University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

From Ramona to the Brady Bunch: assessing the historical significance of sites used in movies and television shows

(USC Thesis Other)

From Ramona to the Brady Bunch: assessing the historical significance of sites used in movies and television shows

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content

FROM RAMONA TO THE BRADY BUNCH:
ASSESSING THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SITES
USED IN MOVIES AND TELEVISION SHOWS

by

Jonathan Kaplan

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF HERITAGE CONSERVATION
May 2018

Copyright 2018 Jonathan Kaplan
ii

Acknowledgements
I want to thank Trudi Sandmeier for guiding me through two years of transformation, and Katie
Horak and Jay Platt for whetting my appetite and opening my eyes to the intricacies of the world
of heritage conservation. Mostly, I want to thank my dad, Dr. Marty Kaplan, for instilling in me
my passion for movies, history and architecture, and for spending a lifetime showing me by
example how to think analytically. I am grateful that Chapter 1 of this thesis was the last of 200-
plus theses, dissertations, and articles for which he provided feedback over the course of an
illustrious career spanning over fifty years.

iii

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ii
List of Tables v
List of Figures vi
Abstract vii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: Public Perception of Fictional History 9
1. Introduction 9
2. Corporate Defictionalization 9
3. Grassroots Defictionalization 20
4. Indirect Defictionalization 22
5. When Fiction is More Relevant Than Non-Fiction 24
6. The Effect of Fiction on Heritage Conservation 29

Chapter 2: Designated Landmarks Associated with Literature 32
1. Introduction 32
2. The Importance of Sites Associated with Literature in Other Countries. 32
Canada: Anne of Green Gables 32
Australia: Picnic at Hanging Rock 34
United Kingdom: The Work of Charles Dickens 38
3. Public Perception vs. Historic Fact 41
The House of the Seven Gables Historic District 42
4. Literature Sites and Their Relationship to Real History 45
Ramona 46
The Work of Mark Twain 49
The Work of Laura Ingalls Wilder 52
The Work of Raymond Chandler 56

Chapter 3: Assessing the Significance of Movie and TV Sites 60
1. Introduction 60
2. Comparing Twenty-First Century Movies and TV
to Nineteenth Century Literature 61
3. Making Sense of Movie and TV Sites 67
National Historic Landmark Theme Studies 67
Traditional Cultural Property 68
4. Additional Considerations 71
Importance of the Site to the Fictional Work 71
Integrity vs. “Hollywood Magic” 73
Period of Significance 79
Additional Assessment Tools 81

iv

Chapter 4: Potential Movie and TV Landmarks 89
1. Introduction 89
2. Real History Versus Fictional History 89
The Brady Bunch House (The Brady Bunch) 89
A Christmas Story House (A Christmas Story) 92
3. Representing Cultural Trends 95
Old Trails Bridge (The Grapes of Wrath, Easy Rider) 95
Vasquez Rocks (Star Trek, Bonanza, Blazing Saddles, etc.) 99
4. Aesthetic Interpretation 101
Exorcist Steps (The Exorcist) 101
5. Sole or Rare Survivor 104
Beverly Hills High School Gym/Pool (It’s a Wonderful Life) 104
Lasky Mesa and The Old Mill (Gone with the Wind) 106
6. Cultural Landscapes 108
Lone Ranger Rock (The Lone Ranger) 109
Bronson Caves (Batman) 111
7. Cultural Archaeology 113
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes (The Ten Commandments) 113
8. Façadectomy 116
Tom’s Restaurant (Seinfeld) 117
9. 50-Year Rule 120
Field of Dreams Movie Site (Field of Dreams) 120
10. SurveyLA Theme Study 123
Franklin Canyon Reservoir (The Andy Griffith Show) 125
Vendome Descanso Public Stairway (The Music Box) 127
11. Already Designated Sites 129

Conclusion 131

Bibliography 135

Appendix A: National Film Registry of the Library of Congress 148

v

List of Tables
Table 1.1. Yelp’s ten most popular Cleveland museums 25
Table 1.2. TripAdvisor’s ten most popular Cleveland museums 26
Table 2.1. Australia’s Register of the National Estate listings 37
Table 2.2. Charles Dickens fictional sites 39
Table 3.1. Ten top-selling fiction books of 2016 61
Table 3.2. Ten top-selling movies of 2016 62
Table 3.3. Ten most-viewed fictional TV episodes of 2016 62
Table 3.4. People viewing the 10 most popular fictional books, movies, and TV of 2016 63
Table 3.5. The Effect of Movie Releases on Book Sales 66
Table 3.6. Yearly Academy Award Best Picture winners versus top box office sales 81
Table 3.7. American Film Institute List of 100 Greatest American Films 83
Table 3.8. Yearly Emmy Award and Nielsen Rating winners for TV drama shows 86
Table 3.9. Yearly Emmy Award and Nielsen Rating winners for TV comedy shows 87

vi

List of Figures
Figure i.1. English Heritage Blue Plaque commemorating The Canterbury Tales 1
Figure i.2. National Register Building 1 3
Figure i.3. National Register Building 2 3
Figure i.4. National Register Building 3 3
Figure i.5. Tom’s Restaurant from Seinfeld 5
Figure i.6. Several movies and TV shows shot on Warner Brothers Stage 9 7
Figure 1.1. Kwik-E Mart promotion for The Simpsons 10
Figure 1.2. Forrest Gump bench at Bubba Gump’s 14
Figure 1.3. Screenshot of American Graffiti showing Mel’s Drive-In 17
Figure 1.4. Mel’s Drive-In at Universal Studios Japan 19
Figure 1.5. Logos of the eighteen national Quidditch leagues 22
Figure 1.6. Crowds gather outside Christmas Story House Museum 25
Figure 1.7. Google search for “Vasquez Rocks” 27
Figure 1.8. Searches related to Vasquez Rocks 28
Figure 1.9. Google image search for “Vasquez Rocks” 28
Figure 1.10. Google Maps showing the Lars Homestead from Star Wars 31
Figure 2.1. Promotional image from Green Gables Heritage Place website 33
Figure 2.2. Promotional image from Hanging Rock’s website 35
Figure 2.3. House of the Seven Gables Historic District 43
Figure 2.4. Promotional images of Rancho Camulos, the “Home of Ramona” 48
Figure 2.5. Tom Sawyer’s Fence and Becky Thatcher’s Home 51
Figure 2.6. Promotional image from the Almanzo Wilder Homestead 55
Figure 2.7. Security Trust and Savings Building at Raymond Chandler Square 58
Figure 3.1. Screenshot of the Old Mill from Gone with the Wind 72
Figure 3.2. Screenshot of Charlie Chaplin’s Kid Auto Race in Venice 72
Figure 3.3. The Brady Bunch House, yesterday and today 73
Figure 3.4. The Addams Family House, reel and real 74
Figure 3.5. The Santa Monica Pier Carousel, used in The Sting 76
Figure 4.1. Screenshot of The Brady Bunch 89
Figure 4.2. Screenshot of A Christmas Story 92
Figure 4.3. Seaman’s Bethel, part of the New Bedford Historic District 94
Figure 4.4. Screenshots of The Grapes of Wrath and Easy Rider 95
Figure 4.5. Screenshot of the opening credits of The Last Musketeer 99
Figure 4.6. Screenshot of The Exorcist 101
Figure 4.7. Screenshot of the opening credits of M*A*S*H 103
Figure 4.8. Screenshot of It’s a Wonderful Life 104
Figure 4.9. Screenshots of Lasky Mesa and the Old Mill in Gone with the Wind 106
Figure 4.10. Screenshot of the opening of the credit sequence of The Lone Ranger 109
Figure 4.11. Screenshot of Batman 111
Figure 4.12. Screenshot of The Ten Commandments 113
Figure 4.13. The excavation of one of the sphinxes 116
Figure 4.14. Screenshot of the opening credits for Seinfeld 117
Figure 4.15. Sam the Music Man neon sign 119
Figure 4.16. Screenshot of Field of Dreams 120
vii

List of Figures (Continued)
Figure 4.17. Screenshot of the opening credit sequence for The Andy Griffith Show 125
Figure 4.18. Screenshot of The Music Box 127
Figure c.1. Grand Theft Auto’s Vespucci Beach, compared to Venice Beach 134

viii

Abstract
Can a place’s role as a location in a movie or television (TV) show serve as a criterion in
determining its significance as a historic resource? Whether Lincoln’s home, a Greene and
Greene Craftsman bungalow, or the first McDonald’s, the significance of historic resources
comes from their value as physical remnants of past cultural experiences. They preserve shared
memory. Movies and TV shows also create cultural experiences. Even if these sites represent a
“fictional history” created by writers, actors, directors, and other artists and craftspeople, rather
than a true history, if they can be as deeply ingrained in our shared memory as real events,
should their physical remnants also be considered historically significant?

Introduction
I see…all the Pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales, their Humors, their Features, and
the very Dress, as distinctly as if I had supp'd with them at the Tabard.
1

- John Dryden

Figure i.1: Usually reserved for the commemoration of notable people who lived or worked in the designated
structure, this is a rare example of an English Heritage Blue Plaque commemorating a site once occupied by
fictional characters. Wikimedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tabard#/media/File:Blue_plaque,_Tabard
_Inn.jpg).

In 1700, poet John Dryden fantasized about experiencing the world of Chaucer’s
Canterbury Tales, which had been written over 300 years earlier. His fantasy edged toward
reality with a visit to the Tabard Inn, the real place from which the fictional Pilgrims set off on
their trip all those years before. In 2003, the Borough of Southwark put up an English Heritage

1
John Dryden, The Works of John Dryden, Volume VII: Poems, 1697-1700 (Oakland: University of California
Press, 2002), 592.
2

Blue Plaque at the site of the tavern (Figure i.1).
2
Though these plaques are meant to identify the
homes and workplaces of historically significant figures, this one instead commemorated a spot
whose significance lay in its connection with “Chaucer’s pilgrims.”
3
There is no indication that
Geoffrey Chaucer himself ever set foot in the inn, or that any “real” history occurred there. Yet
its association with a work of fiction was powerful enough for “the People” of Southwark to
commemorate its site.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, Kramer’s Reality Tours in New York City feature
bus excursions of locations used in the TV show Seinfeld. Led by Kenny Kramer, the inspiration
for Jerry’s neighbor Cosmo Kramer on the show, the tours allow you to, “Visit such locations as
the real Soup Shop and possibly even meet Al, The Soup Guy…visit the office building where
Elaine worked for Pendant Publishing... Of course, there will be a stop for photos at the real
Monk's Restaurant.”
4
Or take On Location Tours’ Sopranos Tour, where you will, “Stop at the
Bada Bing. Check out Barone Sanitation, Tony’s legitimate business. Sit on the steps of the diner
where Chris was shot. See Pizzaland, The Muffler Man, and other sites from the opening
credits… Sit in the restaurant booth where Tony sat in the final scene of the series.”
5
While these
TV shows do not have the 631-year track record of The Canterbury Tales, The Sopranos has
been off the air for ten years, and Kramer’s Seinfeld tour has been in operation for twenty-two
years. New York also offers tours of locations from Sex in the City, the TV show that ended in
2004, and The Godfather, the movie that was released forty-five years ago.
Further west, a tour of the TV show Breaking Bad’s filming locations is one of the most
popular tourist activities in Albuquerque, New Mexico. But many enterprising fans of the show
have also been visiting the locations on their own, causing the neighbors of the real-life house of
the fictional Walter White to complain, “All day, non-stop, there’s people up and down this road.
They park in front of our driveway and block us in,”
6
But the neighbors’ inconvenience is
nothing compared to that of the unfortunate owners of the “White House” itself. They have had

2
"Geoffrey Chaucer blue plaque in London," Blue Plaque Places:Your guide to memorial and commemorative
plaques (of all colours!) across the UK, http://www.blueplaqueplaces.co.uk/geoffrey-chaucer-blue-plaque-in-
london-9114#.WVUbb4jyvIW.
3
It should be noted that the Blue Plaque program is for the purpose of commemoration only and is does not come
with the protections afforded by historic designation.
4
“Kramer's Reality Tour,” http://www.kennykramer.com/RealityTourText.html.
5
"Sopranos Sites Tour," on location tours, https://onlocationtours.com/tour/sopranos/.
6
Sarah Weldon, "Breaking Bad homeowners are sick of people throwing pizza on their roof," Entertainment
Weekly, October 13, 2017, http://ew.com/tv/2017/10/13/breaking-bad-house-pizza-throwing/.
3

to build a six-foot tall wrought iron fence around the house, because for the last four years,
“…fans have been throwing pizzas on the real-life house where the famous scene of Bryan
Cranston’s Walt tossing a pie on his roof was shot.”
7
Though the pizza-throwing is unique to
Albuquerque, the houses of the main characters from The Brady Bunch and All in the Family
also continue to attract tourists.
8

Before proceeding, let us pause for an exercise. If you are reading this thesis, even if you
are not a heritage conservation professional, it is likely that you have a deeper awareness of the
field than many members of the public. With this in mind, here are three images of buildings that
are historically significant enough to be included on the National Register of Historic Places. For
each one, simply answer the following three questions. The answers are on the next page.
1. What city is it in?
2. Why is it significant?
3. Within a range of twenty years, when did it achieve its significance?

Figure i.2 Figure i.3

Figure i.4

7
Ibid.
8
Vivian Yee, "Stifled by Time’s Passage, Fewer Fans Visit the Bunkers’ TV Home," The New York Times, June 2,
2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/nyregion/fewer-fans-visit-all-in-the-family-tv-home.html; Richard
Winton, "Break-in at 'Brady Bunch' home in Studio City foiled by owner," Los Angeles Times, August 19, 2016,
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brady-bunch-burglar-20160819-snap-story.html.
4

Figure i.2.
The Nebraska Loan and Trust in Hastings, Nebraska, which is, “…historically significant to
Nebraska through its having been the headquarters of two financial institutions that augmented
commercial, land, and other types of development in the south-central and western regions of the
state.”
9
The building achieved its significance upon its 1884 construction.
Image: Wikimedia (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nebraska_Loan_and_Trust_
(Hastings)_from _SE_1.JPG).

Figure i.3.
The John Steinbeck House in Salinas, California. It was here that the author wrote his first short
stories, and completed two of his novels, The Red Pony and Tortilla Flat. The latter earned him
his first major literary recognition.
10
Though the house was constructed in 1898, it achieved its
significance in the 1930s, when Steinbeck wrote the two novels.
Image: Steinbeck House (http://steinbeckhouse.com/about-us/).

Figure i.4.
Julius’ Bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. This nineteenth century building “Is
significant in the area of social history for its association with an important early event in the
modern gay rights movement… On April 21, 1966, three members of the Mattachine Society, an
early and influential gay rights organization, organized what became known as a “sip-in.”
11
This
act of civil disobedience for the LGBT community came two years before the more famous
Stonewall uprising.
Image: New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-
announces-19-properties-recommended-state-and-national-registers-historic-places).

How did it go? If not as well as expected, there is one more opportunity on the next page.
Again:
1. What city is it in?
2. Why is it significant?
3. Within a range of twenty years, when did it achieve its significance?

9
National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form, Nebraska Loan and Trust Company Building,
United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Section 8, Statement of Significance.
10
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, John Steinbeck House, United States Department of the
Interior, National Park Service, Section 8, Statement of Significance.
11
"Julius' Bar," National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/articles/julius-
bar.htm.
5

Figure i.5: “Monk’s Restaurant” from the TV show Seinfeld. Photo by author.

This one is likely easier to recognize. Tom’s Restaurant in New York City is significant
for having been seen on TV by millions of people, starting in 1989 on the show Seinfeld. Tom’s
Restaurant is not on the National Register of Historic Places. The purpose of this thesis is to
determine whether it, and other movie and TV locations, should be.
Of course, this exercise is not balanced. The Seinfeld restaurant is much more widely
known in modern culture than the older buildings to which it is being compared. One might say
that it is the non-fictional equivalent of the Chrysler Building or the Alamo. But it does make the
point that a location associated with fiction can be recognized just as easily (or more so) as one
associated with real history, and this can certainly be considered one element of cultural
relevance. Of course, the evidence this exercise provides, and the stories of the movie and TV
location tours that preceded it, are merely anecdotal and are meant less as an argument for the
significance of sites associated with movies and TV shows and more as an introduction to the
whole concept of their potential significance. The rest of the thesis is meant to provide a more
comprehensive examination of the subject.
6

This study will be presented in four chapters. Chapter 1, “Public Perception of Fictional
History,” will examine the role fiction plays in American history and culture. Examples of how
works of fiction, including books, movies and TV, affect many aspects of society, including
heritage conservation itself, will be presented and analyzed. Chapter 2, “Designated Landmarks
Associated with Literature,” will show that many sites have already been designated due to their
role as locations in works of fictional literature. The sites and the criteria under which they were
designated will be discussed. Chapter 3, “Assessing the Significance of Movie and TV Sites,” is
divided into two sections. The first compares the role that written literature plays in society to the
role played by movies and TV. The second begins the analysis of some common characteristics
of potential movie and TV historic landmarks, presenting both general observations and a more
detailed look at the specific challenges that might be encountered in their pursuit for eligibility.
Chapter 4, “Potential Movie and TV Landmarks,” will use the discussions of the previous
chapters to analyze a series of case studies; specific movie and TV locations that could be
potentially eligible as historic landmarks.
Though there are sites around the world that would appear to be appropriate for this
discussion, both within the Unites States’ cultural horizon (the locations for Sergio Leone’s
1960s “Spaghetti Westerns” in Spain), and without (the countless locations for Bollywood’s
immense film industry), this thesis will limit itself to sites in the United States. The obvious
reason is that it is strictly the American landmarking system that is the focus of the study.
Several international sites will be used as examples of how other countries interpret their literary
landmarks, but even in these cases, discussion will be limited to English-speaking countries --
due mostly to the author’s language limitations. In most cases, the criteria discussed will be those
applicable to the National Register of Historic Places and to National Historic Landmarks,
though there are several instances where state and local criteria will also be touched upon.
While a large percentage of movies and TV shows are produced in the backlots and
soundstages of movie studios, these locations will not be part of the study. For one thing, since
they exist outside the public realm, very few can experience them in “real” life. For another
thing, these structures, which are purpose-built for filmed entertainment, are by design ever-
changing, in a constant state of flux as they cater to the production of the day. As a result, they
do not have the ability to convey their historic significance. For example, take Stage 9 on the
Warner Brothers Studio lot. Built in 1927, it was the shooting location of hundreds of movies,
7

from 42
nd
Street in 1933 to Spider-man in 2001, as well as many TV shows. Over the years, it
has served as the Bradford’s living room in Eight is Enough, James Cagney’s execution chamber
in Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), and an immense stage for Busby Berkeley’s dancers in Gold
Diggers of 1935.
12
(Figure i.6) Visiting Stage 9 in 2018 one would have no way of knowing any
of these places existed.

Figure i.6: Warner Brothers Stage 9 has been the location of the Bradford home in Eight is Enough. Warner Brothers
Entertainment, Inc. (left), an execution chamber in Angels with Dirty Faces. Warner Brothers Entertainment, Inc.,
(center), and the elaborate stage for the Gold Diggers of 1935. Warner Brothers Entertainment, Inc. (right).

Soundstages are ultimately large empty shells that retain no physical remnants of their
past. For the same reason, the thesis will not be exploring the everchanging structures of the
studio backlots or the studio ranches – the generic western towns and city streets that have served
as a backdrop for countless movies and TV shows. What will be addressed, however, are the
natural features of several studio ranches, which retain their integrity and can be considered as
potential cultural landscapes. This is not to say that studios and studio ranches cannot be
historically significance and deserving of designation as historic landmarks. On the list of Los
Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are Hollywood’s Charlie Chaplin Studio, and the old
Hollywood Warner Brothers Studio, where The Jazz Singer, the first sound movie was made. In
2010, Pasadena historic preservation consulting firm Historic Resources Group did a Historic
Preservation Plan for a potential historic district at Universal Studios. The historic significance of
the studio was determined to be, “…due to its association with the development of the motion
picture industry in the United States.”
13
The development of an industry is not the focus of this
thesis. Instead, this study will attempt to discover how the physical remnants of the fictional

12
"Warner Brothers - Stage 109," The Studio Tour, http://www.thestudiotour.com/warnerbros/stage09.php.
13
"Universal Studios Historic District Historic Preservation Plan," Historic Resources Group, LLC, March 10, 2010.
Attachment G, Page 6.
8

worlds depicted in movies and TV can be identified and designated based on the effect they
themselves have had on the country’s cultural experience.

9

Chapter 1
Public Perception of Fictional History

1. Introduction
To determine the cultural relevance of “fictional historic sites” (meaning sites whose
significance is derived from their being used as locations in works of fiction), compared to that
of real historic sites, one must first determine the cultural relevance of fictional history compared
to real history. A good starting point for both comparisons would be to examine how the worlds
of fiction and fact interact. Specifically, what is the effect of fiction on the “real world?” This
exploration will go beyond simply gauging the popularity of the latest blockbuster movie or hit
TV show. Instead, instances will be assessed where the fictional work goes beyond box office
numbers, Nielson ratings, water cooler talk, action figures, and poster sales and actually
integrates its artificial reality into the cultural consciousness.

2. Corporate Defictionalization
For the month of July 2007, those fortunate enough to live in a select few neighborhoods
in the United States and Canada were given the opportunity to step into the world of fiction. In a
promotion for the premiere of The Simpsons Movie, Paramount Pictures transformed twelve 7-
Eleven stores into the Kwik-E-Mart convenience stores seen on The Simpsons TV show,
bringing the fictional town of Springfield into the real world.
14
7-Eleven signage was replaced by
the distinctive Kwik-E-Mart logo, real brick façades were covered with their bright yellow
cartoon counterparts, and life-sized Simpsons characters loitered both inside and out. Once in the
store, those braving the lines wrapping around the block were able to purchase actual cans of
Duff Beer and Buzz Cola, boxes of Krusty-O’s Cereal, Squishees, print copies of Bart Simpson’s
favorite comic book, Radioactive Man, and Homer Simpson’s favorite impossibly bright pink
frosted donuts; all fictional products brought into existence for one month only.
15

How popular was the promotion? Anecdotal evidence (that is, the author waiting in line
for nearly an hour to get into the Los Angeles Kwik-E-Mart), bolstered by photographic
evidence of the other Kwik-E-Marts suggests that many people were eager to spend a few

14
"Kwik-E-Mart Lives at 7-Eleven," Convenience Store News, July 2, 2007, http://www.csnews.com/kwik-e-mart-
lives-7-eleven.
15
Ibid.
10

minutes in the fictional town of Springfield. (Figure 1.1) In Los Angeles, the line at the register
to bring home a fictional souvenir beer, cola, or donut occupied the store’s entire floor space, and
“Kwik-E-Mart” employees were in constant motion keeping the shelves stocked. According to
an article in the Los Angeles Daily News, “In Burbank and other stores, so many fans showed up
that a security guard limited entry.”
16
And what was the reason for the popularity? The same
article states, “Dave Ferguson came from Santa Clarita to buy a memento to add to the collection
he plans to pass onto his 22-month-old son. ‘This is a piece of pop-culture history,’ Ferguson
said.” Twelve-year-old Kwik-E-Mart patron Tyler Collins put it more simply: "It's really like
walking into the cartoon."
17

Figure 1.1: Simpsons fans line up outside a Canadian 7-Eleven transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart. Photo by Ian Lee
(http://www.ads-links.com/who-has-the-only-kwik-e-mart-in-canada-coquitlam-does/).

The Simpsons is not the only TV show to create pop-up fictional spaces for marketing
purposes. To publicize the revival of The Gilmore Girls, Netflix recreated the show’s “Luke’s
Diner” at almost 250 cafes around the country, allowing “…Gilmore Girls diehards…to

16
Julia M. Scott, "Burbank 7-Eleven transformed into Kwik-E-Mart," Los Angeles Daily News,", July 2, 2007,
http://www.dailynews.com/article/zz/20070702/NEWS/707029827.
17
Ibid.
11

experience the sights and sounds…” of one of the show’s primary locations.
18
Over the last
several years, a term for this phenomenon has emerged -- defictionalization. The TV Tropes
website defines it as, “The complete inverse of Product Placement, defictionalization is the
transformation of a product or object from a movie, book or other fictional source into a real item
in the real world.”
19

While the temporary nature of The Simpsons and Gilmore Girls projects suggests a
minimal impact on the cultural horizon, there are also examples of defictionalization on a more
permanent basis, with many real-world businesses deriving their names from fictional
companies. In some cases, the relationship is superficial, such as Holiday Inn hotels named for
the 1942 movie Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.
20
In this case, the real-life
Holiday Inn chain has virtually nothing in common with its stand-alone movie namesake, which
was only open on holidays, making it a showcase for the stars to sing such songs as Irving
Berlin’s Easter Parade and White Christmas. Sometimes the real company being named for a
fictional one is accidental, as in the case of Japanese robotics company Cyberdyne, whose use of
the name of the company that developed the evil robots in the Terminator franchise was a
coincidence. Doubling down on the coincidence, the real-world Cyberdyne produces a set of
robotic legs which they named HAL. Amazingly, the company claims that this was not a homage
to HAL, the killer computer of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but was also a coincidence.
21

But there are also a variety of businesses that name themselves after fictional companies
based on similarities with their namesakes. For example, the popular Ponderosa and Bonanza
steakhouses that once covered the United States and Canada derived their name and ranch-like
atmosphere from the TV show Bonanza, which took place on the Ponderosa ranch. In fact, the
Bonanza chain was started in 1963 by Dan Blocker, the actor who played Hoss Cartwright on the
series.
22
Fifty-four years later, chances are there are many customers who are unaware that a
television show inspired their dining choice. There is also the nutritional drink company Soylent,

18
Joey Skladany, "Gilmore Girls' Fans Will Be Able to Drink Free Coffee at Luke's Diner," Food & Wine, October
3, 2016, http://www.foodandwine.com/fwx/drink/gilmore-girls-free-coffee-lukes-diner.
19
"Defictionalization," TV Tropes, http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Defictionalization.
20
"Kemmons Wilson, 90; Holiday Inn Chain's Founder," Obituaries, Los Angeles Times, February 14, 2003,
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/feb/14/local/me-wilson14.
21
"What's HAL? The world's first cyborg-type robot "HAL"," Cyberdyne,
https://www.cyberdyne.jp/english/products/HAL/.
22
"Ponderosa/Bonanza Steakhouse," Revolvy.com,
https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Ponderosa/Bonanza%20Steakhouse&item_type=topic.https://www.rev
olvy.com/main/index.php?s=Ponderosa/Bonanza%20Steakhouse&item_type=topic.
12

which derives its name from the same source as the 1973 movie Soylent Green. The company
website states, “We take our name from the novel “Make Room! Make Room!” by Harry
Harrison. The book explores the impact of overpopulation in a world with dwindling resources,
so a new food is created that is called Soylent, which is made of soy and lentils.”
23
Though the
fact that in the movie soylent green is revealed to be derived from human remains makes the
name a risky marketing choice, the Soylent company is bringing a work of fiction into the real
world.
Going back over a century, the Buster Brown shoe company derived its name and mascot
from a popular comic strip in 1904, and is still providing footwear today.
24
A more recent work
of fiction, the TV show Grey’s Anatomy, has made an incursion into the real world of medical
attire. Medical professionals can now choose from 109 clothing items from the “House of Grey’s
Anatomy Professional Wear by Barco” collection, with choices ranging from “Women's Long
Sleeve Bailey Blue Indigo Print T-Shirts” and “Men’s 35” Lab Coats, to “Women's Meredith
Sport Shoes.”
25
A more widely-known fictional product whose real-world counterpart has been
available in stores for over forty years is Willie Wonka, whose Wonka Bars and Everlasting
Gobstoppers first appeared in candy stores following the 1971 release of the movie Willie Wonka
and the Chocolate Factory. But Willie Wonka is not actually a case of a life imitating art, as the
movie and candy bar were born simultaneously. Quaker Oats financed the movie in order to
create demand for a new product.
26
In the 1980 documentary Pure Imagination, the movie’s
producer David L. Wolper explains that, “…the reason for the movie was to make up a candy bar
that would last forever," while director Mel Stuart explains that this was the reason that the title
of the original book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, became Willie Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory; to sell more Wonka Bars.
27
Life did, however, imitate art in 2005, when,
with the release of Tim Burton’s remake of the movie, “Nestle [now the owner of Willy Wonka]

23
"Why is it named Soylent?" About Soylent, Soylent FAQ, https://faq.soylent.com/hc/en-us/articles/201541809-
Why-is-it-named-Soylent-.
24
"Buster Brown," Encyclopaedia Brittanica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buster-Brown.
25
"House of Grey's Anatomy Professional Wear by Barco," All Heart America's Medical Superstore,
http://www.allheart.com/greys-anatomy-scrubs/c/528/.
26
Orrin Konheim, "10 Fictional Products From Movies That Now Exist In Real Life," Business Insider, May 9,
2014, http://www.businessinsider.com/products-from-movies-that-now-exist-2014-5?op=1/#rrest-gumps-bubba-
gump-shrimp-company-is-now-a-real-restaurant-with-branches-all-over-the-world-1.
27
"Pure Imagination: The Story of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," YouTube video, 12:52, released
November 13, 2001, posted by "Goblin Nights," November 28, 2013,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWfv7k7jdek.
13

launched a promotion in which selected golden tickets attached to the bars would entitle the
holder to prizes and factory tours.”
28

Seeing a demand for fictional merchandise, in 2006 Pete Hottelet created Omni
Consumer Products (whose name comes from the movie Robocop), a company whose sole
function is to bring products from the movie and TV screen into the real world. Using the slogan,
“the future of yesterday, today,” the company has created Stay Puft Marshmallows
(Ghostbusters), Sex Panther Cologne (Anchor Man), Brawndo Thirst Mutilator Energy Drink
(Idiocracy), and their biggest success to date, Tru Blood carbonated beverage (True Blood).
29

Hottelet, who states that, “You’re not actually selling cologne. You’re selling the connection
people have with the film,” also says that what makes his company successful is that it does not
merely sell tie-ins to the movies or TV shows. Instead they are giving fans the opportunity to
own something that comes from the universe of the fictional work. For example, when creating
Tru Blood, it would have been cheaper and easier to use plastic bottles, but instead they used the
same heavy-duty glass that was used in the show. “The value,” Hottelet says, “is in a perfect 1:1
replica bottle.”
30
As a result, the drink’s wild success emulated that of the seven-season hit show,
landing it on the shelves of such major retailers as 7-Eleven. “The big drink companies basically
own shelf space,” he continues. “Creating a brand from scratch, the chances of getting into stores
were almost nothing. It took Red Bull years to do it.”
31
But then Red Bull did not offer an entrée
into a fictional world.
A more immersive experience was provided by two restaurant chains that made the
transition from the big screen to the real world. The first was the wildly successful Bubba
Gump’s Shrimp Company, which was first seen in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump (Figure 1.2).
While creating the first Bubba Gump’s, located in Monterey, California, restauranteur Scott
Barnett, asked himself, “…how do you get a restaurant to equal the feelings and emotions of the
film?"
32
He continues, "Making the ambience of the restaurant conform to the look and feel of
the movie served a dual purpose. First, the visual cues had to send the message of who we were

28
Konheim.
29
"the future of yesterday, today," Omni Consumer Products, http://www.omniconsumerproductscorporation.com/.
30
Jake Rossen, "The Art Of “Defictionalization”: Turning Fake Movie And TV Products Into A Real Business,"
Fast Company, September 18, 2014, https://www.fastcompany.com/3035479/the-art-of-defictionalization-turning-
fake-movie-and-tv-products-into-a-re.
31
Ibid.
32
Scott Barnett, Gumption: Taking Bubba Gump from Movie to Restaurant, (Del Mar, California: Solana Press,
2015). Kobo eBook, ch 10, p 9.
14

as a restaurant…But these cues also had to be consistent with the movie and work together to
send the message that patrons were entering the world of the film."
33

To this end, Barnett and his team went beyond simply stocking the menu with shrimp
items to match the movie’s famous scene where Bubba expounds endlessly on shrimp dishes.
Going the extra mile, they imported wood from old barns for an authentic rustic look to match
Forrest Gump’s rural American South, they attempted to get the actual bench that Forrest sat on
in the movie’s park scenes, and they even made sure the servers had no visible tattoos that might
take guests out of the setting of the movie.
34
The results have been spectacular. Not only were
the sales off the charts, allowing them to quickly open dozens of new locations all around the
world, but they achieved their goal of allowing guests to enter the world of Forrest Gump.
According to Barnett, “More than one customer would say to me over the years, ‘I knew you had
the shrimp company, but I never knew you had the restaurant. Reality and movie blurred for
more than a few people."
35

Figure 1.2. Screenshot of the bench scene from Forrest Gump. Paramount Pictures (left). The scene recreated at
Bubba Gump’s in Honolulu, Hawaii, including Forrest’s suitcase, shoes and box of chocolates. TripAdvisor, Bubba
Gump Shrimp Company (https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g60982-d434066-i129547947-
Bubba_Gump_Shrimp_Co-Honolulu_Oahu_Hawaii.html.) (right).

