Careful with that bazooka, Marshal Dillon! (Movie history of Lake Los Angeles, Part 2)

"Kill Bill": Deadly Vipers observe festivities inside the Two Pines Wedding Chapel

When we wrapped up Part 1 of our in-depth look at Lake Los Angeles movie history, we were about to delve into the story behind the "Kill Bill Church." (Please click here to see Part 1.)

 

"Kill Bill": Does anybody here object to the wedding? Absolutely!

Located in Hi Vista on the northern outskirts of Lake Los Angeles, this small church — or what looks like a church — is the most famous movie location in the Greater Lake Los Angeles area.

 

Sanctuary Adventist Church, 2015 (Jerry Condit photo)

In recent years it became known as the Sanctuary Adventist Church, but it does not appear to be currently operating as a church. The building's ownership has changed hands a few times over the years, and I get the impression the church part of the operation may have slipped through the cracks.

 

Film here, but you'll want to move the truck

The building is still available for filming. When I was out there earlier this month the "film here" signs were out in force. These signs are a common sight now in the Mojave Desert, especially around Lake Los Angeles.

 

The Adventist Church with its sign displayed in 2015

Did you notice the sign for Sanctuary Adventist Church in Jerry Condit's 2015 photo?

 

Sign now stashed behind an old bench — or is it a church pew?

Today that same church sign is stashed behind an old bench that has been sitting out on the building's front deck for years. Meanwhile there they are again: at least three "film here" signs, prominently displayed.

 

Hi Vista, Calif. — location of the "Kill Bill Church"

Located on East Avenue G at 198th Street East, about 10 miles from downtown Lake Los Angeles, the "Kill Bill Church" has a storied past that even some of the most rabid "Kill Bill" enthusiasts don't know about.

 

Hi Vista Community Hall (ca. 1960s): The building that would later become the "Kill Bill Church"

The building used to be the community center for the town of Hi Vista. There's scarcely a town out there today, so it's unexpected that they would have ever needed a community center. But they definitely had one.

 

"True Confessions" (1981): A new look for Hi Vista's community hall

The structure's present-day appearance can be traced back to the Robert De Niro-Robert Duvall movie "True Confessions." The old community hall received a new bell tower, new facade treatment and other modifications to give it the look of a Spanish-style Catholic iglesia in the film.

 

De Niro and Duvall inside the future Kill Bill Church in "True Confessions"

In what may be the building's first movie appearance, "True Confessions" showcased both the interior and the exterior of what was now a "church." A movie church, anyway.

 

The movie demonstrates that this building works as a church

In the real world the building had yet to be transformed into a church at the time "True Confessions" came along. The interiors we see in the movie, well sometimes those Hollywood set dressers just outdo themselves.

 

Duvall and De Niro emote against the backdrop of Hi Vista

Since these interior scenes were filmed inside the actual building and not on a soundstage, the scenery outside the windows and front entrance is Hi Vista in all its glory.

 

"True Confessions": A poignant stroll in Hi Vista

When De Niro and Duvall wander outside to visit the church cemetery, we get a good look at the east side of the community hall/church building, where the set design continues the iglesia theme.

 

Across East Avenue G, another building of interest

We also get a partial glimpse of a building across the street, which remains in place today and is another filming location. We'll take a closer look at this building in a moment.

 

"Road to Nowhere" (Talking Heads music video, 1985)

Following the "True Confessions" shoot the Hi Vista Community Hall retained its new "churchy" look out front, even after it lost the cross and bell. It went back to being a community hall, and also continued to be used for filming — including this appearance four years later in the music video for the Talking Heads song "Road to Nowhere."

 

The original banner: They don't make 'em like that anymore

I don't know why I find this amusing, but it also appears that they dragged out the exact same banner they were using back in the 1960s. I mean, that is the same banner — the closer you look, the more the same it is.

 

David Byrne of Talking Heads (L) has an imaginary meeting with the community center guy

David Byrne may have been quietly cursing everyone involved with "True Confessions" after he drove all the way out to the desert only to find the "community center" he'd heard so much about now looked like a Catholic iglesia on the outside. I mean, that's just one possibility.

 

"Road to Nowhere": The community hall as a community hall

The music video focuses mainly on the building's interior, and we can see that the pews from "True Confessions" have been removed, along with any other items suggesting a church on the inside.

 

Talking Heads video: Is it art imitating life, life imitating art, or ... "Let's just see what happens"?

