Yahoo Lifestyle ‘Grease’ Road Trip With Director Randal Kleiser Among Locations Shown in New Shorts Series Exploring SoCal Filming Locations (EXCLUSIVE)
PBS SoCal is set to debut a new locally produced, three-episode digital shorts series called “Locationland” that will explore famous and forgotten filming locations in Southern California, from the iconic Hollywood Sign to the area around the Sixth Street Bridge.
Created by Harry Pallenberg and hosted by author and “locationologist” Harry Medved, the series features guests include filmmakers Joe Dante, Will Gluck and Randal Kleiser. An early release of three episodes will stream on the PBS app and pbssocal.org starting Jan. 27 with new episodes dropping weekly on PBS SoCal’s YouTube channel.
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The debut episode focuses on the iconic Hollywood sign, with guests including Dante and Gluck. In episode 2, “Grease” director Randal Kleiser joins Medved on a road trip to visit various filming locations from the 1978 musical, including the space under the Sixth Street Bridge, where he filmed the Thunder Road hot rod race. In episode 3, comedian and superfan Dana Gould (“The Simpsons”) joins Medved for a visit to the graveyard where Ed Wood shot Bela Lugosi’s final movie scenes, later reappearing in Wood’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”
Those interviewed for the series also include location managers/scouts Kokayi Ampah (“Million Dollar Baby”), Alison A. Taylor (“Straight Outta Compton”), Scott Trimble (“Iron Man 2”) and other members of the Location Managers Guild International.
“The series is geared to be a celebration of the hard work of our local production community, particularly the location professionals who help keep movies and TV filming in California,” says Medved. “We are grateful for the support of the Location Mangers Guild International, and we couldn’t do this show without them.”
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