Hazzard Square

[MaryAnne]

The final chase scene in 'Close Call for Daisy' takes place at an industrial site. After looking at several possible locations, I'm almost certain that it takes place at the San Fernando Valley Generating Station. It's not far from Warner's backlot and several surrounding landmarks tie in nicely, although the small lake where the cars get left seems to have dried up. Perhaps Mufn has some local knowledge to help out. See for yourself on Google Maps.

I don't think there was hardly a tv show back in the 70s and 80s that DIDN'T make use of this locale as a background. LOL. In my collection of available caps I have at least two from Greatest American Hero...

And one from Columbo (look hard, they're in the background).

I concur with Roger. I LOVE this thread!!

[HossC]

I don't think there was hardly a tv show back in the 70s and 80s that DIDN'T make use of this locale as a background.

I can honestly say that I've never noticed it before. Maybe we didn't get all of the shows y'all had, but I bet I spot now I know what it is (I've already caught myself looking for it in one show!).

Here's the last pictures from season 6. In 'Cooter's Confession' the hijacked trucks come from the 'Capitol City Distributing Co.'. I was expecting this to be building #17 at the back of the church (it's been used many times as a loading bay), but it's not. The building style did look familiar though ...

A little later in the episode we see it from another angle. This time the top of the church is clearly visble in the background, meaning that this is the same set as Morgan's Glueworks (seen in 'The Revenge of Hughie Hogg') behind Boss's house, albeit with slight alterations. From the maps it looks like all of this set has been torn down now.

At the other end of the loading dock is this house, the only part of the set that's still standing (I've arrowed it on the inset map). It's actually the back of the house two doors down from Boss's house (aka. the haunted house), which probably explains its survival. I think Boss's house is also now double sided so that it can play different buildings.

The Duke boys later rent a truck from 'Tri-County Truck Sales & Rentals'. Although we never get a long shot of this, going by the style of the windows and the hills in the background, I'm pretty sure we are behind the church this time, but looking at building #16. Just like in 'Deputy Dukes', the road has a good covering of mud. The white truck on the right looks like a '76 or '77 Ford F-Series. Considering this episode must have been filmed in '83 or '84 it still looks like new.

[HossC]

Season 7's pictures begin with the robbery in Capitol City. The Assay Office is building #27 in French Street. The window signs say 'Capitol City Assay & Refining Office'. Building #26 (to the right) is briefly visible, but I can't make out the signage.

The Capitol City Police Station is in building #29.

Next door are the Law Offices, upstairs at building #28. We get to see the downstairs shop in both the robbery scene and this escape scene, but I can't see any writing to tell me what it is.

Back in Hazzard, and across the square, the gap between buildings 15 and 16 now has a fence across it (at the back of the shot), possibly left over from the truck rental yard in the previous season. The redeveloped building #16 (shown on the maps) comes much closer to building #15 and the gap is no longer a road at all. Compare this to the large opening seen back in 'Route 7-11'.

[Meadowmufn]

Those stacks are very familiar to me. I believe they're around Manhattan Beach. They might not exist anymore, but I'll check Google Maps.

[Meadowmufn]

Nope, I think Hoss was right. The power station in Manhattan only has 2 stacks. I think in my mind I was combining the Redondo Beach power plant (4 stacks, but not red and white.. some of which have been removed since I left CA) with the Manhattan one (2 red and white stacks).

And yes, I love this thread too!

[Meadowmufn]

I don't think there was hardly a tv show back in the 70s and 80s that DIDN'T make use of this locale as a background. LOL. In my collection of available caps I have at least two from Greatest American Hero...

And one from Columbo (look hard, they're in the background).

I concur with Roger. I LOVE this thread!!

Those pics convince me Hoss has it right. If you look on Google Maps, there are like 40 bazillion junkyards, scrap metal recycling, and car wrecking yards around there.

