Being in L.A. can sometimes feel like living in the movies.
(Illustration by Tanya Cooper / For The Times (Photos: Dania Maxwell; Brian van der Brug; Jason Armond; Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times; Buyenlarge; Ian West; Mario Tama / Getty; Guruxox; Pixaby))
53 essential L.A. filming locations: How many have you visited?
Whenever Helen Ramirez has family visiting from Guatemala, she asks them to watch “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and the “Back to the Future” series before they come.
She and Liz Highstrete are the chair and vice-chair of the L.A. Conservancy volunteer committee that created several self-guided walking tours of filming locations throughout Los Angeles during the pandemic.
“My cousins were huge, huge ‘Back to the Future’ fans, so when I took them to the Gamble House, they were like, ‘Oh my God, this house is real,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Yes. Yes, it is.’”
Then she takes them to the tunnel in Griffith Park where the “Back to the Future Part II” chase scene was filmed. The tunnel is also the location of the entrance to Toontown in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
In this week’s edition of The Times’ guide to Hollywood careers, we’re delving into the world of locations. What’s it like to be a location scout? What do you do if you want your own home to be a filming location?
“Successful filming should be a win-win,” said veteran location scout Lori Balton. “The production gets an evocative location, with depth and nuance, and the site gets a location fee.”
In the case of historic properties, this fee often goes to support the maintenance of the location, she said.
Highstrete pointed to L.A.-set films like 1955’s “Rebel Without a Cause” and 1997’s “L.A. Confidential” that showcase numerous unique locations throughout the city. There are also newer films like 2009’s “(500) Days of Summer,” 2016’s “La La Land” and 2019’s “Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood” — that are also love letters to L.A.
These memorable Hollywood backdrops are often easy to visit. We gathered a list of some of Los Angeles’ memorable filming locations, including some recommendations from Ramirez, Highstrete and Balton. Which ones have you been to? Are there others you recommend? Email us at [email protected] to let us know.
Showing Places
(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)
The Gamble House
Pasadena Historical Landmark
The Gamble House served as Doc Brown’s mansion from the “Back to the Future” films. It’s open for tours every day except Monday and Wednesday (reservations recommended).
If you really want to sink into “Back to the Future” locations, head down to Bushnell Avenue in South Pasadena. That’s where you’ll find the homes of George McFly (1711 Bushnell), Lorraine Baines (1727 Bushnell) and bully Biff Tannen (1809 Bushnell). The street’s homes have also been seen in “Teen Wolf,” “Old School” and the TV series “thirtysomething,” among multiple other productions.
If you really want to sink into “Back to the Future” locations, head down to Bushnell Avenue in South Pasadena. That’s where you’ll find the homes of George McFly (1711 Bushnell), Lorraine Baines (1727 Bushnell) and bully Biff Tannen (1809 Bushnell). The street’s homes have also been seen in “Teen Wolf,” “Old School” and the TV series “thirtysomething,” among multiple other productions.
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(Cheryl A. Guerrero / Los Angeles Times)
'Music Box' steps
Silver Lake Historical Landmark
The Silver Lake staircase is famous for its role in the 1932 Laurel and Hardy film “The Music Box,” where the comedy duo try and fail to carry a piano up a long flight of stairs. Across the street, conveniently, is Laurel and Hardy Park.
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(Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times)
'Halloween' house
South Pasadena Historical Landmark
The boyhood home of serial killer Michael Myers from the 1978 horror classic “Halloween” may be the oldest wood-frame home in South Pasadena. After the film was shot, the house was moved to this spot by its owner to save it from being demolished.
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(Universal Pictures/Photofest)
The flying bikes street
Historical Landmark
Starting just north of Tulsa Street, White Oak Avenue is where Elliott (Henry Thomas), E.T. and their friends ride their bikes into the air in “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial.”
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(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles Theatre
Downtown L.A. Theater
This lavishly appointed French Baroque-style showplace, built in 1931, has reclaimed some of its former glory in film, most notably “The Prestige” and “Man on the Moon.” It’s also the backdrop of the BTS “Black Swan” music video.
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Pee-wee's house
South Pasadena Historical Landmark
Pee-wee Herman etched this location into cinematic history with the unforgettable “I know you are, but what am I?” debate in the film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.”
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(CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images)
Occidental College
Eagle Rock College or University
Occidental College was the site of many memorable “Clueless” moments at Bronson Alcott High School, from the walkway where Cher first says “As if!” after pushing away an overzealous admirer, as well as many of the set-up scenes between Mr. Hall (Wallace Shawn) and Miss Geist (Twink Caplan).