The interior of the building looks just about exactly like a small town community center. The sequence "feels" like the video director just filmed a community event already in progress, perhaps the desired effect.

 

The "Road to Nowhere" choir (Hi Vista Community Hall, 1985)

Intended or not, it's appropriately "on the nose" that a group of either local residents, music video extras or Talking Heads family members would convene in the Hi Vista Community Hall to lip-sync about a "road to nowhere."

 

OK, so it's not all Hi Vista locals

It eventually occurred to me that's David Byrne in the back (circled in yellow), and the other band members are also planted here and there in the choir.

 

"Road to Nowhere" (1985): Leaving Hi Vista, headed east

The next shot in the video is just a kid in a swimsuit walking down a desert road, which is not only, once again, "on the nose," but also location verite. The shot is taken looking east along Avenue G, with the kid walking away from the real-world location of the Hi Vista Community Hall.

 

The same road to nowhere in July 2022: Avenue G through Hi Vista

I took my own shot when I was out that way earlier this month, confirming that Avenue G running through the heart of Hi Vista, Calif., is indeed the iconic "road to nowhere."

 

"Road to Nowhere" — click to watch the video

It's a cool video — and you can check it out on YouTube by clicking on the image above. I'll give you a Heads-up, though: All the good Lake Los Angeles and Hi Vista footage is in the first 40 seconds. Yes I said "Heads"-up.

 

"Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" (2011)

The Hi Vista Community Hall wound up in a few other productions over the years, but the defining event in its career as a filming location — so far — has been its role as the Two Pines Wedding Chapel in the "Kill Bill" movies.

 

A high point for Hi Vista

The building even turns up in the poster for "Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair," Quentin Tarantino's four-hour-plus director's cut combining the two volumes.

 

Posters for the first two "Kill Bill" movies, starring Uma Thurman (2003 and 2004)

"Kill Bill Volume 1" and "Kill Bill Volume 2" were filmed more or less simultaneously, from 2002-2003. What was essentially a four-hour movie was then split into two movies, which were released separately in 2003 and 2004.

 

"Kill Bill": There will be blood in the Two Pines Wedding Chapel

Like "True Confessions" and the "Road to Nowhere" video, "Kill Bill" shot both the interior and the exterior of the Hi Vista Community Hall, where a notorious wedding massacre would take place.

 

"Kill Bill": Massacre at the community hall

If you're familiar with the "Kill Bill" movies, you won't be surprised to see that the interior of the Hi Vista Community Hall becomes the setting for a bloodbath.

 

Interior of the Hi Vista Community Hall (Peter Paulsen photo)

This is what the same space looked like more recently — after the dead bodies and most of the fancy wedding chapel stuff had been cleared out. You can match up things like the ceiling beams if you're so inclined.

 

Terrific Hi Vista-themed folding chairs

What really caught my eye — keeping in mind that I'm not exactly normal — is the "Hi Vista"-branded metal chairs. I'd love to rent some of these for my next watch party.

 

Hi Vista Improvement Association?

I love that the good citizens of Hi Vista may have seen fit to create an "improvement association" — especially when their town is already as amazing as it is. The thought that they may have then stenciled it on their folding chairs is just the icing on the cake — or maybe I should say the Liquid Paper on the cake.

 

"Kill Bill": The community hall decked out as the Two Pines Wedding Chapel

This is what the building's exterior looks like in "Kill Bill" — essentially what it still looks like today, other than having a better paint job back then. This shot would have been taken during filming in 2002 or 2003.

 

The same building in 2015 — the Sanctuary Church period

Here's Jerry Condit's 2015 photo again for comparison. As I mentioned, the paint job on the old building isn't so good these days. You might also notice that the Joshua tree out front has gotten a lot bigger.

 

The community hall in July 2022: Still a church ... or just a filming location?

It's now seven years later, and the paint job has only gotten worse. Also, besides the "film here" signs all over the place, it has that dorky truck parked out front, blocking the view of the building.

 

The front deck: A gift from "Kill Bill" to the building's owners

Check out the front deck area, which was added around the time of the "Kill Bill" shoot. After "Kill Bill" the owners of the building kept the deck in place.

 

"Inferno," 1999: The community hall, still without a front deck

We can be pretty sure the deck was built specifically for "Kill Bill," since it didn't exist yet just a few years earlier when Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Inferno" filmed in Hi Vista.