Another popular fiction-turned-non-fiction restaurant chain is Mel’s, which played a
central role in the movie American Graffiti. Upon its 1973 release, American Graffiti was a
surprise hit. With a budget of $770,000 and box office receipts of over $115,000,000 in the
United States alone, it was, “…the most profitable movie in American film history when
measured by its cost-to-profit margin.”
36
It also ushered in the era of the “summer blockbuster,”

33
Ibid., ch 4, p 8.
34
Ibid., ch 9, p 1.
35
Ibid., ch 10, p 8.
36
R. Alan Clanton, "American Graffiti and the Great Boomer Experience, 40 Years Later," Thursday Review,
http://www.thursdayreview.com/AmericanGraffiti.html.
15

triggering “the first box office youthquake of the ’70s,”
37
leading to mega-blockbusters like Jaws
(1975) and Star Wars (1977), and changing the way movie studios released and marketed
movies. While the movie’s financial success does serve as an indicator of its effect on the public,
what is more relevant to this study is its cultural impact itself and how it relates to one specific
element of non-fiction (and more so to non-fictional history) that resonates so deeply within our
consciousness: nostalgia.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines nostalgia as, “a wistful or excessively
sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period.”
38
From the movie’s tagline of “Where
were you in ‘62?” to its evocative depiction of drag-racing, sock hops, and roller-skating car
hops, the movie transported the viewer back to a seemingly simpler time. Though 1962 was only
eleven years before the movie’s release, such society-changing events as the Viet Nam War, the
civil rights movement, the sexual revolution and the unfolding Watergate crisis must have made
the fictional world of the movie seem to have existed eons before. R. Alan Clanton of the
Thursday Review points out that writer-director George Lucas chose, “to set his story in the early
summer of 1962, months before the Cuban Missile Crisis, and a year and a half before the
assassination of John F. Kennedy—events often described as the critical turning points for an
entire generation, the moment when an idyllic world of teenaged innocence was replaced with
new fears and dark unknowns.”
39
According to Lucas’s friend and colleague Steven Spielberg,
the movie, “…hit a chord of nostalgia, because it was such a warm nod backward; it was for
George’s, mine, everybody’s generation.”
40

In including “everybody’s generation,” Spielberg is referencing the fact that American
Graffiti goes beyond nostalgia simply for the individual’s experience. As Owen Gleiberman
expressed it in an article in Entertainment Weekly, “American Graffiti was the first movie that
invited its audience…to think back with proprietary fondness on an era that the audience itself
had no real memory of.”
41
In other words, this was a cultural rather than a personal memory.
Those who had not experienced 1962 longed for it alongside those who had. After American
Graffiti, “Nostalgia would no longer be for the era you grew up in — it would be for the era you

37
Greg Kilday, "The evolution of the summer blockbuster," Entertainment Weekly, May 24, 1991,
http://ew.com/article/1991/05/24/evolution-summer-blockbuster/.
38
Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Definition of Nostalgia, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nostalgia.
39
Clanton.
40
Ibid.
41
Owen Gleiberman, "Why nostalgia movies leave us dazed (but not confused," Entertainment Weekly, April 4,
2009, http://ew.com/article/2009/04/04/why-nostalgia-m/.
16

wished you grew up in.”
42
The result was a craze for the ‘50s that swept the nation, as,
“…everyone played ‘50s music, danced ‘50s dances, and tried to pretend that they were living
inside American Graffiti. The good-time cultural frenzy the movie touched off culminated in the
launch of Happy Days…and it cemented the new world of pop nostalgia that George Lucas…had
created.”
43

One method the movie used to transport viewers back to “1962” was through the
soundtrack. Up to that time a large percentage of movie music came in the form of a score,
perhaps peppered with songs written specifically for the movie.
44
Though a movie score might
contain elements of already existing music, it was often a new composition. For American
Graffiti, Lucas, against the wishes of the studio, handpicked forty-one rock ‘n’ roll songs from
the era of the movie, matching each song to a particular scene. Again, Lucas’ revolutionary idea
was wildly successful, as evidenced by over three million copies of the American Graffiti
soundtrack sold by the end of the decade, as well as the number of directors (Oliver Stone, Paul
Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, and Martin Scorsese, to name a few) whose soundtracks now
routinely feature pre-released songs.
45
What it did for American Graffiti itself was to further
enhance the viewer’s experience of entering the fictional world of the movie.
Which brings us to Mel’s Drive-In. What building type could be more representative of
teen-age culture in 1962 than the diner? In a 2015 article for Eater.com entitled How American
Graffiti's Diner Forever Changed Film, Joshua David Stein claims, “Lucas's 1973 masterpiece
established the diner as the archetypal American backdrop... Hitchcock had Mt. Rushmore.
Lucas and everyone else since then — from Levinson to Tarantino — has had formica, neon, and
naugahyde.”
46
In the movie, Mel’s was where each character’s story began and ended. It was the
center of the movie’s universe. Like the plantation Tara in Gone with the Wind, it is where many
characters returned to reconnect and regroup before heading back out to continue their
adventures. Stein points out that Lucas did not invent the diner as cultural motif: “Edward
Hopper had painted Nighthawks 30 years earlier. But he [Lucas] did intrinsically tie the diner to
an all-American adolescence, with its aimless hours of boredom, empty but necessary gestures,

42
Ibid.
43
Ibid.
44
Eric D. Snider, "13 Nostalgic Facts About American Graffiti," Mental Floss, August 2, 2016,
http://mentalfloss.com/article/84009/13-nostalgic-facts-about-american-graffiti.
45
Clanton.
46
Joshua David Stein, "Review: How American Graffiti's Diner Forever Changed Film," Eater, January 29, 2015,
https://www.eater.com/2015/1/29/7932901/review-how-american-graffiti-diner-forever-changed-film.
17

and its lonely neon sign, blinking hopefully in the night.”
47
Night is when American Graffiti
takes place. And is it telling that Mel’s, not any of the movie’s human characters, is the first
image we see, and that it remains throughout the entire credit sequence under the rocking chords
of Bill Haley and his Comets’ seminal Rock Around the Clock? (Figure 1.3)

Figure 1.3. Screenshot of the main title sequence of American Graffiti (1973) illustrating the importance
of Mel’s Drive-In to the movie. Universal Pictures.

Unlike Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Company, Mel’s started out as an actual restaurant,
opened in San Francisco in 1947 by Mel Weiss. A second San Francisco location was added on
Geary Street in 1952. But by the time the American Graffiti crew arrived in 1972, both
restaurants, like so many of their neon-clad brethren, were in their final days. The Geary Street
location was closed in 1972, and the original restaurant, with a fresh paint job and its broken
neon signage repaired for the movie shoot, was closed and demolished in 1976.
48
Nine years
went by with Mel’s existing only on the screen. Then in 1985, Steven Weiss (Mel’s son) opened
the first “second generation” Mel’s on San Francisco’s touristy Lombard Street. Though, unlike
Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Company, the new incarnation did not originate with the movie studio, it
still relied on the popularity of the movie for its own popularity, recreating the neon outside and
the chrome inside and displaying larger-than-life photos of the movie shoot at the original Mel’s.
Like Bubba Gump’s, it was a wild success. According to the restaurant website, “Patrons of the
earlier Mel’s drive-in locations flooded the restaurant on opening day… The restaurant's unique

47
Ibid.
48
“First Generation Mel's,” Mel's Story, Mel's Drive-In, http://melsdrive-
in.com/melsstory/mels_story/firstgeneration.
18

ability to satisfy the nostalgia pangs of its customers quickly prompted the Coors Beer and
Goodrich Tire Companies to feature it in their television commercials, and Mel's has been a
regular star of film and television ever since.”
49

Since then, Mel’s has expanded to twenty-six locations throughout California and
Nevada, along with branches in Universal Studios Theme Parks in Los Angeles, Orlando,
Singapore, and Japan. Rather than building new structures, many of their branches provide a
degree of authenticity by occupying historic structures. For example, 1) The second “next
generation” Mel’s is located in the site of the original San Francisco Geary Street Mel’s, 2) West
Hollywood Mel’s occupies the iconic Ben Frank’s Drive-In on the Sunset Strip, 3) Sherman
Oaks Mel’s occupies the 1953 Googie-styled Kerry’s Coffee Shop, 4) Hollywood Mel’s is
located in the historic Max Factor Building, and 5) Santa Monica Mel’s will soon be opening in
the building that was once the 1959 Googie-styled Penguin Restaurant.
On the other hand, looking at the Mel’s at Universal Studios Japan, one can see that it is a
stylized version of the original, featuring neon, the flying saucer shape, and even cars in the
parking lot matching the models of the cars used in the movie. (Figure 1.4) Considering that 90%
of the theme park’s patrons come from Japan, and given their average age, it is a safe bet that not
many of them experienced American teen culture of 1962.
50

49
“Lombard Street,” Mel's Drive-In, http://melsdrive-in.com/lombardstreet.
50
Gavin J. Blair, "Universal Studios Japan Sets New Attendance Record, on Course for 14M Visitors," Hollywood
Reporter, March 7, 2016, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/universal-studios-japan-sets-new-873066.
19

Figure 1.4: Mel’s Drive-In at Universal Studios Japan. A stylized version of the original, complete with neon,
chrome and the same yellow drag-racing car. Universal Studios Japan,
https://www.usj.co.jp/e/restaurant/hollywood.html.

So, of the thousands of drive-ins that dotted the USA from the 1940s to the 1960s --
including dozens of forgotten chains like Los Angeles’ Carpenter’s, Miami’s Royal Castle, and
Dee Drive-In in Utah -- the lone survivor (besides non-drive-in national chains Denny’s and Big
Boy) is Mel’s. In fact, Mel’s itself disappeared like the rest. And why did it return? Because of
its depiction in American Graffiti. As Stein writes, “Had it not been for Lucas, Mel's Drive-In
might have blinkered out of existence.”
51
As depicted in the movie, Mel’s went beyond being a
personal memory shared only by those relatively few who had experienced it. It was the fictional
Mel’s, not the physical one that became a cultural memory, a piece of nostalgia that has made a
world-wide impact and now serves the public as the physical remnant of a long-gone period.

51
Stein.
20

3. Grassroots Defictionalization
The defictionalization depicted in the previous examples, whether originating with the
companies that created the movies or TV shows, or with unrelated companies, was motivated by
the market. More valuable in assessing the impact of fiction on the cultural horizon than this
profit-driven “top-down” popularity is a more grassroots “bottom-up” popularity, where
something originating in fiction spreads organically through society, without the motivation of
profit and the aid of marketing. Two examples follow.
In 1997, the Seinfeld episode entitled The Strike, introduced a new holiday called
Festivus, which was presented as a non-religious alternative to Christmas. The holiday featured
its own unique traditions, including “feats of strength,” the “airing of grievances,” and a
“Festivus Pole” to replace the Christmas tree. Over the last twenty years, the holiday has grown
in popularity. For example, in December 2005, after being declared “Governor Festivus,” Jim
Doyle, the actual governor of Wisconsin, displayed a Festivus Pole in the family room of the
Executive Residence, which is now on display in the Wisconsin Historical Museum.
52
In 2010,
Virginia Representative Eric Cantor held a Festivus fundraiser for cancer, and in 2016, the
Tampa Bay Times featured readers submitting their Festivus grievances.
53
Over the next few
years, the holiday became a resource for activists advocating for the separation of church and
state. To that end, in 2012, a Festivus Pole made of beer cans was placed next to a religious
holiday display on city property in Deerfield Beach, Florida, another was placed next to religious
displays in the Wisconsin State Capitol, along with a banner in favor of separation of
government and religion, and in 2013 and 2014, a Festivus Pole served the same role in front of
the Florida State Capitol Building, only this time with a disco ball on top.
54

Further evidence of the popularity of the once-fictional holiday can be found in the
emergence of an organized association for Festivus’ Feats of Strength. Calling itself “Festivus

52
"Governor Doyle's 'Festivus' Pole," Wisconsin Historical Society,
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Content.aspx?dsNav=N:4294963828-4294963805&dsRecordDetails=R:CS2659.
53
Patrick Gavin, "Eric Cantor Hosts Festivus Fundraiser," Politico Click, December 10, 2010,
http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1012/cantor_hosts_festivus_fundraiser.html; Christopher Spata, "Festivus
2016: Submit your grievances here," Tampa Bay Times, December 20, 2016,
http://www.tampabay.com/features/popculture/festivus-2016-air-your-grievances-here/2306908.
54
Anne Geggis, "From Deerfield, Festivus poles pop up around the country," Sun-Sentinel, December 11, 2016,
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/deerfield-beach/fl-deerfield-festivus-pole-20151211-story.html;
Brendan Farrington, "Festivus For The Rest Of Us! Florida Atheist Successfully Puts Up Beer Can Pole Display,"
Huffington Post, December 11, 2013, http://www.myactsofsedition.com/blog/2013/12/11/huffington-post-festivus-
for-the-rest-of-us-florida-atheist-successfully-puts-up-beer-can-pole-display/; "Festivus pole hoisted in Florida
Capitol once again," Fox 35 Orlando, December 23, 2015, http://www.fox35orlando.com/home/60908334-story.
21

Games. Feats of Strength for the Rest of Us,” the organization held its first competition on April
30, 2011 with approximately seventy athletes participating. By 2016, the games boasted over
16,000 participants.
55
Lest one thinks this is merely a trend accompanying the show from which
it originated, one must remember that this well-attended Feats of Strength event happened
nineteen years after the airing of the Seinfeld episode, and eighteen years after the series itself
ended.
A much higher level of popularity and organization can be found with another fictional
athletic event that started around the same time: Quidditch, a game introduced in Harry Potter
and the Philosopher’s Stone (book 1997 and movie 2001). The challenge of replicating a game
that resembles field hockey but is played while flying on broomsticks has been enthusiastically
accepted by thousands around the world.
Founded in 2010, the organization United States Quidditch (USQ) claims 4,000 players
on 200 member teams around the country, hosting regular season competition and nine major
tournaments. They also train referees, provide grants, and host outreach programs to students,
from high school to elementary school.
56
The organization has no association with any of the
creators of Harry Potter books or movies. In fact, a disclaimer on their website reads, “US
Quidditch (USQ) is a magical 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to governing the sport of quidditch
and advancing the sport by organizing events and programs that build community and empower
all genders to compete together. Inspired by the Harry Potter novels…USQ and its activities are
not licensed by, sponsored by or associated with Warner Bros., J.K. Rowling, or their
affiliates.”
57

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as the USQ itself is a member of the International
Quidditch Association, which boasts national governing bodies in eighteen countries (Argentina,
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Catalunya, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States).
(Figure 1.5)

55
"Festivus Games History,"Festivus Games: Feats of Strength for the Rest of Us!,"
https://festivusgames.com/about/.
56
“About US Quidditch," United States Quidditch, https://www.usquidditch.org/about/mission/.
57
Ibid.
22

Figure 1.5: Logos of the eighteen national Quidditch leagues. International Quidditch Association,
http://iqaquidditch.org/congressional_representatives.html.

On the collegiate front, a partial list of universities with official Quidditch teams would
include University of California Berkeley, University of California Los Angeles, University of
Southern California, Arizona State University, the University of Central Florida, Louisiana State
University… and even the Qwertyians team in Tijuana, Mexico. The winners face each other in
an annual World Cup.
58
The worldwide popularity of Quidditch shows the universal impact a
work of fiction set in the United Kingdom can have on cultures around the globe.

4. Indirect Defictionalization
Departing from the areas of the arts, leisure, and sports, where defictionalization involves
elements of fiction transitioning directly into the real world, there are examples of fiction
indirectly affecting society in other areas. In the 1960s, Martin Cooper, inventor and chief
systems manager at Motorola, watched the TV show Star Trek. As he watched, he marveled at
seeing, “Captain Kirk walk on different planets talking to his crew without a pesky telephone
cord.”
59
Determined to invent something similar, Cooper ended up introducing the first cell
phone to the world in 1973. Cooper wasn’t the only engineer or scientist influenced by Star Trek.
According to Rob Haitani, product design architect for Palm-One Inc., "When I designed the UI
(user interface) for the Palm OS back in '93, my first sketches were influenced by the UI of the
Enterprise bridge panels… Years later, when we designed the first Treo (a combo phone and

58
Sofia Gonzalez-Platas, "The basics of Quidditch at Cal," The Daily Clog by the Daily Californian, October 21,
2014, http://www.dailycal.org/2014/10/21/basics-quidditch-cal/.
59
Orrin Konheim, "10 Fictional Products From Movies That Now Exist In Real Life," Business Insider, May 9,
2014, http://www.businessinsider.com/products-from-movies-that-now-exist-2014-5?op=1/#rrest-gumps-bubba-
gump-shrimp-company-is-now-a-real-restaurant-with-branches-all-over-the-world-1.
23

wireless PDA), it had a form factor similar to the communicators in the original series. It had a
speakerphone mode so you could stand there and talk into it like Capt. Kirk."
60

Fiction even affects the choice of the historical figures placed on our currency. In June
2015, the United States Treasury announced plans to remove Alexander Hamilton from the ten-
dollar bill, to be replaced by someone who would increase the diversity of those depicted on our
money.
61
In April 2016, the replacement was announced as Harriet Tubman, but with a slight
alteration: Ms. Tubman would now be replacing Andrew Jackson on the twenty-dollar bill,
leaving Hamilton safe and sound on the ten-dollar bill.
62
What happened between these
announcements? The Broadway play, Hamilton. Since the play became a cultural phenomenon,
the United States’ first Secretary of the Treasury has reentered the country’s consciousness.
Anecdotal evidence includes a recent trip to New York, where the author witnessed crowds three
people deep surrounding Mr. Hamilton’s grave in the Trinity Church cemetery, taking selfie after
selfie. Beth J. Harpaz of the Associated Press writes of, “…thousands of “Hamilton” fans
boosting visitor numbers at historic sites that in the past were barely on tourists’ radars. Hamilton
Grange, his Harlem home and a National Park site, had as many visitors in the first five months
of this year as it did in all of 2015 — more than 35,000 people. And that’s a 75 percent increase
over the 21,000 visitors who toured the Grange in 2014, the year before “Hamilton” opened.”
63

But getting back to the ten-dollar bill, there was a meeting between Hamilton creator and
star Lin-Manuel Miranda and Secretary of the Treasury Jacob J. Lew, in March, 2016, as Mr.
Lew was deciding the upcoming currency changes. Miranda, responding to a question from a
Twitter follower, wrote, “talked to @USTreasury about this on Monday. Sec. Lew told me
‘you're going to be very happy.’"
64
Fortune magazine writer Michael Paulson points out in his
story, “What Really Kept Alexander Hamilton on the $10 Bill,” that facets of American identity

60
Benny Evangelista, "TREK TECH / 40 years since the Enterprise's inception, some of its science fiction gadgets
are part of everyday life," SFGate, March 15, 2004, http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/TREK-TECH-40-years-
since-the-Enterprise-s-2780887.php.
61
Jackie Calmes, "Woman’s Portrait Will Appear on the $10 Bill," The New York Times, June 17, 2015,
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/18/us/portrait-of-a-woman-to-share-space-on-the-dollar-10-bill-with-
hamiltons.html?_r=0.
62
Kevin Liptak, Antoine Sanfuentes and Jackie Wattles, "Harriet Tubman will be face of the $20," CNN Money,
April 21, 2016, http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/20/news/10-bill-hamilton-20-tubman/index.html.
63
Beth J. Harpaz, "Fans of ‘Hamilton’ Are Traveling to New York to See the Rooms Where It Happened,"
Skift.com, June 14, 2016, https://skift.com/2016/06/14/fans-of-hamilton-are-traveling-to-new-york-to-see-the-rooms-
where-it-happened/.
64
Michael Paulson, "Hamilton May Stay on the $10 Bill, Thanks to Help From Broadway," The New York Times,
March 16, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/theater/hamilton-may-stay-on-the-10-bill-thanks-to-help-
from-broadway.html.
24

coming from the world of theater is nothing new; The term “melting pot,” so central to the
character of the United States, came from a 1908 play of the same name.
65

5. When Fiction is More Relevant Than Non-Fiction
Sometimes fiction can make inroads into the cultural horizon that go deeper than those
made by actual events. Cleveland, Ohio offers an example of a fictional historic house museum
that is not only the most popular house museum in the city, but is equally or more popular than
many of the city’s biggest tourist attractions. The movie A Christmas Story was released in 1983.
The following decades saw it emerge as a holiday classic, rivaling and in some cases eclipsing
the popularity of holiday perennials like It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, and Miracle on
34
th
Street. Evidence of its popularity can be found in the 24-hour A Christmas Story marathon,
which has aired every Christmas since 1997, first on TNT and then on TBS.
66

In 2004, Brian Jones, a fan of A Christmas Story living in San Diego, purchased the
Cleveland house used in the movie and began restoring it to its appearance during the 1983
filming. In 2006, it opened as the A Christmas Story House Museum. (Figure 1.6) On August 27,
2009, the museum welcomed its 100,000
th
guest.
67
Since then, the museum’s success has further
grown, leading to a cottage industry in the sale of replicas of the tacky leg lamp seen in the
movie, the purchase of the house across the street to create a museum displaying props from the
movie, and the Christmas Story House Foundation, which raised over $130,000 in 2014 and
2015 for the restoration of the neighborhood surrounding the house. Much of this money was
raised via the A Christmas Story 5K/10K Run which hosted over 6,000 runners in 2015.
68

65
Scott L. Montgomery, "What Really Kept Alexander Hamilton on the$10 Bill," Fortune, April 24, 2016,
http://fortune.com/2016/04/24/alexander-hamilton-harriet-tubman/.
66
Kelly West, “A Christmas Story Marathon Kicks Off on TBS This Christmas Eve,” Cinema Blend,
http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Christmas-Story-Marathon-Kicks-Off-TBS-Christmas-Eve-37908.html.
67
"A Christmas Story House & Museum Reaches 100,000 Visitors," A Christmas Story House and Museum, Press
Release, August 27, 2009, http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/a-christmas-story-house-museum-reaches-100000-
visitors/.
68
“Ralphie’s Neighborhood Restoration Continues!,” A Christmas Story House and Museum, Press Release, April
15, 2015, http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/press-release-april-2015/.

25

Figure 1.6. Fans line up outside Cleveland’s A Christmas Story House Museum. A Christmas Story House Museum,
http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/photo-gallery/2013-convention/.

In recent years, the museum has become one of Cleveland’s most popular. Yelp and
TripAdvisor, the two most commonly used online venue review sites use the reviews of actual
customers to inform the decision-making of millions of consumers. Attractions are ranked
according to a combination of 1) the average score on a one-to-five-star rating system and 2) the
number of reviews per venue. As of August 25, 2017, here are the ten most popular Cleveland
museums, according to each site:

Table 1.1: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Museums&find_loc=Cleveland,+OH.

Yelp's Ten Most Popular Cleveland Museums
1 Cleveland Museum of Art
2 Cleveland Museum of Natural History
3 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
4 Great Lakes Science Center
5 A Christmas Story House and Museum
6 Cleveland Botanical Garden
7 Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
8 Dunham Tavern Museum
9 Cleveland History Center
10 Transformer Center
26

Yelp reviewers rank the museum number five out of a total of eighty-nine museums. It is
more popular than major museums like the Cleveland Botanical Garden and the Cleveland
History Center. The only other historic house museum to make the list is the Dunham Tavern
Museum, which is ranked eighth.
TripAdvisor's Ten Most Popular Cleveland Museums
1
Cleveland Museum of Art
2 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
3 A Christmas Story House
4 Cleveland Museum of Natural History
5 Great Lakes Science Center
6 Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum
7 Western Reserve Historical Society
8 Steamship William G. Mather
9 Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
10 International Women's Air & Space Museum
Table 1.2: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g50207-Activities-c49-Cleveland_Ohio.html.

The A Christmas Story House ranks even higher on TripAdvisor, coming in as the third
most popular museum on a list of thirty. The Dunham Tavern Museum is also the second most
popular historic house museum with TripAdvisor customers, but here it ranks only eighteenth.
In some cases, a historic site becomes more known for its fictional history than its real
history. Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park lies forty-five miles north of the city of Los Angeles.
Nineteenth century bandit Tiburcio Vasquez used the distinctive rock formation as a hide-out.
Yet today, the park is less well-known for this historical figure’s exploits than it is for its role as
a shooting location for dozens of movies, TV shows, rock videos, and commercials. Its primary
fame comes from its association with the TV and movie versions of Star Trek. According to
Kaye Michelson, the acting public information officer for the Los Angeles County Department
of Parks and Recreation, “…a large number of people who visit Vasquez Rocks do ask about
‘Star Trek’ — people from all over the world… The one scene in particular most of them ask
about is the scene with Capt. Kirk and the Gorn.”
69
As a result, the park’s gift shop sells a

69
Randy Lewis, "How Vasquez Rocks, L.A.'s onetime outlaw hideout, became 'Star Trek's' favorite alien
landscape," Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2016, http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-star-trek-50-
vasquez-rocks-20160829-snap-story.html.
27

“Starfleet Command/United Federation of Planets refrigerator magnet and a selection of tunic
insignias for the different service positions (command, science, medical).”
70

Further evidence of the fictional history of Vasquez Rocks outweighing the non-fictional
history can be found through a routine online search. The first three pages of a Google search for
“Vasquez Rocks” conducted on July 30, 2017, contained links to the following websites:

Figure 1.7: The first three pages of a Google search for “Vasquez Rocks” conducted on July 30, 2017.

These pages contained not one mention of Tiburcio Vasquez himself. In fact, this same
search did not bring up the name Tiburcio Vasquez until the seventh page – after fifty-five other
listings, including several in which “Vasquez Rocks” has become “Kirk’s Rocks.” Similarly, at

70
Ibid.
28

the bottom of the screen, “Searches related to vasquez rocks” include three fictional history
references (movies, star trek, and westworld) and no appearances by Mr. Vasquez. (Figure 1.8)

Figure 1.8: “Searches related to Vasquez Rocks,” conducted on Google on July 30
th
, 2017.

Meanwhile, a Google image search for “Vasquez Rocks” brings up the following screen,
which offers the opportunity to narrow the search to images related to, “star trek, bonanza,
airwolf, kirk, and captain kirk.” (Figure 1.9) Again, no sign of the Rocks’ actual namesake.

Figure 1.9. Google image search for “Vasquez Rocks,” conducted July 30, 2017.

29

Further blurring of the line between fiction and non-fiction comes from the actual naming
of the site. According to a 2001 article by local historian Jo Ellen Rismanchi on the
SCVHistory.com (SCV standing for Santa Clarita Valley) website, “The area took on the name
Vasquez Rocks with the advent of movie making…The Hollywood character Zorro is a take-off
on the character of Tiburcio Vasquez. Before that time the area was simply known as "The
Rocks."
71
A movie locations website concurs, stating, “Prior to the advent of filmmaking, this
area was simply known as “the Rocks.” The area became known as Vasquez Rocks probably
after the filming of Zorro whose Hollywood character is modeled after the bandit Vasquez.
”72

Though it is not certain that these local historians are correct, it is possible that even the
seemingly historically-based name of the park has its origins in the world of fiction.
As mentioned in the discussion of Festivus from the show Seinfeld, Vasquez Rocks’
association with Star Trek is no flash-in-the-pan fad. Arena, the Star Trek episode for which the
Rocks are most well-known, aired January 19, 1967, which was over fifty years ago.
73
Other TV
shows which are associated with the Rocks go back even further, including Bonanza (1959-
1973) and The Lone Ranger (1949-1957). Even after all these years, their use in these shows still
provides more fame for Vasquez Rocks than the real-life Mr. Vasquez himself.

6. The Effect of Fiction on Heritage Conservation
Three final examples illustrate instances where works of fiction played a pivotal role in
the actual conservation of cultural landmarks. The first is the Little Red Lighthouse under New
York’s George Washington Bridge. Moved to this upper Manhattan site in 1921, the lighthouse
lost its usefulness in 1931 due to the stronger lights on the newly constructed bridge. According
to New York Magazine, “Decommissioned in 1948, the nautical structure would have been
dismantled, if not for a beloved children's book inspired by its story: Hildegarde Swift's The
Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge... A public outcry, generated by thousands of
children's letters, saved the lighthouse which was thereafter deeded to the city.”
74
The plaque on

71
Jo Ellen Rismanchi, "Touring Vasquez Rocks: A History of its 20th-century Occupation," SCV history.com,
October, 2001, http://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/rismanchi-vasquez-tour.htm.
72
“Vasquez Rocks,” moviesites.org, http://www.moviesites.org/vasquez.htm.
73
“Star Trek, Arena,” IMDb.com, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708418/.
74
“Little Red Lighthouse,” Arts & Events, New York Magazine,
http://nymag.com/listings/attraction/little_red_lighthouse/.
30

the now-popular attraction reads, “…the public protested with an outpouring of letters to
officials, largely because the lighthouse was a beloved character in the 1942 children’s book.”
Another example involves what is now one of the most visited historic landmarks in the
world, Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral. By the nineteenth century, the church had fallen into
disrepair and was looked at by some as an embarrassing relic of the past. Historians Jean-Benoît
Nadeau and Julie Barlow state, “During the Revolution Notre Dame had been used as a saltpetre
plant. By the nineteenth century it had suffered so much neglect that builders wanted to reuse its
stones for bridge construction.”
75
Robert Louis Stevenson described it as an ‘old church thrust
away into a corner,’ while Hugo’s biographer Graham Robb wrote, “In the minds of progressive
Parisians, it was a shabby relic of the barbarian past.”
76
Enter author Victor Hugo, who had a
history of using his writing to advocate for the preservation of historic buildings throughout
France. In 1831, he published his novel, Notre-Dame de Paris, primarily to bring attention to the
Cathedral to save it from demolition.
77
Nadeau and Barlow continue, “The first three chapters of
the novel are a plea to preserve Gothic architecture—in Hugo’s words, a “gigantic book of
stone,” which he, as a Romantic, found beautiful.”
78
It is worth noting, that although the English
translation of the title is The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Hugo’s original title is Notre-Dame de
Paris, highlighting the author’s priority in writing the book. Though the resulting restoration of
the church might not measure up to current preservation standards, thanks to the popularity of
Hugo’s work of fiction, the Cathedral still stands.
The final example illustrates that a fictional location can elicit enough passion to move
the public to take extraordinary actions. In 2010, a Belgian Star Wars fan named Mark Dermul
travelled to the edge of the Sahara Desert in Tunisia and discovered that the structure used as the
exterior of the Lars Homestead (Luke Skywalker’s home on the planet of Tatooine) was
disintegrating. Returning home, he started the Lars Restoration Project. Over the next two years,
fans around the world donated over eleven thousand dollars, allowing Dermul to return to the

75
Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow, "How did Victor Hugo save the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame from
Demolition?" Excerpt taken from the book The Story of French, December 9, 2011, http://nadeaubarlow.com/how-
did-victor-hugo-save-the-cathedral-of-notre-dame/.
76
"Notre-Dame de Paris: 1482: How Victor Hugo Failed to Save the Medieval City," RuperWilloughby.co.uk,
October 29th, 2016, http://www.rupertwilloughby.co.uk/gleanings/notre-dame-de-paris-1482-how-victor-hugo-
failed-to-save-the-medieval-city/.
77
Nadeau and Barlow.
78
Ibid.
31

desert in 2012 with a team of compatriots to restore the structure.
79
Thanks to the efforts of these
fans, which included negotiating with the Tunisian government and waiting out the potential
hazards of Tunisia’s Arab Spring uprising, the site has been restored. Not only is it now a visited
tourist attraction, but Google Maps lists it as an actual real-world location. (Figure 1.10)

Figure 1.10: Google Maps showing the Lars Homestead from Star Wars as a real location. Search conducted August
7, 2017.

Taken together, these many examples make it clear that elements of the world of fiction
have a concrete presence in the real world. Rather than attempt to make the case that one source
has more cultural relevance than the other, a better argument would be that fiction and its
physical manifestations are simply part of the landscape, woven into the cultural fabric of the
real world. This phenomenon sets the stage for the blending of fact and fantasy that is a
necessary ingredient in the exploration of the significance of movie and TV-related historic sites.

79
“Save Lars,” diary, http://www.savelars.com/.
32

Chapter 2
Designated Landmarks Associated with Literature
1. Introduction
The cultural significance of fictional history illustrated in the previous chapter can
already be seen in heritage conservation. Many sites around the world have been designated as
historic landmarks either wholly or in part for their association with works of literary fiction. In
each of the following cases, the site’s role as a location in the fictional literary work, instead of
(or in addition to) its association with the real-life author, is used to meet designation criteria.
Each example in this chapter will be accompanied with the language used in its designation.

2. The Importance of Sites Associated with Literature in Other Countries
Though some of these literary sites are in the United States, they are more plentiful in
other countries. Examples will be limited to English-speaking countries, including Canada,
Australia, and the United Kingdom.

Canada: Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables is a children’s book written by Lucy Maud Montgomery and
published in 1908, which tells the story of an eleven-year-old orphan being raised on a farm in
the fictional town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island. Its contribution to Canadian literature
was summed up by Mark Twain himself, who described Anne as, “…the dearest and most
lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice.”
80
Its popularity led to eleven more novels
about Anne (seven of them by Montgomery), four movie adaptations (1919-2017), and nineteen
television adaptations (1952-2017). In 1985, the house in which “Anne” lived in the book, which
is also located on Prince Edward Island, was designated as a Recognized Federal Heritage Place,
adding it, green gables and all, to the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
81
This is a good
example of a property that was designated primarily for its association with a work of fiction
(Figure 2.1).

80
“Green Gables House, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Evaluation Report, Appendix A,” July
24, 1985, http://www.historicplaces.ca/media/9124/1984-050(e)greengableshouse.pdf.
81
"Green Gables House," Parks Canada Directory of Federal Heritage Designations,
http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_fhbro_eng.aspx?id=2491.
33

Figure 2.1. Arriving at the Green Gables Heritage Place, one is greeted not by author Lucy Maude Montgomery, but
by the red-headed, pig-tailed Anne herself, who is seen just out of focus in this promotional image from the house’s
website, in keeping with her status as a fictional character from a long-gone era. Green Gables Heritage Place,
http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/pe/greengables.

The Canadian Register of Historic Places, “…is a federal, provincial and territorial
collaboration designed to conserve historic places in Canada and to foster a culture of
conservation across the country.”
82
According to the General Guidelines for Writing a Statement
of Significance, “Historical or cultural value refers to the associations that a place has with past
events and historical themes, as well as its capacity to evoke a way of life or a memory of the
past. Historical or cultural value may lie in the age of a heritage district, its association with
important events, activities, people or traditions; its role in the development of a community,
region, province, territory or nation; or its patterns of use.”
83

In attributing historical value to the Green Gables Heritage Place, the Canadian Register
nomination states that, “Green Gables House is internationally famous as one of Canada’s most
celebrated fictional houses. It is one of the best examples of a building associated with the
Canadian author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, who used the farmhouse as both the inspiration and
the setting for her famous novel, ‘Anne of Green Gables.’”
84
While association with the author is
referenced, the emphasis is not on her actual association with the house – in fact, there is no
mention of her having ever set foot in it. Instead, it is the significance of the house as “one of
Canada’s most celebrated fictional houses,” that is more important. In fact, the language goes on
to say, “the Green Gables House was the inspiration for the home of the fictional character Anne

82
"Writing Statements of Significance," Canadian Register of Historic Places, Parks Canada. 2.
83
Ibid., 11.
84
Parks Canada Directory.
34

Shirley, heroine of L.M. Montgomery's famous novel Anne of Green Gables. This literary
association as well as landmark convey a significant heritage value to the house, which holds an
important position in the imagination of the many readers of this very popular novel.”
85

Though the architectural value assessment reads, “Green Gables House is valued for its
good aesthetic and functional design. Its farmhouse design, built in successive stages, places it
firmly in Canadian vernacular building traditions of the 19th century,” it is also clear that
architecture is not the reason for the designation. In fact, the Building Evaluation Report
accompanying the nomination refers to the house as a “simple and very ordinary Prince Edward
Island farmhouse.”
86
It is also important to note that the house’s appearance has actually been
altered to conform to the fiction: “The interior of the house has since been reconstructed to
appear as it did in the novels.”
87

The nomination goes on to attribute the popularity of the site to the association with the
novel, stating that, “Green Gables House has been of interest to tourists since the publication of
the novel…” and that, “it will remain a landmark because of its association with the popular
novel Anne of Green Gables.”
88

Australia: Picnic at Hanging Rock.
Picnic at Hanging Rock is a novel written by Joan Lindsay and published in 1967. It tells
the story of a group of female students who mysteriously disappear while on a Valentine’s Day
picnic in the mountains of Victoria, Australia in 1900. The book is regarded as one of the most
important works of Australian literature and was adapted into an Australian movie by the prolific
director Peter Weir in 1975 and an Australian TV series in 2017. Hanging Rock, the real location
used as the setting for the fictional work, is itself a volcanic formation also known as Mount
Diogenes, located in the Macedon mountain range (Figure 2.2). Hanging Rock’s 1991 inclusion
in the Register of the National Estate presents a case where association with a fictional location
serves a specific purpose in the assessment of the site’s significance.