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(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Heritage Square Museum
Historical Landmark
This site “is a living, open air museum of Los Angeles at the end of the 19th century,” said veteran location scout Lori Balton. It’s been used for such films as “Saving Mr. Banks” and “Legally Blonde.” Guided tours are available on weekends.
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(Frank McDonough / L.A. County Arboretum)
Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Arcadia Arboretum
The grounds of the arboretum have been used for countless film shoots, from “Tarzan” flicks in the 1930s to “Bridesmaids.” The most recognizable feature, though, may be its Queen Anne Cottage, which had regular screen time on “Fantasy Island” (the original, not the remake).
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Pico House
(Carol M. Highsmith / Buyenlarge / Getty Images)
Pico House
Historical Landmark
Built by Pío Pico, the last Mexican governor of Alta California, this was the first hotel in L.A. with electricity and running water. “The inner courtyard is evocative of another time, its patina and light taking you back in time to sultry, steamy locales,” veteran location scout Lori Balton said. The TV series “The Mentalist” used it as the headquarters of the show’s California Bureau of Investigation.
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The interior of Boardner’s.
(Jessica Benda/Los Angeles Times)
Boardner's
Hollywood Nightclub
Boardner’s and its curvy bar in Hollywood has been typecast as a Hollywood bar in such films as “L.A. Confidential” and “Ed Wood.”
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Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed Ennis House sits on a Los Feliz hilltop.
(Los Angeles Times)
Ennis House
Los Feliz Historical Landmark
The Los Feliz residence, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, boasts more than 80 film appearances. It’s known as the “Blade Runner” house, antagonist Terry Silver’s mansion in “Karate Kid III,” and Angel, Spike and Drusilla’s lair from the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
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'Back to the Future' neighborhood
California Historical Landmark
If you want to sink into “Back to the Future” locations, this street is where you’ll find the homes of George McFly (1711 Bushnell), Lorraine Baines (1727 Bushnell) and bully Biff Tannen (1809 Bushnell). Its homes have also been seen in “Teen Wolf,” “Old School” and the TV series “thirtysomething,” among multiple other productions.
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(Jill Connelly / Los Angeles Times)
The Cowboy Palace Saloon
Chatsworth Nightclub
This live country music and line dancing venue is where Ritchie Valens (Lou Diamond Phillips) performs for the first time in “La Bamba.”
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Larry Edmunds Bookshop in Hollywood on Jan. 26, 2011.
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Larry Edmunds Bookshop
Hollywood Bookstore
This venerable bookstore, founded in 1938, specializes in books about film and the entertainment industry. It makes a cameo in famed cinema nerd Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.”
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(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Formosa Cafe
Restaurant
This Chinese restaurant and cocktail bar’s red-tinged antique furnishings have found screen time in several films, including “L.A. Confidential” and “Beverly Hills Cop II.”
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(Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times)
Musso and Frank Grill
Hollywood Restaurant
The restaurant and popular filming location has been featured in many movies and TV shows, including “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood,” “Ed Wood,” “Mad Men,” “Greenberg,” “Bosch” and “Little Things.” In 2019, it was the first restaurant to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Historical Landmark
This collection of arcades and carnival rides suspended above the Pacific Ocean had not-so-flattering roles in “Blood Beach,” “Dark Ride” and “Sharknado,” plus a considerably less bloody cameo in “Forrest Gump.”
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(Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)
Los Angeles City Hall
Historical Landmark
L.A. City Hall is a popular spot for film shoots. Mayor Eric Garcetti told The Times in 2017 that “there’s hardly a week that goes by when there isn’t filming there.” The 1950s “Adventures of Superman” used City Hall as its Daily Planet building. More recently, it’s popped up in shows like “How to Get Away With Murder” and “Scandal.”
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Union Station
Train station
L.A.’s bustling transportation hub has been featured in numerous films, including “Blade Runner,” “Pearl Harbor” and “The Dark Knight Rises.” It’s also the stand-in for a Chicago train station in 1950’s “Union Station.” The L.A. Conservancy has a weekly Saturday morning Union Station walking tour to learn about the backstory of the railway station and about the films shot there.
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(Reed Saxon / Associated Press)
Hollywood sign
Hollywood Hills Historical Landmark
Sometimes when the iconic Hollywood sign shows up onscreen, it’s to establish that the story takes place in Los Angeles. Other times — in disaster movies like “Independence Day” and “San Andreas” — it’s demolished to represent the destruction of the entire city or state. Most recently, it was seen in “Elvis,” with Elvis (Austin Butler) sitting on top of the sign, contemplating his career.
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(Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times)
Beverly Wilshire
Beverly Hills Hotel
The exterior of the Beverly Wilshire hotel will look familiar to “Pretty Woman” fans — even though the interior scenes were shot elsewhere. The luxury hotel even offers a “Pretty Woman experience” for those who have a few hundred thousand dollars to spare. Films like “Sex and the City” and “Valentine’s Day” have also been shot there.