[HossC]

Most of 'Happy Birthday, General Lee' takes place back when the Dukes first acquire the General. Changes were made to the appearance of Bo, Luke and Daisy to make them look younger, Boss was slimmer and Rosco had a moustache, but very little had changed in the square. All the buildings had the same businesses as at the end of season 6, with the exception of the post office which became a coffee shop. I have a picture of that in one of the next posts. At Cooter's the only change was a reduction in the price of gas. If you look back to the pictures from 'Swamp Molly' (the first California episode) on the first page of this thread you'll see that Cooter didn't have gas pumps in the beginning, and the 'Hoggoco' signs didn't appear until a couple of seasons after the pumps.

This is the Genetic Research lab from 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Duke'. There aren't really any clues to its location, except that there's a parking lot sign (and parking lot) visible as the camera pans to the right. The conveyor belt on the left looks similar to the location used as the back of the Atlanta Museum in 'Along Came a Duke' (see the 3rd picture in this post). The coloring of the building is similar to the sound stages, but I'm still not sure where it was filmed.

From the same episode is the interior of Boss's bank. I think all the bank interior shots were filmed inside building #3. I've included this picture because at some point the interior of the bank changed, and I missed when.

Here is how the bank looked back in 'Money to Burn' from season 1. The sign by the front door and the painting on the wall are the same, even the teller windows are the same, but they have moved to the other side of the room. Initially I thought the painting was on a wall where there should be a window (going by the outside of the building), but if you look at the picture above it looks like there's a downward staircase just to the left of the front door.

[CDoherty95]

I'm sure, between us, we can identify it.

Hoss after you saying that Cottonwood Boarding House is building #19,I went back to your first post and looked at the aerial pictures.Although building #19 is never very clear in any episodes,in the aerial shot building #19 is very clear.From looking closely at both pictures I think building #19 is Cottonwood Boarding House.

Do you remember I said the bushes look like the bushes beside the church?

And how I pointed out the mountains in the background?

As for the 2 story building in the background,its obviously been torn down along with the other buildings behind the church.

[HossC]

Thanks for looking again CD. From what I can see, the balcony and the number of shallow arches are the same. Also several of the buildings down that street have been successfully framed to look like they've no other buildings around them.

After a brief spell in French Street, Capitol City is back in New York Street for 'No More Mr. Nice Guy'. Daisy becomes the 1 millionth customer at the generically named 'Capitol City Department Store'. When she gets there it appears that the store is called McKinsey's. It's the building at 'F' on the New York Street map.

In the background is the Fine Arts Theater, although the main signage now just says 'Fine Arts' (no 'Theater').

To the right of McKinsey's are some law offices. It looks like they've used the same sign as the one in 'Happy Birthday, General Lee' (see above), although on a completely different building.

As the Dukes drive away we get to see some more buildings of Capitol City. I think the restaurant on the left is called Hurley's (see inset). The only word I can make out underneath is Seafood. Next to that is the St. Regal Hotel. On the right is a building simply marked 'Theatre' (note British spelling again).

[HossC]

Bo and Luke later return to McKinsey's to try to find the real story behind the prizes. On their way back to the General they pass Eckol's Fine Arts Gallery. They must really be into their fine arts in Capitol City with a Fine Arts Theater and gallery.

To the right of Eckol's is this newsstand where Luke picks up a newspaper. Initially I thought it was the same as the one used for secret meeting in 'Undercover Dukes Part 2', but I checked out this post and there are several differences. Unusually, Bo doesn't but a car magazine.

As mentioned in one of the posts above, the post office (building #11) has become the 'Hazzard Coffee Shop'. Joe's Hardware (building #12) has also changed. Now it's got blue/white signage saying 'Hazzard Hardware' and 'Sporting Goods'. At least it looks like Boss didn't get to own either of these businesses.

I nearly missed this one. O'Connor Paint Supply, which has been a part of Hazzard Square since 'Swamp Molly' (the first California episode), has disappeared. It used to be in the empty store roughly in the center of the picture.

[Brian Coltrane]

From Hoss's post above: "I nearly missed this one. O'Connor Paint Supply, which has been a part of Hazzard Square since 'Swamp Molly' (the first California episode), has disappeared. It used to be in the empty store roughly in the center of the picture."