 

"Kill Bill": Looking south from inside the chapel

When "Kill Bill" was on site, the production made good use of the deck — another reason to believe it was built for "Kill Bill." Here's an unusual shot taken from the interior of the wedding chapel looking out toward the front deck.

 

A Lake Los Angeles landmark makes an appearance

Juxtaposing the interior and exterior of the building, along with "Kill Bill" stars David Carradine and Uma Thurman, the shot also captures the Lake Los Angeles landmark Saddleback Butte to the south.

 

"The Oath" ("Bonanza" episode, 1966): Little Joe KO'd in Lake Los Angeles

We usually see Saddleback Butte from the other side, like in Lake Los Angeles Part 1, when we spotted it in a "Bonanza" episode where Little Joe was splayed out near the relay station.

 

Lake Los Angeles, Hi Vista and Saddleback Butte, all lined up

We previously noted the relationship of Hi Vista and the Kill Bill Church to downtown Lake Los Angeles. Now we can add that Saddleback Butte is positioned exactly halfway between the two sites.

 

Is it just me?

Funny, I can't look at this aerial shot of Saddleback Butte without seeing a scorpion. Maybe it's just me.

 

"Wagon Train" (1960): Saddleback Butte, as seen from Lake Los Angeles

Here's a nice shot of Saddleback Butte from the "Wagon Train" episode "The Clayton Tucker Story," with the butte filmed from the south, as usual. We still haven't seen the last of Saddleback.

 

"Kill Bill": Arriving at the chapel with a dashboard full of shades

Looking west down Avenue G, this shot from "Kill Bill" adds some perspective to the Hi Vista location shoot. You may recognize the community hall/wedding chapel on the right.

 

Arriving in Hi Vista in 2015 — the place hasn't changed much (Jerry Condit photo)

Jerry captured a similar angle on his expedition to Hi Vista in 2015. Here we see not only the Sanctuary Church on the right, along the north side of Avenue G, but also some of the old buildings across the street, on the left.

 

"True Confessions": The building catty-corner from the church

Remember that building across the street from the Kill Bill Church that we first noticed in "True Confessions"? It turns out it's the centerpiece of a present-day movie set — and one of the buildings in Jerry's 2015 photo.

 

The building from "True Confessions" — and other movies (2015)

This is the same building seen in "True Confessions," although it has received more than its share of abuse since then, including a series of movie-related "renovations."

 

"True Confessions": Better days for the grocery store across the street

One of the best views of the building when it was still in decent shape is also in "True Confessions," when Duvall first arrives at the church. Across the street, the structure appears as a small grocery store. I'm told that at one time the building was an actual grocery store, so it's possible what we see here is its true identity.

 

Obligatory "Old dude from the Valley" comment

By the way, Duvall's 1959 Plymouth Fury in "True Confessions" is NICE! I'll try to make sure we see a little more of it driving around the desert.

 

"Gordon's Body Shop" (drone shot by Michael Montague, 2019)

Today the former grocery store is the centerpiece of a group of deteriorating old structures known as the "Gordon's Body Shop Movie Set." The main building, which according to local legend may have also been a gas station at one time, is situated on the southwest corner of Avenue G and 198th Street, catty-corner from the Kill Bill Church.

 

Ghost town ... or movie set? Maybe a little of both

The Gordon's "movie set" is a quintessential desert survival story: A bunch of old buildings outlive their original purpose and then, rather than face the wrecking ball or admit that they're now nothing more than a ghost town — because where's the profit in that? — they get a second chance working part time in showbiz.

 

"Inferno" (1999): Van Damme prepares to hand out a beatdown

The grocery store building resurfaces as Eli's Emporium in "Inferno," where Hi Vista plays the town of ... (wait for it) ... Inferno! Eli's is sort of a headquarters for a gang of thugs, so you have to peer around a series of knife fights, shootings, beatdowns and flying kicks to actually see the building.

 

"Inferno": The body shop provides the backdrop for a martial arts clinic

Here's a wider shot of Gordon's Body Shop as Eli's Emporium, although even an airborne Van Damme tends to block the view of the building.

 

The same building in 2012, beat to heck but ready for its closeup (Google Maps)

Whatever it once was, clearly it was once something. As of 2012, a "film here" sign was visible on the front of the building, along with a phone number to call for filming inquiries.

