How Many CAR Scenes Filmed in the LA River?

[Lunajammer]

With nods to the movie car conversation going on HERE Kurt Womack (89AKurt) got me wondering how many movies have been shot in the concrete canyons of the LA River. It's a setting familiar to all, because it seems half the car chases in California set films have to go to the gully. Is the big ditch really accessible for anyone to go driving in? Films would make you think so.

REPO MAN

DRIVE

GREASE

TRANSFORMERS

THEM (1954)

TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA

GUMBALL RALLY

????

[Oldcarfan27]

Not only are they the LA riverbed - they look like they were filmed in the SAME SECTION of the riverbed!

[Richard Bartrop]

Trucks and bikes, so I'm going to say, close enough.   Terminator 2

[Lunajammer]

Yes, more accurately, I should say VECHICLES in the LA River. Not, say, romantic conversations... though it's tempting to include the cool closing credits of Buckaroo Banzai, so I think I just will.

[Lunajammer]

ROADBLOCK

[Lunajammer]

CLEOPATRA JONES

[Dave Van]

19 hours ago, Richard Bartrop said:

Trucks and bikes, so I'm going to say, close enough.   Terminator 2

Why is the 'Freightliner'  emblem covered with black tape????

The entire segment was filmed and them flopped....Arnold is really on the right side fake driving.......the real driver is in the normal left side but covered to look like a seat!!!! 

[Rob Hall]

9 minutes ago, Dave Van said:

Why is the 'Freightliner'  emblem covered with black tape???? 

They didn't want to pay for licensing, probably.. hiding/removing badging is common in movies/tv.

[Dave Van]

18 minutes ago, Rob Hall said:

They didn't want to pay for licensing, probably.. hiding/removing badging is common in movies/tv.

No....it would have been a mirror image in the film if left uncovered......thus showing the film was flipped.......as I stated in OP.

[Rob Hall]

16 minutes ago, Dave Van said:

No....it would have been a mirror image in the film if left uncovered......thus showing the film was flipped.......as I stated in OP.

Ok, so if you knew the answer, then why did ask why the badge was covered...

[gtx6970]

Gone in 60 seconds 

Edited December 1, 2018 by gtx6970

[ChrisBcritter]

Girls Town (1959):

And the movie's on YouTube; race starts at 59:30:

That's Norm Grabowski in the T tub.

Edited November 30, 2018 by ChrisBcritter

[RancheroSteve]

On 11/29/2018 at 9:08 AM, Lunajammer said:

Is the big ditch really accessible for anyone to go driving in? Films would make you think so.

There was a ramp under the 6th Street Bridge that led down to the river; you can see it here in the last picture of your post. I'm not sure if it was legal or not, but people did drive down there, and obviously it was very convenient for film shoots. Actually the ramp is still there, but blocked off due to the rebuilding of the bridge. I'm not sure what the plans eventually call for.

The closing scene of Buckaroo Banzai was shot at the Sepulveda Dam, quite a few miles upriver, but also a popular filming location.

[ChrisBcritter]

The Junkman (1982) and Deadline Auto Theft (1983), same footage:

[Lunajammer]

29 minutes ago, RancheroSteve said:

There was a ramp under the 6th Street Bridge that led down to the river; you can see it here in the last picture of your post. I'm not sure if it was legal or not, but people did drive down there, and obviously it was very convenient for film shoots. Actually the ramp is still there, but blocked off due to the rebuilding of the bridge. I'm not sure what the plans eventually call for.

The closing scene of Buckaroo Banzai was shot at the Sepulveda Dam, quite a few miles upriver, but also a popular filming location.

I was hoping someone from LA who knows the area would clarify. Thanks Steve. So the many chase scenes are plausible.

[Lunajammer]

54 minutes ago, gtx6970 said:

Gone in 60 seconds 

Ahh, very good.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Lunajammer

[ChrisBcritter]

Freaky Friday (1976):

(it was like pulling teeth to get a usable image from this one!)

 

[Mr mopar]

italian job

[The Junkman]

2 hours ago, Rob Hall said:

They didn't want to pay for licensing, probably.. hiding/removing badging is common in movies/tv.

In a previous life I provided traffic control for numerous movies/commercials.  Very common for logos to be covered, even to the extent of covering "Ford" and "Dodge" logos on hubcaps.

[Badluck 13]

42 minutes ago, Mr mopar said:

italian job

...Not really a movie but Wheeler Dealers did the "Italian Job" test run on their Mini

[Rob Hall]

There was a scene in a series I saw a while back were a minor character was living in a motor home down in the LA River.  I think it was in season 1 of Goliath. 

[Lunajammer]

1 hour ago, Rob Hall said:

There was a scene in a series I saw a while back were a minor character was living in a motor home down in the LA River.  I think it was in season 1 of Goliath. 

Good call. I saw both seasons (very good) and I didn't remember this at all.

[Lunajammer]

Do helicopters under and around the bridges count? Certainly below the banks of the river. Blue Thunder.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Lunajammer

[Daddyfink]

AMC's Fear the Walking Dead

[unclescott58]

1 hour ago, Lunajammer said:

Do helicopters under and around the bridges count? Certainly below the banks of the river. Blue Thunder.

I forgot about that one. Very, very cool!