What do the shows The Partridge Family, Bewitched, and the movies Back to the Future and Bruce Almighty have in common with Village of the Giants? Their filming locations also once served as the backdrop for the giant-terrorized Hainesville, CA. The backdrop where the teens ate the giant ducks, as well as their neighborhood, resides on the WArner Bros. Studio backlot. Originally owned by ScreenGems & Columbia Pictures during the 60's, Warner Bros. joined forces with Columbia in the 70's, and the Warner backlot grew . The upper left photo is part of the Park Blvd street. The fountain in the duck-eating scene still stands. In fact, the cast of Friends are seen frolicking in that very fountain in their show's opening credits. The building closest to the trees on the left, is the same building that Fred (Beau Bridges) passes by, following the teens who are luring him into their trap.
The middle photo is an image of what is referred to as Blondie St. The street has been host to a number of TV and film productions over the years. Down the street from the photo, is Nancy's house. The church where Pete(Tim Rooney) stuck her on tp of was right next door, but it has been moved down a side street since the 60's, and a new residential house has been put in it's place. Of course, Nancy was kitty-corner to Samantha and Darren's house (which Mike & Horsey circled in front of in the film in their cars).
Once the action in the film switched to the giants, the setting showcased the Hainesville Theatre, and the nearby courthouse. These sets were not filmed on the Columbia lot, but across the way at neighboring Universal Studios. The famed Courthouse Square was also used in the filming of Gremlins. The location of the teen's car-crash is indeterminate, but my best guess is that they filmed it down away from the Courthouse, around the corner where they go running off after they were shrunk.
Both Warner Bros. & Universal have tour programs. Universal's is more universally known, but now there's another tour program that is a little more pricey, but can give you the oppurtunity to tour more of the backlot, and even walk around the sets. Warner Bros. tour is a little more exclusive, and reservations have to be made in advance. Warner Bros. Tours usually have at the most 120 people a day go through the sets, and there's a very good chance that you can walk the streets as well. So next time you're taking a wild joyride up in the Los Angeles area, be sure to stop by Warner Bros. or Universal Studios.


HAINESVILLE POINTS OF INTEREST

Previously, we talked about where to go to visit the obscure little town of Hainesville, CA. What follows are the general points of interest with images from the film, and markers giving some of the locations.
1. Right on the cusp of Park Blvd and Blondie St. on the Warner backlot, the building that Fred(Beau Brdiges) walks behind is still there, as well as the row of houses.
2. Behind 'Beau's legs' is a non-descript house in the film, but between 1959-1963, it served as the home of that rascally little boy, Dennis the Menace.
3. Right behind Horsey (Johnny Crawford) is the house that is right next door to Nancy(charla Doherty) & Genius(Ron Howard). Back in the 60's, this house was the residence of I Dream of Jeannie's resident genie, and her Master/Major Nelson.
4. As the hot rods race to confront Fred(Beau Bridges), we are treated to one of the few(and quick) wide shots of what the outside of Nancy's(Charla Doherty) house looks like. 5 years after Village of the Giants, the musically-inclined Partridge Family would move into the residence.
5. The church on the corner where Nancy(Charla Doherty) was placed by Pete(Tim Rooney), no longer stands. In recent pictures, it has been replaced by a new residential house. Around the corner, Warner Bros. built a smaller church, though it does not resemble the one in the picture.
6. The hot rods get ready for another go around, directly in front of Samantha & Darren Stephen's house from Bewitched.
7. As Mike(Tommy Kirk) circles around, we can see the house next to Samantha Stephen's place. This house was used in the films American Beauty and Lethal Weapon 2.
8. As Genius(Ron Howard) rides into the park, we can see a community pool in the background. Today, the channging rooms and fence next to the pool have gone, as the pool now seems to be the property of the house right next door (as seen in the aerial shot).
9. The house isn't prominent in this scene, though it stands to be said that the house was the home of the Griswald family in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The view behind Mike(Tommy Kirk) & Nancy(Charla Doherty) no longer exists, as a house erected in 1998 for the Dreamworks picture Small Soldiers has scaled down the size of the park. Urban sprawl strikes again!
10. As Horsey (Johnny Crawford) and Red (Toni Basil) stroll around the park, they pass the local fountain, as commonplace in a suburban park as a gazebo may be in others. The fountain still stands on the Warner backlot. 30 years later, the cast of the TV show Friends would be frolicking in and around the very fountain where Freddy Cannon sang 'Little Bitty Corrine' to girls in bikinis.
(Note: due to the extensive use of Courthouse Square in the Back to the Future Trilogy, the structures in the images will be compared to landmarks in the Robert Zemeckis-directed films)
1. The Sheriff (Joseph Turkel), Mike (Tommy Kirk), and a slew of townsfolk head to the theatre to deal with the giants. Behind them, the grey hotel building would become a Bank of America in Back to the Future Parts I & II.
2. Shrunk back to normal size, the delinquent teens hold onto what's left of their once-fitting clothing and run from the townsquare. The bus depot they run by would become Lou's Cafe in 1955 Hill Valley, CA, in Back to the Future Parts I & II.
3. Mike (Tommy Kirk) prepares to take on the giants with his 'mighty slingshot.' The Hainesville theatre would take on the form of the Essex Adult Theatre in the rundown 1985 Hill Valley of Back to the Future.
4. The townsfolk arrive at the theatre. In the background, are some rather non-descript buildings that have been part of Courthouse Square for some time. In Back to the Future, the building at the far end with the conical top was gone. The building with the flat wall next door would become a Sherwyn-Williams Paint store in 1955 & 1985. The building right next to the bar would sell All-State Insurance in 1955. The Bar next to the theatre could have been location of the 'Whiskey-a-go-go' club that the teens go to in Village of the Giants, given that Elsa (Gail gilmore) could hear the music playing from the club very close to the theatre. In The Back to the Future Trilogy, this collection of buildings would become an office-building in the year 2015. The area above the bar would become an information display, telling of skyway conditions.
5. The townsfolk watch the goings on of the 'David and Goliath' spectacle. The building with the bowed window was still there in the film Back to the Future. The lower level of the building would be deal in REalty in 1955. The little wall to the left of that building would become the store Mr. Foster's Travel Service.
6. More townsfolk join to watch. The small white canopy to the left would become a Zales Jeweler's in 1955 Hill Valley, and the green canopied building would become a stationary store.
7. Mike (Tommy Kirk) prepares for his windup. In the background, to the right behind the tree, would become a Western Auto store, and right next door was a shop where Lorraine McFly purchased her dress for the Enchantment under the Sea dance for Back to the Future. Off where the naked telephone pole is, the Stadler Bros. would open up their auto dealerships near that area: selling Studebakers in the 50's, Toyotas in the 80's, and then Pontiacs in 2015.
8. Mike (Tommy Kirk) & Fred (Beau Bridges) continue to spar in the townsquare, in front of the courthouse. This building is the centerpiece of courthouse square, and was featured in Gremlins & The Music Man.

