Saturday, May 4, 2013

American Gigolo (1980)

dir. Paul Schrader

Julian Kaye (Richard Gere) shopping with one of his lady clients – Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California. Many of the stores, like Juschi and Kurt Geiger of Bond Street, that were on Rodeo in the early 1980s have long disappeared.

The coastal drive – Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California

Anne's (Nina Van Pallandt) house – 26842 Malibu Cove Colony Drive, Malibu, California. Many thanks to pickled_okra for finding this location.

Julian’s apartment – Sunset Plaza Apartments, 1220 Sunset Plaza Drive, Los Angeles, California. It was named a historical landmark in 1981, but was demolished in 1987.

Julian drives the lady from Charlottesville, VA to her hotel – Beverly Hills Hotel, 9641 Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California.

Julian first meets Michelle Stratton (Lauren Hutton) – Cocktail Lounge, Union Station, 800 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, California. The lounge still exists but it has been closed to the public since 1969. Thanks to kuezaco for the correction.

The Rheimans house – 2389 Yosemite, Palm Springs, California

The café where Julian meets with Leon (Bill Duke) – The Daisy, 326 N. Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California. The building was torn down in 2005.

Julian advises Mrs. Williams on antiques - Sotheby Parke Bernet, 7660 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. The building has since been demolished.

Julian meets with Detective Sunday (Hector Elizondo) – Me & Me (now closed), 10975 Weyburn Avenue, Los Angeles, California. The towered structure in the background is the Regency Village Theatre at 961 Broxton Avenue.

Westwood Boulevard at Kinross and Broxton Avenues, Los Angeles, California. The building in the middle is the Janss Dome at 1099 Westwood Boulevard, currently housing Japanese restaurant Yamato.

Julian notices Michelle following him – 1056 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.

Julian bumps into Michelle – Tower Records (now closed), 1028 Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

Sunday once again meets with Julian – La Fiesta Room, Beverly Wilshire Hotel, 9500 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California

Mrs. Williams’ mansion - 1365 S. Oakland Avenue, Pasadena, California

Julian notices he’s being followed – Weyburn Avenue looking toward Broxton Avenue, Los Angeles, California

Julian confronts Sen. Stratton’s assistant – Bruin Theatre, 948 Broxton Avenue, Los Angeles, California.

Sen. Stratton's house – Casa Encantada, 10644 Bellagio Road, Los Angeles, California

Julian asks a male hustler where to find Leon – Fox Wilshire Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, California. It closed as a film venue in 1977, changed hands a few times, and is now called the Saban Theatre.

Julian meets with Leon - Probe, 836 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, California. The building has since been demolished.

Michelle tells Julian she’s going away – Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden, 777 Tiverton Drive, Los Angeles, California, California.

Julian rents a car – 10951 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. The building has since been demolished, and the lot is currently vacant.

Julian sees Leon conspiring with Rheiman – California Overseas Bank (now called First Bank), 9145 Wilshire Boulevard at N. Oakhurst Drive, Beverly Hills, California.

Julian asks Anne for help but she brushes him off – Perino’s, 4101 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. The building has since been demolished.

Leon’s apartment building – Sterling International Towers, 10390 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. Julian enters it from S. Beverly Glen Boulevard.

The arrested Julian pleads his innocence to the press – Burbank City Hall, 275 E. Olive Avenue, Burbank, California

See also...


Final Analysis

Get Shorty

36 comments:

  1. Hi, I believe Anne's house is somewhere along Malibu Colony rd. in Malibu Ca. The cafe where he meets Leon was called "The Daisy"...it was there until 2005. I asked the people at the RL store about the movie and was told that there was no RL store on Rodeo until 1986....The Polo sign in the window was apparently some store that carried Polo merchandise in the Spring of 1979 (when the movie was filmed). Leon's condo lookss like it was somewhere in the Wilshire corridor.....

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    1. The POLO store was owned by Jerry Magnin. It was his store that carried Ralph Lauren.