85
Ibid.
86
Green Gables House, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Evaluation Report.
87
Parks Canada Directory.
88
Ibid.
35

Figure 2.2. A promotional photo from Hanging Rock’s website shows the influence that the novel, set in the
Victorian era, still has on the public perception of the site. Visit Macedon Ranges,
https://www.visitmacedonranges.com/see-do/the-great-outdoors/hanging-rock/.

The Register of the National Estate is “a list of natural, Indigenous and historic heritage
places throughout Australia...originally established under the Australian Heritage Commission
Act 1975.”
89
Hanging Rock was designated specifically under the Register’s Criterion E.1.
Criterion E reads, “The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s
importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural
group.”
90
Continuing, Criterion E.1 states that the place achieves this value, “…through the
following: Features of beauty, or features that inspire, emotionally move or have other
characteristics that evoke a strong human response.”
91

89
"The Register of the National Estate," Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy, 2007,
http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/register-national-estate.
90
"Guidelines for the Assessment of Places for the National Heritage List," (Canberra: Australian Heritage Council,
2009), 34.
91
Ibid., 36.
36

Unlike the Green Gables house, Hanging Rock’s association with the novel is only one of
many aspects of its significance (It also qualifies under the unrelated criteria A.1, A.4, B.1, C.1,
D.1, and G.1).
92
Its E.1 Statement of Significance reads in its entirety:

Hanging Rock is important for its aesthetic quality for the following reasons: it is
a landmark feature in the surrounding countryside due to its height and rock
formations; it provides a variety of scenery of intimate forest areas with added
interest from wildlife, enclosed narrow rock passages, and viewing platforms
from which panoramas can be experienced; and it is perceived by the public as
having an aura of mystery due it its association with the bush ranger Dan Morgan,
the Joan Lindsay novel and the uncommon rock formation with narrow but tall
internal spaces.
93

The description section expands on the role the novel plays in making the site significant:

An addition to the aesthetic quality is an aura of mystery surrounding the rock
which is now entrenched in public perceptions. This is probably due to the rock
being used as a hideout/lookout by the bush ranger Dan Morgan, being used in the
Joan Lindsay novel Picnic at Hanging Rock as a place where mysterious and
unexplained events occurred and the rock formations which create a formidable
and imposing presence when experienced from the narrow internal
passageways.
94

The Explanatory Notes section of the E.1 criterion definition sheds more light on the
specific role the work of fiction plays: “The ascription of aesthetic value may be given to a place
whether it is a natural or cultural place. In relation to natural places, it is human perception of the

92
The additional criteria under which Hanging Rock was designated read as follows:
The place demonstrates natural or cultural processes which are of national significance to Australia for the
following: a.1 Geomorphology, Landscape and Landform; a.4 Ecological Processes; The place demonstrates
uncommon aspects of the history, cultures or natural world that are of national significance to Australia for the
following: b.1 Foci for rarity (natural values); The place is of national significance to Australia because it could
provide information deriving from records, collections, fossils, biological material, geological features, movable
cultural heritage, archaeological resources, architectural fabric or other evidence for the understanding of: c.1 the
natural history of Australia; The place best represents the characteristics of its Class by virtue of its combinations of:
d.1 Natural physical and biological attributes; The place is of national significance to Australia because it has a
strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for: g.1 a social, cultural or spiritual
reasons that could include: traditional, religious, ceremonial or other social purpose, including a celebratory or
commemorative use, or association with community action.
93
"Hanging Rock Statement of Significance," Register of the National Estate, Australian Heritage Database,
http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-
bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;search=place_name%3DHanging%2520Rock%3Bkeyword_PD%3Don%3B
keyword_SS%3Don%3Bkeyword_PH%3Don%3Blatitude_1dir%3DS%3Blongitude_1dir%3DE%3Blongitude_2dir
%3DE%3Blatitude_2dir%3DS%3Bin_region%3Dpart;place_id=4257.
94
Ibid.
37

natural place which creates the aesthetic value.”
95
The fact that a popular work of fiction
interprets the site in a specific way, in this case as “a place where mysterious and unexplained
events occurred,” is one measurement of “human perception.” This is spelled out even more
explicitly in the Considerations in Applying the Criterion section, which states, “Artistic works,
such as art, poetry, and music, inspired by the features of a place can provide evidence that the
place may have aesthetic value.”
96

This same use of literature (as well as the role of movies) to affirm the cultural value of a
site can be found in the designation language for several other Register of the National Estate
listings as well (Table 2.1).

Criterion A Listing Description of Value
Port Arthur Historic Site,
Tasmania
The melancholic drama of Port Arthur’s cultural
landscape both in the past and today has inspired
art and literature including its portrayal in
Marcus Clarke’s 1874 novel “For the Term of
His Natural Life”.
Sydney Harbour Bridge,
New South Wales
Sydney Harbour Bridge … represents one of the
most recognisable and iconic images in the
world. It is the picturesque blending of the natural
environment and man-made structures around the
harbour foreshores that has proved an inspiration
for generations of artists and writers. In its
harbour setting, it has inspired a rich and diverse
range of images in a variety of mediums –
paintings, etchings, drawings, linocuts,
photographs, film, poems, posters, stained glass -
from the date of its construction through to the
present day.
Australian Alps National
Parks and Reserves
The mountain landscapes have inspired poets,
painters, writers, musicians and film makers.
Table 2.1: Register of the National Estate Listings
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Heritage Council, "Guidelines for the
Assessment for Places for the National Heritage List," Canberra ACT, 2009, page 98.

United Kingdom: The Work of Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens is widely regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era and
pioneered the serialized format of narrative fiction. His novels, novellas, and short stories include

95
Ibid.
96
Ibid.
38

such iconic works as Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickleby, A
Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, Bleak House, and The Old Curiosity Shop, and his
portrayal of the impoverishment of the nineteenth century London has even introduced a new
word, “Dickensian,” into our language. Much of his writing has been adapted into plays, movies,
and television shows. To commemorate his work, and to preserve the remnants associated with
it, Historic England has designated sixty-six sites associated with Charles Dickens to the
National Heritage List for England. Of the sixty-six, forty-three are associated with Dickens
himself, and twenty-three are associated with his work.
97
That means that just over one third of
all Charles Dickens-associated landmarks are fictional historic sites.
Officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, Historic
England was established by the National Heritage Act 1983 with the goals of:

1. Securing the preservation of ancient monuments and historic buildings;
2. Promoting the preservation and enhancement of the character and appearance of
conservation areas; and
3. Promoting the public’s enjoyment of, and advance their knowledge of, ancient
monuments and historic buildings.
98

Their National Heritage List for England consists of over 600,000 properties that are,
“graded to reflect their relative architectural and historic interest:
• Grade I buildings are of exceptional interest;
• Grade II* buildings are particularly important buildings of more than special interest;
• Grade II buildings are of special interest, warranting every effort to preserve them.”
99

While Grade II buildings encompass 91.7% of the list, 5.8% are Grade II* buildings, and
just 2.5% are Grade I.
100
The designations are also divided between those of architectural

97
"Search Results for ‘Dickens’," Historic England,
https://historicengland.org.uk/sitesearch?terms=Dickens&pageSize=undefined&searchtype=sitesearch.
98
"Three Year Corporate Plan 2016-2019," Historic England, May, 2016,
https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/he-corp-plan-2016-19/three-year-corp-plan-2016-
19.pdf.
99
"Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings," Department for Culture, Media and Sport, March, 2010,
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/137695/Principles_Selection_Listing
_1_.pdf, 4.
39

interest and those of historic interest. The latter is the category relevant to the Dickens
sites. According to the Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings:

To be of special historic interest a building must illustrate important aspects of the
nation’s social, economic, cultural, or military history and/or have close historical
associations with nationally important people. There should normally be some
quality of interest in the physical fabric of the building itself to justify the
statutory protection afforded by listing.
101

Table 2.2 lists all sites on the National Heritage List that were designated because they
were used as locations in Dickens’ work. It should be noted that while many of the sites are
Grade II, five of them rise to the level of significance to merit Grade II* designation.
Site Designation Designation Language
Chetwynd House Grade II* “The house has literary associations with Charles Dickens being the model
for Miss Havisham's house in Great Expectations, and is 'star-graded' on
this account.”
Great White Horse Hotel Grade II* “It was made famous as the inn in Dicken's Pickwick Papers.”
House of Agnes Hotel Grade II* “This was the inspiration for Charles Dickens' description of the House of
Agnes Wickfield in David Copperfield.”
Maderia Hall Hotel Grade II* “The house was inhabited in the early C19 by a Miss Dick, apparently the
model for Miss Faversham in Dickens' Great Expectations.”
The Old Curiosity Shop Grade II* “Said to be the original of Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop. Listed Grade II* on
account of its literary associations.”
Barwood House Grade II “Owned 1819-25 by Charles Grant, recognised with his brothers as
originals of Dickens's Cheryble brothers.”
Black Bull Figure Outside the
Ravenscourt Arms Public House
Grade II “Mentioned by Dickens in Martin Chuzzlewit.”
Coach and Horses Public House Grade II “Mentioned by Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist.”
Comport and Baker tombs, 5
yards to the south of Church of
St. James.
Grade II “Known locally as 'Pip's Graves' as they are generally taken to have been
the prototypes for the graves on the first page of Charles Dickens' Great
Expectations.”
Dickens House Grade II “In this house lived the original of Betsy Trotwood in Charles Dicken's
David Copperfield."
Early C17 cistern to Old Somerset
House (aka The Roman Bath)
Grade II “The bath has literary connections to Charles Dickens being mentioned in
David Copperfield (1849-50).”
Headstone to William Shaw Grade II “Dickens based the character of Wackford Squeers on William Shaw,
principal of the Bowes Academy.”
Leather Bottle Inn Grade II “Grade II on account of association with Charles Dickens novel Pickwick
Papers including inscribed Sarsen stone now set against south-west angle.”
Table 2.2: Listed Properties Associated with Charles Dickens Fictional Works
Historic England, “Search the List.” https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/.
(Continued on next page)

100
"Listed Buildings," Historic England, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/what-is-designation/listed-buildings/.
101
Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings, 4.
40

Smith Tomb of Circa 100 Metres
West of Church of St. John
Grade II “Smith is said to have been the model for the character Smike in Charles
Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby, published 1839.”
Spong Tomb Monument 15 Yards
to the South of Aylesford Church
Grade II “John Spong was the model for Mr Wardle of Dingley Dell in Charles
Dickens The Pickwick Papers."
The Green Dragon Public House Grade II “This inn featured in Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit as The Blue Dragon.”
The Old Forge Grade II “A plaque set up by the Dickens Fellowship records that this is the original
of Joe Gargery's Forge in Great Expectations.”
The Plough Grade II “Over the doorway is a modern panel, once a window, stating that Barkis
the carrier in David Copperfield started from here. Listed on account of
association with Dickens.”
The Rookery Grade II “The house is considered to be the prototype of The Rookery in David
Copperfield by Charles Dickens and is listed for this reason.”
The Saracens Head Hotel Grade II “Recommended by Sam Weller in Pickwick Papers as a place where a 'very
good little dinner' could be got ready in half an hour.”
The White Lion PH, Milford Grade II “Historical associations: it is one of two former inns linked with a notorious
1786 murder of an unknown sailor on his way to join his ship at
Portsmouth, commemorated by two listed memorials on Gibbet Hill, near
Hindhead, and which featured in the plot of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles
Dickens.”
Wall Forming North Boundary of
Public Gardens, Formerly St.
George's Churchyard
Grade II “This site was originally the MARSHALSEA PRISON made famous by the
late Charles Dickens in his work Little Dorrit. The wall formed the southern
boundary of the Marshalsea Prison, where Dickens's father was
imprisoned.”
Barnard's Inn Hall (Mercers'
School)
Grade II “It is of historic interest as part of the house of John Mackworth, 15th
century Dean of Lincoln, and as a later inn mentioned in the Charles
Dickens novel Great Expectations.”
Table 2.2: Listed Properties Associated with Charles Dickens Fictional Works (Continued)

It is also worth noting that while some designated sites played major roles in Dickens’s
better-known works, such as Chetwynd House, which was the model for Miss Havisham’s house
in Great Expectations, and the Old Curiosity Shop, from which the Dickens novel gets its title,
this is not always the case. Much more obscure is the “Black Bull Figure Outside the
Ravenscourt Arms Public House,” which is Grade II listed because it is, “Mentioned by Dickens
in Martin Chuzzlewit.” And the “Spong Tomb Monument 15 Yards to the South of Aylesford
Church,” which is listed because, “John Spong was the model for Mr. Wardle of Dingley Dell in
Charles Dickens The Pickwick Papers," presents a case in which the site appears not even to be
mentioned in the work of fiction. In fact, it is merely the grave of a real person who inspired a
character in a book. Does this distance of several generations from the fictional work warrant
such a designation? Historic England believes so.
Dickens is not the only British author whose fictional works have earned sites historic
landmark status. In 1976, Rook’s Nest House, the inspiration for the home in E. M. Forster’s
1910 novel Howard’s End, was designated. The nomination language reads in part, “The original
of the house in E M Forster's novel 'Howards End' which describes the architecture and the
41

countryside setting. Often visited by Forster. Graded I [the top 2.5 % of all Listed landmarks] for
historic interest and literary associations.”
102
Also listed as Grade I in 1950 is Adam Bede’s
Cottage, which is, “Associated with George Eliot and her novel 'Adam Bede'. The home of
Elizabeth Evans, aunt of George Eliot and the original of the character Dinah Morris in the
novel.”
103
The cottage was built in 1839, and the book was published in 1859. A much
more ancient listed structure is Conisbrough Castle, which dates back to the twelfth century. It
gained new fame in 1820 when Sir Walter Scott used it as a location in his book Ivanhoe, and in
1987, it became a Grade I listed property for reasons both fictional and non-fictional (“Visited
by King John in 1201. Later popularised by Sir Walter Scott's novel 'Ivanhoe'.”)”
104

3. Public Perception vs. Historic Fact

This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.
105

- Maxwell Scott
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Paramount Pictures, 1962

To function effectively, heritage conservation must strictly adhere to a set of rules. Was
this addition to the building present during the period of significance? Has this lighthouse been
moved to a spot away from the ocean? Did George Washington actually sleep here? The rules
serve a purpose. For example, the National Park Service’s Seven Aspects of Integrity are there to
make sure that a site maintains, “…the essential physical features that enable it to convey its
historic identity.”
106
But how do we adhere to the rules when the history behind the historic
identity never actually took place? The next several designated landmarks explore this question.

102
"Rooks Nest House Howards List Entry," Historic England, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-
entry/1176972.
103
“Adam Bede’s Cottage List Entry,” Historic England, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-
entry/1109579.
104
“Conisbrough Castle List Entry,” Historic England, https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-
entry/1192747.
105
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Written by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck, Directed by John
Ford, Paramount Pictures, 1962.
106
“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, VIII. How to Evaluate the Integrity of a Property,”
United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service,
https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_8.htm#assessing integrity.

42

The House of the Seven Gables Historic District.
The House of the Seven Gables is a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and published
in 1851, which tells the story of an old New England house and the sins of generations of its
occupants. The novel was adapted for the screen in 1910, 1940, and 1967 and for television in
1960. In 2007, the house (also known as the Turner House) was designated as a National Historic
Landmark as part of the House of the Seven Gables Historic District, along with several other
buildings. The criteria under which the house was designated show that it was due to its
association to the work of fiction, not to Hawthorne himself.
National Register criteria A (“associated with events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad patterns of our history”) and C (“embody the distinctive characteristics
of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that
possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose
components may lack individual distinction”) were applied, and criterion B (“associated with the
lives of significant persons in our past”) which would be used for association with Hawthorne,
was not.
107
Similarly, National Historic Landmark criteria one (“Properties that are associated
with events that have made a significant contribution to, and are identified with, or that
outstandingly represent, the broad national patterns of United States history and from which an
understanding and appreciation of those patterns may be gained.”) and four (“Properties that
embody the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural type specimen exceptionally
valuable for a study of a period, style, or method of construction, or that represent a significant,
distinctive and exceptional entity whose components may lack individual distinction.”) were
used, while criterion two (“Properties that are associated importantly with the lives of persons
nationally significant in the history of the United States.”), which would be used for association
with Hawthorne, was not.
108

107
“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, II. National Register Criteria for Evaluation,”
United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service,
https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_2.htm; “National Register of Historic Places
Registration Form, House of the Seven Gables Historic District,” National Park Service, United States Department
of the Interior, 16.
108
Ibid.
43

Figure 2.3. The house that supposedly inspired the novel, altered to reflect the fictional rather than the factual house.
Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:House_of_the_Seven_Gables_(front_angle)_-
_Salem,_Massachusetts.jpg.

The Turner House presents a case of life imitating art. Not only is its current appearance
much altered from its state when Hawthorne was writing the book, but the alterations were
intended to match – not the 1840s condition of the house – but the house as it was depicted in the
book (Figure 2.3). The nomination material states that, “The House of the Seven Gables may be
the only house in the country that was specifically restored to reflect a fictional house described
by an important author.”
109
It goes on to say that the present appearance is the result of a 1909
effort to transform the house, “…to specifically reflect aspects of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851
romance, The House of the Seven Gables, with which the house had long been associated”
110

The owner’s intent was, “…to interpret a number of rooms in the house in addition to the “cent
shop” as the actual rooms that Hawthorne described.”
111
Alterations took place both inside and

109
Ibid., 17.
110
Ibid., 5.
111
Ibid., 6.
44

outside the house. And why were these changes being made? Commerce. The nomination
continues that as early as the 1890s, “Family members gave tours for a twenty-five-cent fee,
pointing out rooms named in Hawthorne’s story, such as Hephzibah’s parlor, as they went. They
even took visitors to the attic to see the remains of the façade gable that was covered when the
parlor wing was built.”
112
Caroline Emmerton, who purchased the house in 1908, “…noted that
“hundreds” of people already came to see the house every year.”
113
These numbers have only
grown, as “One survey found it to be among the top ten favorite historic houses in the country.
At 120,000 visitors a year, it is by far the most visited house museum in New England.”
114

One important point is that it is not even certain that the Turner House is where
Hawthorne set the book. This is also discussed in the nomination, which says, “In the preface to
the book, Hawthorne denies that the fictional house is based on any specific structure, saying
that, in keeping with a romance as opposed to a novel, he is not aiming for strict fidelity to
external reality, but is appropriating a lot of land which had no visible owner, and building a
house of materials long in use for constructing castles in the air.”
115
The author himself denies
that this is even the House of the Seven Gables and that the setting of the book is not meant to
reflect any specific real-world place. But even if this is the case, wouldn’t the fact that the house
is designated for its association with the House of the Seven Gables mean that it must at least be
the location that most inspired elements of the book? Not necessarily. The nomination also states
that, “Much has been written about potential sources of the house described in the romance, there
being three or more houses still standing in Hawthorne’s youth that would have been as likely, if
not more likely, as prototypes. The Turner House, by the time Hawthorne knew it, had only three
gables and no visible overhang.”
116

In the case of this fictional historic site, the real history matters less than the public’s
perception of the history. It is not the association between Hawthorne, or even his artistic vision
that makes the house significant. It is that generations have come to associate the house with this
work of fiction. As the nomination concludes,

112
Ibid., 23.
113
Ibid.
114
Ibid., 17.
115
Ibid., 21-22.
116
Ibid., 22.
45

Whatever its ultimate association, the house became a shrine to the romance and
its author to the point that how it got that way now seems less important than
recognizing how profound the connection became in the popular mind. As a
thoughtful journalist put it in 1911, ‘Perhaps because the house stands so deep in
imaginations and memories it is hard not to believe it the very spot.’
117

4. Literature Sites and Their Relationship to Real History
The House of the Seven Gables Historic District illustrated the blurring of the line
between real and fabricated history, demonstrating that with sites associated with fiction, it can
sometimes be more appropriate to “print the legend.” But is there also potential for a fictional
historic site to interpret real history? Interpreting history is such a fundamental element of
heritage conservation that it is the first stated criterion in federal – as well as many state and local
-- designation programs. In each set of criteria, a landmark is defined as…
…the location with the strongest association with a turning point or significant
event in American history. (National Historic Landmark criterion 1)
118

…associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad
patterns of our history. (National Register of Historic Places Criterion A)
119

…associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad
patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California or the
United States. (California Register of Historic Resources criterion 1)
120

…any site…building, or structure of particular historical or cultural significance
to the City of Los Angeles…in which the broad cultural, political, economic, or
social history of the nation, state, or community is reflected or exemplified. (Los
Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument)
121

…a special character or special historical or aesthetic interest or value as part of
the development, heritage, or cultural characteristics of the City, state, or nation.
(New York City Landmark)
122

117
Ibid., 23.
118
"Learn about the National Historic Landmarks Program," National Historic Landmarks Program, National Park
Service, https://www.nps.gov/nhl/learn/intro.htm.
119
“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, II.” National Register Criteria for Evaluation.
120
"California Register of Historical Resources," California Office of Historic Preservation, CA.Gov,
http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21238.
121
"What Makes a Resource Historically Significant?," Historic-Cultural Monuments, Los Angeles Office of
Historic Resources, https://preservation.lacity.org/commission/what-makes-resource-historically-significant.
122
"Landmark Types," Types and Criteria, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission,
http://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/designations/landmark-types-criteria.page.
46

What follows are several examples of fictional historic sites and their relationship to real
history.

Ramona
Ramona is a novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson and published in 1884 which tells the
story of an orphan girl who is part Native American and part European living on a ranch in
Southern California in the period following the Mexican-American War. Though a fictional
account, the book played an important role in the mythology of Southern California and its
Mexican roots. Its popularity led to more than 300 printings.
123
It also led to five film adaptations
produced between 1910 and 1946, and many places across California being named after the title
character. One of the most popular books of its time, not one but three California ranches became
tourist attractions for being the heroine’s supposed fictional home: Rancho Guajome Adobe in
Vista; Casa de Estudillo in San Diego; and Rancho Camulos, just outside of Piru. Though all
three sites are listed on both the California Register of Historic Resources and the National
Register of Historic Places, this study will examine the designation of Rancho Camulos as a
National Historic Landmark.
From the start, it is clear that the designation of Rancho Camulos, which was established
by the del Valle family in 1853, is based entirely on its association with the novel. The
nomination form reads, “Rancho Camulos is eligible for designation as a National Historic
Landmark under Criterion 1. No other extant site is more strongly associated with Helen Hunt
Jackson’s novel Ramona and the resource possesses exceptional value in interpreting the
fictional ‘Home of Ramona.’”
124
This is the only criterion selected for the ranch.
The nomination continues by stressing the impact of Ramona on the late nineteenth
century culture of California, stating that, “The publication of Ramona in 1884, together with the
arrival of the Southern Pacific railroad at Camulos in 1887, propelled the rancho into a
nationwide notoriety that proved key to the romanticizing of the mission and rancho era of
California history. As the setting for Ramona, Rancho Camulos is vital to the creation of this

123
Janice Albert, "Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)," California Authors, California Association of Teachers in
English, http://www.cateweb.org/CA_Authors/Jackson.html.
124
“National Historic Landmark Nomination, Rancho Camulos,” National Park Service, United States Department
of the Interior, 12.
47

mythology.”
125
The use of the word “mythology” calls attention to the fact that the popular
nineteenth century notion of the rancho era was not based on fact, and was indeed a romanticized
vision. Historian Anthea Hartig writes that:

Helen Hunt Jackson’s Ramona (1884) popularized the mission myth of well-fed,
content, ever-grateful Indians, benevolent wise padres, and tortured, marginalized
Californios… Never mind if California Indians were civilized or syphilized…
Ramona became the George Washington of imaginary historic sites—where she
slept, schooled, married Alessandro – with all the accompanying tourist trinkets –
pincushions, pillows, baskets, and plaques for sale at stops along the Southern
Pacific line.
126

But how did Rancho Camulos come to be associated with Ramona and all this myth-
building? The designation continues, “In 1888, Charles Lummis, a close friend of the del Valle
family since his arrival in California four years earlier, published a promotional booklet filled
with photographs he had taken at the ranch, proclaiming Camulos as the home of Ramona.”
127

On the subject of Lummis, Hartig continues, “Joining Jackson in myth construction was Charles
Fletcher Lummis, who, along with young architect Arthur Benton, founded the Association for
the Preservation of the Missions in 1888, soon known as the Landmarks Club.”
128
So the novel’s
influence did not occur in a vacuum. Lummis’s writing, much of it for the Los Angeles Times,
and his whitewashing of the missions (both literally and figuratively) worked together to
perpetuate the myth. But for Rancho Camulos, this was just the beginning.
The nomination materials trace the ranch’s growing popularity, reporting that the Los
Angeles Times ran numerous stories on Ramona locations, including one entitled, “Camulos: The
Real Home of Helen Hunt Jackson’s Ramona.”
129
The del Valle family was photographed posing
for scenes from the book for a San Francisco Chronicle story, and though, “Occasionally the
family complained about the excursion trains that stopped at the ranch and the avalanche of
tourists that descended upon the ranch demanding to see Ramona, and invading the orchards and
house,” they also “…capitalized on Ramona by establishing the Home of Ramona Brand

125
Ibid.
126
Anthea Hartig, A Most Advantageous Spot on the Map: Promotion and Popular Culture, ed. William Deverell
and Greg Hise (Chichester: Blackwell Publishing, Ltd., 2010), 301.
127
“National Historic Landmark Nomination, Rancho Camulos,” 17.
128
Hartig.
129
“National Historic Landmark Nomination, Rancho Camulos,” 20.
48

trademark for their oranges.
130
The degree of marketing involved in tying Rancho Camulos to the
book can be seen in Figure 2.4, which depicts a postcard, one of the Del Valles’ orange crate
labels, and the actual cover of a later edition of the book. Not only do they all present Rancho
Camulos as being the “Home of Ramona,” but, in an early example of branding, they all show
the ranch from the exact same angle.

Figure 2.4. The identical image of Rancho Camulos, mirrored on a post card, an orange crate label, and a copy of the
book itself shows that the ranch was used in a nineteenth century version of “branding.” Top: National Park Service,
https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/american_latino_heritage/rancho_camulos.html, Bottom Left: Rancho Camulos
Museum, http://ranchocamulos.org/about-2/the-home-of-ramona/, Bottom Right: Pinterest,
https://it.pinterest.com/pin/406520303843636484/.

The association was still there as late as 1910, when, “D.W. Griffith’s silent motion-
picture version of Ramona, starring Mary Pickford, was filmed at Camulos and Piru.”
131
While

130
Ibid., 18.
131
Ibid.
49

the portrait of the rancho era put forth by Ramona and Rancho Camulos is not “real history,” its
effect on Southern California’s development was very real. The nomination materials continue,
“The Ramona myth played a central role in fashioning a regional identity for Southern California
at a time when the West was trying to establish an historical and cultural legitimacy separate but
comparable with the East.”
132
Given this, Rancho Camulos certainly appears to match the
California Criterion 1 (“associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the
broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage of California”) as well as the
National Historic Landmark criterion 1 (“the location with the strongest association with a
turning point or significant event in American history”). The significance of the house’s impact
is clear in the National Historic Landmark nomination language, describing it as, “…a key player
in the invention and broadcasting of the romanticized image of California that was to become
ingrained in the national consciousness for several generations.”
133

The Work of Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, was a
nineteenth century novelist, humorist, and lecturer, who is regarded as one of the United States’
most important writers. His 1885 book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of a handful
of books referred to as “The Great American Novel.” According to Ernest Hemingway, “All
modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.”
134

Other important works include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, A Connecticut Yankee in King
Arthur’s Court, Roughing It, Innocents Abroad, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras
County, and The Mysterious Stranger. Much of his writing has been adapted into movies, plays,
TV shows, and even cartoons. In 1977, twenty-seven buildings in Twain’s hometown of
Hannibal, Missouri were added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Mark Twain
Historic District. The Statement of Significance reads in part:

The Mark Twain Historic District has one overpowering literary significance,
since it contains a majority of the buildings and geographic features of the village
of "St. Petersburg" immortalized by Mark Twain in his Adventures of Tom
Sawyer and instances used in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain

132
Ibid., 19.
133
Ibid., 21.
134
"Ernest Hemingway > Quotes > Quotable Quote," goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/161912-all-
modern-american-literature-comes-from-one-book-by-mark.
50

scholars agree that his love for and memories of this early settlement of Hannibal
provided the richest store of material; for those of his books which are now
adjudged his greatest... In addition, his notebooks and unfinished manuscripts tell
of the people who lived in and carried on commerce in this area during the years
of his childhood.
135

While the House of the Seven Gables Historic District presents a case of association with
real history versus association with legend, and the Rancho Camulos National Historic
Landmark presents a case of a landmark’s association with a cultural pattern that was based on
myth, Mark Twain’s drawing of fictional material from real life has resulted in landmarks that
present an overlap between the fictional work and real history. This Statement of Significance
cites associations with both fictional locations from his best-known works, and his own
experience as a youth in Hannibal. This overlap is seen again as the nomination continues that
the district’s streets, “are crowded now with the many people who come to see Samuel Clemens'
Boyhood Home and to relive the events of that early town as he recorded them in The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer and other writings.”
136

The overlap is also seen in descriptions of several of the structures that contribute to the
district:
310-316 N. Main St., ca. 1845, 2-story brick with cast iron 1st story. Extensively
renovated to historic appearance, 1976. In 1845 housed William P. Owsley's
Mercantile Business. Owsley shot Sam Smarr, an incident used in Huckleberry
Finn in account of Colonel Sherborn's killing of Boggs.
137

Judge Clemens' law office...It was here that Sam crawled through the back
window to sleep one night, rather than go home and face a thrashing for playing
"hooky", and found himself sleeping with a dead man - an experience he never
forgot and described so graphically in The Innocents Abroad.
138

While Abner Nash, "the aged and needy postmaster" of The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer built the small brick building at 320 N. Main...Down the row was
Owsley's Store, 316 N. Main St., (site 7-10), from which the proud Virginia
gentleman stepped to shoot down old Sam Smarr in the street. The dying man was
carried over to Dr. Grant's Drug Store, and the entire incident was used in
scrupulous detail in Chapter 21 of Huckleberry Finn.
139

135
“National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form, Mark Twain Historic District,” National
Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, Statement of Significance.
136
Ibid., Description.
137
Ibid., Item Number 7, page 2.
138
Ibid., Item Number 8, page 3.
139
Ibid., Item Number 8, page 4.
51

In each case, the significance of the building lies in the fact that a real event occurred
there. But in each case, the events would not be significant enough for designation if Mark
Twain had not used it as an element in his works of fiction. Chances are all these people and
events would have been long forgotten.

Figure 2.5. Real history and fictional history intermingle on signs marking Tom Sawyer’s fence next to Mark
Twain’s boyhood home (left), and Becky Thatcher’s home (right). Mark Twain Historic District NRHP Form and
KHMO Radio, http://khmoradio.com/beck-thatcher-house-will-reopen-on-june-29/.

The most notable contributors to the district are the home of fictional character Becky
Thatcher and the boyhood home of Mark Twain himself. (Figure 2.5) For the former, the
nomination reads, “The house at 209-211 Hill St. (site 10-4 was the frame residence into which
the Elijah Hawkins family, having recently left Kentucky, moved with their five-year-old
daughter, Annie Laurie, in 1842. The young Sam Clemens immediately succumbed to her
charms, and many years later immortalized her as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer.”
140
The sign in front of the house reads, “Becky Thatcher’s Home. This was the home of
Becky Thatcher. Tom Sawyer’s first sweetheart in Mark Twain’s book “Tom Sawyer.” Tom
thought Becky to be the essence of all that is charming in womanhood.” While the nomination
language explains that the real person who was the inspiration for a fictional character actually
lived in the house, the sign dispenses of real history altogether and treats fiction as fact.
For Twain’s home, the nomination reads, “Mark Twain Boyhood Home, 206 Hill St.,
1844, 2-story wood frame. Restored house of the Clemens family. This building and the
reconstructed wood fence to the east of it figured in Clemens' accounts of Mark Twain's

140
Ibid., Item Number 8, page 3.
52

adventures.” The sign in front of the fence reads, “Tom Sawyer’s Fence. Here stood the board
fence which Tom Sawyer persuaded his gang to pay him for the privilege of whitewashing. Tom
sat by and saw that it was well done.”
141
Again, the nomination describes fiction flowing from
fact, while the sign is pure fiction. Though in this case, even the nomination’s assessment that
the reconstructed wood fence “figured in Clemens’ accounts of Mark Twain’s adventures,” (This
is a likely a misprint anyway and should read “Tom Sawyer’s adventures”) is suspect. Looking
up the fence scene from the actual book reveals that the fence was “Thirty yards of board fence
nine feet high.”
142
A quick look at Google Maps Street View shows that this fence does not come
close to either of these dimensions.

The Work of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Between 1932 and 1943, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote a series of eight books recounting
her childhood experiences as a member of a pioneer family working its way west in the
nineteenth century. The books (Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy, Little House on the
Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town
on the Prairie, and These Happy Golden Years) became known as the “Little House books.”
Their popularity comes from their detailed depiction of the simple life on America’s vanished
frontier, or, as author Caroline Fraser put it, “They encompassed a lost world.”
143
In addition to
many subsequent printings, the book series spawned a slew of more recent books written after
Wilder’s death, depicting the lives of both her ancestors and descendants. The series also led to
the production of the popular Little House on the Prairie TV series, which ran from 1974 to
1984. The Mark Twain Historic District contains landmarks associated with real people and
events that Twain used as source material for his fiction, with the names and other details
changed in the process. Given its autobiographical nature, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s work increases
the overlap between fact and fiction, as her goal was to accurately relate her actual story using
real people, events, and places.

141
Cheryl Wittenauer, "Hannibal, Mo., celebrates Mark Twain," U.S. & Canada Travel, NBC News.com, April 4,
2010, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36099932/ns/travel-destination_travel/t/hannibal-mo-celebrates-mark-
twain/#.WjWE39-nHIU.
142
"Tom Sawyer Whitewashing the Fence," Selected Writings, pbs.org,
http://www.pbs.org/marktwain/learnmore/writings_tom.html.
143
"Caroline Fraser: Why the Little House books are enjoyed by both children and adult readers," Library of
America, September 13, 2012, https://www.loa.org/news-and-views/745-caroline-fraser-why-the-_little-house_-
books-are-enjoyed-by-both-children-and-adult-readers.
53

Because the Ingalls family’s migrations were so extensive, popular tourist attractions
have popped up in their wake, occupying their former homes all over the country, including
Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, and South Dakota.
144
In most of these places,
any physical trace of their presence is long-gone, requiring the recreation of historic sites, not
always true to the originals. Out of the few remaining authentic sites, some are places where
Wilder lived during periods not depicted in her books, so any historical significance lies with her
work as a writer and not as an association with locations depicted in her books. A rare example
of such a site that has been included on the National Register of Historic Places is the Laura
Ingalls Wilder House in Mansfield, Missouri, which was designated under criterion B. The
nomination language states, “The Laura Ingalls Wilder House is historically significant as the
residence of Laura Ingalls Wilder, famous children's literature author, who began writing at the
age of sixty-five while living in this modest homestead.”
145
Because this house is not depicted in
any of her work, it is not relevant to this study. Instead, two other Laura Ingalls Wilder
landmarks that were depicted in the Little House series will be discussed, one in De Smet, South
Dakota and the other in Malone, New York.