Left: Merrie looks on as her friends prepare to crash the party at the local Go-Go Club. Middle: The teens grow 30 feet tall, and contemplate taking over the town. Right: Mike and the Sheriff walk through the theater's chairs to talk business with the giant teens.
It's been a long time coming, but finally I received some news, both good and bad on one of our sought-after locations. I asked actress Debi Storm (who plays the Sheriff's daughter in the film), if she remembered where the interiors of the Hainesville Theater was filmed. Debi informed me the scene was filmed in an 'auditorium' on the backlot. Using this information, I sent an email off to the Warner Brothers Studio Facilities, asking if they had any news on the structure. I received a response that said the structure was a facility that was nicknamed 'Hanks' School' (which 'Hanks' it is I'm currently trying to find out). Sadly, the facility was dismantled in 2000. In it's place, Warner Brothers built a new set called Downtown Plaza. On the image above, you can see an aerial view of where 'Hank's School' once stood, and where the new plaza now stands. Also of note, is that the facility sits on the actual Warner Bros. backlot, and is not located at the backlot area a few miles away where the Hainesville neighborhoods were filmed.

1. The location that once housed the auditorium used in the film was 'dismantled' in 2000. In it's place, Warner Brothers built a new section of backlot that they call Downtown Plaza, consisting of several modern-day commercial structures, surrounding a small driveway and an island park.

Left: The Beau Brummels play as Hainesville's teenagers dance. Middle: An actual picture from inside the club during the 60's. As you can see, the entire club atmosphere was used in Village of the Giants. Right: Red (Toni Basil) sways and swings up in the go-go dancer's cage above the crowded dance floor in the film.
For awhile, I was pondering the location of the go-go club in Village of the Giants. What I didn't realize was that what I thought was a stage setup was actually a real club on the Sunset Strip in California. Built in 1964, word was the club gave rise to the name 'go-go dancer.' There's also word that Jim Morrison and 'The Doors' had their roots in the famous club all those years ago. The club has played host to all variety of bands, including Lynard Skynard, The Beau Brummels (naturally), Humble Pie, and many more. The club lost momentum during the 80's, but word is that it's poularity has been on the rise since the decade of the power tie. Today, it's a pretty good bet that much of the interiors that we saw in Village of the Giants are a memory. The go-go dancer cages suspended from the ceiling, the red wallpaper and the zany portraitures in the back probably would not work with modern audiences of the 21st century. Still, not bad for a place that allowed 2 giant ducks to watussi in without paying cover charge.