This one makes sense. You can't be surprised that the paint supply store went out of business, considering how often painters ended up getting their ladders knocked out from under 'em by a patrol car. Heh heh.

Seriously tho', this is amazing stuff, Hoss. Great work!

[HossC]

This one makes sense. You can't be surprised that the paint supply store went out of business, considering how often painters ended up getting their ladders knocked out from under 'em by a patrol car. Heh heh.

Being a painter sure was a dangerous occupation in Hazzard, and fishing was a surprisingly risky hobby!.

I thought that 'The Dukes in Hollywood' wouldn't yield many pictures, but in the end I could've included more. As it is, they're split over two posts. In this episode the Dukes (with Boss and Rosco) make the long journey from Burbank to Hollywood!.

In Los Angeles we first see the General cruising down Vine Street past the Capitol Records building (or should that be Capitol City Records). Strangely, the next shot shows them a few miles south east of there on the Hollywood Freeway (see picture). This was an easy location to spot due to the top of City Hall being visible in the background. Amazingly, the big sign is still there, although the 'Temple St' part has been blanked out. Take a look for yourself on Google Street View. Everyone is back where they should be when they take the turn from Vine Street on to Hollywood Boulevard. The buildings at this intersection are still recognizable - even the 'Pantages' sign looks the same. You can see for yourself here.

"After a Hollywood tour and a good night's sleep at a fancy motel - complete with indoor plumbing - the Dukes reported for work with their probation officers, Boss and Rosco". It will come as no surprise that 'Majestic Studios' is actually Warner's studios. The picture below shows their arrival at gate 2 on W. Olive Avenue. The Mobil gas station has been replaced by a 3-storey building, but the 'Melody' sign on the right is still there (slightly hidden by bushes). Click here for Google Street View.

I'm not going to document all the businesses/locations on the set because they have nothing to do with the story. I've included a few that I found interesting.

After making their way through the sound stages, the Dukes arrive on set. This is the unnamed street that we last saw in 'Big Brothers, Duke'. The Big Brothers building is the one on the left. Just visible in the middle distance above the General's rear window is a fake New York subway entrance.

Not a great landing!. Most of the action takes place around New York Street. The building behind the General has previously been used as the Bank of Capitol City.

[HossC]

This is roughly the same intersection as the picture above, but from a different angle. Most of the signs for McKinsey's (the department store from 'No More Mr. Nice Guy') have been removed, although the projecting wall sign is still there - I'm not sure if this was ever visible in 'No More Mr. Nice Guy'. In the background is the iconic Warner Bros. water tower.

This short section of houses is known as Brownstone Street. The buildings at the far end are part of New York Street.

I'll finish this episode with a couple of pictures from the chase at the end. This is Warner Bros' old west set, Laramie Street. You can see Mufn's map of the area in this post. This set has since been torn down and replaced with a street of modern houses (as previously mentioned by Mufn).

This one shows the saloon and a few more stores.

[Meadowmufn]

It's such a shame they tore Laramie Street down. I explored it a little bit while I was on the DOH reunion sets, but I could've spent much more time there.

Right next to the Pantages was a collector's dream, The Collector's Bookstore. I got a TON of 8x10s from Dukes and from other shows/movies the cast members were in. You could ask for photos of the most obscure actor, show, or movie and they'd come back with a stack about 3-4" high of 8x10s. I dropped some serious coin there. LOL. Unfortunately, it closed down and liquidated its inventory a few years ago. It was by far my favorite place in Hollywood.

[HossC]

Right next to the Pantages was a collector's dream, The Collector's Bookstore. I got a TON of 8x10s from Dukes and from other shows/movies the cast members were in. You could ask for photos of the most obscure actor, show, or movie and they'd come back with a stack about 3-4" high of 8x10s. I dropped some serious coin there. LOL. Unfortunately, it closed down and liquidated its inventory a few years ago. It was by far my favorite place in Hollywood.