A. Little House locations in De Smet, South Dakota
Tiny De Smet is the location with the most physical remnants of the Ingalls family’s
presence. It is where they ultimately settled when Laura’s father, Charles traded in homesteading
for carpentry, and it is where Laura’s parents, sisters and infant son are buried. Though the
prairie land the family homesteaded when Laura was a teen is now a tourist attraction, there are
no structures left on it. However, the town abounds in buildings that were settings for several of
the books, including the Surveyors’ House from By the Shores of Silver Lake, the Loftus Store
(which is still a store) from The Long Winter, Prairie House Manor, also from The Long Winter,
which is now a bed and breakfast, and the First Congregational Church, which was organized by
Charles, who also helped in its construction in the 1880s.
146

But with all these Little House sites, only one De Smet building has been designated as a
landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, and that is the Ingalls Home. Built by

144
"Historic Locations and Points of Interest," Little House on the Prairie,
http://littlehouseontheprairie.com/historic-locations-and-museum-sites/.
145
National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Laura Ingalls Wilder House, United States Department
of the Interior, National Park Service, Historical Significance, Section 8, Page 1.
146
“Historic Locations and Points of Interest.”
54

Charles in 1887 and designated in 1975, the house appears in Little Town on the Prairie.
According to the designation, “The significance of Charles Ingall’s house lies in the fact that the
real hero of a series of children's books about pioneer life lived there.”
147
This assessment does
not make a distinction between the real-life Charles Ingalls and the character Charles Ingalls who
appeared in the Little House books. Instead of assigning importance to one aspect over the other,
it combines them. The importance of each is further bolstered when the nomination states on one
hand, “In a way, the house Pa Ingalls built is the sequel to all the "Little" books. It tells the final
story of the Ingalls family in their struggle to create a decent way of life in The Little Town on
the Prairie,” and on the other hand, “For De Smet, the house is a significant land mark associated
with the Ingalls family whose history is also a record of the towns development.”
148
So in this
instance, the fictional Little House books also serve as a historical record.

B. Almanzo Wilder Homestead (Farmer Boy), New York
Also on the National Register of Historic Places is the Almanzo Wilder Homestead, which is
the boyhood home of Laura’s husband, Almanzo Wilder (Figure 2.6). Again, the designation is
based on criteria A and C (contribution to broad patterns of history and architecture) and not
criterion B (significant person), and the Areas of Significance are “literature” and
“architecture.”
149
Like the Ingalls Home in De Smet, the Almanzo Wilder Homestead presents
the same challenge of separating the real history that happened there and its fictional depiction,
this time in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 1932 book Farmer Boy, which is about Almanzo’s childhood
on the homestead. Perhaps because this designation took place in 2009 – thirty-four years after
De Smet’s Ingalls Home – the nomination provides a greater degree of discussion.

147
“National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form, Ingalls Home,” National Park Service,
United States Department of the Interior, Section 8, Statement of Significance.
148
Ibid.
149
“National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Wilder Homestead, Boyhood Home of Almanzo
Wilder,” National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, Section 8, Statement of Significance.
55

Figure 2.6. The boyhood home of real-life Almanzo Wilder is also the boyhood home of the Almanzo Wilder
character in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Farmer Boy. Almanzo Wilder Homestead, https://almanzowilderfarm.com.

The Statement of Significance sets the tone, outlining both the importance of the work of
fiction (“The Boyhood Home of Almanzo Wilder is nationally historically significant for its
association with the work of author Laura Ingalls Wilder”), and the importance of its
representation of history (“Her accurate descriptions of frontier life and style emphasizing the
daily routine and simple events”).
150
In the Conclusion, Professor of Literature Wayne Jebian is
quoted as saying, "Almanzo Wilder was more than just a supportive husband; he became the
second lead character in her bestselling series and the main protagonist of Laura Ingalls Wilder's
second book, Farmer Boy...the book immortalized the boyhood home of Almanzo Wilder as,
literally, a literary shrine.”
151
This dual attribution is also seen as the Conclusion continues, “As
the setting for an internationally significant book, the Wilder homestead has become a
destination for thousands of tourists who wish to revisit the everyday memories of a nine-year-
old boy's life on a rural, 1860s, North Country, New York farmstead.”
152

As in the De Smet nomination, the writers here do not feel a need to separate fact from
fiction. However further language in the nomination suggests a more specific take on the

150
Ibid., Section 8, Page 1.
151
Ibid., Section 8, Page 7.
152
Ibid.
56

relationship. Pointing out that “...Farmer Boy makes approximately fifty specific references to
the farmhouse, which aided Crawford and Sterns in documenting the c1866 appearance of the
farmstead.”
153
Ironically, the restoration of the property to its nineteenth century condition was
being guided by the description of the property in the book, which had been provided by
Almanzo himself. “In the text, Almanzo describes the house's color (red), fenestration, the floor
plan and layout, orientation and interior finishes, etc. Dozens of specific examples, as exactly
described in the book, are still visible… These descriptions…allowed for an accurate restoration
of the house to the time of Farmer Boy.”
154
The ability of this work of literature to bring real
history to tangible life hints at a more general role for Laura Ingalls Wilder’s work: Education. In
fact, the nomination goes on to reference, “...a teacher in Buffalo, New York declared Farmer
Boy to be better than the history books for that period…Wilder’s… detailed descriptions of the
past along with characters that served as literary and historical role models gave the books
tremendous educational value.”
155
Thus the preservation of this literary site also aids in the
education of those who visit it.

The Work of Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler was a novelist and screenwriter who wrote in Los Angeles between
1939 and 1958. The city also prominently served as the setting for his work. Specializing in, and
defining, the crime genre, his novels include The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye, Farewell, My
Lovely, The Lady in the Lake, and Trouble is My Business, his screenplays include Double
Indemnity, The Blue Dahlia, and Strangers on a Train, and he also wrote many short stories. A
number of Chandler’s books were also adapted into movies, whose screenplays were written by
others. His novels introduced the fictional detective Philip Marlowe to the world. Chandler’s
dark view of life led novelist-journalist Paul Auster to remark that, "Raymond Chandler invented
a new way of talking about America, and America has never looked the same to us since."
156

In 1994, the city of Los Angeles designated the intersection of Hollywood and Cahuenga
Boulevards as Historic-Cultural Monument #597, naming it Raymond Chandler Square.

153
Ibid., Section 8, Page 4.
154
Ibid.
155
Ibid., Section 8, Page 6.
156
Xan Brooks, "A Mysterious Something in the Light: Raymond Chandler, A Life by Tom Williams – review,"
The Guardian, August 16, 2012, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/16/mysterious-something-tom-
williams.
57

Designation as a Historic-Cultural Monument, “Recognizes the building, structure, site, or plant
life as important to the history of the city, state, or nation.”
157
As with many of the previous
examples in this chapter, this intersection was chosen not for any direct association with
Chandler’s productive life, but instead with the fictional Philip Marlowe. As the nomination
language states under Historical Significance, "Hollywood and Cahuenga is the ideal location for
Raymond Chandler Square. The fictional "Cahuenga Building" on Hollywood Boulevard was the
site of Philip Marlowe's office, the starting point for a series of legendary journeys thorough the
heart of Los Angeles.”
158
The “Cahuenga Building” is thought to be based on the 1921 Security
Trust and Savings building, which overlooks the square at the intersection of Hollywood and
Cahuenga Boulevards. (Figure 2.7)
Also found in the Monument’s nomination is a letter to the Los Angeles Cultural
Heritage Commission from journalist Jess Bravin, from whom the idea of Raymond Chandler
Square originated. In the letter, Bravin states, “…while Chandler lived at many addresses across
Greater Los Angeles, his stories were centered in the offices of Philip Marlowe, located in the
fictional "Cahuenga Building”. on Hollywood Boulevard, near Ivar.”
159

157
"What Does Historic-Cultural Monument Status Mean?," Historic-Cultural Monuments, Los Angeles Office of
Historic Resources, https://preservation.lacity.org/commission/what-does-historic-cultural-monument-status-mean.
158
Jackie Goldberg, “Letter to Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in support of designation of Raymond
Chandler Square as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument,” nomination materials for Los Angeles Historic-
Cultural Monument #597, May 24, 1994.
159
Jess Bravin, “Letter to Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in support of designation of Raymond
Chandler Square as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument,” nomination materials for Los Angeles Historic-
Cultural Monument #597, June 1, 1994.
58

Figure 2.7. The 1921 Security Trust and Savings Building, overlooking Raymond Chandler Square at the
intersection of Hollywood and Cahuenga Boulevards. The building is thought to be the inspiration for Raymond
Chandler’s fictional Cahuenga Building, which served as the office of private eye Philip Marlowe. Google Street
View, June, 2017.

Bravin’s letter goes on to offer a possible explanation of why Chandler’s work should be
honored by a space rather than the actual building: “Because Chandler's works are so tied to the
concepts of place and rootlessness, it seemed appropriate to honor him with a space of his own:
Raymond Chandler Square.”
160
In addition to conforming to the rootless character of Chandler’s
hero Marlowe, it is also possible that choosing an open space instead of a specific building
serves the function of recognizing that the landmark is not representing real history.
161

Meanwhile another letter included in the nomination, this one from Jackie Goldberg, the
Councilmember representing Hollywood at the time, suggests another potential function of this
landmark to fictional history, similar to one found at the Wilder Homestead – that of education:
“Bringing this space to the public's attention gives us an opportunity to teach both tourists and
our own residents that Los Angeles does have a rich literary tradition.”
162
And in conclusion,
Jess Bravin offers yet another potential role to be played by fictional historic sites when he

160
Ibid.
161
It should be noted that none of the buildings surrounding the square, including the Security Trust and Savings
Building are actually protected by this designation, rendering it more honorary than practical.
162
Jackie Goldberg.
59

writes, “His [Chandler’s] work, in effect, amounts to a guidebook to all the other Historic-
Cultural Monuments the City has designated -- Union Station, Bullocks Wilshire, the Bradbury
Building, even the neon lights of the Wilshire District.”
163
As a fictional character who traversed
the city from end to end and from top to bottom, Philip Marlowe left behind a map for us to
follow through mid-century Los Angeles.

163
Jess Bravin.
60

Chapter 3
Assessing the Significance of Movie and TV Sites

1. Introduction
Having established that historic sites have been designated using their role as locations in
works of literature to meet eligibility criteria, this chapter will explore 1) whether it would be
possible to apply the same criteria to sites used as locations in movies and TV shows, and 2)
what additional considerations might be necessary when assessing the significance of movie and
TV sites.
The first question is whether it is possible for movies and TV to fulfill the same cultural
role as literature. To address that, a good place to start is how we define literature. According to
the Oxford English Dictionary literature includes, “Written works, especially those considered of
superior or lasting artistic merit.”
164
Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes, “writings in prose
or verse; especially: writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing
ideas of permanent or universal interest.”
165
Though literature primarily refers to fictional
works such as novels, other non-fictional forms of writing, such as biography, essays, political
documents, journals, and poetry, can also be considered literature. For example, the Oxford
Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature includes John Hersey’s historical Hiroshima, the
selected essays of E. L. Doctorow, Booker T. Washington’s autobiographical Up from Slavery,
and The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as well as the poetry of Carl Sandberg, the songs of Bob
Dylan, and the work of linguist Noam Chomsky.
166

Theater can also be considered literature. The Oxford Companion’s list includes the work
of playwrights Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill, and David Mamet (also a
prolific screenwriter).

What separates theater from these other types of writing is that the writing
itself is not the final product. Instead, it is the blueprint for a work of art that requires the
contributions of actors, directors, set designers, lighting technicians, make-up artists and a host
of other craftspeople to realize the final product. Another difference is that it is meant to be
experienced collectively by an audience rather than a single person. Also, theatrical productions

164
"Definition of literature in English," Oxford Living Dictionaries,
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/literature.
165
"Definition of Literature," Merriam-Webster Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literature.
166
Jenny Stringer, "The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English," Oxford University Press,
http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780192122711.001.0001/acref-9780192122711.
61

replace verbal description with visual interpretation. An argument can be made that these same
attributes of theater, which can be considered literature, can also be said of movies and TV. It is
also worth noting that many of the works by the playwrights listed above have been adapted into
successful movies and TV shows (A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Night
of the Iguana, The Iceman Cometh, Long Day’s Journey into Night, The Crucible, Death of a
Salesman, Glengary Glenn Ross, etc.). Supporting the argument, however, for expanding the
interpretation of literature to include movies and TV, would be deserving of its own thesis. This
study will instead simply point out the characteristics that movies and TV share with generally
accepted forms of literature, in order to determine whether they have the ability to fulfill similar
roles in our culture.

2. Comparing Twenty-First Century Movies and TV to Nineteenth Century Novels
What is the role of literature in a twenty-first century when readership has declined to
such a substantial degree since the period before the advent of movies and TV? Can one claim
that these mass media have usurped the role once held by the written word? The simplest way to
measure that would be to compare how many people see fictional movies or watch fictional TV
shows, as opposed to how many read fictional books. To do that, the number of consumers of
2016’s ten most widely read fiction books (Table 3.1) will be compared to the number of
consumers of 2016’s ten most widely viewed movies (Table 3.2) and episodes of TV shows
(Table 3.3).
Rank Books Books Sold
1 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2 4,453,382
2 The Girl on the Train 2,020,531
3 Double Down: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #11 1,135,249
4 Me Before You 1,354,107
5 A Man Called Ove 712,283
6 Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children 663,040
7 The Whistler 662,919
8 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 659,172
9 First 100 Words 591,817
10 Oh, the Places You’ll Go! 585,284

12,837,784
Table 3.1: Ten top-selling fiction books of 2016
Publishers Weekly, “The Best-Selling Books of 2016.”
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/72566-the-bestselling-books-of-
2016.html.
62

Rank Movies Tickets Sold
1 Finding Dory 56,219,140
2 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 49,131,526
3 Captain America: Civil War 47,177,381
4 The Secret Life of Pets 42,587,783
5 The Jungle Book 42,081,054
6 Deadpool 41,973,492
7 Zootopia 39,452,976
8 Batman vs. Superman 38,191,929
9 Suicide Squad 37,583,821
10 Doctor Strange 26,602,056

421,001,158

Table 3.2: Ten top-selling movies of 2016
The Numbers, “Annual Movie Chart – 2016.”
http://www.the-numbers.com/market/2016/top-grossing-movies.

Rank TV Episodes Viewers
1 NCIS (January 5) 18,970,000
2 NCIS (May 17) 18,010,000
3 NCIS (January 19) 17,510,000
4 NCIS (February 23) 17,470,000
5 NCIS (February 16) 17,340,000
6 The Walking Dead (October 23) 17,030,000
7 NCIS (February 9) 16,940,000
8 The Big Bang Theory (February 11) 16,250,000
9 The X-Files (January 24) 16,190,000
10 NCIS (May 10) 16,040,000

171,750,000
Table 3.3: Ten most-viewed fictional TV episodes of 2016
Zap2It.com, “The 100 most-watched TV programs of 2016.”
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/more-tv-news/the-100-most-watched-tv-programs-of-2016-super-bowl-50-leads-
by-a-mile/.

According to these statistics, in 2016, the number of people buying the top ten fictional
books (12,837,784) is a tiny fraction of the number of people watching the top ten fictional
movies and TV episodes (592,751,158). The following chart, which is based on these numbers,
graphically illustrates this disparity:

63

Table 3.4: Percentage of people viewing the 10 most popular fictional books, movies, and TV episodes of 2016
Based on data from Tables 3.1-3.3

It should be noted that 1) The figures in Table 3.1 include only physical books and not e-
books or audiobooks, 2) The figures in Table 3.2 include only movie theater tickets and not DVD
sales and rentals, television broadcasts, or streaming platforms such as Hulu and Netflix, and 3)
The figures in Table 3.3 include only initial airings and not reruns, DVD sales and rentals, or
streaming platforms such as Hulu and Netflix.
Because these additional media are not consistently documented, attempting to include
them might dilute the accuracy of the numbers. But even in their absence, it is clear that in 2016
many more people sought their fiction via movies and television than via books. The following
snapshots of each industry actually show that including these additional platforms would only
increase the gap between book readers and movie and TV viewers. The Pew Research Center
found in September 2016 that, “Fully 65% of Americans have read a print book in the last year,
more than double the share that has read an e-book (28%) and more than four times the share that
has consumed book content via audio book (14%).”
167
On the other hand, when it comes to
alternate movie-viewing platforms, indiewire.com reported in 2015 that, “Streaming will be a

167
Andrew Perrin, "Book Reading 2016," Pew Research Center Internet & Technology, September 1, 2016,
http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/09/01/book-reading-2016/.
70%
28%
2%
Percentage of people viewing the 10 most popular fictional
books, movies, and TV episodes of 2016
movies
TV
books
64

$12 billion industry by 2017–that’s more than annual domestic ticket sales at movie theaters,
which have yet to crack $11 billion.”
168
And that is not taking into account DVD sales and
rentals and TV broadcasts and reruns. It is also worth pointing out that just because someone
buys a book doesn’t mean they are necessarily going to read it, as opposed to movies and TV,
which most everyone who buys a ticket or turns on the channel watch.
It should also be noted that the two percent figure representing those who read 2016’s ten
best-selling books is further eroded by the influence of movies. Of the 2,020,531 copies of The
Girl on the Train sold that year, 1,278,470 (63.3%) of them were “trade paper” or “hard cover,”
while 742,061 (36.7%) of them were “mass market movie tie-in” or “trade paper movie tie-
in.”
169
In other words, just over one third of the sales of the second most popular fiction book of
2016 were related to the release of the movie version of the book. This percentage is even more
skewed towards the movie effect for the number four book on the list, You Before Me, which
sold 549,301 copies (40.6%) in “trade paper” and 804,806 (59.4%) in “mass market movie tie-
in” and “trade paper movie tie-in.”
Furthermore, seven of the ten best-selling fiction books are also movies (The Girl on the
Train, Me Before You, A Man Called Ove, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) or are chapters in successful movie series that will
likely join their predecessors as movies (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2, and
Double Down: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #11). Of the remaining three, The Whistler is a novel by
John Grisham, many of whose previous novels (The Firm, The Pelican Brief, Runaway Jury, The
Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker, and A Time to Kill) have been made into widely-seen
movies, and Oh, the Places You’ll Go! which is a children’s book by Dr. Seuss, whose previous
work includes widely-seen movie and TV adaptations (The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole
Christmas, The Lorax, Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches the Egg, and The Butter Battle
Book). This leaves only the number nine-ranked entry, the children’s book First Hundred Words
with absolutely no connection to filmed fiction.
While it has been shown that in many cases movies rely on books for source material,
there are also times that the opposite is true. For example, according to “Wookieepedia: The Star

168
Anne Thompson, "Streaming Set to Overtake DVD Revenues - and Box Office Take," IndieWire, June 4, 2015,
http://www.indiewire.com/2015/06/streaming-set-to-overtake-dvd-revenues-and-box-office-take-187316/.
169
John Maher, "The Bestselling Books of 2016," Publishers Weekly, January 20, 2017,
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/72566-the-bestselling-books-of-
2016.html.
65

Wars Wiki,” the seven-part Star Wars movie series has spawned 1,147 books, ranging from A
Droid’s Tale to Zorba the Hutt’s Revenge.
170
This number does not even include the many Star
Wars comic books. The first novelization of the movie was actually published on November 12,
1976, months ahead of the May 25, 1977 movie release date.
171
Meanwhile, the original Star
Trek TV show, besides resulting in four TV spin-offs, thirteen movies, and a Saturday morning
cartoon, also made its mark with many comic book series and 1,349 books, not to mention
blueprints for space vehicles and annual conventions that have attracted thousands of fans for
decades.
172
If these books are not evidence enough of this TV show’s excursion into the world of
literature, the Vulcan Language Institute, which has been in existence since 1980, is the foremost
authority on Star Trek’s Vulcan language, which includes, “…Traditional Golic Vulcan (spoken
by Suraj and used for centuries in Literature, Religion and Ceremonies), Modern Golic
Vulcan (its contemporary counterpart), Lowlands Golic Vulcan (a sister language to
Modern), Insular Golic Vulcan (an extinct sister language to Traditional), FthinraKathi (a
distantly-related, extinct language) and Nataki (an extinct, mysterious Vulcan language).”
173

There are also other interactions between books and movies that further intertwine both
forms of fiction. Books rely on movies to increase their penetration into the cultural marketplace.
Much has been written about the boost experienced by book sales as a result of the release of
their movie counterparts. In 2011, the Hollywood Reporter wrote, “Stronger than expected box
office returns for the movie version of The Help (total grosses stands at more than $79 million
through August 24) have spurred an unusually large bump in sales of the book across the
country.”
174
This is not a new phenomenon. Going back to 1939, history’s biggest box office hit
helped boost the sales of one of the twentieth century’s best-selling novels: “Macmillan sold
176,000 copies of Gone with the Wind when it originally released in 1936. It won the Pulitzer
Prize in 1937 and by the end of 1938 had sold more than a million copies. Then came the film in

170
"List of books," Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki, http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_books.
171
"List of novels by release date," Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki,
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_novels_by_release_date.
172
"Star Trek Books," Cygnus-X1.Net: A Tribute to Star Trek," http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/lcars2.php.
173
"Welcome to Our Site!," Vulcan Language Institute, Shi'Oren t'Gen-Lis Vuhlkansu, http://www.vli-
online.org/vlif.htm.
174
Andy Lewis, "'The Help's' Strong Box Office Bumps Up Book Sales," Hollywood Reporter, August 26, 2011,
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/help-s-strong-box-office-228350.
66

December 1939, which pushed sales over the two million–copy mark.”
175
The following image
illustrates how premieres of movies affected sales of related books in 2015.

Table 3.5: The Effect of Movie Releases on Book Sales
Forbes Magazine, “From ‘Fifty Shades’ to ‘The Martian’: How 2015’s Movie Adaptations Boosted Book Sales.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2015/11/30/from-fifty-shades-tothe-martian-how-2015s-movie-
adaptations-boosted-book-sales/#38cf28f01e58.

Moving away from the numbers, there may even be a connection between the popularity
of a TV show and the designation of a historical landmark. The Ingalls Home in De Smet, South
Dakota, which was discussed in Chapter 2, was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975, decades after the publication of the Little House series. Is it possible that one factor in
the timing of the designation was that the Little House on the Prairie TV show, which premiered
in 1974 and was the number thirteen show in the country, attracting millions of viewers? The
idea that movies (and more recently TV) have taken the mantle of books is not new. As far back

175
Lynn Andriani, "Gone with the Wind' Going Strong at 75," Publishers Weekly, April 25, 2011,
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/46952-gone-with-the-wind-
going-strong-at-75.html.
67

as 1923, inventor and motion picture pioneer Thomas Edison was claiming that, “The motion
picture film will take the place of textbooks.”
176

Given all these examples, even if one does not agree that movies and TV have replaced
books as our literature, it is clear that the moving picture has joined the written word in
prominence and that interaction between all three art forms now provide us with entertainment
that can reach, “superior or lasting artistic merit,” and “ideas of permanent or universal interest.”

3. Making Sense of Movie and TV Sites
Having established the similarities between written literature and filmed fiction, it is time
for attention to be turned to the task of assessing the movie and TV sites themselves. Before
addressing specific issues, there are several general characteristics that unite all movie and TV
sites that will now be examined.

National Historic Landmark Theme Studies
National Historic Landmark theme studiesare used to classify the subject matter of each
potential landmark. The National Park Service defines theme studies as, “…the most effective
way of identifying and nominating properties because they provide a comparative analysis of
properties associated with a specific area of American history.”
177
Examples of existing theme
studies include the fur trade, earliest Americans, women's history, Greek Revival architecture,
space exploration, and labor history.
The House of the Seven Gables Historic District, which is designated for its association
with a work of literature, falls under Theme Study III, “Expressing Cultural Values.” According
to the New National Park Service Thematic Framework for History and Prehistory:

This theme covers expressions of culture, people's beliefs about themselves and
the world they inhabit. For example, Boston's African American Historic Site
reflects the role of ordinary Americans and the diversity of the American cultural
landscape. This theme also encompasses the ways that people communicate their
moral and aesthetic values, as illustrated by the gardens and studio in New

176
“’Movies to Replace Books in Schools’ Inventor States,” Pittsburgh Courier, June 2, 1923.
177
"How to Prepare National Historic Landmark Nominations," National Park Service, U.S. Department of the
Interior, National Park Service Register, 1999.
68

Hampshire of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America's most eminent
sculptors.
178

According to this definition, the value of the House of the Seven Gables Historic District
is that it “expresses culture” through its association with literature. The Expressing Cultural
Values theme study is further divided into six sub-themes: (1) educational and intellectual
currents; (2) visual and performing arts; (3) literature; (4) mass media; (5) architecture, landscape
architecture, and urban design; (6) popular and traditional culture.
179
Interestingly, the House of
the Seven Gables Historic District is classified as (1) educational and intellectual currents, rather
than (3) literature. It seems that the eighteen movie and TV sites listed below might more
appropriately fit into (2) visual and performing arts, or (4) mass media. But given the example of
the House of the Seven Gables Historic District, it seems that whichever sub-theme is chosen,
potential movie and TV sites would fall under Theme Study III: Expressing Cultural Values.”

Traditional Cultural Property
The second classification relevant to each fictional history site is its potential role as a
National Register of Historic Places “Traditional Cultural Property.” National Park Service
Bulletin #3: Guidelines for Traditional Cultural Properties, reads, “There are many definitions
of the word "culture," but in the National Register programs the word is understood to mean the
traditions, beliefs, practices, lifeways, arts, crafts, and social institutions of any community, be it
an Indian tribe, a local ethnic group, or the people of the nation as a whole.”
180
Going by that
definition, sites associated with movies and TV would be considered “arts,” and the community
would be “the people of the nation as a whole.” The bulletin defines the term further as, “a
location where a community has traditionally carried out economic, artistic, or other cultural
practices important in maintaining its historic identity.”
181
The bulletin also touches on the
intangible aspect of heritage conservation, adding:

178
Barbara J. Little, "The New National Park Service Thematic Framework for History and Prehistory," Society for
American Archaeology Bulletin, https://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/publications/SAAbulletin/15-2/index.html.
179
Ibid.
180
Patricia L. Parker and Thomas F. King, "National Register Bulletin, Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting
Traditional Cultural Properties," National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, 1.
181
Ibid.
69

In the 1980 amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act, the Secretary
of the Interior…was directed to study means of: preserving and conserving the
intangible elements of our cultural heritage such as arts, skills, folklife, and
folkways...and to recommend ways to: preserve, conserve/and encourage the
continuation of the diverse traditional prehistoric, historic, ethnic, and folk
cultural traditions that underlie and are a living expression of our American
heritage.
182

UNESCO provides a similar definition of “intangible cultural heritage,” stating, “Cultural
heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or
living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral
traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events…”
183
Whether going by
UNESCO or the National Register’s definition, how does one preserve such intangible culture as
oral traditions, rituals, and festive events? One answer that is relevant to this study is found in
UNESCO’s “Implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH [Intangible Cultural
Heritage],” which states that intangible cultural heritage also includes, “the instruments, objects
artefacts and cultural spaces associated with them – that communities, groups and individuals
recognize as part of their cultural heritage.”
184
Using language from several of the literary
landmarks from Chapter 2 to illustrate:

• Rancho Camulos Nomination Form:
“The Ramona myth played a central role in fashioning a regional identity for Southern
California.”
185

Here “fashioning a regional identity” falls under cultural heritage, and Rancho Camulos
is the cultural space.

• Mark Twain Historic District Nomination Form:
“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has so inscribed itself into the thoughts of generations
that this area of Hannibal has become, literally, ‘everyone's Home Town.’”
186

182
Ibid., 2.
183
"What is Intangible Cultural Heritage?," United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,
Intangible Cultural Heritage, https://ich.unesco.org/en/what-is-intangible-heritage-00003.
184
"Implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH," Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific
Region, http://ichcap.org/eng/html/02_04_07_02.php.
185
“National Historic Landmark Nomination, Rancho Camulos,” 19.
186
“National Register of Historic Places Inventory, Mark Twain Historic District,” Item Number 8, Page 5.
70

Here “everyone’s hometown” falls under cultural heritage, and the Mark Twain Historic
District is the cultural space.

• Almanzo Wilder Homestead Nomination Form:
“The Wilder homestead has become a destination for…tourists who wish to revisit the
everyday memories of a nine-year-old boy's life on a rural, 1860s, North Country, New
York farmstead.”
187

Here “traveling to a specific past time and place” falls under cultural heritage, and the
Almanzo Wilder Homestead is the cultural space.

While the emphasis of intangible cultural heritage has been on preserving the more
fragile traditions of indigenous and minority groups, one final example illustrates how it can be
interpreted to include more mainstream American traditions. In a 2011 article in the journal
Society for Historical Archaeology entitled Archaeology, Intangible Heritage, and the
Negotiation of Urban Identity in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, James A. Delle and Mary Ann Levine
write, “the concept of intangible heritage can be extended to the cultural practices of Western
communities, including the rituals of consumerism.”
188
The article covers the preservation of a
building that had been home to Watt & Shand, a department store that had once anchored the
city’s shopping district. The article describes consumerism as:

…a set of practices that gives meaning to the acquisition and circulation of
material objects. The social and cultural spaces in which these transactions take
place are embedded with meaning; they are places in which the ritualized
practices of seeking, examining, touching, and acquiring material objects take
place…The Watt and Shand, as the city's landmark department store, was an
arena of intangible heritage unique to Lancaster to which many Lancastrians still
cling.
189

Summing up the relationship between tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the area
of consumerism, the article continues, “the definition of intangible heritage connects the
intangible elements of culture (practices, representations, etc.) to the tangible elements of culture

187
“National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Wilder Homestead,” Section 8, Page 7.
188
James A. Delle and Mary Ann Levine, "Archaeology, Intangible Heritage, and the Negotiation of Urban Identity
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania," Society of Historical Archaeology 45, no. 1 (2011): 52-53. Accessed March 25, 2017.
189
Ibid., 53.
71

(instruments, objects, cultural spaces). In the case of retail consumerism, the intangible practices
of consumption and its relation to self-identity are closely associated with the spaces within
which the social practices of consumption take place.”
190
If the rituals associated with movies
and TV can be deemed intangible cultural heritage as consumerism is in this article, then the
cultural spaces related to it include not only the movie theaters where the public views them, but
also the places that are represented in the movies and TV shows themselves.

4. Additional Considerations for Assessing the Significance of Movie and TV Sites
As has been demonstrated in the examination of the literary landmarks of Chapter 2,
there can be additional factors involved in assessing the significance of literary sites. Examples
include, 1) the emphasis put on legend over fact in the House of the Seven Gables Historic
District, and 2) the blending of fact and fiction in the Mark Twain Historic District. Assessing
movie and TV sites would also present its own unique issues which would require special
attention. Several examples follow.

Importance of the Site to the Fictional Work
Even if the movie or TV show is culturally relevant, how large a role does the site play in
it? Is it important to the work of fiction? Is it something the public would recognize and
associate with the work of fiction? For example, what about the Old Mill in North Little Rock
Arkansas? (Figure 3.1) It is seen during the opening credits of Gone with the Wind. It is only on
screen for six seconds, plays no part in the plot, and is not associated with any characters. Yet it
is the only remaining structure from the most popular movie of all time.

190
Ibid.
72

Figure 3.1: Screenshot of the Gone with the Wind opening credits (1939) showing the Old Mill at T. R. Pugh
Memorial Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.

Figure 3.2: Screen capture from 1914’s Kids Auto Races in Venice, Charlie Chaplin’s second film and first
appearance as the Little Tramp (left). Public Domain. 202 and 208 Horizon can be seen in the background, and in a
photo from 2012 (right). Photo by author.

What about these two houses in Venice, California, located at 202 and 208 Horizon
Avenue, and built in 1911 and 1912? (Figure 3.2) They are visible in the background in the short
film Kids Auto Races in Venice, which was shot in 1914. This is also an important film, as it is
the first time Charlie Chaplin ever appeared as the Little Tramp. Are these houses historically
significant because they happened to be caught in the background, obscured by a crowd of
people? What about the fact that they are two of the only three surviving structures seen in the
film? What about the major alterations the one on the right has undergone? Perhaps the answer
lies in the extent to which the site is able to convey the experience of being in the world of the
movie or TV show. In this case, it seems that the Old Mill is better able to relate the antebellum
73

world of Gone with the Wind than the houses in Venice are to relate the 1910s world of Charlie
Chaplin.

Integrity vs. “Hollywood Magic”
Much of the time, the appearance of locations in movies and TV shows is far different
from their appearance in reality. Already discussed in the introduction are the studio sound
stages and backlots, which are often built from scratch for each new production. But even when
shooting takes place outside the studio, and real-world sites are used as film and TV locations,
they are often dressed by the art department, lit by the director of photography, shot by the
cameraman, and even altered by the carpenters in such a way as to be unrecognizable. False
windows and doors are added. Existing windows and doors are covered up. Decorative features
and landscaping are removed, added or altered. The illusion continues in post-production, as a
matte painting (or nowadays a computer-generated image) can play the part of rolling green
meadows or a mountaintop castle.
Sometimes the alterations are minor, like the addition of a false window to simulate a
second floor on the Brady Bunch House, in order to match the two-story interior set. (Figure 3.3)
The house today is certainly recognizable as the home of the Mike and Carol Brady and thus able
to convey its significance.

Figure 3.3: Minor Hollywood magic. Screenshot of the Brady Bunch House, as seen on the show. American
Broadcasting Company, 1969 (left). The house as seen in real life, without the false window (right). Photo by
author.

74

But what about the Newhall Mansion at 21 Chester Place near Los Angeles’s St. James
Park?
191
(Figure 3.4) Only the keenest eye would identify this as the home of the Addams
Family, as only the lower two-thirds of the house seen on TV is real, while the upper third is a
matte painting. The real house never looked like it did on the show.

Figure 3.4. Major Hollywood magic. Screenshot of the house from the Addams Family TV show. American
Broadcasting Company, 1964 (left). The actual house at 21 Chester Place, as it appeared without the matte painting.
Image downloaded from https://21chesterplace.com/house-history/ in October, 2017 (right).

If Morticia and Gomez Addams were real people who lived in this house from 1964 to
1966 (the run of the TV series), and the house was being assessed for significance due to that
association (National Register Criterion B), there is no need to go through the lengthy laundry
list of “alterations” that might prevent its designation. But what if the site is assessed under
Criterion A, as have all the other literary and potential movie and TV sites in this study? To
make such an assessment, the National Register’s seven aspects of integrity must be addressed.
They are:
1. Location
2. Design
3. Setting
4. Materials
5. Workmanship
6. Feeling
7. Association

191
The Newhall Mansion was demolished in 1967 for a parking lot but will still be discussed as a hypothetical
example.
75

It is ultimately a combination of several, not necessarily all, aspects of integrity
that determine whether a location is eligible for designation. In discussing Criteria A and
B in National Register Bulletin #15’s “Determining the Relevant Aspects of Integrity”
section, the National Park Service writes:

A property important for association with an event, historical pattern, or person(s)
ideally might retain some features of all seven aspects of integrity…Integrity of
design and workmanship, however, might not be as important to the significance,
and would not be relevant if the property were a site. A basic integrity test for a
property associated with an important event or person is whether a historical
contemporary would recognize the property as it exists today.
192

The Bulletin continues with an example of a property that would be eligible under
Criteria A and B.

