Rebel Without a Cause (Dir: Nicholas Ray, 1955).

Griffith Observatory, Griffith Park, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA.

‘Rebel Without a Cause’ and it’s mixed up anti-hero James Dean have made the Griffith Observatory famous. Several key scenes in the film were shot here, first when the kids visit as part of a school trip and later the climatic rooftop shootout. A bust of Dean has been erected on the observatory’s right and it’s a popular spot on location tours of Hollywood (the observatory was also used in ‘Charlie‘s Angels‘, ‘The Terminator‘ and ‘The Rocketeer‘.

Inside the observatory has the expected science and astronomy displays (it’s free to get in) while outside it has views over the whole of Hollywood out to the Pacific Ocean. It’s a pretty great place to visit, the white square building and it’s round dome ‘hat’ are impressive and the views are pretty amazing. I had a bit of a walk around the roof and it's stomach churningly high up, especially if it’s as windy as it looks in the film, but that’s not really part of the tour…

The exteriors for ‘Dawson High’, Judy’s school, were filmed at Santa Monica High School, 601 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, California, USA.

Written by  Film Fan.

Add comment

Comments, reviews and questions

There are no posts. Why not be the first to have your say?

Add a comment, review or question

Make a comment Ask a question Write a review

Review title

Your comment

Your rating

Choose rating... Don't go Go Must go

Your name

Your email address