 

Gordon's Body Shop (Angela Witzke photo, ca. 2016)

By 2016 the "Body Shop" signage could be seen on the front of the building. My hunch is the sign was added for filming, rather than for an actual body shop, since the sign wasn't there in 2012 and it doesn't look like the shop did any business in the meantime.

 

Gordon's Body Shop in July 2022: Still branded as a body shop

I noticed on a recent stop in Hi Vista that the "Body Shop" sign can still be seen on the front of the building, along with one of the ubiquitous "film here" signs.

 

Whatever you do, don't ask if this is 19756

Also on prominent display is a large and informative sign probably put up by someone who's tired of having to give directions to the trailer out back.

 

The "Gordon's" sign — you may have to squint to see it

It doesn't jump right out, but the sign on the front of the building does say "Gordon's" Body Shop. If you happen to know of a production that featured the movie version of Gordon's Body Shop please let us know, either by commenting below or by sending me an email. (iversonfilmranch@aol.com)

 

"Kill Bill" — another view to the east

Back across the street on the "Kill Bill" front deck, there's more movie history to be found in either direction along Avenue G. Looking east in this shot of Carradine on the deck, notice the hill in the distance.

 

"Road to Nowhere" video (1985) — looking east down Avenue G

It's the same hill that looms in the background in the Talking Heads video, all the way down at the end of the "road to nowhere."

 

Van Damme, living the "Road to Nowhere" dream in "Inferno"

We get a similar shot in "Inferno," only Jean-Claude Van Damme is walking in the other direction down Avenue G — headed for the town of Inferno and a whole movie's worth of trouble. Thanks to the use of a telephoto lens, that hill in the background looks a lot larger here than in the "Road to Nowhere" video.

 

"Kill Bill": Looking west down Avenue G; Uma Thurman as "The Bride"

Shots of Uma Thurman during the front deck scene are taken in the opposite direction, with the camera shooting west down Avenue G.

 

A small building that settled for bit parts

It appears that the small building on the left was part of the "Gordon's Body Shop" compound and occasionally worked its way into productions — at least in the background.

 

"Inferno" (1999): Another movie appearance for the small building

The small building did wind up in "Inferno" — but like most of the shots of Hi Vista in that movie, we again have to look for it around the edges of a martial arts workout.

 

The "Gordon's Body Shop" compound, 2019 — including the building from the Uma shot

Michael Montague's drone's-eye view of the "Gordon's Body Shop" area reveals that the small building remained standing as of 2019, a short distance west of Gordon's.

 

Landmarks to the south of Hi Vista

As long as we're hovering above the compound, I'll point out a couple of distant landmarks. The drone shot is taken looking southwest, and both Saddleback Butte and the San Gabriels can be seen to the south.

 

The small building in 2012 — no "film here" signs

One thing I noticed about the small building is that it didn't have the "film here" signs that can be seen all over Hi Vista — at least not in 2012.

 

The small building in 2012 — still waiting for its big break

Even so, I have a feeling that if someone had wanted to film the building at the time, it could have been arranged.

 

What's left of the small building, as of July 2022

But not anymore. Like a number of structures in and around the Gordon's Movie Set area, the small building was recently demolished. This is all that was left of it when I stopped off in Hi Vista earlier this month.

 

"Inferno": Another Hi Vista building turns up in the background

In the same "Inferno" shot where the small building turns up on the left, another Hi Vista building, a house, makes an appearance toward the right of the screen.

 

"True Confessions" (1981): Duvall passes a green house as he drives toward the church

The same house surfaced almost two decades earlier in the opening sequence of "True Confessions." As Robert Duvall drives east down Avenue G in his Plymouth Fury, he passes a green house on the north side of the road.

 

"Kill Bill": Where the house would have been if it were still standing

The house was gone by the time of the "Kill Bill" shoot, but even so, shots of Uma Thurman in front of the church echo the opening sequence in "True Confessions."

 

Zooming in on the house and the old van — pea-soup green?

I have to wonder whether it's more than a coincidence that both the house and the van seen in "True Confessions" are painted something close to the pea-soup green we kept finding in Lake Los Angeles Part 1.

 

Club Ed in 2016: A pea-soup-green paint scheme that keeps coming up

Any connection to Club Ed or the Four Aces diner would be a stretch, since those sets didn't exist yet in 1980. But apparently someone who lives in the area really likes that color.