Eligible
A mid-19th century waterpowered mill important for its association with an area's
industrial development is eligible if:
• it is still on its original site (Location), and
• the important features of its setting are intact (Setting), and
• it retains most of its historic materials (Materials), and
• it has the basic features expressive of its design and function, such as configuration,
proportions, and window pattern (Design).
193

Applying these points to the Newhall Mansion:
• While the Newhall Mansion is still on its original site (Location), and
• the important features of its setting are intact (Setting),
• Many of its historic materials have been removed (Materials), and
• many of the basic features expressive of its design and function, such as configuration,
proportions, and window pattern have been altered (Design).

Judging by this assessment, the Newhall Mansion would likely not possess the necessary
integrity to merit designation as a historic resource.
Another integrity-related issue can be seen in the example of the carousel on Santa
Monica Pier that served as the home and business of Paul Newman and Eileen Brennan in 1973’s
Best Picture Academy Award-winner, The Sting. (Figure 3.5)

192
“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, VIII. How to Evaluate the Integrity of a Property.”
193
Ibid.
76

Figure 3.5: Screenshot of Paul Newman and Eileen Brennan’s Chicago carousel as seen in The Sting. Universal
Pictures, 1973 (Left), and as seen in real life on the beach in Santa Monica (Right). Photo by author.

When it appeared in the movie, the surrounding Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica Pier
were replaced with a matte painting of an urban environment that was meant to represent the
cityscape of Depression-era Chicago. In this case, the design, materials, and workmanship are all
intact, but the entire setting of the site is false. Is there a way around this issue within the current
interpretation of integrity? The most obvious aspect of integrity with which to begin is that of
location, which addresses whether the potential historic resource has been moved. While it is true
that the carousel has never actually been moved, the effect of the matte painting in the film is to
make it seem that it has been moved 2,000 miles to the east and plopped down into the middle of
a 1930s city. According to the National Park Service,

Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place
where the historic event occurred. The relationship between the property and its
location is often important to understanding why the property was created or why
something happened… Except in rare cases, the relationship between a property
and its historic associations is destroyed if the property is moved.
194

Under “Criteria Considerations,” two of these “rare cases” are explained, along with
examples of cases that would be eligible and non-eligible. Here is the first case:

A moved property significant under Criteria A or B must be demonstrated to be
the surviving property most importantly associated with a particular historic event
or an important aspect of a historic person's life. The phrase "most importantly
associated" means that it must be the single surviving property that is most closely

194
Ibid.
77

associated with the event or with the part of the person's life for which he or she is
significant.

Eligible
• A moved building occupied by a business woman during the majority of her
productive career would be eligible if the other extant properties are a house
she briefly inhabited prior to her period of significance and a commercial
building she owned after her retirement.

Not Eligible
• A moved building associated with the beginning of rail transportation in a
community is not eligible if the original railroad station and warehouse
remained intact on their original sites.
195

Under this interpretation, the carousel would still be eligible. Because most of the
movie was filmed on studio sets, there were very few real locations from the get-go. Even
if it turned out that some real-world location from the movie still exists, none are
identified as closely with The Sting as this distinct residence of one of the two main
characters. It is the most iconic location in the movie. It was also used for purposes well
beyond the establishing shot seen in Figure 3.5. A number of scenes were filmed with the
movie’s characters, using both the exterior and interior of the actual carousel.
Here is the second case:

In addition to the requirements above, moved properties must still have an
orientation, setting, and general environment that are comparable to those of the
historic location and that are compatible with the property's significance.

Eligible
• A property significant as an example of mid-19th century rural house type can
be eligible after a move, provided that it is placed on a lot that is sufficient in
size and character to recall the basic qualities of the historic environment and
setting, and provided that the building is sited appropriately in relation to
natural and manmade surroundings.

Not Eligible
• A rural house that is moved into an urban area and a bridge that is no longer
situated over a waterway are not eligible.
196

195
“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, VII. How to Apply the Criteria Considerations,”
National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior,
https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_7.htm#crit con b.
196
Ibid.
78

Even though it is the site “most importantly associated” with the movie, the
carousel would ultimately not be eligible, as the general environments of the real and
fictional locations could not be more different. What these examples show is that under
existing integrity criteria, the Newhall Mansion and the Santa Monica Carousel, an iconic
fictional movie location and an iconic fictional TV location, would likely not be
considered eligible for designation as historic resources. But is there a possibility that the
uniqueness of the nature of fictional locations might be cause for a wider interpretation of
integrity that would allow the inclusion of such sites? There is a precedent for this.
Bulletin #15 also gives an example of instances in which certain integrity requirements
might be relaxed under special circumstances. The section entitled “Rare Examples of a
Property Type,” reads,

Comparative information is particularly important to consider when evaluating
the integrity of a property that is a rare surviving example of its type. The
property must have the essential physical features that enable it to convey its
historic character or information. The rarity and poor condition, however, of other
extant examples of the type may justify accepting a greater degree of alteration or
fewer features, provided that enough of the property survives for it to be a
significant resource.
197

While an argument can be made (and has been made in this study) that these and many
other movie and TV locations are rare examples of locations used in their respective productions,
there is also a deeper argument to be made that gets at the very nature of locations associated
with fiction -- and involves a widened interpretation of Integrity. Using both the Newhall
Mansion/Addams Family House and the Carousel as an example: Take a real-world nineteenth
century Second Empire mansion that has had its windows replaced, and its mansard roof,
cresting, and other ornamentation removed. Take a real-world carousel that once towered,
solitary over the beach and is now land-bound and dwarfed by new structures. Imagine that
neither of them enjoy the notoriety of having been featured in a popular movie or TV show.
These structures would be unable to convey their significance. Another way of stating that is the
average visitor, knowing nothing of the history of the sites, would not be able to comprehend

197
“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, VIII. How to Evaluate the Integrity of a Property.”
79

their importance from simply viewing them, without the crutch of additional interpretation. They
would not understand that during its period of significance, the mansion’s missing mansard roof
and cresting, (and the lingering fog around the house) gave it a creepy feel. Or that the carousel
used to tower over its beachfront surroundings. But if the same sites had been used as locations
for popular movies and TV shows, that same average visitor would have the ability to visualize
the mansion’s missing elements and the carousel’s urban surroundings, because they have
already seen the properties in their “periods of significance” many times. Their minds are able to
fill in the gaps in a way that viewers of real-world structures cannot.
An important distinction is that these sites are not attempting to convey Los Angeles
architecture in the 1880s or the history of amusement parks in Santa Monica. What matters is
they convey that the mansion is home to Thing and Cousin It, and carousel is the home and
business of a pair of Depression-era Chicago grifters. Given these goals, and given the advantage
of having been seen by millions of people, the Newhall Mansion and the Santa Monica Pier
Carousel are able to convey their significance as the Addams Family House and the Sting
Carousel with a lower threshold of integrity then the average mansion and carousel. This
adjustment should be viewed less as a weakening of the interpretation of the Aspects of Integrity,
and more as a readjustment to the goal of fictional sites to convey the significance of the site’s
fictional world.

Period of Significance
What is the period of significance for a movie or TV historic site? Would it start with the
work of fiction? National Register Bulletin #22: Properties that Have Achieved Significance
Within 50 Years has this to say about literary landmarks:

…the appropriate date from which to evaluate a property for exceptional
significance is not always the date of construction, but rather, the point at which
the property achieved significance…For example, Flannery O'Connor's home,
Anadalusia, in Milledgeville, Georgia, is significant for its association with
O'Connor. She was renowned as a short-story writer of the post-World War II
generation, who used the Southern landscape as a major force in shaping her
fiction. The period of significance clearly begins in 1951 when she moved there,
rather than the early 20th century when the complex of buildings was
constructed.
198

198
Sherfy and Luce, 6-7.
80

With an established beginning date, the more difficult question one is left with is, when
does the period of significance end? A property designated for its association with a notable
historic figure would be significant during the time of their occupancy. For example, the John
Steinbeck House mentioned in the introduction has two periods of significance: “…from 1912-
1926 when he began to write as a boy and submit stories for publication, to his departure for
New York City, and from 1933-1935 when he and his wife Carol moved back into the home to
care for the writer's ailing parents.”
199

But culturally impactful movies and TV shows can stay relevant long after the end credits
roll. As previously mentioned, The Addams Family was only on the air from 1964-1967. But the
show eventually entered syndication and was seen five times a week instead of one time a week
for many years. So should the period of significance extend to the 1970s, when new generations
were discovering the show for the first time? What about the 1990s when the Addams Family
movies came out? Or the early 2000s, when the show enjoyed a resurgence of popularity due to
its airing on TV Land? Should the period of significance for Star Wars be just 1977, the year it
was released? What about the 1980, 1983, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2015, and 2017 release dates of its
sequels, each of which brought the entire Star Wars saga to the front and center of pop culture?
The National Register of Historic Places offers guidelines to determining period of
significance. Under Criterion A (the criterion that this thesis has determined to be the most
appropriate for movie and TV sites), the guidelines read, “For the site of an important event,
such as a pivotal fivemonth labor strike, the period of significance is the time when the event
occurred. For properties associated with historic trends, such as commercial development, the
period of significance is the span of time when the property actively contributed to the trend.”
200

So if the “event” (release of the movie or the run of a TV show) is considered more significant
than the “trend,” the period of significance would be the release date of the movie (Star Wars,
1977) or the run of the show (All in the Family, 1972-1979). But because the cultural impact of
movies and TV shows can span such a long period of time, it may be more appropriate to choose
the “trend” over the “event,” in which case, indicators of cultural significance would have to be
created. For Star Wars, it could be the period during which the original series of three movies

199
Steinbeck House National Register of Historic Places, section 8, page 6.
200
“National Register Bulletin: How to Complete the National Registration Form, National Park Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior, 42, https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/pdfs/nrb16a.pdf.
81

was released (1977-1983). For All in the Family, it could be for the life of the original series and
the lives of the series spin-offs (Maude 1972-1978, Good Times, 1974-1979, Archie Bunker’s
Place 1979-1983, The Jeffersons 1975-1985). Or perhaps by calculating the number of hours per
week that the show is in reruns. If the work being considered set off a trend in entertainment,
such as the original 1931 Dracula kicking off the era of Universal monster movies, the period
could be that era. Dracula’s period of significance might be 1931-1954 (the latter date being the
release of Creature from the Black Lagoon, generally considered to be the last iconic Universal
monster movie).

Additional Assessment Tools
As has been touched on at several points in this thesis, comprehensive systems involving
themes, sub-themes, historic contexts, and criteria have been created to assess the significance of
potential historic landmarks at the federal, state, and local levels. These systems help to
categorize, provide consistency and simply make sense of the wide spectrum of potential historic
resources out there. But determining the significance of movie and TV locations adds an
additional layer of analysis, one which lies outside the field of heritage conservation. To
determine which movie and TV locations are historically significant, how do we determine
which movies and TV shows are culturally significant? One potential answer is to consult with
some of the systems that are already in place. This is not to say that every location from every
movie and TV show on one of the following lists should automatically be considered historically
significant, but rather that inclusion on one or more of the lists can serve as an indicator of
significance for properties already under consideration.

Movies
Year Best Picture Highest Grossing Year Best Picture Highest Grossing
1927/28 Wings The Jazz Singer (1927) 1973 The Sting The Exorcist
1928/29 The Broadway Melody The Singing Fool (1928) 1974 The Godfather Part II Blazing Saddles
1929/30 All Quiet on The Western Front Welcome Danger (1929) 1975 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Jaws
1930/31 Cimarron Tom Sawyer (1930) 1976 Rocky Rocky
Table 3.6: Yearly Academy Award Best Picture Winners Verses Top Box Office Sales
Academy Awards: Today, Pop Culture, “Behold! A list of every 'Best Picture' Oscar winner ever”
https://www.today.com/popculture/complete-list-every-best-picture-oscar-winner-ever-t107617.
Box Office: AMC Filmsite, “All-Time Box Office Hits (Domestic Gross) By Decade and Year”
http://www.filmsite.org/boxoffice2.html.
(Continued on next page)
82

1931/32 Grand Hotel Frankenstein (1931) 1977 Annie Hall Star Wars
1932/33 Cavalcade Shanghai Express (1932)
King Kong (1933)
1978 The Deer Hunter Grease
1934 It Happened One Night It Happened One Night 1979 Kramer vs. Kramer Kramer vs. Kramer
1935 Mutiny on the Bounty Mutiny on the Bounty 1980 Ordinary People The Empire Strikes Back
1936 The Great Ziegfeld Modern Times 1981 Chariots of Fire Raiders of the Lost Ark
1937 The Life of Emile Zola Snow White & the Seven
Dwarfs
1982 Gandhi E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
1938 You Can’t Take It with You The Adventures of Robin
Hood
1983 Terms of Endearment Return of the Jedi
1939 Gone with The Wind Gone with the Wind 1984 Amadeus Ghostbusters
1940 Rebecca Pinocchio 1985 Out of Africa Back to the Future
1941 How Green Was My Valley Sergeant York 1986 Platoon Top Gun
1942 Mrs. Miniver Bambi 1987 The Last Emperor Three Men and a Baby
1943 Casablanca This is the Army 1988 Rain Man Rain Man
1944 Going My Way Going My Way 1989 Driving Miss Daisy Batman
1945 The Lost Weekend Mom and Dad 1990 Dances with Wolves Home Alone
1946 The Best Years of Our Lives Song of the South 1991 The Silence of the Lambs Beauty and the Beast
1947 Gentleman’s Agreement Forever Amber 1992 Unforgiven Aladdin
1948 Hamlet The Snake Pit 1993 Schindler’s List Jurassic Park
1949 All the King’s Men Samson and Delilah 1994 Forrest Gump The Lion King
1950 All About Eve Cinderella 1995 Braveheart Toy Story
1951 An American In Paris Quo Vadis 1996 The English Patient Independence Day
1952 The Greatest Show on Earth The Greatest Show on Earth 1997 Titanic Titanic
1953 From Here to Eternity Peter Pan 1998 Shakespeare in Love Saving Private Ryan
1954 On the Waterfront Rear Window 1999 American Beauty The Phantom Menace
1955 Marty Lady and the Tramp 2000 Gladiator How the Grinch Stole Christmas
1956 Around the World in 80 Days The Ten Commandments 2001 A Beautiful Mind Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai The Bridge on the River Kwai 2002 Chicago Spider-Man
1958 Gigi South Pacific 2003 The Lord of the Rings The Lord of the Rings
1959 Ben-Hur Ben-Hur 2004 Million Dollar Baby Shrek 2
1960 The Apartment Swiss Family Robinson 2005 Crash Revenge of the Sith
1961 West Side Story 101 Dalmatians 2006 The Departed Pirates of the Caribbean
1962 Lawrence of Arabia How the West Was Won 2007 No Country for Old Men Spider-Man 3
1963 Tom Jones Cleopatra 2008 Slumdog Millionaire The Dark Knight
1964 My Fair Lady Mary Poppins 2009 The Hurt Locker Avatar
1965 The Sound of Music The Sound of Music 2010 The King’s Speech Toy Story 3
1966 A Man for all Seasons The Bible/Hawaii 2011 The Artist Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows
1967 In the Heat of the Night The Jungle Book 2012 Argo The Avengers
1968 Oliver! Funny Girl 2013 12 Years A Slave The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
1969 Midnight Cowboy Butch Cassidy & the
Sundance Kid
2014 Birdman American Sniper
1970 Patton Love Story 2015 Spotlight The Force Awakens
1971 The French Connection Billy Jack 2016 Moonlight Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
1972 The Godfather The Godfather

Table 3.6: Yearly Academy Award Best Picture Winners Verses Top Box Office Sales (Continued)

In many years, there is a clear division between the “highest quality” and the “most
popular.” For example, in 1977, Annie Hall was awarded Best Picture, while Star Wars was seen
83

by the most people. Nineteen-eighty-one was similarly split between Chariots of Fire and
Raiders of the Lost Ark, and 1982 with Gandhi and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Sometimes
quality and popularity meet, as in the case of Rocky in 1976 and Titanic in 1997. But where does
the cultural relevance required of a cultural resource fall on this quality/popularity spectrum? For
the purposes of use as a designation criterion, perhaps both should be considered, or some
combination.
Unfortunately, what both the Academy Awards and the box office lack is a sense of
historical perspective. What about iconic films like It’s a Wonderful Life, which didn’t win the
Academy Award or the box office in 1946? Also in this category are culturally iconic movies
like The Wizard of Oz, Citizen Kane, and Psycho. For historical perspective, another possible
source is the American Film Institute. Though principally a film school, the Hollywood-based
organization’s mission statement reads, “The American Film Institute is America's promise to
preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the
next generation of storytellers. As a nonprofit educational arts organization, AFI provides
leadership in film and television and is dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present
and the future of the moving image arts.”
201
A widely respected organization, their list of the 100
Greatest American Films could also serve as a resource for determining the eligibility of movie
locations. The list is shown as Table 3.7, with movies not on the Academy Award or box office
winner lists highlighted in gray. In addition to highlighting the movies that slipped through the
cracks, the list also includes movies that predate the Academy Awards, like 1925’s The Gold
Rush.
Rank Movie (year) Rank Movie (year)
1 Citizen Kane (1941) 51 The Philadelphia Story (1940)
2 Casablanca (1942) 52 From Here to Eternity (1953)
3 The Godfather (1972) 53 Amadeus (1984)
4 Gone with the Wind (1939) 54 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
5 Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 55 The Sound of Music (1965)
6 The Wizard of Oz (1939) 56 M*A*S*H (1970)
7 The Graduate (1967) 57 The Third Man (1949)
8 On the Waterfront (1954) 58 Fantasia (1940)
Table 3.7: The American Film Institute List of 100 Greatest American Films.
http://www.afi.com/100Years/movies.aspx.
(Continued on next page)

201
"About the American Film Institute," American Film Institute, http://www.afi.com/about/whatis.aspx.
84

9 Schindler's List (1993) 59 Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
10 Singin' in the Rain (1952) 60 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
11 It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 61 Vertigo (1958)
12 Sunset Blvd. (1950) 62 Tootsie (1982)
13 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) 63 Stagecoach (1939)
14 Some Like It Hot (1959) 64 Close Encounters of the 3d Kind (1977)
15 Star Wars (1977) 65 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
16 All About Eve (1950) 66 Network (1976)
17 The African Queen (1951) 67 The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
18 Psycho (1960) 68 An American in Paris (1951)
19 Chinatown (1974) 69 Shane (1953)
20 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's
Nest (1975)
70 The French Connection (1971)
21 The Grapes of Wrath (1940) 71 Forrest Gump (1994)
22 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 72 Ben-Hur (1959)
23 The Maltese Falcon (1941) 73 Wuthering Heights (1939)
24 Raging Bull (1980) 74 The Gold Rush (1925)
25 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) 75 Dances With Wolves (1990)
26 Dr. Strangelove (1964) 76 City Lights (1931)
27 Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 77 American Graffiti (1973)
28 Apocalypse Now (1979) 78 Rocky (1976)
29 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) 79 The Deer Hunter (1978)
30 The Treasure of the Sierra
Madre (1948)
80 The Wild Bunch (1969)
31 Annie Hall (1977) 81 Modern Times (1936)
32 The Godfather Part II (1974) 82 Giant (1956)
33 High Noon (1952) 83 Platoon (1986)
34 To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) 84 Fargo (1996)
35 It Happened One Night (1934) 85 Duck Soup (1933)
36 Midnight Cowboy (1969) 86 Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
37 The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) 87 Frankenstein (1931)
38 Double Indemnity (1944) 88 Easy Rider (1969)
39 Doctor Zhivago (1965) 89 Patton (1970)
40 North By Northwest (1959) 90 The Jazz Singer (1927)
41 West Side Story (1961) 91 My Fair Lady (1964)
42 Rear Window (1954) 92 A Place in the Sun (1951)
43 King Kong (1933) 93 The Apartment (1960)
44 The Birth of a Nation (1915) 94 GoodFellas (1990)
45 A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) 95 Pulp Fiction (1994)
46 A Clockwork Orange (1971) 96 The Searchers (1956)
47 Taxi Driver (1976) 97 Bringing Up Baby (1938)
48 Jaws (1975) 98 Unforgiven (1992)
49 Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs (1937)
99 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
50 Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid (1969) 100 Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Table 3.7: The American Film Institute List of 100 Greatest American Films (Continued).

85

Another potential resource that looks specifically at how movies represent our culture is
the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry. Since its inception in 1989, the registry has
been adding twenty-five films to the list per year. Currently there are 700 films on the registry.
The list is composed of “…films deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,’ that
are earmarked for preservation by the Library of Congress.”
202
The focus of the list is more in
line with the goals of heritage conservation, as the films, “…are not selected as the 'best'
American films of all time, but rather as works of enduring importance to American culture.
They reflect who we are as a people and as a nation.”
203
In fact, the stated goal of the list --
increasing awareness for the preservation of America’s film heritage -- runs parallel to the goal
of the National Register of Historic Places, which is also to preserve America’s heritage.
204
The
annual selections are made by the Library of Congress, “…after reviewing hundreds of titles
nominated by the public and conferring with Library film curators and the distinguished
members of the National Film Preservation Board.”
205
“The Board consists of forty-four
members and alternates representing the film industry, archives, scholars, filmmakers and others
who comprise the diverse American motion picture community.”
206
A sampling of current
members includes Martin Scorsese, representing the Directors Guild of America, Antonia Lant
of New York University, Ted Pedas of the National Association of Theater Owners, and former
United States Senator Chris Dodd.
Many of the films on this list are irrelevant to the purposes of this project. For example,
there are documentary films, animated films, newsreels, home movies, and short clips of city life
at the turn of the twentieth century. But what is of great value on this list are many movies that
did not achieve the lofty heights of winning an Academy Award, having the biggest box office,
or cracking the American Film Institute’s top 100 list, but are still culturally significant.
Examples include Dracula (1931), Top Hat (1935), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Night of the
Living Dead (1968), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), The Terminator (1984), The

202
"Frequently Asked Questions," National Film Preservation Board, Library of Congress,
https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/frequently-asked-questions/.
203
Ibid.
204
"Film Registry," National Film Preservation Board, Library of Congress,
https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/.
205
National Film Preservation Board, Frequently Asked Questions.
206
"Board Members," National Film Preservation Board, Library of Congress,
https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/about-this-program/board-members/.
86

Shawshank Redemption (1994), and The Matrix (1999). The complete list of all 700 films on the
Registry can be seen in Appendix A.

TV
Though TV enjoyed a brief golden age in the 1950s, it is only during the renaissance of
the last fifteen years -- fueled to a large extent by the rise of quality cable programming -- that
the medium has gained respect. After decades of being referred to as the “boob tube” and the
“idiot box,” there is no Library of Congress National Television Registry, and no American
Television Institute list of the 100 Greatest TV shows. There are, however, the Emmy Awards,
which are run by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Like the Academy Awards,
Emmys are awarded in many categories, including best overall show and are voted on by
Academy members. Unlike the movies, the best show award is divided into drama and comedy.
Instead of box office receipts, the popularity of TV shows is measured by ratings, which is an
estimate of how many viewers each show has. The principal rating system is run by the Nielsen
company. Table 3.8 shows compares the Emmy Award winners in drama to the highest rated
dramas, from 1951 to 2017, while Table 3.9 shows the same with comedic shows.

Year Emmy Best Drama Nielsen Drama Year Emmy Best Drama Nielsen Drama
1951 Pulitzer Prize Playhouse Texaco Star Theatre 1985 Cagney & Lacey Dynasty
1952 Studio One Texaco Star Theatre 1986 Cagney & Lacey Murder, She Wrote
1953 Robert Montgomery Presents Texaco Star Theatre 1987 L.A. Law Murder, She Wrote
1954 The U.S. Steel Hour Dragnet 1988 thirtysomething Murder, She Wrote
1955 The U.S. Steel Hour, Dragnet,
Stories of the Century
Dragnet 1989 L.A. Law Murder, She Wrote
1956 Producer's Showcase Dragnet 1990 L.A. Law The Wonder Years
1957 Playhouse 90 Dragnet 1991 L.A. Law Murder, She Wrote
1958 Gunsmoke/Playhouse 90 Gunsmoke 1992 Northern Exposure Full House
1959 The Alcoa Hour/Playhouse
90/Maverick
Gunsmoke 1993 Picket Fences Murder, She Wrote
1960 Playhouse 90 Gunsmoke 1994 Picket Fences Murder, She Wrote
1961 Macbeth Gunsmoke 1995 NYPD Blue ER
1962 The Defenders Gunsmoke 1996 ER ER
1963 The Defenders Wagon Train 1997 Law & Order ER
1964 The Defenders Bonanza 1998 The Practice ER
Table 3.8: Yearly Emmy Award and Nielsen Rating Winners for TV Drama Shows.
Emmy Awards: Wikipedia.org, “List of Primetime Emmy Award Winners”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Primetime_Emmy_Award_winners
Nielsen Ratings: Classic TV Hits, “Top 30 Shows for each year, from 1950 to 2000!”
http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/.
(Continued on next page)

87

1965 The Magnificent Yankee Bonanza 1999 The Practice ER
1966 The Fugitive Bonanza 2000 The West Wing ER
1967 Mission: Impossible Bonanza 2001 The West Wing ER
1968 Mission: Impossible Bonanza 2002 The West Wing CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
1969 NET Playhouse Gunsmoke 2003 The West Wing CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
1970 Marcus Welby, M.D. Bonanza 2004 The Sopranos CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
1971 The Bold Ones Gunsmoke 2005 Lost CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
1972 Elizabeth R. Marcus Welby, M.D. 2006 24 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
1973 The Waltons Marcus Welby, M.D. 2007 The Sopranos CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
1974 Upstairs, Downstairs Hawaii Five-O 2008 Mad Men CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
1975 Upstairs, Downstairs The Waltons 2009 Mad Men CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
1976 Police Story The Waltons 2010 Mad Men NCIS
1977 Upstairs, Downstairs The Bionic Woman 2011 Mad Men NCIS
1978 The Rockford Files The Six Million Dollar Man 2012 Homeland NCIS
1979 Lou Grant Charlie's Angels 2013 Breaking Bad NCIS
1980 Lou Grant Eight is Enough 2014 Breaking Bad NCIS
1981 Hill Street Blues Dallas 2015 Game of Thrones NCIS
1982 Hill Street Blues Dallas 2016 Game of Thrones NCIS
1983 Hill Street Blues Dallas 2017 The Handmaid's Tale NCIS
1984 Hill Street Blues Dallas

Table 3.8: Yearly Emmy Award and Nielsen Rating Winners for TV Drama Shows. (Continued)

Year Emmy Best Comedy Nielsen Comedy Year Emmy Best Comedy Nielsen Comedy
1951 None Your Show of Shows 1985 The Cosby Show The Cosby Show
1952 The Red Skelton Show I Love Lucy 1986 The Golden Girls The Cosby Show
1953 I Love Lucy I Love Lucy 1987 The Golden Girls The Cosby Show
1954 I Love Lucy I Love Lucy 1988 The Wonder Years The Cosby Show
1955 Make Room for Daddy I Love Lucy 1989 Cheers The Cosby Show
1956 The Phil Silvers Show I Love Lucy 1990 Murphy Brown The Cosby Show
1957 The Phil Silvers Show I Love Lucy 1991 Cheers Cheers
1958 The Phil Silvers Show The Danny Thomas Show 1992 Murphy Brown Rosanne
1959 The Jack Benny Program The Danny Thomas Show 1993 Seinfeld Rosanne
1960 Art Carney Special The Andy Griffith Show 1994 Frasier Home Improvement
1961 The Jack Benny Program The Andy Griffith Show 1995 Frasier Seinfeld
1962 The Bob Newhart Show The Andy Griffith Show 1996 Frasier Seinfeld
1963 The Dick Van Dyke Show The Beverly Hillbillies 1997 Frasier Seinfeld
1964 The Dick Van Dyke Show The Beverly Hillbillies 1998 Frasier Seinfeld
1965 The Dick Van Dyke Show Bewitched 1999 Ally McBeal Friends
1966 The Dick Van Dyke Show Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. 2000 Will & Grace Friends
1967 The Monkees The Andy Griffith Show 2001 Sex and the City Friends
1968 Get Smart The Andy Griffith Show 2002 Friends Friends
1969 Get Smart Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. 2003 Everybody Loves Raymond Friends
1970 My World and Welcome to It Mayberry R.F.D. 2004 Arrested Development Friends
1971 All in the Family Here's Lucy 2005 Everybody Loves Raymond Desperate Housewives
1972 All in the Family All in the Family 2006 The Office Desperate Housewives
Table 3.9: Yearly Emmy Award and Nielsen Rating Winners for TV Comedy Shows.
Emmy Awards: Wikipedia.org, “List of Primetime Emmy Award Winners”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Primetime_Emmy_Award_winners
Nielsen Ratings: Classic TV Hits, “Top 30 Shows for each year, from 1950 to 2000!”
http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/.
(Continued on next page)

88

1973 All in the Family All in the Family 2007 30 Rock Desperate Housewives
1974 M*A*S*H All in the Family 2008 30 Rock Desperate Housewives
1975 The Mary Tyler Moore Show All in the Family 2009 30 Rock Desperate Housewives
1976 The Mary Tyler Moore Show All in the Family 2010 Modern Family Two and a Half Men
1977 The Mary Tyler Moore Show Happy Days 2011 Modern Family The Big Bang Theory
1978 All in the Family Laverne & Shirley 2012 Modern Family The Big Bang Theory
1979 Taxi Laverne & Shirley 2013 Modern Family The Big Bang Theory
1980 Taxi Three's Company 2014 Modern Family The Big Bang Theory
1981 Taxi M*A*S*H 2015 Veep The Big Bang Theory
1982 Barney Miller The Jeffersons 2016 Veep The Big Bang Theory
1983 Cheers M*A*S*H 2017 Veep The Big Bang Theory
1984 Cheers Kate & Ally

Table 3.9: Yearly Emmy Award and Nielsen Rating Winners for TV Comedy Shows. (Continued)

As in the case of movies, there is a big difference between what has been critically
acclaimed and what has been popular, whether we look at the years 1981 through 1984 when
Hill Street Blues won all the Emmys and Dallas won all the ratings. And though Modern Family
and Veep have won every Emmy since 2011, the ratings winner for the same period has been The
Big Bang Theory. So, as in the case of movies, one possible pathway to measuring the cultural
relevance of TV shows would be straddling these extremes. Without a counterpart to the
authoritative American Film Institute and National Film Registry, other potential resources for
measuring the cultural relevance of TV shows are more splintered. The Internet Movie Database
website (IMDb) has the top 250 TV shows as rated by IMDb users, which includes mini-series
like Band of Brothers, and other cultural phenomena that didn’t make it on the Emmy or Nielsen
lists, like The Wire, The Twilight Zone, Arrested Development, and Firefly.
207
Rolling Stone
Magazine, long considered a barometer of pop culture, has its own list of the 100 best TV shows
of all time. In addition to icons like Gunsmoke and The Dick Van Dyke Show, their list features
such cultural phenomenon as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, and the X-Files. Though TV has
always been a large part of the cultural landscape, perhaps its newfound respect will result in
more definitive resources as time goes by.

207
"Top Rated TV Shows," Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com/chart/toptv/.
89

Chapter 4
Potential Movie and TV Landmarks

1. Introduction
It is now time to put the previously discussed ideas into practice. Acknowledging the
relevance of fiction to society outlined in Chapter 1, using the precedents set by the literary
landmarks of Chapter 2, and the considerations for designating move and TV locations outlined
in Chapter 3, a series of case studies will be examined to see if arguments can be made for their
historical significance based on having been used as locations in movies and/or TV shows. The
case studies will be divided into ten categories.

2. Real History Versus Fictional History
In Chapter 2, several properties designated in whole or in part for their use as locations in
works of literature were examined. In many cases, an important element in their designation was
their ability to convey their fictional history rather than their actual history. The following two
movie and TV case studies exhibit similar characteristics.

The Brady Bunch House (The Brady Bunch)

Figure 4.1: Screenshot of The Brady Bunch (1969-1974) showing 11222 Dilling Street in Studio City, California, as
it appeared in the Brady Bunch television show. American Broadcasting Company.

90

The Show
Though it only ran from 1969 to 1974, The Brady Bunch struck a chord with generations
of American youth, who grew up over the next several decades watching the family’s domestic
adventures via endless reruns, a handful of TV specials, two movies, and at least two stage
productions. The show told the story of a lovely lady who was bringing up three very lovely
girls, and a man named Brady, who was busy with three boys of his own... Every week, the
Brady kids navigated through the trials and tribulations of childhood and adolescence, under the
steady guiding hand of parents Mike and Carol, resulting in a lesson to be learned by the end of
the episode.

The Site
Built in 1959 in a suburban housing tract in Studio City, California, the house was only
used in establishing shots to introduce scenes. The interiors were shot on a soundstage, and the
characters were never seen at the site. In fact, all footage of the house was filmed before the
show’s pilot aired. The show’s producers were looking for a house that would serve dual
functions; it had to look relatable and yet it had to look like a house in which an architect (as
Mike Brady was) would live.
208
To make the one-story house match the two-story interior set, a
false window was affixed to the wall to give it the illusion of a second story.
One potential stumbling block to designating the Brady Bunch House is that one hundred
percent of the show’s stories took place on sound stages, sets, and various other locations. Not
only did no real history occur at the house, but no fictional history occurred there either. In
reality, this location has minimal association with the actual show and its characters. But as has
been demonstrated in the case of the House of the Seven Gables Historic District, when it comes
to fictional sites, the emphasis is not always on reality.
As mentioned in Chapter 2, it is not certain that the House of the Seven Gables house
was, in reality, Hawthorne’s inspiration for his novel. As the nomination language states, “…he
is not aiming for strict fidelity to external reality, but is…building a house of materials long in
use for constructing castles in the air…” Whatever its ultimate association, the house became a
shrine to the romance and its author to the point that how it got that way now seems less

208
Jen Kopf, "Here's the story of the house behind 'Brady Bunch," Lancaster Online, June 30, 2015,
http://lancasteronline.com/features/home_garden/here-s-the-story-of-the-house-behind-brady-
bunch/article_519a1f8e-1f3d-11e5-a844-472dbb6f7841.html.
91

important than recognizing how profound the connection became in the popular mind. As a
thoughtful journalist put it in 1911, ‘Perhaps because the house stands so deep in imaginations
and memories it is hard not to believe it the very spot.’” The same can be said of the Brady
Bunch House. The National Historic Landmark theme under which the House of the Seven
Gables was designated is “Expressing Cultural Values,” with the sub-theme of “educational and
intellectual currents.”
209

The Brady Bunch House also serves as a representative of its type. The Chapter 1
discussion of the Mel’s Drive-In chain made note of how the role of the original Mel’s in
American Graffiti made it the representative of the thousands of drive-ins that once covered the
country. Because of its depiction in the movie, Mel’s went beyond being a personal memory
shared only by those relatively few who had experienced it. It was the fictional Mel’s, not the
physical one that became a cultural memory, a piece of nostalgia that has made a world-wide
impact and now serves the public as the physical remnant of a long-gone period. The same can
be said of the Brady Bunch House. Though there are thousands of similar suburban houses built
in the post-war period, perhaps no one of them is as widely recognized as the Brady Bunch
House. Generations of viewers have become familiar with the styles, attitudes, and cultural
norms of the era by spending time with the Brady family, and the house has become a physical
symbol of that familiarity.
Several other TV family houses rise to the same level of significance as the Brady Bunch
house, and the same criteria should apply for them. These include the houses used as exteriors
for the TV homes of the Bunkers in All in the Family, (89-70 Cooper Avenue, Flushing, NY), the
Cunninghams in Happy Days (565 N. Cahuenga Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA), and Mary
Richards in The Mary Tyler Moore Show (2104 Kenwood Parkway, Minneapolis, MN), as well
as the movie homes of Mildred Pierce (1143 N. Jackson Street, Glendale, CA), and The
Amityville Horror (18 Brooks Road, Toms River, NJ).

