Locations

[Bill Dilks]

Watching the first couple of early seasons, you see downtown Dallas buildings at a distance from JR's side office window. Yet the Ewing building is downtown, just off to the side and out of view from JR's window. If you look, the buildings will be familiar downtown buildings. Just thought this was interesting, implying that the actual office used in the shoot is in or near the Park Cities or Uptown area north of downtown, with his side window facing downtown.

I recently got a new pc w/o dvd player, so I can't screen-shot it, but I found these from a youtube episode, with Bobby and JR talking about Kit.

What made me see this is...too many trees between the office window and downtown buildings. Before I knew the city, I had wondered if that was Ft Worth off in the distance....but it just seemed too close.

I just might be OCD or something...

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Watching the first couple of early seasons, you see downtown Dallas buildings at a distance from JR's side office window. Yet the Ewing building is downtown, just off to the side and out of view from JR's window. If you look, the buildings will be familiar downtown buildings. Just thought this was interesting, implying that the actual office used in the shoot is in or near the Park Cities or Uptown area north of downtown, with his side window facing downtown.

I recently got a new pc w/o dvd player, so I can't screen-shot it, but I found these from a youtube episode, with Bobby and JR talking about Kit.

What made me see this is...too many trees between the office window and downtown buildings. Before I knew the city, I had wondered if that was Ft Worth off in the distance....but it just seemed too close.

I just might be OCD or something...

View attachment 16459 View attachment 16460 View attachment 16461

yeah, that always jumped out at me... how could they be right downtown and a good ways from downtown at the same time?

One thing that amazes me is how they manage to replicate things like views out of an office building on sets back in LA and you don't really notice the difference (at least I don't). In a few of the early episodes, you can see actual activity, like a train moving, out the window, but later in the season/series it must be a set with a backdrop. The difference isn't nearly as dramatic to me as the shift from real Texas Southfork to the chintzy LA soundstage.

 

[johnmmil10]

Wow! Great info. This is awesome!!! Looks like Culver City is coming up a lot. Was the studio also in Culver City at the time?

According to Google maps for Culver City, there is a section of studios between Culver Blvd and Washington Blvd, including Lorimar Telepictures.

View attachment 16449

Yes and the area is full of locations that appeared on Dallas!

 

[johnmmil10]

Watching the first couple of early seasons, you see downtown Dallas buildings at a distance from JR's side office window. Yet the Ewing building is downtown, just off to the side and out of view from JR's window. If you look, the buildings will be familiar downtown buildings. Just thought this was interesting, implying that the actual office used in the shoot is in or near the Park Cities or Uptown area north of downtown, with his side window facing downtown.

I recently got a new pc w/o dvd player, so I can't screen-shot it, but I found these from a youtube episode, with Bobby and JR talking about Kit.

What made me see this is...too many trees between the office window and downtown buildings. Before I knew the city, I had wondered if that was Ft Worth off in the distance....but it just seemed too close.

I just might be OCD or something...

View attachment 16459 View attachment 16460 View attachment 16461

You are correct! In the early episodes of season two, filming took place in an actual office on Turtle Creek Blvd. The Ewing Office sets replicated the offices including the views out the windows. Glad I am not the only one that studies this kind of thing!

 

[Bill Dilks]

You are correct! In the early episodes of season two, filming took place in an actual office on Turtle Creek Blvd. The Ewing Office sets replicated the offices including the views out the windows. Glad I am not the only one that studies this kind of thing!

Yeah...wasn't too hard to find in the first 5 pilots I think, based on the railroad tracks seen out of the lower office window. Was actually thinking of finding that again, but...nahh...

OK. I lied. Just checked maps. I think it was the building where Lemmon Ave splits at Turtle Creek Blvd. A lower window in the office looks down on Katy Trail, which used to be RR tracks, and also based on other window info shown. It's been a while, but I think this is it. There was a lot more green between there and downtown 40 years ago.

 

[Bill Dilks]

yeah, that always jumped out at me... how could they be right downtown and a good ways from downtown at the same time?

