Los Angeles Movie Magic: Movies Filmed and Set in L.A.

How many famous movies have been filmed and set in Los Angeles? It is a long list and many films that prominently featured the Los Angeles setting have become golden age and contemporary classics. Los Angeles is the heart of the motion picture industry--from the legendary streets of Sunset Boulevard to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Los Angeles continues to be one of the most commonly used locations to film movies, from thought provoking dramas to big budget blockbusters. Los Angeles has been featured in a variety of genres, from action to romance to comedy. Of course, when you are making a movie that takes place in Los Angeles it's only fitting to have the production shot in the true City of Angels. What are some memorable productions that have been set in Los Angeles and actually filmed in Los Angeles? 

The Beginning of Movies in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has been a highlighted city on the silver screen since well before Hollywood's Golden Age. The first movie to feature Los Angeles was 1923's Hollywood, followed by Souls For Sale and What Price Hollywood a decade later. Some of the most memorable films of the classic era also featured Los Angeles, including The Postman Always Rings Twice, starring Lana Turner, Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, Singin' In The Rain starring Gene Kelly and Rebel Without a Cause.

Hollywood's Golden Age in Los Angeles

Some of the sixties' greatest hits were also filmed and set in Los Angeles, including Mike Nichols' generational-gap comedy The Graduate, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane and Valley of The Dolls. The seventies' certainly featured some memorable films, many of which have been preserved in museums across Hollywood and the greater Los Angeles area. Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles was certainly a part of cinematic history, while Roman Polanski's Chinatown and Shampoo. Warren Beatty's Heaven Can Wait remake was filmed in 1978 and considered one of the more respectful films to the Los Angeles legacy. Who can forget John Travolta dancing in Grease?

80's Movie Magic in Los Angeles

The 1980's brought on a feeling of excess and Los Angeles truly captured the setting of America's consciousness. Blade Runner was set in a futuristic Los Angeles, while Fast Times at Ridgemont High explored the real Los Angeles from the high schooler's perspective. Beverly Hills Cop had a distinctively Los Angeles attitude, as the title would indicate, while thriller movies like The Terminator and A Nightmare on Elm Street were also set in the City of Angels. Tim Burton's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure featured some prominent studio scenes in Los Angeles while Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon shot up busy LA traffic.

Movies in Los Angeles: The 90's and Beyond

The 1990's saw Los Angeles darling Pretty Woman, Robert Altman's The Player, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, and the black and white tribute film Ed Wood. Finally, in 2000 and on, movies like Traffic, Crash, The Black Dahlia and The 40-Year-Old Virgin not only transcended their genres, but also helped to elevate Los Angeles as a truly iconic city—a part of American culture and a setting just as important to the story as the cast of characters. By taking a tour of Los Angeles you can relive all your favorite moments in cinema history!