209
National Historic Landmark Nomination, House of the Seven Gables, 16.
92

A Christmas Story House (A Christmas Story)

Figure 4.2: Screenshot of A Christmas Story (1983) showing 3159 West 11
th
Street in Cleveland, Ohio as it appeared
in the movie. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.

The Movie
Covered in Chapter 1, A Christmas Story is a 1983 movie directed by Bob Clark and
starring Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, and Darren McGavin. It tells the story of Ralphie, a
boy growing up in the 1940s who wants nothing more for Christmas than a Red Ryder BB gun.
Like It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story struck a chord, making it an essential part of the
holiday season, whether it is viewed on TV or in a movie theater.

The Site
While the interior scenes were shot on sets in Toronto, Canada, the exterior scenes took
place outside an 1895 two-story clapboard house at 3159 W. 11
th
Street in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cleveland was chosen not just for the house, but for its wealth of locations that represented
“Anytown.” The story was supposed to take place in the fictional Hohman, Indiana.
As in the case of the Brady Bunch House, none of the interior filming took place inside
this house. This case differs in that unlike the Brady Bunch house, 1) exterior scenes with the
93

movie’s characters were filmed here, and 2) The Christmas Story house is open to the public,
leading to its “restoration” to its original condition during the filming. Of course, since no
filming took place in the house, the restoration is to the fictional state of the house, rather than to
its actual historical condition.
As in the case of the Brady Bunch House, precedents for significance can be found in the
House of the Seven Gables Historic District, and in the Anne of the Green Gables House, both
designated houses that have been restored to their fictional condition. Again, to quote the
nomination form for the House of the Seven Gables, “Perhaps because the house stands so deep
in imaginations and memories it is hard not to believe it the very spot.”
210
And while the
nomination material’s claim that, “The House of the Seven Gables may be the only house in the
country that was specifically restored to reflect a fictional house described by an important
author,” may be true, the fact is that the Christmas Story House was specifically restored to
reflect a culturally important movie.
Another relevant comparison is to Rancho Camulos, which, like all the others besides the
Brady Bunch House, is open to the public as a tourist attraction. In all cases, this drives the
owner of each house to go great lengths to prove its “fictional authenticity.” While the del Valle
family of Rancho Camulos sold their oranges under the “Home of Ramona” brand name, the
Christmas Story House sells the leg lamps seen in the movie. While the Christmas Story House
has guest appearances of the actors from the movie, “The del Valle family was photographed
posing for scenes from the book for a San Francisco Chronicle story.” In all cases, the legend is
actively promoted, leaving out altogether whatever true history might have been.
The other thing all these houses share is great success. The del Valles had to contend
with, “…the excursion trains that stopped at the ranch and the avalanche of tourists that
descended upon the ranch demanding to see Ramona, and invading the orchards and house,”
while, “One survey found it [The House of the Seven Gables] to be among the top ten favorite
historic houses in the country. At 120,000 visitors a year, it is by far the most visited house
museum in New England.” Chapter 1 outlined the popularity of the Christmas Story House.
One final parallel is the example of a National Register of Historic Places site whose
interior has been altered to match its fictional association. The Seamen’s Bethel is a church that
is a contributor to the New Bedford Historic District in New Bedford, Massachusetts. One of

210
Ibid., 23.
94

eight contributors, the Seaman’s Bethel is, according to the Nomination Form, “Described by
Melville in Moby Dick; two-story frame church built in 1832.”
211
The importance of the church
to the novel is that many of its congregants were sailors, who would go to pray at the church
before setting out to sea, which was an extremely dangerous occupation at the time. Melville
attended the church when he himself was a whaler, and in the book, the main character attends a
service before embarking on his adventure on the Pequod.

Figure 4.3: Seaman’s Bethel. The 1832 church, a contributor to the New Bedford Historic District. Though the ship-
shaped pulpit was described by Herman Melville in Moby Dick, it was not added to the church until 1961. Boston
Public Library, Spencer Grant Collection, https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:cv43p688r.

One major alteration to the church is the pulpit (Figure 4.3). The novel itself offered this
description: “Nor was the pulpit itself without a trace of the same sea-taste that had achieved the
ladder and the picture. Its panelled front was in the likeness of a ship’s bluff bows, and the Holy
Bible rested on a projecting piece of scroll work, fashioned after a ship’s fiddle-headed beak.”
212

Though the pulpit does indeed resemble a ship’s bow today, it did not resemble a ship’s prow
when Melville visited, nor when he wrote Moby Dick. This was merely a writer’s embellishment.

211
“National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form, New Bedford Historic District,” National
Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, Item 7, Page 2.
212
"Herman Melville (1819–1891). Moby-Dick. 1922. Chapter VIII The Pulpit," Bartleby.com,
http://www.bartleby.com/91/8.html.
95

The ship-like pulpit was added to the church in 1961 to match the novel…just five years after
John Huston directed the movie version of Moby Dick. So here, just like the House of the Seven
Gables and the Anne of Green Gables House, is a designated historical landmark whose interiors
have been altered to match the fiction and not the fact. Just like the Christmas Story House.

3. Representing Cultural Trends
One purpose of literature and art is to interpret and reflect elements of our culture;
whether it is specifically addressing those elements, or simply using them as a base from which
to tell their stories. Again, several previously discussed literature sites fulfill this role, as do the
next two case studies.

Old Trails Bridge (The Grapes of Wrath, Easy Rider)

Figure 4.4: Screenshots of The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, (left) and of the
opening credits of Easy Rider (1969) Columbia Pictures, (right), each showing the Old Trails Bridge over the
Colorado River connecting California and Arizona.

The Movies
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and Easy Rider (1969) each represent major cultural trends
of their eras. The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of the migration of the “Okies” as they fled to
California from the ravages of the Dust Bowl. Easy Rider tells the story of the “tune in, turn on,
drop out” generation of the 1960s as they fled from the mindless conformity of middle-class
American society. Based on the John Steinbeck novel, directed by John Ford, and produced by
Darryl Zanuck, The Grapes of Wrath features Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell as Tom and Ma
Joad, along with John Carradine as Jim. Produced by Peter Fonda and directed by Dennis
Hopper, Easy Rider features Fonda and Hopper as Wyatt and Billy, along with Jack Nicholson as
96

George. Both movies were controversial in their times, and both movies have come to define
their generations.

The Site
Also known alternately as the Topock Bridge and the Needles Bridge (for the closest
communities on each end), the Old Trails Bridge was completed on February 20, 1916.
213
It
connects Arizona and California over the Colorado River. The bridge captures key moments in
each movie. In The Grapes of Wrath, it is where the Joad family crosses into California, their
Promised Land. In Easy Rider, it is seen over the opening credits, at the moment that Wyatt and
Billy leave California behind to embark on their “search for America.” Like several of the
previously discussed literary sites (Mark Twain Historic District, Almanzo Wilder Homestead,
and Rancho Camulos), the significance of the Old Trails Bridge straddles the line between real
history and fictional history.
Specifically, the Old Trails Bridge represents the myth of Route 66. As previously
discussed, the National Historic Landmark designation of Rancho Camulos was assigned for its
role as “…a key player in the invention and broadcasting of the romanticized image of California
that was to become ingrained in the national consciousness for several generations.” It was
associated with the novel Ramona, which “played a central role in fashioning a regional identity
for Southern California at a time when the West was trying to establish an historical and cultural
legitimacy separate but comparable with the East.”
If Ramona helped fashion a regional identity for California in the late nineteenth century,
Route 66 did the same in the early twentieth century. A draft National Register of Historic Places
Multiple Property Documentation Form for US Highway 66 in California comes to the following
conclusion: “If the extensive tourism literature for U.S. Highway 66 did much to promote its use
and to enhance its reputation, its presence in literature, art, and popular culture helped create a
“myth” of the highway that mirrored large social and cultural conditions—in the 1930s as a road
of travails, and in the 1950s and 1960s as route to the good life, fun, and adventure.”
214
The
nomination goes on to call out the specific works associated with the bridge and how they
contributed to this myth. Concerning The Grapes of Wrath, the nomination states:

213
“National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet, Vehicular Bridges in Arizona,” National Park Service,
United States Department of the Interior.
214
National Register of Historic Places, U.S Highway 66 in California, Section E, page 79.
97

There is little doubt that John Steinbeck’s novel, the Grapes of Wrath, and the
popular film starring Henry Fonda, created a link between the worst of the Great
Depression and the highway along which the Joad’s traveled. While historians
like Walter Nugent and James Gregory point out that the Grapes of Wrath
presents a limited picture of the historic internal migrations of the 1930s, the
literary portrait raised the highway to the level of a cultural symbol of Depression
America… for many Depression Era migrants their view of California was
heavily shaped by Hollywood films that confirmed images of California’s
appeal.
215

The nomination language then moves on to the 1960s:

In films such as Easy Rider (1969) a similar image of the highway was presented:
Route 66 as a road to freedom and discovery. In its famous opening film sequence
the two stars, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, cross the U.S. Highway 66 bridge
at Topock traveling east as they set out on a momentous and ultimately disastrous
adventure... the two rebels go in search of an idealized America that they find has
disappeared into a drug-induced mist and a paranoia that is so pervasive it ends in
the hero’s death.
216

This passage actually makes reference to the significance of the Old Trails Bridge and its
role in the perpetuation of the California myth and what it had become by the 1960s.
217

Under Areas of Significance, the nomination states, “The history and development of U.S
Highway 66 in California represents important themes under the following National Register of
Historic Places (National Register) areas of significance: Transportation, Engineering, Social
History, Commerce, Entertainment/Recreation, and Architecture,”
218
It continues, “Portions of
the route continue to convey a sense of time and place of an earlier era of highway travel prior to
the construction of Interstate Highways, and the challenges faced by motorists in crossing
expanses of desert and high mountain passes on their way to Los Angeles.”
219
Though this
description refers to the entire stretch of Route 66 in California, it could apply specifically to the
bridge as well. It also appears that this site would be eligible for designation on the California

215
Ibid.
216
Ibid.
217
As a side note, it is interesting that in 1940, Henry Fonda portrayed a man coming to California to start a new
life, and twenty-nine years later, his son, Peter Fonda portrayed a member of the next generation leaving California
to escape the life that his father gave him. One wonders if Fonda as producer was aware that he was including his
father’s bridge in that opening shot. Taking it one step further, Henry Fonda was himself from Nebraska, and he
came to the Promised Land of Hollywood. His son Peter, in his career, turned his back on Hollywood, pursuing a
route more independent than that of his father.
218
National Register of Historic Places, U.S Highway 66 in California,, Section E, page 1.
219
Ibid.
98

Register of Historic Resources under Criterion 1 (“associated with events that have made a
significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage
of California”).
220

National Historic Landmark Criterion 1 could also apply to the bridge (“the location with
the strongest association with a turning point or significant event in American history”), and a
National Historic Landmark Theme Study that could be applicable to the bridge is “Peopling
Places.” This theme study, “…examines human population movement and change through
prehistoric and historic times... Topics that help define this theme include: (1) family and the life
cycle; (2) health, nutrition, and disease; (3) migration from outside and within; (4) community
and neighborhood; (5) ethnic homelands; (6) encounters, conflicts, and colonization.”
221
The Old
Trails Bridge is a good example of “migration from outside and within.” While these criteria are
not associated with the bridge’s role in The Grapes of Wrath and Easy Rider, these movies have
elevated the public awareness of the bridge and made it a symbol representing the themes in a
way not possible with other Route 66 bridges. It should be noted that the bridge was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1988, but solely for its architecture and engineering.
222

One final note: Though The Grapes of Wrath was a work of fiction, it told the story of
real events. To a lesser degree, the same could be said about Easy Rider. As a result, the
significance of the bridge as used in both films straddles the line between fiction and reality,
much like the Laura Ingalls Wilder and Mark Twain literary sites discussed in the previous
chapter.

220
California Register of Historic Resources.
221
Barbara J. Little.
222
"Arizona - Mohave County," National Register of Historic Places, State Listings,
http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/az/mohave/state2.html.
99

Vasquez Rocks (Star Trek, Bonanza, Blazing Saddles, etc.)

Figure 4.5: Screenshot of the opening credits of The Last Musketeer (1952) showing Vasquez Rocks in the
background. Republic Pictures.

The Movies/Shows.
Rather than repeat the description of Vasquez Rocks in Chapter 1, here are the first fifty
movies and TV shows on IMDb’s list of 387 movies and TV shows that were shot there:
Westworld (2016–present) Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001), Gunsmoke (1955–1975), Star Trek
(2009), Hail, Caesar! (2016), Army of Darkness (1992), Blazing Saddles (1974), Austin Powers:
International Man of Mystery (1997), Wild Wild West (1999), Frankenstein (1931), Masters of
the Universe (1987), Dracula (1931), Roswell (1999–2002), The Big Valley (1965–1969), A
Single Man (2009), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), The Flintstones (1994), Short Circuit
(1986), The Scorpion King (2002), Have Gun - Will Travel (1957–1963), The Wild Wild West
(1965–1969), Kung Fu (1972–1975), The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000), Star Trek IV:
The Voyage Home (1986), Maverick (1957–1962), The High Chaparral (1967–1971), Wanted:
Dead or Alive (1958–1961), Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), First Daughter (2004), Branded
(1965–1966), Parasite (1982), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Alien Nation (1989–1990),
100

Alias Smith and Jones (1971–1973), Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988), Casa de mi Padre (2012),
The Arizonian (1935), Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997), Angry Video Game Nerd: The
Movie (2014), Fear Factor (2001– ), Star Trek: Of Gods and Men (2007 Video), Mom and Dad
Save the World (1992), Power Rangers Turbo (1997–1998), Forbidden World (1982), Green
Mansions (1959), Apache Uprising (1965), Zorro (1957–1959), Executive Action (1973),
Werewolf of London (1935), The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (1954–1959).
The discussion of the Old Trails Bridge included its role in the perpetuation of the myth
of Route 66, comparing it to the role of Rancho Camulos in the perpetuation of the myth of the
nineteenth century Californios. There is also an argument to be made for the role of Vasquez
Rocks in shaping the public’s perception about two other American myths. The first is the
Hollywood Western. These immensely popular movies and TV shows shaped the public’s
perception of what the “Old West” looked like, and many of them featured the distinctive
diagonal rock formations of Vasquez Rocks.
Another movie and TV genre that was created by Hollywood is science-fiction, featuring
shows like Star Trek, The Outer Limits, Power Rangers, and Logan’s Run, along with movies
like Star Trek, Forbidden World, Princess of Mars, John Carter, and Missile to the Moon. These
films and shows, among others, have been taking viewers on interplanetary journeys for decades
now, every one of them visiting planets that feature those same diagonal rock formations.
223
In
this way, Vasquez Rocks has provided the setting for these entire genres, contributing greatly to
the American cultural experience, and literally determining what our shared memories look like.

223
In perhaps a not-so-coincidental coincidence, which shows the similarity between the Western and Sci-Fi genres,
Gene Roddenberry originally pitched his new show Star Trek as “Wagon Train to the Stars.” (Wagon Train to the
Stars, “TVtropes.com, http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WagonTrainToTheStars).
101

4. Aesthetic Interpretation
Exorcist Steps (The Exorcist)

Figure 4.6: Screenshot of The Exorcist (1973) showing the stairway at 3600 Prospect Street NW in Georgetown as it
appeared in the movie. Warner Brothers Entertainment, Inc.

The Movie.
In 1973, America lined up around the block for an opportunity to be scared out of its wits
by The Exorcist, a movie loosely inspired by an actual demonic possession. Directed by William
Friedkin and based on the best-selling book by William Peter Blatty, the movie features Linda
Blair as the neck-contorting, gravity-defying, green pea soup-spouting vessel for Satan, and
Jason Miller and Max von Sydow as the priests who attempt to lure the Prince of Darkness out of
her. As Roger Ebert put it at the time, “If movies are…for escapism, then “The Exorcist” is one
of the most powerful ever made.”
224

224
Roger Ebert, "The Exorcist," RogerEbert.com, December 26, 1973, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-
exorcist-1973.
102

The Site
Built in 1895 by the Capital Traction Company, in conjunction with an adjacent car barn,
the stone stairway at the intersection of Georgetown’s Prospect Street NW and 36
th
Street NW
was chosen for the climax of the movie.
225
This is when Father Karras coaxes the demon out of
the girl into himself, and throws himself out the window and down the steps, killing himself
before the demon is able to escape his body. It is a horrifying end to a horrifying movie.
Hanging Rock, which was examined in Chapter 2, through its Australian location puts it
out of the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, exhibits similarities to the Exorcist Steps.
Listed on the Australian Register of the National Estate, Hanging Rock is designated under
Criterion E.1, which states, “The place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of
the place’s importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or
cultural group…through the following: Features of beauty, or features that inspire, emotionally
move or have other characteristics that evoke a strong human response.”
The nomination goes on to say that the defining characteristic of the site is its “aura of
mystery,” which is due in part to, “… the rock being used in the Joan Lindsay novel Picnic at
Hanging Rock as a place where mysterious and unexplained events occurred.”
226
In other words,
the work of fiction emphasizes the already-extant character of the place. The Applying the
Criterion section continues, “Artistic works, such as art, poetry, and music, inspired by the
features of a place can provide evidence that the place may have aesthetic value.”
227
In other
words, the, “formidable and imposing presence” of the rock formations captured in the popular
novel “provides evidence” of its aesthetic value, which in this case is its “aura of mystery.”
The same can be said of the Exorcist Steps. They too can be seen as “formidable and
imposing.” The fact that the movie presents the site as a scene of a supernatural and violent death
amplifies its dark nature. The movie magnifies the characteristics that are already inherent in the
site. The enduring popularity of the movie demonstrates that it “valued by a community or
cultural group.” Further evidence of this “outstanding heritage value” held by the movie and the
steps is its local historic designation.

225
“Why Do the Exorcist Steps Exist in the First Place?” The Georgetown Metropolitan, October, 30, 2015,
https://georgetownmetropolitan.com/2015/10/30/in-celebration-of-the-exorcist-steps/.
226
Hanging Rock Statement of Significance.
227
Ibid.
103

On Halloween 2015, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared the Exorcist Steps
a local landmark in the presence of Exorcist author William Peter Blatty, director William
Friedkin, and a crowd of fans. Mayor Bowser’s statement read, “The famed Exorcist Steps not
only pay tribute to an iconic film but have also become a part of the District's rich film history.
This recognition is more than deserving, and I am confident this landmark will continue to be a
favorite destination for residents, tourists, and students for decades to come."
228
This designation
was issued through the Georgetown Business Improvement District and the Office of Motion
Picture and Television Development rather than the city’s Historic Preservation Office, and is
therefore more symbolic than official. Yet it still underlines the importance Washington, D.C.
puts on this movie-related site.

Figure 4.7: Screenshot of the opening credits of M*A*S*H (1972-1983) showing the set for the 4077th Mobile
Army Surgical Hospital in Malibu Creek State Park. CBS Television.

228
Matt Hickman, "America's spookiest public stairway gets landmark designation," mother nature network,
November 2, 2015, https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/americas-spookiest-public-stairway-gets-
landmark-designation.
104

Another location whose aesthetic interpretation matches the model of Hanging Rock is
the site of the “4077
th
Mobile Army Surgical Hospital” from the popular TV series M*A*S*H. A
generation of viewers believed that the mountains of Korea looked an awful lot like the
mountains of Southern California. That is because the series was shot in Malibu Creek State
Park, just thirty miles from the heart of Hollywood. More than on many other shows, the terrain
around the camp was almost another character on M*A*S*H, its distant foreboding peaks
surrounding the camp and creating a feeling of isolation. Like Gone with the Wind’s Lasky Mesa
(see below) and several other sites on this list, the association with M*A*S*H’s isolated Korean
mountains evokes the solitude already inherent in the location, suggesting that it too might fall
under Australia’s Criterion E.1
229
.

5. Sole or Rare Survivor

Beverly Hills High School Gym/Pool (It’s a Wonderful Life)

Figure 4.8: Screenshot of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) showing the Beverly Hills High School Gym and Swimming
Pool. Republic Pictures.

229
The M*A*S*H site is similar to Australia’s Hanging Rock site, which was examined in Chapter Two and whose
E.1 Statement of Significance describes how the site is “…perceived by the public as having an aura of mystery due
it its association with…the Joan Lindsay novel.”
105

The Movie.
Directed by Frank Capra in 1946 and starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel
Barrymore, and Thomas Mitchell, It’s a Wonderful Life tells the story of Everyman George
Bailey, who, attempting suicide on Christmas Eve, is shown by an aspiring angel what the world
would be like if he’d never been born. Over the years, It’s a Wonderful Life has become the most
enduring and celebrated movie of the vast bodies of work of both Capra and Stewart. It has also
become a fixture of the Christmas season, joining and in some cases surpassing such holiday
perennials as A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34
th
Street, and White Christmas. Not a December
goes by without theaters screening it, and numerous TV stations airing it, sometimes in twenty-
four-hour marathons.

The Site
Beverly Hills High School’s innovative gym/swimming pool was just seven years old
when it was chosen for a pivotal scene in the movie.
230
It starts out as a gym. Then, with the turn
of a key, the gym floor splits in the middle and pulls apart, revealing the swimming pool below.
In the movie, main character George runs into his future wife Mary at a dance held at the gym.
When a disgruntled student at the high school (played by Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer of Our Gang
fame!) turns the key, George and Mary plunge into the pool mid-Jitterbug, continuing their dance
in the water and taking the first steps down the road to love.
As is the case in most movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood, It’s a Wonderful Life
was shot mostly on sets and soundstages that no longer exist. Even the exteriors of the main
street of Bedford Falls were shot on a three-block stretch of RKO’s Encino Ranch in the San
Fernando Valley, which was replaced long ago with a housing development.
231
As a result, only
two real-world filming locations still exist; the Beverly Hills High School gym and swimming
pool, and a house located in the Los Angeles suburb of La Canada-Flintridge. The second
location, the “Martini House” belonged to a minor character and was only onscreen for one short
scene.

230
Eric Sondheimer, "A technology marvel: The Beverly Hills High gym/pool," Los Angeles Times, December 13,
2014, http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-a-technology-marvel-the-beverly-hills-high-
gympool-20141213-story.html.
231
"It’s A Wonderful Life film locations," The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations, http://www.movie-
locations.com/movies/i/Its_A_Wonderful_Life.html#.WjhuKd-nHIV.
106

The National Register of Historic Places emphasizes the importance of “sole or rare
survivors of an important architectural style or type.” This can be seen in several places,
including National Register Bulletin #24: Guidelines for Local Surveys, where it answers the
question, “What kinds of resources should the survey seek?”
232
This criterion can also be found
in action in a survey of Manhattan, Kansas, where a “wide range of resources” includes, “Sole or
rare survivors of an important architectural style or type. Architectural curiosities and one-of-a-
kind buildings.”
233
It can be found as well in the National Register of Historic Places’ Common
Farm Barns of South Dakota, 1857-1958 Multiple Property Documentation Form, which states
that, “Barns which are otherwise undistinguished by their design, structure, and materials, but
which retain good historic integrity, may be considered individually eligible for registration
when they represent sole or rare survivors of a common farm barn type that was formerly
abundant but is now rarely observed in a particular locality.”
234
Though this language speaks
specifically about architectural styles, the same logic could also apply to sole or rare survivors of
a specific work of cultural expression. The significance of the gym/swimming pool is that it is
one of only two locations left from the production of It’s a Wonderful Life, and of the two, it is
more significant to the movie.

Lasky Mesa and The Old Mill (Gone with the Wind)

Figure 4.9: Screenshot of Gone with the Wind showing Vivian Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara at Lasky Mesa near
Calabasas, California. (left). This is the iconic scene where she exclaims, “I’ll never be hungry again.” Metro-

232
Anne Derry, H. Ward Jandl, Carol D. Shull, and Jan Thorman, "National Register Bulletin 24. Guidelines for
Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning," National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior,
9.
233
"Cultural Resource Survey, Wards 1 and 2 Manhattan, Kansas," Historic Preservation Services, LLC, June, 2004,
138, https://cityofmhk.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1079/.
234
“National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, Common Farm Barns of South
Dakota, 1857-1958,” National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, Section F, Page 49.
107

Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. Screenshot of the Gone with the Wind opening credits (1939) showing the Old Mill at
T. R. Pugh Memorial Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. (right).

The Movie.
Seventy-eight years after its release, Gone with the Wind is still the biggest box office
smash in history. Adjusted for inflation, the 1939 movie grossed $1,804,258,500.
235
Adapted
from Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel and directed by Victor Fleming, this four-hour epic
showing the fall of the “Old South” was making headlines before production even started for its
exhaustive search for the perfect actress to play Scarlett O’Hara. Though virtually every A-List
actress threw her bonnet in the ring, the winner was Vivien Leigh, and her co-stars were Clark
Gable, Olivia de Havilland, and Leslie Howard. The burning of Atlanta still excites, and the two
lines that close the movie (“Tomorrow is another day,” and “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a
damn”) have entered the lexicon of the English language.

The Site (Lasky Mesa)
Even in a movie filled with iconic imagery, Scarlett O’Hara’s return to her native home
of Tara stands out. The Civil War has ended, all her dreams have been shattered, and she is left
with nothing. After spitting out a root she has just foraged from the ground, she declares, her
silhouette against the fiery sky, “As God is my witness… I’ll never be hungry again.” This
scene, and the closing scene, were filmed at Lasky Mesa, a filming location that goes back to the
dawn of Hollywood, set just outside Calabasas, California.
Like Beverly Hills High School’s gym/swimming pool from It’s a Wonderful Life, Lasky
Mesa is one of only two Gone with the Wind sites still known to exist, making it a “sole or rare
survivor” of sites associated with the most successful movie of all time. Like the Exorcist Steps,
the Field of Dreams Movie Site (see below), and Hanging Rock, this site’s use in a movie
reinforces and enhances the aesthetic character of the site. A barren and forlorn place, Lasky
Mesa is the perfect spot for Scarlett O’Hara to find herself alone and at the end of her rope, and
with its solitude, it is the perfect spot for her to find her inner strength and motivate herself to
carry on. Conversely, this turning point in her character arc enhances these qualities in the
location itself.

235
"All Time Box Office," Box Office Mojo, http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm.
108

The Site (The Old Mill)
While Lasky Mesa is the location of one of the movie’s most iconic shots, the only
structure still standing from Gone with the Wind is the Old Mill at T. R. Pugh Memorial Park in
North Little Rock, Arkansas. Though it looks like an authentic nineteenth century building, it
was actually constructed in 1933 as a reproduction of a nineteenth century mill. However, the
building was only used during the beginning title sequence and played no part in the story itself.
Like the Brady Bunch House, no characters ever set foot in or anywhere near the structure. But
unlike the Brady Bunch House, it is seen so briefly that it is eclipsed by the plantation Tara as the
site most people would associate with the movie. Tara, however, was a movie set that no longer
exists.
Given the choice between an empty piece of land where one of the movie’s most iconic
scenes was filmed with its star, and an actual building which appears on screen for just six
seconds, which is more historically significant? Is one a better candidate for protection than the
other? Perhaps this is not an either/or question, and, given the cultural significance of the movie,
they should both be considered eligible for designation.

6. Cultural Landscapes
A cultural landscape is described in the National Register’s Guidelines for the Treatment
of Cultural Landscapes as “A geographic area (including both cultural and natural resources and
the wildlife or domestic animals therein), associated with a historic event, activity, or person or
exhibiting other cultural or aesthetic values.”
236
Cultural landscapes can include, “… residential
gardens and community parks, scenic highways, rural communities, institutional grounds,
cemeteries, battlefields and zoological gardens.
237
The next two case studies are TV sites that
are potential cultural landscapes.

236
“Defining Landscape Terminology,” Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes, United States
Department of the Interior, National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/four-treatments/landscape-
guidelines/terminology.htm.
237
Birnbaum, “Preservation Brief 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes.”
109

Lone Ranger Rock (The Lone Ranger)

Figure 4.10: Screenshot of the opening credit sequence of The Lone Ranger (1949-1957) Clayton Moore as the Lone
Ranger, next to Lone Ranger Rock on Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California. American Broadcasting
Company.

The Show
With a “Hi yo Silver!” the Lone Ranger and his faithful sidekick Tonto galloped from
their wildly successful radio show and movie serials to their wildly successful TV show, which
ran from 1949 to 1957. Though many actors had played (or voiced) the pair before, the most
famous incarnation was the TV show’s Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. Together, they
roamed the west, helping people out of jams as they went, outshooting outlaws with silver
bullets, and causing the townsfolk to ask, “Who was that masked man?” With dozens of
Westerns on the air in the 1950s – including Sergeant Prescott of the Yukon, Red Ryder, Broken
Arrow, Buffalo Bill Jr., Fury, The Restless Gun, and The Man Without a Gun, The Lone Ranger
may be the most popular, and its legacy the most enduring.

110

The Site
The Lone Ranger was filmed primarily on Western Town sets and out on the trail at
Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth and Melody Movie Ranch, thirty minutes to the north in
Newhall. The most notable natural landmark is a rock now referred to as Lone Ranger Rock in a
section of Iverson Ranch featuring many rocky outcroppings known as the “Garden of the
Gods.” The rock is seen during the opening credits of the show while the Lone Ranger is rearing
up on his horse and shouting, “Hi yo Silver, away!” While Melody Ranch is still a functioning
production facility, Iverson Ranch has been taken over by a housing development, surrounding
Lone Ranger Rock and putting it less than a hundred feet from the nearest backyards in one
direction.
According to a context statement for a Los Angeles survey conducted by Pasadena
historic preservation consulting firm Historic Resources Group (HRG), “Iverson Ranch was used
for productions beginning in 1912 and, over the next several decades, is purported to have
become “the most shot-up movie location ranch in motion picture history.”
238
It then lists the
iconic TV Westerns shot on the ranch, including Bonanza, Have Gun – Will Travel, Hopalong
Cassidy, and The Lone Ranger. Regarding the Western itself, since Edwin S. Porter’s pioneering
movie of 1903, The Great Train Robbery, the Western has been one of the most popular genres
in both movies and TV. A glance at Table 3.8 shows that every year between 1958 and 1971, the
most-watched drama shows on TV were either Gunsmoke, Bonanza, or Wagon Train.
The significance of Lone Ranger Rock is that of all the terrain that TV cowboys covered
in thousands of hours of riding around the “Old West,” the most recognizable may be the image
of the Lone Ranger rearing up on Silver in front of Lone Ranger Rock and riding off into the
day’s new adventure. What American Graffiti did for the neon-and-chrome-laden Mel’s Drive-
In, and what The Brady Bunch did for the mid-century architecture of 11122 Dilling Street, The
Lone Ranger did for this outcropping of rock in Chatsworth.
The National Park Service’s Preservation Brief #36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes,
states that, “Like historic buildings and districts, these special places reveal aspects of our
country's origins and development through their form and features and the ways they were used.”

238
Historic Resources Group, “Filming Locations Associated with the Motion Picture and Television Broadcasting
Industries,” SurveyLA Draft Context Statement (unpublished document, April 10, 2017), Microsoft Word and
Microsoft Excel files.
111

239
Like Vasquez Rocks, Lone Ranger Rock reveals a prominent aspect of the country’s
development – its love affair with the Western. Though Lone Ranger Rock and the portion of the
surrounding Garden of the Gods that has not been developed contain no man-made structures,
there is precedent for eligibility of such natural sites in the designation of battlefields, which
generally do not retain structures from their periods of significance.

Bronson Caves (Batman)

Figure 4.11: Screenshot of Batman (1966-1969) showing the Batmobile emerging from Bronson Caves in Los
Angeles’s Griffith Park. American Broadcasting Company.

The Show.
When Batman premiered in 1966, with Adam West and Burt Ward playing the Dynamic
Duo, it took the country by storm. Rather than a serious portrayal of the moody Caped Crusader,
the show exuded campiness, featuring over-the-top colors, costumes, dialogue and performances.
“Same bat-time, same bat-channel” became a buzz-word as movie stars clamored to ham it up
playing Batman and Robin’s masked nemeses. Though the show only ran three seasons, like The

239
Birnbaum.
112

Brady Bunch, a movie and decades of reruns allowed multiple generations to thrill to Batman’s
endless gadgets, riffs on contemporary culture (like the Bat-Dance), and weekly cliffhangers.

The Site
The TV show’s version of the Bat Cave was a set on a soundstage, but its entrance, where
the Bat-Mobile can be seen rocketing in and out through the sheltering brush, was located at the
Bronson Caves in Los Angeles’s Griffith Park. These manmade tunnels were dug around the turn
of the twentieth century, supposedly by the Union Rock Company. Though they have been seen
in many movies and TV shows over the last century, including the horrifying climax of 1956’s
Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the site is primarily known simply as “The Bat Cave.”
Unlike Lone Ranger Rock, in this case, Bronson Caves contains a man-made feature; the
caves themselves. They are the cultural resource, and the surrounding wooded area is the natural
resource. Under Relative Significance in History, the Cultural Landscape Guidelines state, “A
cultural landscape may be a significant resource as a rare survivor or the work of an important
landscape architect, horticulturist or designer. It may be the site of an important event or activity,
reflect cultural traditions, or other patterns of settlement or land use.”
240
In this case, the cultural
traditions would be their association with the Batman TV show, the movie Invasion of the Body
Snatchers, and all the other productions that have been shot there.
This study has not really touched on statewide preservation organizations, but it is worth
noting that the state of California, in which both Lone Ranger Rock and the Bronson Caves are
located, reports a dearth of cultural landscapes with contemporary themes. On the subject of
“Recognized Cultural Resource Deficiencies” in its roster of cultural landscapes, the California
Department of Parks and Recreation claims that, “With regard to significant historic properties
(post-1769), the following is a suggested list of themes in California history that are recognized
as cultural resource deficiencies in the State Park System:” Included on the fourteen-item list are:
1) Entertainment and Motion Picture Industry, and 2) Arts and Literature (e.g., artists, writers,

240
“Factors to Consider When Selecting an Appropriate Treatment,” Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural
Landscapes, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior,
https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/four-treatments/landscape-guidelines/factors.htm.
113

photographers);
241
So on the state level, the deficiency in cultural resources associated with the
subject matter on which this study is focused is being noticed.