One thing that amazes me is how they manage to replicate things like views out of an office building on sets back in LA and you don't really notice the difference (at least I don't). In a few of the early episodes, you can see actual activity, like a train moving, out the window, but later in the season/series it must be a set with a backdrop. The difference isn't nearly as dramatic to me as the shift from real Texas Southfork to the chintzy LA soundstage.

Besides the background scenery with shadows, wasn't one of the early soundstage indicators the inside top of the pool? The soundstage version was just plain blue, if I remember correctly.

Here's a real live pool shot. Note the tile around the top inside of the real S/F pool.



The scene is: "Bobby Gives Lucy Advice and Throws Her Into the Pool"

 

[Bill Dilks]

In my first post in this thread I mention the possibility of Cliff's apt being the same as Julie's. I just confirmed it watching S3 - RODEO, that introduces Dusty. It's on my TV screen at I'm typing this. Below is from Google Maps.

 

[Bill Dilks]

Does anyone know the location of "Madison's" restaurant exterior? It's been so long I don't know if the building is still there.

 

[johnmmil10]

Does anyone know the location of "Madison's" restaurant exterior? It's been so long I don't know if the building is still there.

Madison’s has been demolished. It was located at 8141 Walnut Hill Lane in Dallas.

 

[johnmmil10]

Besides the background scenery with shadows, wasn't one of the early soundstage indicators the inside top of the pool? The soundstage version was just plain blue, if I remember correctly.

Here's a real live pool shot. Note the tile around the top inside of the real S/F pool.

View attachment 16467

The scene is: "Bobby Gives Lucy Advice and Throws Her Into the Pool"

You are correct! The tile on the pool on the soundstage was not always there. Also, the tile on the porch wasn’t always on the soundstage. It was just concrete in the earlier episodes.

 

[johnmmil10]

Besides the background scenery with shadows, wasn't one of the early soundstage indicators the inside top of the pool? The soundstage version was just plain blue, if I remember correctly.

Here's a real live pool shot. Note the tile around the top inside of the real S/F pool.

View attachment 16467

The scene is: "Bobby Gives Lucy Advice and Throws Her Into the Pool"

You are correct! The tile on the pool on the soundstage was not always there. Also, the tile on the porch wasn’t always on the soundstage. It was just concrete in the earlier episodes.

 

[johnmmil10]

Yeah...wasn't too hard to find in the first 5 pilots I think, based on the railroad tracks seen out of the lower office window. Was actually thinking of finding that again, but...nahh...

OK. I lied. Just checked maps. I think it was the building where Lemmon Ave splits at Turtle Creek Blvd. A lower window in the office looks down on Katy Trail, which used to be RR tracks, and also based on other window info shown. It's been a while, but I think this is it. There was a lot more green between there and downtown 40 years ago.

View attachment 16465

You are close. I placed it at 3131 Turtle Creek. First, from the views of neighboring buildings seen through the windows. I can’t find any pictures of what the offices in 3131 Turtle Creek would have looked like at the time of filming, but look at some fairly current pictures of the building. It was remodeled a few years ago. This article https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/...e-10m-upgrade-of-this-turtle.html#g/406315/12
has some pictures of what it looks like currently. See the bank of elevators? It looks like the bank Bobby goes to in ‘Bypass.’ Take a look and let me know what you think!

 

[Bill Dilks]

Excellent. OK. The picture attached is my take. The building you selected is close if not the cigar itself.

In episode ROYAL WEDDING, at 32:56 Mainwaring is in JR's office, sitting. The building I'm keying off of above is between Bobby and Mainwaring, in the lower part of the window. Based on that pic, and the angle shown with Southland and Bryan Towers, it looks like the office pic was either top of your selected building or the one behind it. I'm also going still going on my premise from memory that Katy Trail is close to the pic location, in on the downtown side.

I'm still working on the view from behind JR's desk. The smoke stack off on the distance used to be out toward the river I think. But I haven't yet found anything to key in on....yet!

This is good stuff!