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  2. Thank you for the info on The Daisy. I thought that Anne's house was in Malibu but there's not enough information to identify it.

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  3. Leon's apt. tower is on the east side of Beverly Glen Blvd. between Wilshire Blvd. and Ashton Ave. The balcony where Leon falls to his death was filmed on the tower's east(back)side, not in front as the film depicts.

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    1. Thank you for the info on Leon's apartment location. Much appreciated.

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  4. Finding Anne's house is killing me now =] I think it might be somewhere along Malibu Cove Colony Dr (distinction from Malibu Colony Rd) - you can see the cement pillars in G-maps. Can't quite figure out which house yet though.

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    1. I believe Anne's house is 26834 Malibu Cove Colony Dr., or at least very close to that. I have been able to find it because the roof on the house next to it is the same as the one in the movie.

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    2. You can see the neighbor's roof for a brief second at the 3:02 minute point in the movie. It's very different from any of the other roofs visible on Google Earth along Malibu Cove Colony Dr or Malibu Colony Rd. Also, when Julian goes back to Anne's house around 58 minutes into the movie and they go down to the beach you can see the cliffs around Point Dume in the distance behind them.

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    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    4. Thank you. I've corrected it now.

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  5. I was the person who gave you the info on the Daisy. I now have more info....I talked to someone who actually worked on Rodeo Dr. in the late 1970's. In all likelyhood, the store with the POLO sign in the window was an upscale men's store called Jerry Magnin's. The person I talked to cleary remembers it being accross the street from that Daisy and that the owner (J. Magnin) was a personal friend of Ralph Lauren. He also told me that frank Sinatra liked to shop in private and once had the store closed down so he could shop. In regard's to Anne's Malibu home, the houses along Malibu Colony Road are on stilts above the beach (depicted in the movie).....The homes in THE Malibu Colony are not on stilts (This beach is frequently seen in that aerial shot they use on 2 and1/2 Men)

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    1. Thank you very much for your invaluable help with this entry.

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    2. Also worked (& shopped) on Rodeo in the late '70s. The POLO store window was actually a POLO store connected internally to the next door Jerry Magnin store. Magnin's was three times the shoe box sized POLO store, which must have been one of Ralph's first locations outside of NYC. Also of note was Jerry Magnin was Ralph Loren's business partner & my understanding is they are to this day in partnership on POLO's current Rodeo Drive store.

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  6. Looking to relocate to dwelling/apartment complex like Julian's in that location. Is there anything like that today in the same place?

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  7. Hi,
    I'm writing The Encyclopedia Of Jerry Garcia Music Venues. I'm interested in using the Southby's Park Benet Auction photo. I'd need it at least 1mb or larger. Jerry performed there on March 3, 1966 with the Grateful Dead. At that time it was known as American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Hall
    Please email me at slipnut01@gmail.com.

    Thank you
    Harry Angus

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    1. Since the building doesn't exist anymore, I don't have a picture of it. The only one I have is a screenshot taken from the DVD (it's the maximum size.)

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  8. Wonderful. Here's my little bit, depicting Weyburn then and now.

    http://mondo-cine.blogspot.com/2011/04/pictures-from-past.html

    That section of Westwood Blvd with the old Tower is practically impossible to ID - an Urban Outfitters and Am.Apparel have changed the fronts of those buildings (although the arches at 1056 (now the remnants of a closed Chili's) remain.

    Keep up the great work. (Gere is also seen in downtown Westwood Village in Breathless.)

    Roger

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  9. the place where Julian meets Michelle should be the lounge at Union Station: https://www.facebook.com/charlesphoenix.usa/photos/a.378890579425.160195.153552674425/10153240429654426/?type=3&fref=nf

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    1. Yes, it looks really similar. Thank you for the correction.

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  10. nice job.
    i came to LA 10 years ago and i looked to JK residence.
    i found the W hotel wich is seem the good location with the original shape of the pool : a shell !