 

What remains of the green house

That pea-soup green house is gone now. This is what was left of it as of a few years ago: a crumbling foundation and an unusually tall tree stump.

 

"Inferno" (1999): Jean-Claude Van Damme and the green house

The green house would have been demolished between 1999 and 2002, based on the fact that it was still there when "Inferno" filmed on Avenue G but it was gone by the time "Kill Bill" filmed just a few years later.

 

Hi Vista holdouts?

The group of small structures outlined here in yellow, above Uma's left shoulder, would have previously been hidden behind the green house. This is apparently a small residential area, and it's still there.

 

The same residential area in July 2022

I didn't get particularly good shots of this residential area when I was in Hi Vista earlier this month, but this is more or less what it looks like today.

 

The "tall tree stump": A reminder of the green house that no longer exists

The "unusually tall tree stump" I mentioned in connection with the ruins of the green house is still there too, still standing guard over the ruins.

 

The mailboxes of Hi Vista in 1980

One of the minor background features in the "True Confessions" sequence is this group of mailboxes.

 

Hi Vista's mailboxes in 1999: United they stand

The mailboxes pop up again almost 20 years later in "Inferno," and they've evolved. Each mailbox appeared to have its own stand in 1980, but they now share a common wooden stand.

 

The same mailboxes in the early 2000s

The same mailboxes can be seen in the Uma shot, and we can assume that they continue to evolve.

 

The mailboxes continue to hold their ground in July 2022

As of July 2022, the mailboxes remain in place near the corner of Avenue G and 198th Street, and it appears they still share that wooden stand we first noticed in "Inferno."

 

"Kill Bill": A Hi Vista telephone pole showcase

When Uma is filmed in a slightly different position, other background features come into view — including the row of telephone poles along Avenue G.

 

Familiar Rings

The telephone pole at the corner of 198th Street has four metal rings near its base, and the next one to the west has three rings, although you may have to click on the photo to see them.

 

"True Confessions": Telephone poles tell no tales — or do they?

The configuration of the rings was the same two decades earlier, as seen in "True Confessions." It's a minor detail, but I was able to use it to help track the positions of some of the nearby structures.

 

"Inferno": Corner of Avenue G and 198th

The four rings were also visible in 1999 in "Inferno," adorning the telephone pole adjacent to the mailboxes and nearest the corner of Avenue G and 198th Street.

 

As of July 2022, the telephone pole is starting to shed its rings

By the time of my latest visit to Hi Vista, the number of rings on that particular pole had dipped slightly, to what I would call about three and a half.

 

"Kill Bill": Attention to detail on the deck of the wedding chapel

Back on the front deck of the "Kill Bill Church," I want to point out this closeup of Uma. Besides being a nice shot of the actress, it features one of the deck's support posts in great detail, full of nooks and crannies. Since the deck was brand new, it would have had to be purposefully "distressed" to get this look.

 

"Kill Bill": Another piece of the Hi Vista movie puzzle

We still have at least one more mystery building to figure out — did you happen to notice it in this "Kill Bill" shot? It's another movie building, and I was able to piece together some of its filming history.

 

Location of the mystery building, corner of 200th Street and Avenue G

The mystery building was situated on the southwest corner of Avenue G and 200th Street, where it was oriented at a 45-degree angle, with the length of the building running northwest to southeast.

 

Southwest corner of 200th Street and Avenue G in July 2022

If you were to visit that site today, as I did earlier this month, all you would find is this vacant lot — no sign of a building, and not even the foundation of a building.

 

"Inferno": The Hi Vista Diner in 1999

That's because the "mystery building" was not a real building. It was another movie set — the Hi Vista Diner, one of Hi Vista's most elusive sets.

 

"Inferno" (1999): Jean-Claude demonstrates a flying kick outside the Hi Vista Diner

The Hi Vista Diner is a key location in "Inferno," which contains some of the best — and probably rarest — movie shots of the diner. It's a good bet that the diner was built for "Inferno," although its origin story is unknown.

 

"Inferno": The Hi Vista Diner and the Kill Bill Church

One minor issue is that when we see the diner in "Inferno," it's directly across the street from the future Kill Bill Church, and not down at the corner of 200th Street, about a block away, where we see it in "Kill Bill."

 

Downtown Hi Vista: Avenue G and 198th Street, in "Inferno"

But it's not really an issue, because sets get moved around all the time. Sometime after filming was completed on "Inferno," and before filming took place on "Kill Bill," the diner was moved a short distance east to 200th Street.