The Collectors' Book Store is still visible on the Google Street View link above, although I'm not sure if it was still in business when the picture was taken. It sounds like a great store that would have kept me both happy and broke. The 'tourbus' parked outside looks a bit dubious. Did anyone else notice that the Pantages sign is in the typeface Hobo - the Dukes of Hazzard font?. Probably just me!.

In 'Go West, Young Dukes' Boss suggests that they go to Capitol City to get his deeds to the Duke farm authenticated. He takes them to 'Steven R. Lampke', whose business is between McKinsey's and the fine arts gallery in New York Street. The Eckol's signs from the gallery windows seem to have gone since we were here a couple of episodes ago, and there were law offices where the graphologist now resides.

Sleepy City is (of course) Laramie Street. Here's the forerunner to The Boars Nest, 'Thadius B. Hogg's Golden Palace Saloon'. It was nice to see that Rosco's predecessor had trouble with his vehicle as well.

The gray building to the left of the tree must have been Sleepy City's version of Rhuebottom's. It's Becky's Dry Goods and Sundries.

This is the blacksmith's run by Cooter's distant relative, Jeeter Davenport. Finally, in the last season, Ben Jones won his battle with the show's producers for his character to have a beard!.

[CDoherty95]

Hoss I might have found out where that mystery court house and hospital is.

I was watching Dukes in Hollywood earlier. After Bo finds the corduroy patch on the nail,Bo,Luke and Daisy sit down on the steps infront of a building. Look closely in the reflection of the glass in the door,it looks like the courthouse/hospital in the reflection.

Could someone post a screencap of the reflection?

Thanks y'all

[HossC]

Hoss I might have found out where that mystery court house and hospital is.

I was watching Dukes in Hollywood earlier. After Bo finds the corduroy patch on the nail,Bo,Luke and Daisy sit down on the steps infront of a building. Look closely in the reflection of the glass in the door,it looks like the courthouse/hospital in the reflection.

Well CD, I've been back to 'The Dukes in Hollywood' to check out your theory. I thought I'd watched the episode fairly carefully for unusual angles, but I missed the reflection you mentioned. Here's a different view of the street in question.

First a picture to set the scene. The Dukes are standing roughly where I've marked 'a' on the map above. Note the poster in the window to the right of the street lamp.

This is the view from the window where the spotlight falls. It's above the point marked 'b' on the map. The brick building with the fire escape is the one I've highlighted in orange on the map. When this episode was filmed it's obvious that the building that appears to the left of it on the map hadn't been built.

This is the shot that CD was referring to. The reflection is in the window just behind Luke. The 'Palmist' poster in the window identifies this as the steps that were shown above. The door is slightly ajar, so it looks like it's reflecting the building that would have been where arrow 'c' is pointing. The map in this post shows what the building looks like now, but I'm happy to accept that the State Capitol/State Courthouse/Hospital was originally located here. I think CD has solved the mystery - thanks for your help.

[CDoherty95]

I'm happy to accept that the State Capitol/State Courthouse/Hospital was originally located here. I think CD has solved the mystery - thanks for your help.

Don't mention it Hoss. The grass has probably been lifted and moved about but atleast it gives us a vague idea of where it was. I'm so glad that this mystery has been solved now

[CDoherty95]

I'm happy to accept that the State Capitol/State Courthouse/Hospital was originally located here. I think CD has solved the mystery - thanks for your help.

Don't mention it Hoss. The grass has probably been lifted and moved about but atleast it gives us a vague idea of where it was. I'm so glad that this mystery has been solved now

[HossC]

I'll start this post with a couple of loose ends. While I was looking through 'The Dukes in Hollywood' again I spotted this scene. While Boss and Rosco are trying to avoid studio security we get to see a wider shot of the back of the haunted house last seen in 'Cooter's Confession' (see 3rd picture here). This was obviously a prop store when Dukes was filmed, although I think it's just a car park now.

I haven't been able to find a clear picture of building #19 in Dukes, so to try to sort out the Cottonwood Boarding House mystery I searched for images from other shows. This is the same building as it appeared in 'Gilmore Girls'. Apart from the color change it's clear from this picture that Cottonwood Board House is building #19 (right opposite Hazzard's only boarding house!).

