Trace your steps on a ‘La La Land’ tour
A few answers to questions about acclaimed musical
If you’re not a native Angeleno with a vast knowledge of old Hollywood and jazz, chances are you’ll have some questions about the locations and pop-culture references in La La Land.
That’s where we come in. Here’s the back story on a few insidery nods in the acclaimed movie (in theaters now), which is bound to boost tourism to Los Angeles and inspire new moviemusical fans.
How does ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ figure into this movie?
If you’re like Mia (Emma Stone), and you’ve never seen Re
bel Without a Cause, it’s helpful to know that her trip with Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) to the Griffith Observatory is an homage to the classic film.
The shot of the couple driving up to the astronomy facility is the same one that’s used in Rebel, says location manager Robert Foulkes.
Their gravity-defying waltz was meant to look like the Observatory’s Samuel Oschin Planetarium — though it’s since been renovated. Production designer David Wasco, who worked on the film with his wife, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, says the dreamy scene was shot on a set so they could give it art deco style and use wires to lift the actors.
What’s the deal with the pool parties?
“Pool parties are synonymous with Los Angeles,” says Wasco. Mia attends two in the film: an upscale schmooze-fest at night and a swimsuit-filled party during in the day with Sebastian’s ’80s cover band. The former party was filmed in Encino, but meant to feel like a party in the Hollywood Hills. The latter soirée was based on ’60s pop art paintings of L.A. swimming pools including David Hockney’s A Bigger Splash (that giant yellow diving board outside of what looks like it could be Don Draper’s dream house).
Is The Rialto a real place?
Yes, the theater where Mia and Sebastian see Rebel Without a
Cause is a historic movie palace in South Pasadena. Today, however, it’s available only for private parties.
What inspired the bright clothing?
Director Damien Chazelle screened classic films for his cast and crew, including Jacques De- my’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a romantic and colorful French musical that depicts a blue city block and a yellow fire hydrant, says Wasco. That film influenced the clothing and vibrant art direction of La La Land.
Do those jazz clubs in the movie really exist?
The Lighthouse Cafe, where Sebastian takes Mia to listen to jazz, is a legendary club that plays more than just jazz music these days, and is located at the Hermosa Pier.
Van Beek Studios, Sebastian’s favorite jazz club that turns into a Samba/tapas restaurant, never existed. The fictional “Van Beek” is a nod to jazz producer Rudy Van Gelder. What did exist in that Burbank space? A studio where Barbra Streisand recorded her hits. Other music venues that get screen time, but with different names, include Club Fais Do-Do on Adams Boulevard, El Rey on Wilshire Boulevard and The Blind Donkey in Long Beach.
Why does Mia have a giant Ingrid Bergman poster?
Mia looks up to the Swedish actress, who was nominated for seven Oscars and won three, for Gaslight, Anastasia and Murder on the Orient Express. Mia is such a fan that she writes her onewoman play about the star. No, you didn’t didn’t miss that part of the movie: The content of Mia’s play was cut out of La La Land for length, but “may end up in the DVD extras,” says Wasco.