7. Cultural Archaeology

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes (The Ten Commandments)
Figure 4.12: Screenshot of The Ten Commandments (1923) showing the immense set built on the Guadalupe-
Nipomo Dunes. Paramount Pictures.

The Movie.
Everything Cecil B. DeMille did was colossal, but with his first take on The Ten
Commandments in 1923 he outdid himself, replicating Egypt by building the biggest set ever
built for a Hollywood film in the 1920s.
242
And it paid off. Premiering at Sid Grauman’s new
Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, “the film's box-office returns held the Paramount revenue
record for 25 years.”
243

241
“Cultural Landscapes and Corridors,” California Department of Parks and Recreation,
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22854.
242
David Ferry, "The Cursed, Buried City That May Never See the Light of Day," Outside, October 8, 2015,
https://www.outsideonline.com/2023921/cursed-buried-city-may-never-see-light-day.
243
"He Himself was 'Colossal'," The Montreal Gazette, January 22, 1959,
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19590122&id=6IoxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aKgFAAAAIBAJ&pg
=1891,3704755.
114

The Site
To replicate an Egyptian desert city, De Mille constructed a massive set in the
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, just off the Central California coast. “More than a million pounds of
statuary, concrete, and plaster were used to construct the 120-foot-tall, 800-foot-long temple and
surrounding structures… His workers raised the 109-foot-tall Great Gate…and buttressed it with
two 35-foot-tall clay-and-plaster statues of the Pharaoh. Five mammoth sphinxes, weighing over
five tons each, lined the entrance to the ersatz Egyptian city.”
244
The legend that De Mille had
the set dynamited at the end of production has been proven false over the last few decades, as
archeological digs have begun to reveal remnants of the “lost city” beneath the shifting sands of
the dunes, making this the lone archeological site on the list.
Archaeology typically falls under National Register Criterion D (“yielded or may be
likely to yield, information important in history or prehistory.”). However, as this study has been
analyzing movie and TV sites under Criterion A (“associated with events that have made a
significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history”), the analysis of this site will follow
suit.
In the National Register Bulletin Guidelines for Evaluating and Registering
Archaeological Properties, Chapter IV, Evaluating the Significance of Archaeological
Properties states, “The use of Criteria A, B, and C for archeological sites is appropriate in
limited circumstances,” and that, “The preparer should consider…whether, in addition to
research significance, a site or district has traditional, social or religious significance to a
particular group or community.”
245
As mentioned in the previous discussion about intangible
cultural heritage, National Park Service Bulletin 3: Guidelines for Traditional Cultural
Properties, says a community can be defined as the “…nation as a whole.”
246
Chapter IV
continues that when applying Criterion A to an archaeological site, one must determine if the site
is an important example of an event. It outlines the following steps:

244
David Ferry, Outside.
245
“National Register Bulletin Guidelines for Evaluating and Registering Archeological Resources, IV. Evaluating
the Significance of Archeological Resources,” National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior,
https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/arch/pt4.htm.
246
National Register Bulletin, Guidelines for Evaluating and Documenting Traditional Cultural Properties, 1.
115

1. Identify the event(s) with which the property is associated. Generally for archeological
properties this is demonstrated primarily through specific historic contexts. Archeological
evidence supports the linkage.

The event is the filming of The Ten Commandments. The archaeological evidence can be
compared to historic photographs and the movie itself to support the linkage to the historical site.
(Figure 4.13)

2. Document the importance of the event(s) within the broad pattern(s) of history. For example,
the nomination of a Revolutionary War battle site, at a minimum, should include a discussion
of the importance of the battle and its relevance to the Revolutionary War.

The early days of Hollywood saw the construction of sets larger than anything that has
been built since. Examples include the sets for D.W. Griffith’s Intolerance in Hollywood (1916),
Douglas Fairbanks’s Robin Hood in West Hollywood (1922), and Ben-Hur at the intersection of
Venice and La Cienega Boulevards (1925). These sets were designed to transport viewers to
other worlds in an era where moving pictures were so new that many in the audience must have
remembered when film itself seemed magical. Out of all these sets, the only one whose physical
remnants survive, if only in the form of ruins, is from The Ten Commandments.

3. Demonstrate the strength of association of the property to the event or patterns of events. In
order to do this, the property must have existed at the time of and be directly associated with
the event or pattern of events.

There is ample evidence to demonstrate this association.
4. Assess the integrity of the property. Under Criterion A, a property must convey its historic
significance. For example, archeological properties must have well-preserved features,
artifacts, and intra-site patterning in order to illustrate a specific event or pattern of events
in history.
247

Uncovering the artifacts will reveal the level of preservation of their features, and
comparing their placement with historic photos and the movie itself will show how well they
match the placement of the original movie set. (Figure 4.13) The fact that the surrounding dunes

247
National Register Bulletin Guidelines, IV. Evaluating the Significance of Archeological Resources.
116

have not changed since 1923 increases the property’s ability to convey its historic significance as
a replica of an ancient Egyptian city.

Figure 4.13: One of the sphinxes is dug up after decades beneath the sand. Santa Maria Sun,
http://www.santamariasun.com/art/12309/going-back-for-more-the-guadalupenipomo-dunes-center-completes-its-
second-excavation-of-cecil-b-demilles-1923-ten-commandments-set/ (left). The sphinxes in place in 1923.
Smithsonian Magazine, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/fake-egyptian-city-ten-commandments-
california-180956907/.

8. Façadectomy
So far, this study has examined how existing National Park Service regulations might
apply to movie and TV locations, rather than suggesting that they be altered to accommodate
them. This case study will go beyond the interpretation of current rules and will instead explore
whether the unique nature of these locations might justify a degree of relaxation of one specific
rule in specific cases.

117

Tom’s Restaurant (Seinfeld)

Figure 4.14: Screenshot of the opening credits for Seinfeld (1989-1998) showing Tom’s Restaurant at the corner of
Broadway and 112th Street in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. National Broadcasting Company.

The Show
Running from 1989 to 1998, Seinfeld caught the zeitgeist of the US in the 1990s, leaving
the country with shared cultural memories and many common-use phrases (“Double-dipper,”
“Shrinkage,” and “Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” to name a few). Created by Larry
David and Jerry Seinfeld, and featuring Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and
Michael Richards, the “show about nothing” regularly topped the ratings. In fact, it was one of
those rare shows that was number one in the ratings in its final season.
248

The Site
The most recognizable location on the show was Monk’s Diner, where the four friends
would touch base and commiserate on their adventures of the week. Though the interior of the
restaurant was shot in a soundstage in Studio City, California, the famous blue neon sign to
which multitudes of tourists still flock actually belongs to Tom’s Restaurant on the Upper West

248
Tim Brooks, Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present
(Ninth Edition), (New York: Ballantine Books), 1693-1695.
118

Side of Manhattan at the corner of Broadway and 112
th
Street. The hand-painted neon sign dates
to 1957.
249
This is not the restaurant’s first brush with fame, as the sign appears briefly in the
1978 Bionic Woman episode entitled Long Live the King, and the restaurant itself was the
inspiration for the 1987 song, Tom’s Diner, by regular customer Suzanne Vega.
250

The discussing the designation of Tom’s Restaurant one must address the issue of
proportionality. In other words, the restaurant’s one-story corner storefront makes up a tiny
percentage of the entire seven-story building, which occupies half the block between 112
th
and
113
th
Streets. While not individually designated, this building, which was constructed between
1900 and 1909, is a contributor to the Morningside Heights Historic District.
251
But for the sake
of argument, let us assume that the rest of the building is not otherwise eligible for designation.
Is it reasonable to have an entire building of this size undergo the restrictions that come with
designation because such a small corner of it is historically significant? Designating just the
restaurant storefront and sign is not an option, as, according to National Register Bulletin #15:
How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, “Buildings eligible for the National
Register must include all of their basic structural elements. Parts of buildings, such as interiors,
facades, or wings, are not eligible independent of the rest of the existing building.”
252

One potential solution might be to simply designate the neon sign. This has been done
locally, as the New York Landmark Commission has a history of designating signs, such as the
147-foot-long 1936 Pepsi-Cola sign that once stood atop the long-since-demolished Queens
Pepsi bottling plant, which was designated in 2013.
253
This, however is not an ideal solution, as
this and other designated New York signs have been moved from their original locations. Even if
the Tom’s Diner sign alone were to stay at the same location following a demolition, it may still
lose its ability to convey the significance of the Seinfeld restaurant, as the case of Toronto’s Sam
the Record Man sign illustrates.

249
Sara Sherr, "10 Quintessential NYC Signs That Define Our Wonderful City's Skyline," Spoiled NYC, December
12, 2015, https://spoilednyc.com/2015/12/12/10-quintessential-nyc-signs/2/.
250
Jamieson Cox, "Tracing the long, strange history of 'Tom's Diner'," The Verge, October 18, 2015,
https://www.theverge.com/2015/10/18/9014373/toms-diner-history-suzanne-vega-timeline.
251
“Morningside Heights Historic District Explorer,” NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission,
https://nyclpc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer3d/index.html?id=abd5f6ae90f049bd9359681c9ac1402d.
252
“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, IV. How to Define Categories of Historic
Properties,” National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior,
https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_4.htm.
253
Emma Whitford, “The Queens Pepsi-Cola Sign Is Officially A NYC Landmark,” Gothamist, April 13, 2016,
http://gothamist.com/2016/04/13/queens_pepsi-cola_sign_is_officiall.php.
119

Figure 4.15: The iconic neon sign that adorned Toronto’s Sam the Record Man until the store’s 2007 demolition.
UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture, https://coaa.uncc.edu/news/architecture-professor-inspires-effort-
save-historic-sign (left). The sign reinstalled in 2017 on the high-rise building replacing the record store. Toronto
Star, https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/12/08/sam-the-record-man-sign-lights-up-yonge-dundas-square.html.

In 2007, the impending demolition of local iconic record store Sam the Record Man led
to a movement to save its equally iconic sign. Once imposingly perched just above street level,
the sign was eventually reinstalled atop the office building that replaced the original.
254
As can
be seen in figure 4.15, this move to the top of the building also creates a less than successful
preservation effort. So if the entire building cannot be designated, and designating the sign itself
is not sufficient, what is? One potential solution involves a concept that has been shunned in the
field of heritage conservation: Façadectomy, or, as it is even further disparagingly known,
“façadomy.” As imperfect a concept as it is, there is an argument for its value in movie and TV
landmark designation: The only part of the site that needs to be preserved is what appears on
camera.
Normally, a historic landmark must retain the experience of being at the site during its
period of significance, which requires the site to exist in toto. For Almanzo Wilder to recognize
his homestead if he saw it today, the entire property must be intact, so it matches his previous
experience of it. But our experience of movie and TV sites ends at the edge of the screen.
Returning to the example of Tom’s Restaurant – the only part of the building that the landmark
would have to convey is that portion which was caught on camera on the TV show: the glass
storefront and the neon sign. The TV viewer does not know that the building is seven stories
high, or that it is Beaux-Arts in style, or what building is next to it or across the street from it.

254
Jaren Kerr, "Sam the Record Man sign lights up Yonge Dundas Square," The Toronto Star, December 8, 2017,
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/12/08/sam-the-record-man-sign-lights-up-yonge-dundas-square.html.
120

The interiors are also irrelevant, because they never existed in the first place. The storefront and
sign, along with a bit of the rest of the building on the periphery, are the only parts of the
building that the public has seen, and thus are the only parts that need to be preserved, making a
good case for facadectomy as a last resort in the conservation of a movie or TV location.

9. 50-Year Rule

Field of Dreams Movie Site (Field of Dreams)

Figure 4.16: Screenshot of Field of Dreams (1989) showing the characters of the ghosts of the 1919 Chicago White
Sox team emerging from a cornfield into the Field of Dreams Movie Site. Universal Pictures.

The Movie.
“If you build it, he will come.” The most famous line to come out of Field of Dreams is
still a well-used expression nearly thirty years after the movie’s 1989 release. Written and
directed by Phil Alden Robinson, from the short story Shoeless Joe, the movie stars Kevin
Costner as a farmer who, listening to the voices in his head, mows down his corn fields to build a
baseball park, with the promise of an appearance by the ghosts of the 1919 White Sox. The film
touched a nerve with filmgoers who delighted in the movie’s themes of baseball, father-son
relationships, and holding onto your faith against all odds.

121

The Site
Of course, the real star of the movie was the titular baseball field itself. It is the symbol of
the main character’s faith and the venue where all the magic happens. Located on a farm
belonging to Don Lansing four miles from the tiny town of Dyersville, Iowa, the baseball
diamond still stands in what used to be his cornfield. Instead of returning it to its agricultural
roots, Lansing decided to open the field to the public as the “Field of Dreams Movie Site.” After
eighteen years, the public is still coming.
Like the Brady Bunch House and Mel’s Drive-In, this site’s use in a movie makes it a
cultural representative of thousands of other anonymous baseball fields around the country. Like
the Exorcist Steps and Hanging Rock, this site’s use in a movie reinforces and enhances the
aesthetic character of the field. Unlike these other sites, Field of Dreams, the movie that created
the Field of Dreams Movie Site, was released in 1989 and will not turn fifty until 2039. Though
different localities have different rules about how much time must pass for a site to be eligible
for designation, this study primarily addresses designation on the federal level, and the Criteria
for Evaluation for the National Register of Historic Resources states that “…properties that have
achieved significance within the past 50 years shall not be considered eligible for the National
Register.”
255
While Criteria Consideration G states that, “a property achieving significance
within the past fifty years is eligible if it is of exceptional importance,” this study will assume
that the Field of Dreams field would likely not achieve this level of importance. But there may be
a way that it could still be eligible for designation.
Fifty is not a hard and fast number. According to National Register Bulletin #22:
Guidelines for Evaluating and Nominating Properties that Have Achieved Significance Within
the Past Fifty Years,

The 50-year period is an arbitrary span of time, designed as a filter to ensure that
enough time has passed to evaluate the property in a historic context. However, it
was not designed to be mechanically applied on a year by year basis. Generally,
our understanding of history does not advance a year at a time, but rather in
periods of time which can logically be examined together.
256

255
“National Register of Historic Places Program: National Register Federal Program Regulations,” National Park
Service, United States Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/nr/regulations.htm.
256
Marcella Sherfy and W. Ray Luce, "National Register Bulletin. Guidelines for Evaluating and Nominating
Properties that Have Achieved Significance Within the Past Fifty Years," National Park Service, United States
Department of the Interior, 1979, 6.
122

One factor in determining whether a site is worthy of “early designation is its fragility.”
The Bulletin continues, "Some resources acquire historical qualities before the passage of 50
years because they either were not built to last that long, or, by their nature, are subject to
circumstances that destroy their integrity before 50 years have elapsed.”
257
As examples, the
bulletin lists World War II temporary buildings that were not constructed to last long. A baseball
field hewn out of a corn field would seem to fall within this category, as it requires constant
maintenance to keep from being overtaken by nature.
Furthering the argument, a draft National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property
Documentation Form for US Highway 66 in California refers to Criteria Consideration G:
Properties Less than 50 Years Old. It states that, “Properties associated with U.S. Highway 66
may include properties that are less than 50 years old if they meet the requirements of Criteria
Consideration G. Properties less than 50 years old should be distinctive examples and exhibit a
high degree of historic integrity.”
258
The one-of-a-kind Field of Dreams Movie Site is a
distinctive example, and it exhibits a high degree of historic integrity, even if that history only
goes back to 1989.

Tom’s Restaurant
Like the Field of Dreams Movie Site, Seinfeld’s 1989 premiere date puts the restaurant
exterior far short of the National Register of Historic Places fifty-year policy. But unlike the
fragile baseball diamond of the Field of Dreams, the building housing Tom’s was built to last, so
the same claim of early designation cannot be made. However, there may be another argument
for not waiting for fifty years to elapse. That is the expected longevity of the resource type. Are
there other factors besides physical deterioration that one can reasonably expect may prevent the
survival of this type of resource to the fifty-year mark?
National Register Bulletin #22: Guidelines for Evaluating and Nominating Properties
that Have Achieved Significance Within the Past Fifty Years makes an example of early motels:
"Federal tax laws, competition within industry, changing transportation routes, and shifts in
consumer tastes have jeopardized many early motel or motor court complexes, shopping centers,
and other roadside buildings. Their rate of survival with integrity from the post-World War II era

257
Ibid., 5.
258
“National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, U.S Highway 66 in California,”
National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, Section F, Page 84.
123

is very low."
259
Because these factors minimize the chance of these resources lasting fifty years,
they may be eligible for designation at an earlier date. The bulletin makes a distinction between
individual resources and resource types: "The fact that a resource is jeopardized by a specific
proposed project does not, in and of itself, render that resource more historically important than
if it were not threatened. But one may evaluate whether a type or category of resources—as a
whole—has faced loss at such a rate that relatively young survivors can be viewed as exceptional
and historic."
260
Restaurants turn over at a high rate, especially in Manhattan, and seldom does
one last fifty years. Even when the restaurant stays open under the same ownership, there is a
risk of signage being replaced. So, it appears that Tom’s Restaurant represents an endangered
resource type and may be eligible for early designation.

10. SurveyLA Theme Study

While research for this project found no designations using movie or TV locations as a
criterion, nor did it find a great deal of language on the subject in any landmark nominations,
there is currently work underway to address such locations.
SurveyLA is a comprehensive historic resources survey conducted by the city of Los
Angeles’s Office of Historic Resources, identifying significant historic resources throughout the
city. The surveying itself took place between 2010 and 2017 and was carried out by several
private consulting firms. One of the firms, the previously mentioned Historic Resources Group
(HRG), was tasked in 2017 with developing a theme study that would guide the evaluation of
resources potentially significant as locations in movies and TV shows. Four locations were
specifically identified by HRG’s study, under the theme, “Filming Locations Associated with the
Motion Picture and Television Broadcasting, 1908-1980.”
261
Two of these locations (the Brady
Bunch House and Lone Ranger Rock) have already been discussed, while the other two will be
discussed below.
The following table from HRG’s theme study illustrates how the locations will be
assessed:

259
Sherfy and Luce, 5.
260
Ibid.
261
Historic Resources Group, “Theme: Filming Locations Associated with the Motion Picture and Television
Broadcasting Industries,” (unpublished SurveyLA draft context statement).

124

Summary Statement
of Significance:
Location that was the site of a significant motion picture or television
production. May include the site of an early motion picture, or the long-
term site of a television production.
Period of Significance: 1908 -1980
Period of Significance
Justification:
1908, the origin of the motion picture industry in Los Angeles; 1980,
SurveyLA considers properties constructed through 1980.
Area(s) of
Significance:
Entertainment/Recreation; Industry
Eligibility Standards: ▪ Filming location of a significant motion picture or television
production.
▪ Retains the essential character-defining features of its type.
▪ Retains the required aspects of integrity.
Character-Defining
Features:
▪ May be the filming location of an early motion picture.
▪ May be the long-term filming location of a significant television
production.
Criterion: NR: A CR: 1 Local: 1

The three criteria listed in the last row are the same as the criteria that have been
referenced elsewhere in this thesis:

National Register Criterion A: Associated with events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad patterns of our history.

California Register Criterion 1: Associated with events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad patterns of local or regional history or the cultural heritage
of California or the United States.

Local (Los Angeles) Criterion 1: in which the broad cultural, political, economic, or social
history of the nation, state, or community is reflected or exemplified.
262

The theme study also contains the following language, emphasizing the fantasy-like
qualities of Los Angeles filming locations: “The wealth of locations within a short radius of Los
Angeles enticed film studios to establish production in Los Angeles. From the Pacific Ocean, to
harbors, rocky canyons, pine forests, and snow-covered mountains, Los Angeles’ regional
topography offered stand-ins for exotic locations worldwide.”
263
This statement reinforces the

262
Ibid.
263
Ibid.
125

notion that the role of movie and TV locations is to create a false narrative, an alternate reality,
to portray themselves as something they are not. If the same desolate California canyon can be
Old Arizona in a Western, the Crimean Peninsula in The Charge of the Light Brigade, or the
moon in a science-fiction, these fantasies of distant lands, rather than the factual history of the
California canyon, is what the historic landmark needs to convey.
264

Following are the two remaining locations identified by HRG’s theme study:

Franklin Canyon Reservoir (The Andy Griffith Show)

Figure 4.17: Screenshot of the opening credit sequence for The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968) showing Andy
Griffith and Ron Howard as Sheriff Andy Tayler and his son Opie, walking to the Franklin Canyon Reservoir. CBS
Television.

The Show
From 1960 to 1968, millions of viewers tuned in to CBS to escape to the sleepy rural
Southern town of Mayberry, North Carolina. Keeping them company was Sheriff Andy Taylor
(Andy Griffith), his son Opie (Ron Howard), his Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier), and, for the first
five seasons, his endearingly inept deputy, Barney Fyfe (Don Knotts). With the tumultuous
changes the country was undergoing through the 1960s, Mayberry must have seemed like the
perfect escape, which may explain its popularity, According to Britannica.com, “During its entire

264
It should be noted that HRG’s theme study is a currently a work in progress and has not yet been incorporated
into SurveyLA.
126

run, the show rated no worse than seventh in the seasonal Nielsen ratings and held the number
one spot when it ended.”
265

The Site
What better way for a father and son to relax in a sleepy rural town than to head out to the
fishing hole, whistling a happy tune? That fishing hole that the country watched Andy and Opie
walk to in the opening credits of every episode was the Franklin Canyon Reservoir, perched high
above some of Los Angeles’s wealthiest citizens in the exclusive Bel Air neighborhood. But this
idyllic site was used in movies long before The Andy Griffith Show. The origin of the reservoir
goes to its 1914 creation by city father William Mulholland and its later ownership by oil tycoon
Edward Doheny. According to the HRG study, it has achieved its significance because it was…

…used as a location for many film and television productions. Franklin Canyon,
and the area around the reservoir in particular, has been used as a film and
television location since the 1930s when the beauty of Franklin Canyon captured
the attention of the entertainment industry. Claudette Colbert's famous hitchhiking
scene from "It Happened One Night" was filmed here in 1935; the lake was used
for the opening credits and reoccurring scenes on "The Andy Griffith Show.”
Scenes from "Bonanza," "Lassie," and "Star Trek" were also filmed here, among
others. The period of significance for the district for its association with the
entertainment industry is 1935 to 1964, coinciding with its most iconic film and
television appearances.
266

A similar site mentioned in the same report is Chatsworth Reservoir, which it states is a
“…significant and iconic filming location in Chatsworth; commonly used as a backdrop for
numerous motion picture productions between approximately 1920 and 1960.”
267

265
"The Andy Griffith Show," Encyclopaedia Britannica, November 23, 2017,
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Andy-Griffith-Show.
266
Historic Resources Group.
267
Ibid.
127

Vendome-Descanso Public Stairway (The Music Box)

Figure 4.18: Screenshot of The Music Box (1932) showing Laurel and Hardy on the Music Box Steps at 923 North
Vendome Street, in Los Angeles’s Silver Lake neighborhood. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.

The Movie
The team of Laurel and Hardy was the most popular comedy duo of the 1920s and 1930s,
well before Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis, and Cheech and Chong. The Music Box, a
short made in 1932, shows that the silent movie team successfully made the transition to sound,
unlike most of their contemporaries, such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd.
One of their best-remembered films, The Music Box tells the story of a pair of hapless delivery
men who are tasked with delivering a piano to a house that is located at the top of a ridiculously
long stairway. The movie also has the distinction of being centered around one of their most
iconic locations, and one which is still extant.

The Site
The entire thirty minute movie centers on the steps, which are located at 923 North
Vendome Street, connecting Vendome with Descanso Drive above it, in the Silver Lake section
of Los Angeles. According to Charles Fleming, author of Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the
128

Historic Staircases of Los Angeles, such staircases are common in Los Angeles’s hilly sections
and are, “…reminders of a time when this was not a city of cars. City planners and developers
installed them as direct routes for pedestrians…to get down the hills. The city at that time was
well served by trolleys, streetcars, buses, and light-rail systems. The staircases were clustered
around steep hillside communities near these transit lines, especially steep-streeted communities
that developed in the 1920s.”
268

HRG’s report states, “Some locations, such as the Vendome-Descanso Public Stairway
(923-935 Vendome Street), were featured in an iconic early scene starring Laurel and Hardy.
269

Like the Old Trails Bridge, this could also be considered a case where a fictional site
represents a pattern of actual history. As Charles Fleming states, the Vendome-Descanso Public
Stairway is just one of many similar stairways to be found around Los Angeles, and they
represent the development of communities that stretched up hillsides, as well as the trolley
system that allowed these communities to function. Switching to local designation, the Los
Angeles Office of Historic Resources, in its criteria for Historic-Cultural Monuments, identifies
historic structures or sites, “…associated with important movements or trends that shaped the
social and cultural history of Los Angeles or its communities.”
270
A representative of one of
these public stairways certainly matches that criterion. But how to determine which one?
In the Chapter 1 discussion of Mel’s Drive-In it was pointed out that of all the many
drive-in chains in 1950s America, only Mel’s has survived in the public consciousness, and this
is because of its role in American Graffiti. As depicted in the movie, Mel’s went beyond being a
personal memory shared only by those relatively few who had experienced it. It was the fictional
Mel’s, not the physical one that became the cultural memory, a piece of nostalgia that has made a
world-wide impact and now serves the public as the physical remnant of a long-gone period.
Applying the same logic to the subject of the which stairway might be worthy of designation
over the others, the use of the Vendome-Descanso Stairway by Laurel and Hardy has lifted it to
the level of cultural memory, making it the logical choice to represent this chapter of Los
Angeles history.

268
"Welcome to Secret Stairs-LA, a walking and hiking guide to the hidden public staircases of Los Angeles,"
Secret Stairs LA, http://www.secretstairs-la.com/welcome.html.
269
Historic Resources Group.
270
What Makes a Resource Historically Significant?
129

11. Already Designated Sites
Though none of the properties identified in the case studies have been designated for their
roles in movies or TV shows, several of them are already designated for other reasons. As
mentioned, the building housing Tom’s Restaurant (Seinfeld) is part of New York City’s
Morningside Park Historic District. Other designated properties include:
Vasquez Rocks (Star Trek, Bonanza, etc.) was added to the National Register of Historic
Places on June 22, 1972. It is listed under criterion D, with its Area of Significance being
prehistoric archaeology, due to the presence of a village site and grave sites. Its Periods of
Significance are 1499-1000 AD, 1000-500 AD, 1900-1750 AD, and 1749-1500 AD.
271

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes (The Ten Commandments) became a National Natural
Landmark in 1974, as it “…contains the largest, relatively undisturbed coastal dune tract in
California, and is one of the last remaining tracts of pristine rocky coastline in the South Coast
Ranges.”
272

The Old Mill (Gone with the Wind) was added to the National Register of Historic
Places in 1986 as part of T. R. Pugh Memorial Park. The Statement of Significance cites
association with sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez and local developer Justin Matthews, and the
Significant Dates section lists only 1933, the year of construction.
273

The Old Trails Bridge (The Grapes of Wrath and Easy Rider) was listed in the National
Register of Historic Places in 1988 for being “nationally significant as an outstanding example of
steel arch construction.”
274

Bronson Caves (Batman) are part of Griffith Park, which is the city of Los Angeles’s
Historic-Cultural Monument #942.
275
Though it is a very minor contributor to this vast landmark,
its role as a film location is briefly mentioned in an initial survey supporting the nomination.
Buried in a draft Historical Resource Report conducted by Los Angeles historic preservation

271
"Vasquez Rocks," The Landmark Hunter, http://landmarkhunter.com/124681-vasquez-rocks/.
272
“National Registry of Natural Landmarks,” National Park Service, June, 2009,
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nnlandmarks/upload/NNLRegistry.pdf.
273
“T. R. Pugh Memorial Park survey form,” Arkansas Historic Preservation Program,
http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/National-Register-Listings/PDF/PU3265.nr.pdf.
274
“Old Trails Bridge, Topock, Arizona,” Route 66, National Park Service, United States Department of the
Interior, https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/route66/old_trails_bridge_topock.html.
275
http://preservation.lacity.org/files/HCMDatabase%23073114.pdf.
130

consulting firm GPA Consulting is the line, “The caves have been featured in many major
films.”
276

So why discuss sites that has already been designated? So far, discussion has centered on
whether a site’s role in a movie or TV show alone is enough to make it eligible for designation.
But it is also possible for this role to be one of multiple factors determining a site’s eligibility. In
fact, the National Register allows the practice of amending nominations. The National Register
Bulletin How to Complete the National Register Registration Form says that “Documentation on
a National Register Registration Form may be revised, expanded, or updated at any time after
National Register listing.”
277
It further states that amendments can be made to expand
significance for additional criteria, new areas of significance, or additional periods of
significance. The addition of information about the association of Vasquez Rocks to movies and
TV shows would appear to warrant the addition of amendments to its designation. This would
not be without precedent, as the emerging acknowledgement of the significance of the histories
of those in the African-American, women, LGBT, Latino, and other previously overlooked
communities is prompting amendments to designations. The most obvious example is the
inclusion of slave quarters in the nominations of already-designated southern plantations.

276
GPA Consulting, “Draft Historical Resource Report,” nomination materials for Historic-Cultural Monument
#942 (unpublished document, November 12, 2014).
277
"National Register Bulletin. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form," National Park Service,
United States Department of the Interior, 71.
131

Conclusion

The field of heritage conservation began as an effort to preserve the legacy of what were
considered to be the most significant elements of American society. Whether the homes of
powerful white men like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, sacred military sites like
Gettysburg and the Alamo, or elegant neighborhoods like the Savannah Historic District, early
heritage conservation was limited to telling the stories of a select few. Beginning in the 1960s,
the preservation horizon has expanded in numerous directions. The many ethnic groups and
cultures that make up the patchwork of the country are slowly but surely making their way into
the spotlight. The story of the 1942-1945 internment of Japanese Americans is being related
through the camps at Manzanar and Tule Lake, California, long-disregarded slave cabins are
joining their plantation house neighbors in designation, and sites important to other marginalized
groups, like the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan, San Diego’s Chicano Park, and the site of the 1848
women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, are being preserved all around the
country.
The stories of many industries that were long overlooked are being told as well, with the
National Register containing the Housing Storage Supply Warehouse in Mesa, Arizona, the J. F.
Budd Baby Shoe Factory in Burlington, New Jersey, and the Enoco Coal Mine in Bruceville,
Indiana. Pop culture landmarks reflecting our current disposable society include a McDonald’s
on the National Register of Historic Places and a Der Wienerschnitzel on the list of Los Angeles
Historic-Cultural Monuments. Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama represents the
entertainment industry on the National Register, and Los Angeles has several movie studios
designated, like the Charlie Chaplin Studio and the site of the first Walt Disney Studio.
This thesis suggests that it may be possible to expand the horizon further still to include
telling the stories of our culture’s stories themselves in what has been their most popular form for
several generations: Movies and TV. Chapter One demonstrated the large role that fiction plays
in America’s culture, from giving us new recreational activities like Harry Potter’s Quidditch, to
adding to our vernacular, like Seinfeld’s “Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” to Star
Trek’s influence on the development of the cell phone. Examples of the preservation of fictional
historic sites were presented in Chapter Two, in its examination of literary historic landmarks,
which were designated, not only for their association with the author, but for the role they played
132

in the works of fiction themselves. Here were presented many locations in Canada, Australia,
and the United Kingdom, as well as domestic sites, like the House of the Seven Gables Historic
District, whose centerpiece is the house where Nathaniel Hawthorne may or may not have set his
novel, and Rancho Camulos, whose supposed role in the book Ramona perpetuated the myth of
the nineteenth century Californios. Without making the argument that movies and TV should be
considered literature, Chapter Three explored how these media had to ability fulfill the role of
literature today. The chapter then went on to make the case for designation for a list of potential
movie and TV historic landmarks, utilizing the information presented in the previous chapters.
Finally, Chapter Four looked at some of the specific challenges that might be involved in
designating fictional movie and TV locations, including how to assess their significance and
periods of significance and how whether they require special consideration when assessing their
integrity.
The study stayed within the bounds of current laws and regulations, seeing how they
apply to these new subjects, as opposed to suggesting any regulatory alterations. Much of the
study looked at how the laws and regulations apply to similar existing landmarks and reapplied
them to specific potential fictional movie and TV locations. The only place it did suggest a slight
reinterpretation of existing policy was on the subject of integrity.
As is often the case when delving deep into a subject, this study touched on several other
subjects that are related to the study topic, but not closely enough to justify inclusion. For
example, if the premise of this study is that art forms like literature, movies and TV can create
cultural experiences, and are thus worthy of historic designation, then what about other art
forms? Does a location’s depiction in a painting known by millions warrant its historic
significance? For example, the Eldon, Iowa farmhouse in Grant Wood’s American Gothic, the
Cushing, Maine farmhouse and field in Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World, or, traveling abroad,
van Gogh’s Café Terrace in Arles. What about sites where notable events occurred, whose
impact on our culture was amplified by being captured on film? Dallas’s Dealey Plaza (which is
already a National Historic Landmark) has remained unchanged since November 22, 1963,
allowing visitors to relive a moment in history that, thanks to the Zapruder film, has become their
own childhood memory. Similar locations might include the intersection of Abbey Road and
Grove End Road in London, where the Beatles walked across the street for their Abbey Road
album cover in 1969, or the spot where the famous photo of the girl kneeling over the dead
133

student in the 1971 Kent State Massacre was taken. These are possible subjects for future
studies.
Speaking of the future, that is the appropriate place to end this study. Let us look at
several points on a timeline showing where the public has been going for its fiction. In sixteenth
century England, all classes, from the rich in their box seats above, to the poor groundlings
below, watched the plays of William Shakespeare. In the nineteenth century, New Yorkers
waited on the docks for the latest installment of Dickens’s serialized The Old Curiosity Shop to
arrive, shouting out to the ship’s crew, “Is little Nell dead?”
278
In the twentieth century,
Americans first waited in lines by the millions to watch Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler in
Gone with the Wind, then later sat in their living rooms by the millions, tuned in to find out who
shot J.R. Ewing. In 2017, while some people gather in their homes in front of TVs -- others lie
alone in bed, tablet or smart phone in hand -- watching the latest Game of Thrones or Stranger
Things. What about 2117? Or 2027 for that matter?
The technology we use to obtain our entertainment is changing more quickly than ever,
and as a result the entertainment itself is changing. Different media that were once distinct from
each other are absorbing each other’s attributes and becoming more similar, creating whole new
forms of entertainment. In 1980, nobody would confuse a video game like Space Invaders with a
movie like Raiders of the Lost Ark. But with movies using CGI effects to create ever-longer and
ever-more-spectacular action sequences at the expense of plot and character development, and
with video games hiring name actors to voice more complex characters for more complex
plotlines, the distinction is blurring. More to the point of heritage conservation, these new
technologies are increasingly setting their stories in the real world (or a reasonable facsimile).