This is the hospital where the Dukes go to visit Robby in 'Cale yarborough Comes to Hazzard'. It appears to be the same as the one used in 'Brotherly Love'.

I didn't spot any changes or new stores in the next few episodes (apart from the return of the post office and O'Connor's Paint Supply), so the next picture is from 'The Haunting of J.D. Hogg'. It's building #21 playing a boarding house once again, but ownership has changed hands from Mrs. Parker to Mrs. Oxford. Daisy is just dropping Mr. Winkle off.

[HossC]

In 'The Haunting of J.D. Hogg' Larson and Sharp go to Summerville to arrange collection of Uncle Silas's money. I can't make out the name at the top, but it's definitely 'Savings & Loan, Summerville'. It's located in building #29 on French Street.

To the right of the 'Savings & Loan' is what appears to be a real estate office. I can only read '...erville ...estate', but building #28 has played a real estate office a couple of times before. The sign that's partially visible at the top of the picture says 'Law Offices Upstairs'.

Here's a long shot of WHOGG Radio which reappears in building #2 in 'Strange Visitor to Hazzard'. To the left, 'Skipper Ward Surplus' has been a regular feature of the square since season 3. I haven't paid much attention to it recently, but at some point the original sign got replaced with a similar one in different typefaces (I guess that's the ex-signmaker in me that spotted that).

Here's a closer shot of WHOGG. This time it's treated to a big overhead sign as well as lettering on the windows. There's also an outdoor speaker to broadcast the tales of little green men.

[Meadowmufn]

To the left, 'Skipper Ward Surplus' has been a regular feature of the square since season 3.

A little tribute to producer Skip Ward, no doubt...

[HossC]

In 'Enos and Daisy's Wedding' two hardened criminals plan to rob the bank, and then try to frame Enos. It seemed like a foolproof plan, except that they actually break into the drug store via the back door (opposite the barber shop).

Fans of Hazzard's favorite decorating store, O'Connor Paint Supply, will be pleased to see that after a quick makeover, and one episode of absence, it's back in business. It's now got a brick frontage all the way to the top, and the awning has been removed.

An unknown building now. The bad guys stay at the Capitol City Motel.

The two storey design and number of doors suggest that this was probably filmed at a real motel. Each door has a sign with the initials CCM, possibly covering up the real identity. Does anyone know where this was filmed?. Considering that most brand names are hidden on Dukes I was slightly surprised to see 'AAA Rated' on the sign. Maybe it slipped through because Triple-A is a not-for-profit organization.

[RogerDuke]

After getting up in the morning and putting on a sweater that ugly, he should have known he was going to have a bad day.

(Woops, I'm in trouble if he stole that out of Hoss's closet)

[HossC]

After getting up in the morning and putting on a sweater that ugly, he should have known he was going to have a bad day.

(Woops, I'm in trouble if he stole that out of Hoss's closet)

I was a teenager in the 80s, so I can't claim there wasn't the odd fashion faux pas in my closet, but never a sweater like that (although I seem to remember having one with a shawl neck!).

'Opening Night at the Boar's Nest' means we must be at the end of season 7. Although Hazzard Square does feature in this episode, I didn't spot anything interesting or new.

Instead we get a couple of new locations. This is said to be the state pen from which Floyd Malone is being released. I'm assuming that, like one of the previously used hospital shots, this is just stock footage. Despite a bit a seaching online I haven't been able to identify which facility this is - any ideas?. The water tower looks very like the one at Warner Bros' studios, but I can't see a prison anywhere near that.

I did manage to identify the location of this next shot. The entrance to 'Bonner State Prison' isn't part of a set, but it is within Warner Bros' studios - see map below.

I've arrowed the walkway where the previous shot was taken. The familiar stores of New York Street are visible at the bottom.

Another mystery location here. By the coloring I'm sure it's also somewhere around the studios, but I can't tell where.