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  11. This is a very minor point but I'm fairly certain that Julian's lady at the Beverly Hills Hotel was from Charlottesville (VA) instead of Charlotte (NC).

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  12. There really was a Polo Ralph Lauren store on Rodeo Drive at the time American Giggolo was filmed. I was living in the area around 1978 and visited the store once. Ed Marinaro (Hill Street Blues) was there being fitted in a sport coat. When I came out of the store I crossed Rodeo at the same spot Julian did in the film. Then went into the Daisy for a beer.

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  13. Superbe travail de recherche.pas facile tellement les endroits ont changés. Bravo a tous��

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  14. Excellent work you've done here. This was a fun LA movie and you captured it well. Good job!! BTW...the woman was from Charlottesville, not Charlotte.

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  15. As a USC undergrad in 1980 who frequented Westwood regularly, I remember how popular this film was to many other college students who enjoyed living large. I recall dining at Le Dome (very chic at the time), Ma Maison (best souffle au chocolat) and having drinks at the Polo Lounge at the BH Hotel, where jackets were mandatory for men and they'd lend you one if needed (sat in a booth next to James Woods one evening). I never made it to Perinos, which was torn down years later. Watching the film now brings back fond memories of buying similar clothes, especially square end ties and silk shirts, which succeeded the preppy fashion of the times. And of course L.A. was full of MB 450SL convertibles! At the very least, American Gigolo was an iconic cultural phenomenon of 1980s materialism.

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  16. J'adore ce film et je vous félicite pour votre travail fournit qui n'a pas du être facile,les belles année 80 nous manques et ce film représente l'insouciance de cette si belle époque et de ses beaux endroit si raffiné,quelle homme ne reverrai pas d'être julian le temps d'un moment pour avoir la vie qu'il a dans le film,être classe,vivre a l'hôtel,être bien habillé et vivre comme bon lui semble,quel bonheur insouciant..... Bravo Richard gere d'avoir fait vivre ce personnage :)

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  17. Sen. Stratton’s house is most likely Casa Encantada in Bel Air, CA. Former house of Conrad Hilton. Located about half a mile away from Westwood. I'm not sure if I can post a link here, so you can do a Google image search and find a lot of aerial photos. Hope this helps!

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  18. My first comment was correct. Anne's house is at 26834 Malibu Cove Colony Dr, not 26842.

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  19. Forgot to mention hired as assistant to owner of Juschi for their grand opening. Saw Rodeo just before it became "famous" with the publication of author Judith Kranz's novel "Scruples". Ms. Kranz hiped Rodeo as the retail apex nirvana & the merchants took it from there, via the Rogers & Cowan PR firm.

    What everyone has left out was my absolute favorite (to this day) restaurant "The Luau", directly next to Juschi, at 421 N.Rodeo. This place looked like it was out of a 1940's movie of a Polynesian hut. It's location was incredibly unique; where three underground rivers meet! Half the main dining room was a fresh water "lake" with little concrete bridges to "island" tables! Good food, great drinks all at pre "Rodeo Drive" prices! Of course once Rodeo became famous, the lot couldn't support one business & building was torn down in 1979 & replaced with "The Rodeo Collection" 79 unit marble faced shopping center. Wouldn't you think with all that free water the developers would have placed fountains, waterfalls, etc., everywhere in the new development? Guess again -

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  20. Others have referred to it as Sen Stratton's house. That is not what is trying to be depicted in the scene ! The scene is portraying itself as LACC ( Los Angeles Country Club ). Yes they used Casa Encantada. This was just after Conrad Hilton had passed away. Conrad passed in January and filming for AG ran February thru April 1979. David Murdock (Owner of Dole foods) purchased the house the following year.

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  21. Anna's house is actually 46846, you can see in the 4th image down the 46 outside the house where Julien car is parked.

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  22. The lounge in Union Station appears to have been redesigned and called the Streamliner Bar. But from the looks of it didn't survive COVID and is now closed.

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