 

Hi Vista Diner and Gordon's Body Shop, seen from atop the Kill Bill Church

The diner's location near both the Gordon's Body Shop building and the future Kill Bill Church is integral to the story in "Inferno." It makes sense that the diner would have started out in that location, but it also makes sense to later remove it from that spot to facilitate filming of the other sets.

 

A peek behind the scenes at just how sturdy that new wooden cross might be

There's a lot to like in this overview shot from "Inferno," including what appears to me to be a look at how the flimsy wooden cross was added to the top of the future Kill Bill Church for the movie.

 

Looking southwest from the bell tower: a sprawling movie set

Just about all of the buildings of the "Gordon's Body Shop Movie Set" saw action in "Inferno," but most of these buildings no longer exist.

 

Saddleback Butte, to the southwest of Hi Vista

I imagine many readers are familiar with Saddleback Butte by now and are tired of my pointing it out — but just in case we have a few stragglers, there it is again.

 

"Inferno": Jean-Claude Van Damme delivers a high kick in Hi Vista

We saw this same angle from "Inferno" a while back, but let's take a closer look at what's going on over at the Hi Vista Community Hall.

 

Pat Morita rings the bell, distracting the bad guy

Not only does the building have a new bell and flimsy wooden cross, presumably both installed specially for "Inferno," but it also has Pat Morita — the wise Mr. Miyagi from "Karate Kid" — ringing the bell to help the hero.

 

"Inferno": Pat Morita up top, along with the community hall's new cross and bell

There's Morita again, on the roof of the community center, where he's found almost a perfect sniper's post. We also get a better look at the building's temporary bell and flimsy new cross, which is too small for that building.

 

The old sign for the diner (photo by Troy Paiva, 2007)

The Hi Vista Diner existed for only a few years, approximately from 1999-2007. A number of variations on its name can be found, including High Vista Diner, Hi-Vista Diner and High Vista Cafe.

 

A crumbling Hi Vista Diner in 2007 (Troy Paiva photo)

Lucky for us, photographer Troy Paiva came across the Hi Vista Diner in 2007 and posted some incredible night shots of it. His photos were taken when the diner was at its second location, at Avenue G and 200th Street.

 

A different name for the diner on either side of the sign (Troy Paiva photo)

Paiva noticed that the sign read "High Vista Diner" on one side and "High Vista Cafe" on the other. This discovery reinforces what we already knew about the building — that it was always a movie set and never a real diner.

 

Night shot of the cafe (Troy Paiva photo)

The two-sided sign was presumably just a way to make the building that much more versatile as a movie set. The timing of Paiva's visit was especially fortunate since the building would be demolished less than a year later.

 

"Inferno": A small crowd gathers to watch Van Damme beat up a guy

In a sequence from "Inferno" that we examined above, some of the movie's characters are standing just outside the doorway of the diner watching Van Damme deliver a flying kick to a hapless thug.

 

The ice machine is cool, too, but get a load of that round portal

When the camera zooms in on the spectators, we catch a glimpse of a unique feature of the Hi Vista Diner: the round window, or "portal," at the left of the frame.

 

Inside the Hi Vista Diner, 2007 (Troy Paiva photo)

When Paiva photographed the building in 2007, he captured this interior shot of the "portal." Paiva's photos of the Hi Vista Diner can be found on Flickr as part of his excellent Antelope Valley album.

 

"Kill Bill": Carradine and Thurman hash things out on the deck of the wedding chapel

We still haven't exhausted the location details we can learn from "Kill Bill" shots taken on the wedding chapel's front deck — but we're getting close.

 

"Kill Bill": The view looking south across Avenue G from the chapel

One feature across the street may be hard to recognize at first, but it doesn't quite match the rest of the landscape.

 

What the heck is that thing — and is it still there?

If I had to guess, I'd say it looks like an old chimney — and sure enough, that's what it turns out to be.

 

"Inferno": The diner in its original spot, immediately west of the chimney

The same chimney appears in some of the "Inferno" shots, and it locks in the position of the Hi Vista Diner when it was still in its original location.

 

The chimney and the diner are close neighbors

The chimney turns up during the beatdown sequence where folks are gathered at the ice machine, and we can see that it's super-close to where the diner was located.

 

One of the better looks at the chimney in "Inferno"

The chimney is all that remains of what presumably was once an actual building — possibly a commercial building, given its location near the old grocery store and across the street from the community hall.