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(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)
Castle Green
Pasadena Historical Landmark
The historic venue built during the Victorian era prides itself as being a film-friendly location. It’s been featured in movies like “The Sting,” “The Last Samurai,” and “Thank You for Smoking.”
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(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Astro Family Restaurant
Silver Lake Restaurant
Yet another classic Southern California diner, the Astro’s wraparound counter and two-tone naugahyde booths have been featured in a number of films and TV shows, including “Mad Men” and “Sons of Anarchy.”
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Chinatown intersection
Chinatown Historical Landmark
This is the site in the Roman Polanski film “Chinatown” where Walsh (Joe Mantell) delivers the iconic line to Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson), “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”
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(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The Wiltern
Koreatown Theater
The Art Deco concert venue often shows up onscreen: for example, in the beginning scenes of “Purple Rain,” and in “Lethal Weapon,” where Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Danny Glover (Roger Murtaugh) grab hot dogs.
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You’ve probably seen Cole’s in TV shows like “Mad Men” and “The Lincoln Lawyer.”
(Con Keyes / Los Angeles Times)
Cole’s French Dip
Downtown L.A. Restaurant
Complete with a speakeasy in the back, this ground-level bar/restaurant claims to be the first in Los Angeles to serve a French dip sandwich. But the filmmakers behind such titles as “Mad Men” and “The Lincoln Lawyer” didn’t go there for the food; they went for the early 20th century vibe (and furnishings).
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(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Millennium Biltmore Hotel
Downtown L.A. Hotel
The Biltmore lobby is where the Ghostbusters trap the ghost Slimer. The hotel is a popular filming location that has also been seen in films including “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Cruel Intentions,” “Pretty in Pink” and “True Lies.”
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(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Griffith Observatory
Historical Landmark
This L.A. landmark has held starring roles again and again, from “Rebel Without a Cause” to more recent fare, such as “The Terminator” and “La La Land.”
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Torrance High School
Torrance High school
Torrance High has been used as the high school setting in numerous films – notably for ‘90s kids, where Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook) and Zach (Freddie Prinze Jr.) fall for each other in “She’s All That.”
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Puente Hills Mall
Industry Shopping mall
The mall itself has been overshadowed in celluloid by its parking lot, which took a star turn in “Back to the Future” as the runway for Dr. Brown’s time-traveling De Lorean.
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(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The Palace Theatre
Downtown L.A. Theater
One of several faded gems on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, the 111-year-old Palace has such distinctive features as an Italianate lobby and theater, New York-style fire escapes, a cage elevator and period offices, said veteran location scout Lori Balton. Its stage appeared in “Dream Girls,” and the theater’s upstairs area was filmed in “Coyote Ugly.”
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(Apple)
The Tower Theatre
Downtown L.A. Theater
This Renaissance Revival-style gem from 1927 has an interior modeled after the Paris Opera House, according to the L.A. Conservancy. In addition to appearing in such films as “The Mambo Kings” and “Mulholland Drive,” it now welcomes shoppers as an Apple store.
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(Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Bradbury Building
Downtown L.A. Historical Landmark
The striking interior of the 129-year-old Bradbury Building will be instantly recognizable to anyone who’s seen “Blade Runner,” even without the rain and moody lighting.
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Cicada Restaurant and Lounge
Downtown L.A. Restaurant
Set in downtown’s Art Deco-period Oviatt Building, the Cicada Restaurant has the heightened retro feel that’s catnip to filmmakers. You may have seen it in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and “Bruce Almighty,” among other films.
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(Iris Schneider / Los Angeles Times)
Greystone Mansion and Gardens
Beverly Hills Historical Landmark
Also known as the Doheny Mansion, Greystone Mansion and Gardens has been a stand-in for over-the-top wealth in many movies, including “There Will Be Blood” and “The Big Lebowski.”
The grounds are open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but the real draw is the mansion’s interior, which allows self-guided tours of the first floor and the newly restored theater the first weekend of each month.
The house has been featured occasionally in designer show houses, but no amount of Gustavian furniture, flamboyant wallpaper or Tony Duquette-inspired decor can mask the dark history that permeates the 55-room estate — namely the Feb. 16, 1929, deaths of oil heir and homeowner Ned Doheny and his secretary, Hugh Plunkett. Authorities ruled that a deranged Plunkett shot his employer and then killed himself, but the crime remains a source of speculation.
Tickets: $8 for Beverly Hills residents, $10 nonresidents, for the self-guided tour and must be purchased in advance.
The grounds are open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but the real draw is the mansion’s interior, which allows self-guided tours of the first floor and the newly restored theater the first weekend of each month.
