Link: https://peteratwoodprojects.wordpress.com/california-filming-locations-1927/

A pair of maps that showed the locations in California where early Hollywood movies could simulate different parts of the world.

After 99 years, I gotta wonder how accurate it is.

Apparently rather varied and more accurate in black and white than color according to the link.

Some of the locations are spot on. Others are…less so. It is unclear if any Paramount executives had ever been to Kentucky or New England.

Good news! Most of their audiences haven't been there either.

Beautiful and diverse state.

One of my favorite quotes from Austin Powers is when he and Vanessa are driving around and he turns to the camera and says "Ain't it weird how the British countryside looks nothing at all like Southern California?" Cuz it was filmed entirely in and around LA.

I like how all the other countries are fine, but the locations that are in the same country are not.

It's always fun to identify when they're definitely not shooting on location. I think it was Cabin in the Woods that takes place in West Virginia and the establishing shot has white capped mountain peaks.

"Rumble In The Bronx" has entered the chat.

Here's a woozy - due to filming constraints, most planets in the entirety of the Stargate franchise look like the forests of British Columbia. The occasional desert planet? Shot in the sulfur pits of the harbour of Vancouver.

Fun facts!!!

It’s important to remember that these would have been for black and white movies. No, the LA coast isn’t nearly dreary enough to stand in for Wales, but an underexposed monochrome shot could easily look sufficiently gloomy.

Wales out here catching strays

I always found it funny when they would toss in a bunch of houseplants in close up shots to try and make it look different.

Beastmaster is one of my all time favorite sword and sorcery flicks, with location shoots and big sets made to look “ancient”. Then they made the sequel and said “fuck that, he takes a portal to modern LA”. It’s even better now because it’s an unintentional time capsule of 90s LA.