsters need a little R&R.

One of the most famous incidents involving gangsters in the North Woods is the shoot-out between the FBI and John Dillinger and his gang. If you've seen the film Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, you know the shoot-out I'm talking about. Both the actual shoot-out and the scene in the film took place at the Little Bohemia Lodge, located on Little Star Lake in Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin. All the pictures in this first part of my trip report are of the Little Bohemia Lodge.

The balcony where Dillinger and gang escaped FBI.

In April of 1934, John Dillinger, a.k.a. public enemy number one, arrived in Manitowish Waters, along with his gang, to spend the weekend. The gang included Lester Gillis ("Baby Face Nelson"), Tommy Carrol, Homer Van Meter, and Pat Reilly. They were also accompanied by five women.

Dillinger and his gang were on the lam after a killing and robbery spree that took them across the Midwest. The FBI, headed by J. Edgar Hoover, were ready to do anything to catch Dillinger who had embarrassed the department when he was able to escape capture once before. On Sunday, April 22, 1934 the FBI received a tip that Dillinger and his gang were staying in Manitowish Waters at the Little Bohemia resort. Hoover gave orders for FBI agents in St. Paul and Chicago to head up to Manitowish Waters immediately.

The FBI's surprise attack on Dillinger and his men was a disaster. FBI men surrounded the lodge and when three innocent bar patrons left the lodge, the FBI opened fire on their car, killing one of the patrons immediately. Dillinger and his gang heard the gunfire and started their escape out a rear window and headed towards the shore of Little Star Lake. Baby Face Nelson, who was in another cabin, took off toward Highway 51, where he came across more agents in a car. Nelson opened fire on the agents, killing one and then taking their car to escape. The FBI continued firing bullets and tear gas at the lodge, but when they entered, only the five women who were left behind were found. Dillinger was ultimately gunned down three months later when he was leaving the Biograph Theatre in Chicago.

Bullet holes in the 2nd floor balcony.

In the above photo you can see the balcony where Dillinger and his men escaped. The bullet holes in this balcony were recreated for the filming of Public Enemies, but you can see real bullet holes from the actual shoot-out in other areas of the lodge. Further below are some photographs of the actual bullet holes.

Actual WANTED ad for John Dillinger.

Items left behind by Dillinger and gang.

Original newspapers headlining Dillinger's escape from the FBI.

The main bar at the Little Bohemia lodge.

Looking into the bar.

The suitcase Dillinger used to carry their stolen money.

Items left behind by Dillinger's gang.

A photo of Johnny Depp dressed as Dillinger with 

the current owners of the Little Bohemia lodge.

The sign above the lodge restaurant.

Real bullet holes in the window.

Bullet holes.

Dining room with bullet holes everywhere.

Real Bullet Holes.

Clothes left behind by Dillinger.

More clothes left behind by Dillinger and gang.

The room where Dillinger and gang stayed.

Another view of the room where Dillinger stayed.

The bathroom next to Dillinger's room.

The Little Bohemia Lodge Restaurant.

My wife and I, along with my parents, had a late breakfast in the restaurant at the Little Bohemia lodge. The portions were quite large and everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered. I was more hungry for lunch, so I ordered the "Dillinger Dip," Little Bohemia's take on a French dip sandwich.

If you stop by to visit Little Bohemia, which I definitely recommend, it is worth eating in the restaurant. Our friendly server, Vince, was also full of knowledge regarding the filming of Public Enemies. My favorite story was regarding all the pine needles on the ground. Before the filming started, Vince was raking the grounds around the Little Bohemia lodge, clearing the area of all the fallen pine needles and pine cones. This is before he knew they would be using the lodge for the film. By the time Vince finished raking the grounds he found out that the film crew was shipping in $5,000 worth of pine needles from New Hampshire!

Looking at the lodge from the lake side.

The back side of Little Bohemia lodge.

Little Star Lake behind the Little Bohemia Lodge

Above is Little Star Lake, right behind the Little Bohemia lodge. It is along the shore of this lake that Dillinger and his gang made their escape. During the filming of Public Enemies, our server Vince and his friends were able to watch the filming take place from their boat on the lake. 

It was also nice to hear everyone speak kindly of Johnny Depp. People said he was a nice guy and that he took time to pose for photographs.

If you ever make it to the North Woods of Wisconsin, the Little Bohemia lodge is certainly worth a stop. Later I'll post some more of my North Woods trip.