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

back to LA, in the episode Kidnapped, Cliff went to a place called Regular Jon's to get instructions from the ragtag group of kidnappers

Apparently that was a well-known pizza place in LA that has since closed. It also showed up in Ferris Bueller's Day Off - http://www.iamnotastalker.com/2014/12/09/regular-jons-pizza-from-ferris-buellers-day-off/ (nice domain name, eh?)

it looks really, really different in the Dallas episode - was that a set? Although you can see the address sign, 11645, and apparently that was the address of Little Jon's! - 11645 San Vicente Blvd

Looks ever so slightly different now:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/11645+San+Vicente+Blvd,+Los+Angeles,+CA+90049/@34.054016,-118.4637334,3a,75y,354.23h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s28XcIgdtiuyJPd9LFWe1Sw!2e0!6s//geo0.ggpht.com/cbk?panoid=28XcIgdtiuyJPd9LFWe1Sw&output=thumbnail&cb_client=search.TACTILE.gps&thumb=2&w=86&h=86&yaw=354.22525&pitch=0&thumbfov=100!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x80c2bca00f638ee1:0x4617ab69bc31fa22!8m2!3d34.05421!4d-118.4637904

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

here's a good one for Dallas-area sleuths: in The Kristin Affair, JR and Alan Beam meet surreptitiously to discuss under-the-table cash financing of Cliff's campaign for the Congress. Which street is this?

I could be wrong, but I'm guessing you don't find kids casually playing ball in a quiet block of this street these days:

 

[johnmmil10]

View attachment 16479

Excellent. OK. The picture attached is my take. The building you selected is close if not the cigar itself.

In episode ROYAL WEDDING, at 32:56 Mainwaring is in JR's office, sitting. The building I'm keying off of above is between Bobby and Mainwaring, in the lower part of the window. Based on that pic, and the angle shown with Southland and Bryan Towers, it looks like the office pic was either top of your selected building or the one behind it. I'm also going still going on my premise from memory that Katy Trail is close to the pic location, in on the downtown side.

I'm still working on the view from behind JR's desk. The smoke stack off on the distance used to be out toward the river I think. But I haven't yet found anything to key in on....yet!

This is good stuff!

That whole area has built up so much in the last 40 years, hasn’t it?

You are correct about this building being separated from downtown by Katy Trail. That’s where you see the train pass on one episode.

From behind J.R.’s desk I used these landmarks...
The Maple Terrace Apartments at 3001 Maple Ave.
The northeast side of a now empty building at approximately 2727 Turtle Creek.
The smokestacks are gone now, but they were located about where the American Airlines Center is now.

I would load pictures for reference, but I get an error message. Maybe because I am on my cell phone?

 

[johnmmil10]

here's a good one for Dallas-area sleuths: in The Kristin Affair, JR and Alan Beam meet surreptitiously to discuss under-the-table cash financing of Cliff's campaign for the Congress. Which street is this?

I could be wrong, but I'm guessing you don't find kids casually playing ball in a quiet block of this street these days:

The closest I came to identifying this location was in the Dallas World Aquarium parking lot. https://goo.gl/maps/iUvQoRph65c7KiD39

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

The closest I came to identifying this location was in the Dallas World Aquarium parking lot. https://goo.gl/maps/iUvQoRph65c7KiD39

wow, the poor little tree-lined street looks to be long-gone!

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

That whole area has built up so much in the last 40 years, hasn’t it?

You are correct about this building being separated from downtown by Katy Trail. That’s where you see the train pass on one episode.

From behind J.R.’s desk I used these landmarks...
The Maple Terrace Apartments at 3001 Maple Ave.
The northeast side of a now empty building at approximately 2727 Turtle Creek.
The smokestacks are gone now, but they were located about where the American Airlines Center is now.

I would load pictures for reference, but I get an error message. Maybe because I am on my cell phone?

I usually upload screenshots to imgur and paste the link in here and that works nicely, but that might be hard to do on a phone.. although maybe there’s an imgur app for uploading.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Back to California:

A frantic, drug-addled Lucy rushes off in her sporty new Fiat with a fancy necklace she just bought at The Store in downtown Dallas. Amazingly, she ends up on Sepulveda Boulevard in LA, racing past Apex Aquariums (which is still there with a new awning but the same exact overhead sign) to the pawn shop to get her much-needed pill money.