 

The old chimney in July 2022

I confirmed that the chimney is still standing when I visited Hi Vista earlier this month.

 

The chimney and Gordon's Body Shop: Original location of the Hi Vista Diner

In a wider shot, taken looking west, we get a sense of the proximity of the chimney to Gordon's Body Shop, on the right. The Hi Vista Diner was originally situated between these two structures.

 

The view to the east: The chimney and a nearby rock formation

Here we're looking at the chimney from the opposite side, with the hills to the east visible in the distance and a small rock formation toward the right of the frame.

 

Hi Vista's "Elephant Rock"

While I was in Hi Vista a local resident pointed out to me that he thought the rock formation near the old chimney looks like an elephant — and I agree.

 

"True Confessions" (1981): Duvall in Hi Vista with his '59 Fury

We'll be moving on now from Hi Vista, but I mentioned that I'd try to work in a little more of Robert Duvall's choice 1959 Plymouth Fury. Here it comes, from the opening sequence in "True Confessions."

 

Duvall at the wheel of the Fury, navigating the Mojave Desert

Duvall is deep in thought as he's driving through the desert to meet his brother, played by Robert De Niro. We see Joshua trees whizzing past the window, a sure sign he's in the Mojave Desert.

 

"True Confessions": 1959 Fury vs. Mojave Desert

The Fury is seen barreling down a desert road, giving us a chance to try to figure out where it is. Thanks to the distinctive rocky buttes all over that area, it's relatively easy.

 

Key features seen in the movie

The San Gabriels let us know the shot is taken looking south, but the key to this location is identifying Alpine Butte. Once we have the butte nailed down, we can figure out that the Fury is headed north on 140th Street, on the northwestern outskirts of Lake Los Angeles.

 

The same location in 2012 (Google Maps)

One of the coolest things about the "True Confessions" shot is that Duvall is actually headed to Hi Vista. In the real world he's about eight minutes away, and just has to hang a right on Avenue G.

 

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I've been teasing here and there about Marshal Dillon showing up in Lake Los Angeles with a bazooka, and it really did happen — that is, if you consider Matt Dillon and James Arness to be the same person, like pretty much everyone in the world does.

 

"Them!" (1954): James Arness draws bazooka duty

That's Marshal Dillon there on the left — OK, James Arness — doing his best to aid in the blowing up of giant ants in the sci-fi classic "Them!" I hope the other guy let him fire off a few rounds.

 

James Arness, as FBI agent Robert Graham, admires what he hopes is a blank

It looks like Agent Bob is relegated to "helper" status on this project. But look how impressed he is with that whopper he just pulled out of the carefully labeled "loaded projectiles" box.

 

Zooming in for a fact check

I didn't make that part up. It clearly says "loaded projectiles" right there.

 

Brian Duffy in "Palm Springs" (2020): Are bazookas in Lake Los Angeles a "thing"?

"Them!" wasn't the only movie to bring a bazooka to Lake Los Angeles. Just a stone's throw from where "Them!" filmed, the comedy "Palm Springs" explored a similar theme more than 65 years later. I can't help wondering whether they got the idea from the giant ant movie.

 

Sizing up the enormous ant hole in "Them!"

The target of all the bazooka activity in "Them!" is this giant ant hole. Sean McClory plays Major Kibbee, whose unpleasant job it is to peek down into the hole, apparently to determine whether it's worth blowing up.

 

"Them!": A distinctive ridgeline helps narrow down the ant hole location

The best thing about this shot is that it shows the location of the giant ant hole, along with a few landmarks. The shoot took place in Lake Los Angeles, even though in the movie it was supposed to be the New Mexico desert.

 

The same markers in the ridgeline in 2022 (Lovejoy Buttes)

I found my way to the former ant hole location in June 2022, and those same background rocks were still there, marking the area where the ant hole action was filmed.

 

The tree that once stood guard over the ant hole is gone now

I wish I could tell you that Joshua tree is still there, but sadly, its former home is now merely a place where a tree once stood. Joshua trees commonly live about 150 years, but I fear the desert has long since swallowed up the remains of this one.

 

"Them!": Key rock clumps in the vicinity of the ant hole

Fortunately, we still have more durable landmarks out that way — the rocks.

 

The same clumps in 2022

This shot is taken at something close to the same angle used in "Them!" The two rock clumps highlighted in the movie shot are still there today, about where they should be.

