10 Classic Films & Television Shows You May Not Have Known Were Filmed In Long Beach, CA

The seventh most populous city within the state of California, Long Beach is a coastal city with well over 400,000 residents. It is also a mecca for tourism, given that it is a hub for Carnival cruise ships and home to both Long Beach Airport and one of the world’s largest shipping ports.

As Long Beach is only 20-something miles away from Los Angeles — the second largest metropolitan area within the United States — oftentimes it is easy to forget how much of an impact Long Beach has had and continues to have on the entertainment world. It is not only the city that gave you Snoop Dogg, Sublime, Rage Against The Machine’s Zach De La Rocha, Cameron Diaz, and The Mamas & The Papas’ Michelle Phillips, but also the original home to Balboa Studios, which produced around 1,000 films in the early 20th century; many people view Balboa Studios as “the original Hollywood.”

Long Beach continues to be the site of hundreds of major film and television productions each year. Yet in spite of that industry demand, oftentimes Long Beach is presented as another destination within these world-famous productions. In turn, below are 10 examples of classic titles filmed — whether fully or partially — you may not have known were filmed within Long Beach, California.

1) Ferris Buehler’s Day Off

The exterior of the home, where the titular character supposedly lived, is actually in Long Beach.

2) La La Land

The Rose Towers at 1728 3rd Street were home to Emma Stone’s character and her girlfriends.

3) Jerry Maguire

The Long Beach Marriott Hotel was host to scenes in Jerry Maguire and Dark Skies.

Long Beach Marriott

Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire at the lobby of Long Beach Marriott.

4) Cop Land

Shoreline Drive and Shoreline Village have been home to scenes from Cop Land, Demolition Man, Cybil and Clueless, to name a few productions.

5) Batman Forever

Batman Forever filmed for more than a year around Long Beach, including shots at The Dome at Queen Mary Seaport, the former home of the Spruce Goose airplane.

6) CSI: Miami

Although a few scenes from the show were actually shot in Florida within the first season, most of the series’ filming has taken place in Greater Los Angeles, including Long Beach.

7) Lethal Weapon

Both the original Lethal Weapon starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover and the more recent television remake appear to have been filmed in Long Beach. Gibson and Glover’s production were on-hand at the International Towers near Alamitos Boulevard, while this video embed shows another part of LB.

8) The Bodyguard

The oldest continually operating bar in Long Beach, Joe Jost’s was the backdrop for the dancing scene in The Bodyguard. It has also been seen in The Vanishing and in many major beer commercials.

9) Thelma & Louise

The Silver Bullet on Marine Drive was the site of the opening scenes in Thelma & Louise.

10) Ed Wood

The Sunnyside Cemetary and the Long Beach Cemetary were both used for filming as part of Ed Wood.

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Tags: California, Cameron Diaz, CSI: Miami, Ferris Bueller, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Snoop Dogg, The Bodyguard

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."