The house has been featured occasionally in designer show houses, but no amount of Gustavian furniture, flamboyant wallpaper or Tony Duquette-inspired decor can mask the dark history that permeates the 55-room estate — namely the Feb. 16, 1929, deaths of oil heir and homeowner Ned Doheny and his secretary, Hugh Plunkett. Authorities ruled that a deranged Plunkett shot his employer and then killed himself, but the crime remains a source of speculation.
Tickets: $8 for Beverly Hills residents, $10 nonresidents, for the self-guided tour and must be purchased in advance.
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(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
Fox Plaza
Century City Historical Landmark
The office tower in Century City may be better known by many as Nakatomi Plaza — the building where workers were taken hostage on Christmas Eve in “Die Hard.”
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The bricks out front were white when “The Graduate” was filmed in the 1960s.
(Associated Press)
Mrs. Robinson’s house
Beverly Hills Historical Landmark
This two-story red brick front home is where Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) seduces a young Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) in “The Graduate,” though back when it was filmed in the ‘60s, the bricks were white.
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(Kendra Frankle / For The Times)
The Aero Theatre
Santa Monica Movie Theater
It’s a neighborhood theater. Ideally, you’d walk there. Parking can be a pain, though regulars know how to navigate the permit-zoned streets to find a spot. Rounding the corner onto Santa Monica’s Montana Avenue in the evening and seeing the Aero’s familiar marquee — the neon, when lit, turns pale green and pink — is always a thrill, no matter how many times you’ve been there. The American Cinematheque‘s programming is a mix of revivals and retrospectives, with a few first-run special evenings with filmmakers mixed in as well. It’s on the Westside, so you never know who you might see. Robert Redford came here as a kid. Donnie Darko took a date there once. It’s been around for 83 years and, with a little luck, will live to be a centenarian. Oh, and the popcorn’s pretty damn good too.
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Rae's Restaurant
Diner
Hollywood loves throwback diners like this one, with its broad swaths of color laid out by the swivel chairs at the counter and the plush booths along the windows. It’s been featured in “True Romance” and “Lords of Dogtown,” among other films.
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Hinano Cafe
Venice Restaurant
This funky beachfront eatery embodies the California surfer aesthetic. It’s also where Jane Fonda’s reporter met Jack Lemmon’s whistleblower in “The China Syndrome.”
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(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Venice High School
Mar Vista High school
One of the first shots in “Grease” shows the Myrna Loy statue at Venice High School, which was used as the Rydell High School location of the 1978 musical.
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Judy's house from "Rebel Without a Cause"
View Park-Windsor Hills Historical Landmark
The alleyway near this Spanish-style home is where Jim Stark (James Dean) first greets Judy (Natalie Wood) in “Rebel Without a Cause.”
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Cathy's Corner
Griffith Park Historical Landmark
One of the many charming moments in “La La Land” is when Mia and Seb wander along Mt. Hollywood Dr. to Cathy’s Corner, which offers a fabulous view of Los Angeles (but no lamp posts — those were added by the film crew).
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John Marshall High School
Los Feliz High school
This L.A. high school was the location of many classic high school-set films, including “Pretty in Pink,” “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Grosse Pointe Blank.”
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Dresden Restaurant
Los Feliz Restaurant
This Loz Feliz nightspot was home to famed husband-and-wife lounge act Marty and Elayne until Marty Roberts’ death this year. The pair and the restaurant where they held court for almost 40 years can be seen in “Swingers,” a 1996 comedy about the sorts of Hollywood wanne-bes who frequent places like the Dresden.
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Randy's Donuts
Inglewood Restaurant
The unmistakable giant donut sign atop Randy’s Donuts has a cameo role in “Iron Man 2.
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Starkman Building
Downtown L.A. Historical Landmark
Fans of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” will recognize the Starkman Building as Paddy’s Pub, the Irish bar owned by the show’s main characters, known as “The Gang.” It’s supposed to be in South Philadelphia, but the building is in downtown Los Angeles.
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(Chuck Zlotnick / Fox Searchlight Pictures)
'(500) Days of Summer' bench
Downtown L.A. Historical Landmark
The “(500) Days of Summer” bench on Angel’s Knoll — Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s) favorite spot in L.A. and the site of many memorable moments of his evolving relationship with Summer (Zooey Deschanel) — was closed off in 2013, so you can no longer sit on it. But you can still see it through a chain link fence.
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Jerry Seinfeld's New York apartment building
Koreatown Apartments
The New York apartment complex where Jerry (Seinfeld), Kramer (Michael Richards) and Newman (Wayne Knight) lived in “Seinfeld,” is in Los Angeles — in Koreatown. The 404 by L.A. Times recently made a video about how “Seinfeld lied to us.”
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