Harry and Tonto (1974) - Film Locations

Art Carney was primarily a television star for most of his career, but at the age of fifty-five, Carney would win that award most coveted by film stars, the Oscar. The year was 1974, a year that included stiff competition in the Best Actor category: Albert Finney in Murder on the Orient Express, Dustin Hoffman in Lenny, Jack Nicholson in Chinatown, and Al Pacino in The Godfather, Part II were the other nominees. But Carney, best remembered as Ed Norton on The Honeymooners, would be the victor that year for his endearing performance as the 72 year-old widower Harry Coombs in a little film called Harry and Tonto. Carney was only 55 years-old when he played the part of Harry, but Carney whitened his hair, grew his mustache and used make-up to make himself appear older than he really was. 

In the film, Harry is a retired teacher who has lived in New York his whole life. At the age of 72, the proud New Yorker is evicted from his Upper West Side apartment building to make way for the development of a parking garage. With nowhere else to go, Harry moves in with his son's family on Long Island, but that situation just doesn't work out. Harry doesn't feel like he belongs there so he decides to hit the road with his cat Tonto as his travel companion. Harry and Tonto hitchhike across the country, befriending many interesting characters along the way, and end up in Los Angeles.

When Harry arrives in Los Angeles he is dropped off by bus in the center of Hollywood near the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and McCadden Place, just outside a hotel that used to be the Christie Hotel. Built in 1922, the Christie Hotel was the first luxury hotel in Hollywood. The tall brick building is now owned by the Church of Scientology.

Harry gets dropped off in Hollywood near

6724 Hollywood Boulevard.

Looking towards 6724 Hollywood Boulevard. The

former Christie Hotel is now owned by the Scientology Church.

Harry gets picked up at the bus stop by one of his sons who is living in California. Across the street from the bus stop is the former Pickwick Bookshop located at 6743 Hollywood Boulevard. Pickwick opened in 1938 and was in operation until 1995 when it finally closed due to a lack of shopping in the area.

Harry and his son hugging at the bus stop across from

Pickwick Bookshop on Hollywood Boulevard.

6743 Hollywood Boulevard, the former home of

Pickwick Bookshop.

Another view of Pickwick Books ca. 1955

Photo Credit: Los Angeles Public Library

Looking at what used to be Pickwick Bookshop.

On the other corner of Hollywood Boulevard and opposite Pickwick Bookshop we see what was once a Diamond Jim's Restaurant. That corner is now the home of the lingerie shop Fredrick's of Hollywood.

Behind Harry (Carney) and his son is a Diamond

Jim's Restaurant, 6753 Hollywood Boulevard.

6753 Hollywood Boulevard is now Fredrick's of Hollywood.

Looking east down Hollywood Boulevard from

McCadden Place.

Looking east down Hollywood Boulevard from

McCadden Place.

When Harry and his son leave the bus stop we see them driving down Cahuenga Boulevard where it parallels the 101 freeway. In the shot below we see Cahuenga Blvd East at Lakeridge Place.

Looking down Cahuenga Blvd. East at Lakeridge Pl.

Cahuenga Blvd East at Lakeridge Pl.

Harry traveling past the intersection of 

N. Cahuenga Blvd at Cahuenga Terrace.

N. Cahuenga Blvd at Cahuenga Terrace.

The view of Cahuenga Blvd from near the Barham Boulevard bridge.

Looking down Cahuenga Blvd near Barham Blvd bridge.

Harry spends a lot of time near the end of the film in Santa Monica and Venice. The next comparisons are all from these beach communities.

Harry walks along the path near Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica.

Looking down the railing of the walking path in Santa Monica.

Another view of the walking path near Ocean Ave.

The Santa Monica Pier is in the background.

Looking down the walking path towards the Santa 

Monica Pier.

Harry sits at a bench in Venice across from 

401 Ocean Front Walk.

The benches on Ocean Front Walk in Venice as they

appear today.

Harry stands near 401 Ocean Front Walk, Venice.

Looking at 401 Ocean Front Walk.

The building at 401 Ocean Front Walk also appears in another 1970s film I recently blogged about, The Big Fix, starring Richard Dreyfuss.

Harry spots what he thinks is his cat Tonto.

Looking down Ocean Front Walk in Venice.

Another view of 401 Ocean Front Walk.

Looking towards 401 Ocean Front Walk.

A Tonto look-a-like cat on Ocean Front Walk in Venice.

If those are the same palm trees, look at how much they've grown!

Harry running towards the Pacific Ocean.

Looking towards the ocean from 401 Ocean Front Walk.

The view behind Harry is of Ocean Front Walk in Venice.

The view of Ocean Front Walk in Venice as it appears today.

Most of the same buildings seen in the screenshot can still be spotted.

Harry and Tonto has had a DVD release and is also currently available as a Watch Instantly title from Netflix.

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.

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