 

The giant ant hole smolders after taking bazooka fire

The ant hole is seen smoking after being worked over by the bazooka. For us movie location fans, a fun element is that they keep changing the camera angle, showcasing different rocks each time.

 

The same location in 2022

The shooting location is relatively unchanged today — if you look closely, the above two shots are a match. The whole filming area for "Them!" is in the southwest corner of the sprawling Lovejoy Buttes.

 

Time to find out whether we got the queen

At one point some unfortunate "Them!" cast members have to put on super-cheap hazmat suits so they can crawl inside the nest and size up the damage.

 

The same rock formation seen in the "hazmat" shot

Once again, it's easy to identify the location since the rocks in the background look exactly the same today.

 

Amid the chaos and movie rocks, a budding romance

Eventually James Arness starts to notice that he's attracted to the main ant expert's brainy daughter, played by Joan Weldon. He starts chatting her up in front of that same group of rocks we've been looking at.

 

"Them!": James Arness hits on the scientist's daughter

During this critical conversation, Arness pretty much ignores the real ant expert — the pretty young scientist's father, played by Edmund Gwenn, on the left — opting instead to discuss "giant ants" with his daughter.

 

The same ridgeline in 2022

The ridgeline we first see behind Arness matches up well with today's landscape. This is a photo I took in June 2022 in the same location.

 

Bits of scenery that manage to peek through between Arness and the others

These three sections of the local terrain can be matched up with the shot from "Them!"

 

The same rock features in "Them!"

The same three sections of the landscape are highlighted in the screen shot from the movie.

 

The ant scientist reminds James Arness that the future of the human race is at stake

Gwenn's character finally gets the FBI agent's attention, reminding him of that little matter involving the ants — and diverting some of that testosterone that was previously aimed at his daughter.

 

Matching shot of the location as it appears in 2022

The shot is taken looking north, and we see another section of the Lovejoy Buttes.

 

Rocks matching the shot of Gwenn, Arness and Weldon

These two rock formations match up especially well with the shot from "Them!"

 

The same rock formations as they appear in "Them!"

Those same two formations are highlighted here in the screen shot from the sci-fi classic.

 

"Them!": Giant ants vs. helicopter at Lovejoy Buttes

One thing we hardly ever see in these location shots is the ants, suggesting that most of that footage was shot on a soundstage. But we at least see this one encounter between an old-fashioned helicopter and the monster ants.

 

What's up with these ants' faces?

These two ants have completely different faces. Were the filmmakers being unusually progressive about giving the ants unique identities, or were they just using whatever fake ants they could find in the prop department?

 

The same ridgeline seen in the helicopter shot (June 2022)

Parts of the same ridge we saw behind James Arness when he was making his move also provide the backdrop for the helicopter-ant encounter. The section highlighted here offers the best match with the copter shot.

 

The same section of the ridge, in "Them!"

The closely matched ridgeline indicates we're seeing just about the same angle.

 

Is this where the giant ants were based?

Putting together the various angles, we can approximate the location of the ant hole. However, pinpointing the hole is no simple matter — and it's possible that multiple ant hole locations were used in the movie.

 

Major buttes in and around Lake Los Angeles

The Lovejoy Buttes are the dominant system of buttes in the town of Lake Los Angeles, dwarfing the heavily filmed Phantom Hill and Queensglen Butte, which we examined in Part 1, and even larger than the major buttes on the outskirts of town, such as Alpine Butte and Rocky Buttes.

 

Zooming in on Lovejoy Buttes

The Lovejoy Buttes span a swath of desert from 145th Street on the west to 170th Street on the east, and extend north and south from just below Avenue O to Avenue Q.

 

Approximate filming location for "Them!"

Much of the filming at Lovejoy Buttes was historically concentrated around the west end and southwest corner of the formation, which is where the shoot for the giant ant movie "Them!" took place.

 

Another nearby filming location

The filming location for "Them!" is just up the road from the "Four Aces" movie set, which we explored in detail in Lake Los Angeles, Part 1.

 

The "Motaur" fills up at Four Aces in Lake Los Angeles — see Part 1 for details

In case you missed Lake Los Angeles Part 1, you can click here to see it. Part 1 includes not only tons of rocks (literally tons), but also some beloved modern movie sets, such as Club Ed, Four Aces and Belle's Diner.