Hollywood Then and Now - August 2020

For me, the quintessential summer action movie is "Die Hard" released in 1988.   Smart, funny, and amazingly believable given all the comic book nonsense we have been subjected to virtually ever since.

When I saw "Die Hard" back in Yonkers upon its original release, little did I know that I would ultimately be living on the very back lot of the film.   Indeed, the entire Century City neighborhood used to be part of the 20th Century Fox campus.   Parts of it had to be sold off to developers in the early 60s when the studio lost its asp on "Cleopatra."  

But, for "Die Hard," the studio used many parts of the area that they had originally sold off.   Including the infamous Nakatome Plaza, which is the real building for some of the Fox bigwigs.

Folks, I could walk there if I wanted to.   

A few years back, a British friend of mine had family visiting from England.   I was booked to give them one of my famous "LA" tours.    I asked them if there was anything they specifically wanted to see.

You guessed it.   The building above.   They even got out of the car to pose with the edifice in the background.

It must have been a hoot to live here when they were filming because, as you look at the movie today, there is very little CGI.   The stunts were filmed just like they were really happening.

Like the explosion in the elevator bank in the lobby?  Here is then and now.

Or the section just below the building when Sgt. Al Powell first sees something sinister going on at Nakatome.

Here is then and now.   The building at the far left is my neighborhood Ralph's super market, also within walking distance.

And I actually have seen a helicopter land on top of the building.

Oh, to be a local in the neighborhood having my sleep disrupted at the time.

Yippie-kay-yay-mother fucker.

Dinner last night:  Leftover Chinese food.