278
Ruth Glancy, Student Companion to Charles Dickens. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Company, 1999),
34.

134

Figure c.1: There is little distinction between this screenshot of Grand Theft Auto V’s “Vespucci Beach” (left) and
the photo of the real-world Venice Beach (right). Screenshot: Rockstar Games, 2013. Photo by author.

Figure c.1 shows a screen shot from Grand Theft Auto of its “Vespucci Beach” location
next to a photo of the real-world Muscle Beach at Venice Beach that inspired it. Though some
details have been rearranged, like the form of the concrete “barbell” on the right, other details are
precise, down to the benches and garbage cans on the boardwalk. With the photo-like veracity
provided by the computer technology, the player’s experience of running down the boardwalk, or
running past the Chinese Theater in Hollywood or the Bonaventure Hotel downtown feels nearly
as real as watching it in a movie. But it is not just landmarks that are making their way into these
games. The author lived a block away from Muscle Beach (shown in Figure c.1.), in a non-
descript eleven-unit courtyard apartment. If the Grand Theft Auto player moves their character
one block away from Muscle Beach, not only will they be able to see an accurate depiction of the
apartment, but they can enter the courtyard itself!
So, with people now beginning to get their fiction from interactive video games and two-
minute YouTube videos on their phones, and with content providers like Hulu and Netflix
releasing TV series all at once, resulting in binge-watching, and with Twitter and Snapchat on
the other end of the spectrum, shortening people’s attention span with their 280-character tweets
and ten-second videos, what does the future of entertainment look like? What part will real-
world locations play in it? And most importantly, how in the world do we decide as
preservationists which of these locations are culturally relevant enough to merit designation? The
answer lies in using the precedents already in place for fictional literary landmarks, then seeing
how they apply to movies and television, and then, as technologies continue to evolve, seeing
how the same precedents apply to them.

135

Bibliography

“A Christmas Story House & Museum Reaches 100,000 Visitors." A Christmas Story House and
Museum. Press Release, August 27, 2009. http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/a-christmas-
story-house-museum-reaches-100000-visitors/.

“About the American Film Institute." American Film Institute.
http://www.afi.com/about/whatis.aspx.

“About US Quidditch." United States Quidditch. https://www.usquidditch.org/about/mission/.

Albert, Janice. "Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)." California Authors. California Association of
Teachers in English. http://www.cateweb.org/CA_Authors/Jackson.html.

“All Time Box Office." Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm.

Andriani, Lynn. "Gone with the Wind' Going Strong at 75." Publishers Weekly, April 25, 2011.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/46952-
gone-with-the-wind-going-strong-at-75.html.

“Arizona - Mohave County." National Register of Historic Places. State Listings.
http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/az/mohave/state2.html.

Birnbaum, Charles A. “Preservation Brief 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning,
Treatment and Management of Historic Landscapes.” National Park Service. United States
Department of the Interior. https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/36-cultural-
landscapes.htm.

Blair, Gavin J. "Universal Studios Japan Sets New Attendance Record, on Course for 14M
Visitors." Hollywood Reporter, March 7, 2016.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/universal-studios-japan-sets-new-873066.

“Board Members." National Film Preservation Board. Library of Congress.
https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/about-this-program/board-
members/.

Bravin, Jess. “Letter to Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in support of designation of
Raymond Chandler Square as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.” nomination
materials for Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #597, June 1, 1994.

Brooks, Tim and Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV
Shows 1946–Present (Ninth Edition). (New York: Ballantine Books).

Brooks, Xan. "A Mysterious Something in the Light: Raymond Chandler, A Life by Tom
Williams – review." The Guardian, August 16, 2012.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/16/mysterious-something-tom-williams.
136

“Buster Brown." Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buster-Brown.

“California – Orange County.” National Register of Historic Places. State Listings.
http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/ca/orange/state.html.

“California Register of Historical Resources." California Office of Historic Preservation.
CA.Gov. http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21238.

Calmes, Jackie. "Woman’s Portrait Will Appear on the $10 Bill." The New York Times, June 17,
2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/18/us/portrait-of-a-woman-to-share-space-on-the-
dollar-10-bill-with-hamiltons.html?_r=0.

Clanton, R. Alan. "American Graffiti and the Great Boomer Experience, 40 Years Later."
Thursday Review. http://www.thursdayreview.com/AmericanGraffiti.html.

Cox, Jamieson. "Tracing the long, strange history of 'Tom's Diner'." The Verge, October 18,
2015. https://www.theverge.com/2015/10/18/9014373/toms-diner-history-suzanne-vega-
timeline.

“Craig’s Hut, Mount Buller, VIC, Australia." Australian Heritage Database. Department of the
Environment and Energy. http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-
bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;search=place_name%3DCraig%3Bkeyword_PD%3Don
%3Bkeyword_SS%3Don%3Bkeyword_PH%3Don%3Blatitude_1dir%3DS%3Blongitude_1dir%
3DE%3Blongitude_2dir%3DE%3Blatitude_2dir%3DS%3Bin_region%3Dpart;place_id=103384
.
“Cultural Landscapes and Corridors.” California Department of Parks and Recreation.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22854.

“Cultural Resource Survey, Wards 1 and 2 Manhattan, Kansas." Historic Preservation Services,
LLC, June 2004. 138. https://cityofmhk.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1079/.

“Defictionalization." TV Tropes.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Defictionalization.

“Defining Landscape Terminology.” Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes.
National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.
https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/four-treatments/landscape-guidelines/terminology.htm.

“Definition of literature in English." Oxford Living Dictionaries.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/literature.

“Definition of Literature." Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/literature.

137

“Definition of Nostalgia.” Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/nostalgia.

Delle, James A., and Mary Ann Levine. "Archaeology, Intangible Heritage, and the Negotiation
of Urban Identity in Lancaster, Pennsylvania." Society of Historical Archaeology 45, no. 1
(2011): 52-53.

Derry, Anne, H. Ward Jandl, Carol D. Shull, and Jan Thorman. "National Register Bulletin 24.
Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning." National Park Service. United
States Department of the Interior.

Dryden, John. The Works of John Dryden, Volume VII: Poems, 1697-1700. Oakland: University
of California Press, 2002.

Ebert, Roger. "The Exorcist." RogerEbert.com, December 26, 1973.
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-exorcist-1973.

“Ernest Hemingway > Quotes > Quotable Quote." goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/161912-all-modern-american-literature-comes-from-one-
book-by-mark.

Evangelista, Benny. "TREK TECH / 40 years since the Enterprise's inception, some of its
science fiction gadgets are part of everyday life." SFGate, March 15, 2004.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/TREK-TECH-40-years-since-the-Enterprise-s-
2780887.php.

“Factors to Consider When Selecting an Appropriate Treatment.” Guidelines for the Treatment
of Cultural Landscapes. National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.
https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/four-treatments/landscape-guidelines/factors.htm.

Farrington, Brendan. "Festivus For the Rest of Us! Florida Atheist Successfully Puts Up Beer
Can Pole Display." Huffington Post, December 11, 2013.
http://www.myactsofsedition.com/blog/2013/12/11/huffington-post-festivus-for-the-rest-of-us-
florida-atheist-successfully-puts-up-beer-can-pole-display/.

Ferry, David. "The Cursed, Buried City That May Never See the Light of Day." Outside,
October 8, 2015. https://www.outsideonline.com/2023921/cursed-buried-city-may-never-see-
light-day.

“Festivus Games History." Festivus Games: Feats of Strength for the Rest of Us!"
https://festivusgames.com/about/.

“Field Survey Results Master Report." SurveyLA Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey. Los
Angeles Department of City Planning, Office of Historic Resources. 13.
https://preservation.lacity.org/sites/default/files/SurveyLA_MasterReport_0.pdf.

138

“Film Registry." National Film Preservation Board. Library of Congress.
https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/.

“First Generation Mel's.” Mel's Story. Mel's Drive-In. http://melsdrive-
in.com/melsstory/mels_story/firstgeneration.

“Franklin Library 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature 1976 - 1984." Easton
Franklin Books. http://www.eastonfranklinbooks.com/franklin-library-series/fl-100-greatest-am-
lit.

Fraser, Caroline. "Why the Little House books are enjoyed by both children and adult readers."
Library of America, September 13, 2012. https://www.loa.org/news-and-views/745-caroline-
fraser-why-the-_little-house_-books-are-enjoyed-by-both-children-and-adult-readers.

Gavin, Patrick. "Eric Cantor Hosts Festivus Fundraiser." Politico Click, December 10, 2010.
http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1012/cantor_hosts_festivus_fundraiser.html.

Geggis, Anne. "From Deerfield, Festivus poles pop up around the country." Sun-Sentinel,
December 11, 2016. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/deerfield-beach/fl-deerfield-
festivus-pole-20151211-story.html.

“Geoffrey Chaucer blue plaque in London." Blue Plaque Places
Your guide to memorial and commemorative plaques (of all colours!) across the UK.
http://www.blueplaqueplaces.co.uk/geoffrey-chaucer-blue-plaque-in-london-
9114#.WVUbb4jyvIW.

Glancy, Ruth. Student Companion to Charles Dickens. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing
Company, 1999.

Gleiberman, Owen. "Why nostalgia movies leave us dazed (but not confused." Entertainment
Weekly, April 4, 2009. http://ew.com/article/2009/04/04/why-nostalgia-m/.

Goldberg, Jackie. “Letter to Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in support of
designation of Raymond Chandler Square as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.”
nomination materials for Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #597, May 24, 1994.

Gonzalez-Platas, Sofia. "The basics of Quidditch at Cal." The Daily Clog by the Daily
Californian, October 21, 2014. http://www.dailycal.org/2014/10/21/basics-quidditch-cal/.

“Goodbye, Farewell and Amen Ratings Analysis." MASH4077TV.com.
http://www.mash4077tv.com/articles/gfa_ratings/.

“Governor Doyle's 'Festivus' Pole." Wisconsin Historical Society.
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Content.aspx?dsNav=N:4294963828-
4294963805&dsRecordDetails=R:CS2659.

139

GPA Consulting. “Draft Historical Resource Report.” nomination materials for Historic-Cultural
Monument #942 (unpublished document, November 12, 2014).

“Green Gables House. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Evaluation Report,
Appendix A,” July 24, 1985. http://www.historicplaces.ca/media/9124/1984-
050(e)greengableshouse.pdf.

“Green Gables House." Parks Canada Directory of Federal Heritage Designations.
http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_fhbro_eng.aspx?id=2491.

“Guidelines for the Assessment of Places for the National Heritage List." (Canberra: Australian
Heritage Council, 2009).

“Hanging Rock Statement of Significance." Register of the National Estate. Australian Heritage
Database. http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-
bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;search=place_name%3DHanging%2520Rock%3Bkeywo
rd_PD%3Don%3Bkeyword_SS%3Don%3Bkeyword_PH%3Don%3Blatitude_1dir%3DS%3Blo
ngitude_1dir%3DE%3Blongitude_2dir%3DE%3Blatitude_2dir%3DS%3Bin_region%3Dpart;pla
ce_id=4257.

Harpaz, Beth J. "Fans of ‘Hamilton’ Are Traveling to New York to See the Rooms Where It
Happened." Skift.com, June 14, 2016. https://skift.com/2016/06/14/fans-of-hamilton-are-
traveling-to-new-york-to-see-the-rooms-where-it-happened/.

Hartig, Anthea. A Most Advantageous Spot on the Map: Promotion and Popular Culture, ed.
William Deverell and Greg Hise (Chichester: Blackwell Publishing, Ltd., 2010).

“He Himself was 'Colossal'." The Montreal Gazette, January 22, 1959.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19590122&id=6IoxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aKg
FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1891,3704755.

Herman Melville (1819–1891). Moby-Dick. 1922. Chapter VIII The Pulpit." Bartleby.com.
http://www.bartleby.com/91/8.html.

Hickman, Matt. "America's spookiest public stairway gets landmark designation." mother nature
network, November 2, 2015. https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/americas-
spookiest-public-stairway-gets-landmark-designation.

“Historic Locations and Points of Interest." Little House on the Prairie.
http://littlehouseontheprairie.com/historic-locations-and-museum-sites/.

Historic Resources Group. “Filming Locations Associated with the Motion Picture and
Television Broadcasting Industries.” SurveyLA Draft Context Statement (unpublished document,
April 10, 2017). Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel files.

140

“House of Grey's Anatomy Professional Wear by Barco." All Heart America's Medical
Superstore. http://www.allheart.com/greys-anatomy-scrubs/c/528/.

“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, II. National Registry Criteria for
Evaluation.” National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.
https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_2.htm.

“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, IV. How to Define Categories of
Historic Properties.” National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.
https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_4.htm.

“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, VII. How to Apply the Criteria
Considerations.” National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.
https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_7.htm#crit con b.

“How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, VIII. How to Evaluate the Integrity
of a Property.” National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.
https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_8.htm#assessing integrity.

“How to Prepare National Historic Landmark Nominations." National Park Service. U.S.
Department of the Interior. National Park Service Register, 1999.

“Implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH." Intangible Cultural Heritage in the
Asia-Pacific Region. http://ichcap.org/eng/html/02_04_07_02.php.

“It’s A Wonderful Life film locations." The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations.
http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/i/Its_A_Wonderful_Life.html#.WjhuKd-nHIV.

“Julius' Bar." National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/julius-bar.htm.

“Kemmons Wilson, 90; Holiday Inn Chain's Founder." Obituaries. Los Angeles Times, February
14, 2003. http://articles.latimes.com/2003/feb/14/local/me-wilson14.

Kerr, Jaren. "Sam the Record Man sign lights up Yonge Dundas Square." The Toronto Star,
December 8, 2017. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/12/08/sam-the-record-man-sign-
lights-up-yonge-dundas-square.html.

Kilday, Greg. "The evolution of the summer blockbuster." Entertainment Weekly, May 24, 1991.
http://ew.com/article/1991/05/24/evolution-summer-blockbuster/.

Konheim, Orrin. "10 Fictional Products from Movies That Now Exist in Real Life." Business
Insider, May 9, 2014. http://www.businessinsider.com/products-from-movies-that-now-exist-
2014-5?op=1/#rrest-gumps-bubba-gump-shrimp-company-is-now-a-real-restaurant-with-
branches-all-over-the-world-1.

141

Kopf, Jen. "Here's the story of the house behind 'Brady Bunch." Lancaster Online, June 30,
2015. http://lancasteronline.com/features/home_garden/here-s-the-story-of-the-house-behind-
brady-bunch/article_519a1f8e-1f3d-11e5-a844-472dbb6f7841.html.

“Kramer's Reality Tour.” http://www.kennykramer.com/RealityTourText.html.

“Kwik-E-Mart Lives at 7-Eleven." Convenience Store News, July 2, 2007.
http://www.csnews.com/kwik-e-mart-lives-7-eleven.

“Landmark Types." Types and Criteria. NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.
http://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/designations/landmark-types-criteria.page.

“Learn about the National Historic Landmarks Program." National Historic Landmarks
Program. National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/nhl/learn/intro.htm.

Lewis, Andy. "'The Help's' Strong Box Office Bumps Up Book Sales." Hollywood Reporter,
August 26, 2011. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/help-s-strong-box-office-228350.

Lewis, Randy. "How Vasquez Rocks, L.A.'s onetime outlaw hideout, became 'Star Trek's'
favorite alien landscape." Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2016.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-star-trek-50-vasquez-rocks-20160829-snap-
story.html.

Liptak, Kevin, Antoine Sanfuentes, and Jackie Wattles. “Harriet Tubman will be face of the
$20." CNN Money, April 21, 2016. http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/20/news/10-bill-hamilton-20-
tubman/index.html.

“List of books." Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_books.

“List of novels by release date." Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_novels_by_release_date.

“Listed Buildings." Historic England. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/what-is-
designation/listed-buildings/.

“Little Red Lighthouse.” Arts & Events. New York Magazine.
http://nymag.com/listings/attraction/little_red_lighthouse/.

Little, Barbara J. "The New National Park Service Thematic Framework for History and
Prehistory." Society for American Archaeology Bulletin.
https://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/publications/SAAbulletin/15-2/index.html.

“Lombard Street.” Mel's Drive-In. http://melsdrive-in.com/lombardstreet.

142

“M*A*S*H Lives On!" Malibu Creek State Park.
http://www.malibucreekstatepark.org/MASH.html.

Maher, John. "The Bestselling Books of 2016." Publishers Weekly, January 20, 2017.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/72566-the-
bestselling-books-of-2016.html.

Montgomery, Scott L. "What Really Kept Alexander Hamilton on the$10 Bill." Fortune, April
24, 2016. http://fortune.com/2016/04/24/alexander-hamilton-harriet-tubman/.

“Morningside Heights Historic District Explorer.” NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.
https://nyclpc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer3d/index.html?id=abd5f6ae90f049bd9359681
c9ac1402d.

“Movies to Replace Books in Schools' Inventor States." Pittsburgh Courier, June 2, 1923.

Nadeau, Jean-Benoît, and Julie Barlow. "How did Victor Hugo save the famous Cathedral of
Notre Dame from Demolition?" Excerpt taken from the book The Story of French, December 9,
2011. http://nadeaubarlow.com/how-did-victor-hugo-save-the-cathedral-of-notre-dame/.

“National Historic Landmark Nomination, Rancho Camulos.” National Park Service. United
States Department of the Interior.

“National Register Bulletin. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation."
National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“https://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/pdfs/nrb16a.pdf.
“National Register Bulletin. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form."
National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet, Vehicular Bridges in Arizona.”
National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form, Mark Twain Historic
District.” National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form, Nebraska Loan and Trust
Company Building.” National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form, New Bedford Historic
District.” National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, Common Farm
Barns of South Dakota, 1857-1958.” National Park Service. United States Department of the
Interior.

143

“National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, U.S Highway 66
in California.” National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“National Register of Historic Places Program: National Register Federal Program Regulations.”
National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.
https://www.nps.gov/nr/regulations.htm.

“National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, House of the Seven Gables Historic
District.” National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, John Steinbeck House.” National Park
Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Laura Ingalls Wilder House.” National
Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Wilder Homestead, Boyhood Home of
Almanzo Wilder.” National Park Service. United States Department of the Interior.

“National Registry of Natural Landmarks.” National Park Service, June, 2009.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nnlandmarks/upload/NNLRegistry.pdf.

“Notre-Dame de Paris: 1482: How Victor Hugo Failed to Save the Medieval City."
RuperWilloughby.co.uk, October 29th, 2016.
http://www.rupertwilloughby.co.uk/gleanings/notre-dame-de-paris-1482-how-victor-hugo-
failed-to-save-the-medieval-city/.

“Old Trails Bridge, Topock, Arizona.” Route 66. National Park Service. United States
Department of the Interior.
https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/route66/old_trails_bridge_topock.html.

Parker, Patricia L. and Thomas F. King. "National Register Bulletin, Guidelines for Evaluating
and Documenting Traditional Cultural Properties." National Park Service. United States
Department of the Interior.

Paulson, Michael. "Hamilton May Stay on the $10 Bill, Thanks to Help from Broadway." The
New York Times, March 16, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/theater/hamilton-may-
stay-on-the-10-bill-thanks-to-help-from-broadway.html.

Perrin, Andrew. "Book Reading 2016." Pew Research Center Internet & Technology, September
1, 2016. http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/09/01/book-reading-2016/.

“Ponderosa/Bonanza Steakhouse." Revolvy.com.
https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Ponderosa/Bonanza%20Steakhouse&item_type=to
pic.

144

“Principles of Selection for Listing Buildings." Department for Culture, Media and Sport,
March, 2010.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/137695/Principles
_Selection_Listing_1_.pdf.

“Pure Imagination: The Story of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." YouTube video,
12:52, released November 13, 2001. Posted by "Goblin Nights," November 28, 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWfv7k7jdek.

“Ralphie’s Neighborhood Restoration Continues!” A Christmas Story House and Museum. Press
Release, April 15, 2015. http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/press-release-april-2015/.

Rismanchi, Jo Ellen. "Touring Vasquez Rocks: A History of its 20th-century Occupation." SCV
history.com, October, 2001. http://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/rismanchi-vasquez-tour.htm.

“Rooks Nest House Howards List Entry." Historic England.
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1176972.

Rossen, Jake. "The Art Of “Defictionalization”: Turning Fake Movie and TV Products into A
Real Business." Fast Company, September 18, 2014.
https://www.fastcompany.com/3035479/the-art-of-defictionalization-turning-fake-movie-and-tv-
products-into-a-re.

“Save Lars.” diary. http://www.savelars.com/.

Scott, Julia M. "Burbank 7-Eleven transformed into Kwik-E-Mart." Los Angeles Daily News,
July 2, 2007. http://www.dailynews.com/article/zz/20070702/NEWS/707029827.

Search Results for ‘Dickens’." Historic England.
https://historicengland.org.uk/sitesearch?terms=Dickens&pageSize=undefined&searchtype=sites
earch.

Sherfy, Marcella and W. Ray Luce. "National Register Bulletin. Guidelines for Evaluating and
Nominating Properties that Have Achieved Significance Within the Past Fifty Years." National
Park Service. United States Department of the Interior, 1979.

Sherr, Sara. "10 Quintessential NYC Signs That Define Our Wonderful City's Skyline." Spoiled
NYC, December 12, 2015. https://spoilednyc.com/2015/12/12/10-quintessential-nyc-signs/2/.

Skladany, Joey. "Gilmore Girls' Fans Will Be Able to Drink Free Coffee at Luke's Diner." Food
& Wine, October 3, 2016. http://www.foodandwine.com/fwx/drink/gilmore-girls-free-coffee-
lukes-diner.

Snider, Eric D. "13 Nostalgic Facts About American Graffiti." Mental Floss, August 2, 2016.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/84009/13-nostalgic-facts-about-american-graffiti.

145

Sondheimer, Eric. "A technology marvel: The Beverly Hills High gym/pool." Los Angeles
Times, December 13, 2014. http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-a-
technology-marvel-the-beverly-hills-high-gympool-20141213-story.html.

“Sopranos Sites Tour." on location tours. https://onlocationtours.com/tour/sopranos/.

Spata, Christopher. "Festivus 2016: Submit your grievances here." Tampa Bay Times, December
20, 2016. http://www.tampabay.com/features/popculture/festivus-2016-air-your-grievances-
here/2306908.

“Star Trek Books." Cygnus-X1.Net: A Tribute to Star Trek." http://www.cygnus-
x1.net/links/lcars/lcars2.php.

Stein, Joshua David. "Review: How American Graffiti's Diner Forever Changed Film." Eater,
January 29, 2015. https://www.eater.com/2015/1/29/7932901/review-how-american-graffiti-
diner-forever-changed-film.

Stringer, Jenny. "The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English." Oxford
University Press.
http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780192122711.001.0001/acref-
9780192122711.

“T. R. Pugh Memorial Park survey form.” Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/National-Register-Listings/PDF/PU3265.nr.pdf.

“The Andy Griffith Show." Encyclopaedia Britannica, November 23, 2017.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Andy-Griffith-Show.

“the future of yesterday, today." Omni Consumer Products.
http://www.omniconsumerproductscorporation.com/.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. written by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck.
Directed by John Ford. Paramount Pictures, 1962.

“The Register of the National Estate." Australian Government Department of the Environment
and Energy, 2007. http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/register-national-estate.

Thompson, Anne. "Streaming Set to Overtake DVD Revenues - and Box Office Take."
IndieWire, June 4, 2015. http://www.indiewire.com/2015/06/streaming-set-to-overtake-dvd-
revenues-and-box-office-take-187316/.

“Three Year Corporate Plan 2016-2019." Historic England, May, 2016.
https://content.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/he-corp-plan-2016-19/three-
year-corp-plan-2016-19.pdf.

146

“Titles with Location Matching 'Quality Coffee Shop - 1238 West 7th Street, Los Angeles,
California, USA'." Internet Movie Database.
http://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Quality%20Coffee%20Shop%20-
%201238%20West%207th%20Street,%20Los%20Angeles,%20California,%20USA&sort=alpha
,asc&ref_=ttloc_loc_4.

“Tom Sawyer Whitewashing the Fence." Selected Writings. pbs.org.
http://www.pbs.org/marktwain/learnmore/writings_tom.html.

“Top 100 American Literature Titles." Perfection Learning.
https://www.perfectionlearning.com/top-100-american-literature-titles.

“Top Rated TV Shows." Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/chart/toptv/.

“Universal Studios Historic District Historic Preservation Plan." Historic Resources Group, LLC,
March 10, 2010.

“Vasquez Rocks.” moviesites.org. http://www.moviesites.org/vasquez.htm.

“Warner Brothers - Stage 109." The Studio Tour.
http://www.thestudiotour.com/warnerbros/stage09.php.

“Welcome to Our Site!" Vulcan Language Institute. Shi'Oren t'Gen-Lis Vuhlkansu.
http://www.vli-online.org/vlif.htm.

“Welcome to Secret Stairs-LA, a walking and hiking guide to the hidden public staircases of Los
Angeles." Secret Stairs LA. http://www.secretstairs-la.com/welcome.html.

Weldon, Sarah. "Breaking Bad homeowners are sick of people throwing pizza on their roof."
Entertainment Weekly, October 13, 2017. http://ew.com/tv/2017/10/13/breaking-bad-house-
pizza-throwing/.

West, Kelly. “A Christmas Story Marathon Kicks Off on TBS This Christmas Eve.” Cinema
Blend. http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Christmas-Story-Marathon-Kicks-Off-TBS-
Christmas-Eve-37908.html.

“What Does Historic-Cultural Monument Status Mean?" Historic-Cultural Monuments. Los
Angeles Office of Historic Resources. https://preservation.lacity.org/commission/what-does-
historic-cultural-monument-status-mean.

“What is Intangible Cultural Heritage?" United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization. Intangible Cultural Heritage. https://ich.unesco.org/en/what-is-intangible-heritage-
00003.

147

“What Makes a Resource Historically Significant?" Historic-Cultural Monuments. Los Angeles
Office of Historic Resources. https://preservation.lacity.org/commission/what-makes-resource-
historically-significant.

“What's HAL? The world's first cyborg-type robot ‘HAL’." Cyberdyne.
https://www.cyberdyne.jp/english/products/HAL/.

Whitford, Emma. "The Queens Pepsi-Cola Sign Is Officially A NYC Landmark." Gothamist,
April 13, 2016. http://gothamist.com/2016/04/13/queens_pepsi-cola_sign_is_officiall.php.

“Why Do the Exorcist Steps Exist in the First Place?” The Georgetown Metropolitan, October,
30, 2015. https://georgetownmetropolitan.com/2015/10/30/in-celebration-of-the-exorcist-steps/.

“Why is it named Soylent?" About Soylent. Soylent FAQ. https://faq.soylent.com/hc/en-
us/articles/201541809-Why-is-it-named-Soylent-.

Winton, Richard. "Break-in at 'Brady Bunch' home in Studio City foiled by owner." Los Angeles
Times, August 19, 2016. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brady-bunch-burglar-
20160819-snap-story.html.

Wittenauer, Cheryl. "Hannibal, Mo., celebrates Mark Twain." U.S. & Canada Travel. NBC
News.com, April 4, 2010. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36099932/ns/travel-
destination_travel/t/hannibal-mo-celebrates-mark-twain/#.WjWE39-nHIU.

“Writing Statements of Significance." Canadian Register of Historic Places. Parks Canada.

Yee, Vivian. "Stifled by Time’s Passage, Fewer Fans Visit the Bunkers’ TV Home." The New
York Times, June 2, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/nyregion/fewer-fans-visit-all-in-
the-family-tv-home.html.

148

Appendix A: National Film Registry of the Library of Congress
Film Title Release Inducted Film Title Release Inducted
The Atomic Café 1982 2016 Alien 1979 2002
Ball of Fire 1941 2016 All My Babies 1953 2002
The Beau Brummels 1928 2016 The Bad and the Beautiful 1952 2002
The Birds 1963 2016 Beauty and the Beast 1991 2002
Blackboard Jungle 1955 2016 The Black Stallion 1979 2002
The Breakfast Club 1985 2016 Boyz N the Hood 1991 2002
The Decline of Western
Civilization
1981 2016 Demolishing and Building Up
the Star Theatre
1901 2002
East of Eden 1955 2016 The Endless Summer 1966 2002
Funny Girl 1968 2016 From Here to Eternity 1953 2002
Life of an American Fireman 1903 2016 From Stump to Ship 1930 2002
The Lion King 1994 2016 Fuji 1974 2002
Lost Horizon 1937 2016 In the Heat of the Night 1967 2002
Musketeers of Pig Alley 1912 2016 Lady Windermere’s Fan 1925 2002
Paris Is Burning 1990 2016 Melody Ranch 1940 2002
Point Blank 1967 2016 Navajo Film Themselves
(Through Navajo Eyes)
1966 2002
The Princess Bride 1987 2016 The Pearl 1948 2002
Putney Swope 1969 2016 Punch Drunks 1934 2002
Reverend Solomon Sir Jones
films
1924-
28
2016 Sabrina 1954 2002
Rushmore 1998 2016 Stranger Than Paradise 1984 2002
Steamboat Bill, Jr. 1928 2016 Theodore Case Sound Test:
Gus Visser and His Singing
Duck
1925 2002
Suzanne, Suzanne 1982 2016 This Is Cinerama 1952 2002
Thelma & Louise 1991 2016 This Is Spinal Tap 1984 2002
20,000 Leagues Under the
Sea
1916 2016 Why Man Creates 1968 2002
A Walk in the Sun 1945 2016 Wild and Woolly 1917 2002
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 1988 2016 Wild River 1960 2002
Being There 1979 2015 Abbott and Costello Meet
Frankenstein
1948 2001
Black and Tan 1929 2015 All That Jazz 1979 2001
Dracula (Spanish language
version)
1931 2015 All the King’s Men 1949 2001
Dream of a Rarebit Fiend 1906 2015 America, America 1963 2001
Eadweard Muybridge,
Zoopraxographer
1974 2015 Cologne: From the Diary of
Ray and Esther
1939 2001
Edison Kinetoscopic Record
of a Sneeze
1894 2015 The Evidence of the Film 1913 2001
A Fool There Was 1915 2015 Hoosiers 1986 2001
Ghostbusters 1984 2015 The House in the Middle 1954 2001
Hail the Conquering Hero 1944 2015 It 1927 2001
Humoresque 1920 2015 Jam Session 1942 2001
Imitation of Life 1959 2015 Jaws 1975 2001
149

Film Title Release Inducted Film Title Release Inducted

The Inner World of Aphasia 1968 2015 Manhattan 1979 2001
John Henry and the Inky-Poo 1946 2015 Marian Anderson: the Lincoln
Memorial Concert
1939 2001
L.A. Confidential 1997 2015 Memphis Belle 1944 2001
The Mark of Zorro 1920 2015 The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek 1944 2001
The Old Mill 1937 2015 Miss Lulu Bett 1922 2001
Our Daily Bread 1934 2015 National Lampoon’s Animal
House
1978 2001
Portrait of Jason 1967 2015 Planet of the Apes 1968 2001
Seconds 1966 2015 Rose Hobart 1936 2001
The Shawshank Redemption 1994 2015 Serene Velocity 1970 2001
Sink or Swim 1990 2015 The Sound of Music 1965 2001
The Story of Menstruation 1946 2015 Stormy Weather 1943 2001
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm:
Take One
1968 2015 The Tell-Tale Heart 1953 2001
Top Gun 1986 2015 The Thin Blue Line 1988 2001
Winchester '73 1950 2015 The Thing from Another World 1951 2001
13 Lakes 2004 2014 Apocalypse Now 1979 2000
Bert Williams Lime Kiln Club
Field Day
1913 2014 Dracula 1931 2000
The Big Lebowski 1998 2014 The Fall of the House of Usher 1928 2000
Down Argentine Way 1940 2014 Five Easy Pieces 1970 2000
The Dragon Painter 1919 2014 Goodfellas 1990 2000
Felicia 1965 2014 Koyaanisqatsi 1983 2000
Ferris Bueller's Day Off 1986 2014 The Land Beyond the Sunset 1912 2000
The Gang's All Here 1943 2014 Let’s All Go to the Lobby 1957 2000
House of Wax 1953 2014 The Life of Emile Zola 1937 2000
Into the Arms of Strangers:
Stories of the Kindertransport
2000 2014 Little Caesar 1930 2000
Little Big Man 1970 2014 The Living Desert 1953 2000
Luxo Jr. 1986 2014 Love Finds Andy Hardy 1938 2000
Moon Breath Beat 1980 2014 Multiple SIDosis 1970 2000
Please Don't Bury Me Alive! 1976 2014 Network 1976 2000
The Power and the Glory 1933 2014 Peter Pan 1924 2000
Rio Bravo 1959 2014 Porky in Wackyland 1938 2000
Rosemary's Baby 1968 2014 President McKinley
Inauguration Footage
1901 2000
Ruggles of Red Gap 1935 2014 Regeneration 1915 2000
Saving Private Ryan 1998 2014 Salomé 1923 2000
Shoes 1916 2014 Shaft 1971 2000
State Fair 1933 2014 Sherman’s March 1986 2000
Unmasked 1917 2014 A Star Is Born 1954 2000
V-E Day +1 (May 9, 1945) 1945 2014 The Tall T 1957 2000
The Way of Peace 1947 2014 Why We Fight 1943-
1945
2000
Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory
1971 2014 Will Success Spoil Rock
Hunter?
1957 2000
150

Film Title Release Inducted Film Title Release Inducted
Bless Their Little Hearts 1984 2013 Civilization 1916 1999
Brandy in the Wilderness 1969 2013 Do the Right Thing 1989 1999
Cicero March 1966 2013 The Docks of New York 1928 1999
Daughter of Dawn 1920 2013 Duck Amuck 1953 1999
Decasia 2002 2013 The Emperor Jones 1933 1999
Ella Cinders 1926 2013 Gunga Din 1939 1999
Forbidden Planet 1956 2013 In the Land of the Head
Hunters
1914 1999
Gilda 1946 2013 Jazz on a Summer’s Day 1959 1999
The Hole 1963 2013 King: A Filmed Record...
Montgomery to Memphis
1970 1999
Judgment at Nuremberg 1961 2013 The Kiss 1896 1999
King of Jazz 1930 2013 Kiss Me Deadly 1955 1999
The Lunch Date 1989 2013 Lambchops 1929 1999
The Magnificent Seven 1961 2013 Laura 1944 1999
Martha Graham Dance Films 2013 Master Hands 1936 1999
Mary Poppins 1964 2013 My Man Godfrey 1936 1999
Men and Dust 1940 2013 Night of the Living Dead 1968 1999
Midnight 1939 2013 The Plow That Broke the
Plains
1936 1999
Notes on the Port of St.
Francis
1951 2013 Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981 1999
Pulp Fiction 1994 2013 Roman Holiday 1953 1999
The Quiet Man 1952 2013 The Shop Around the Corner 1940 1999
The Right Stuff 1983 2013 A Streetcar Named Desire 1951 1999
Roger & Me 1989 2013 The Ten Commandments 1956 1999
A Virtuous Vamp 1919 2013 Trance and Dance in Bali 1936-
1939
1999
Who’s Afraid of Virginia
Woolf?
1966 2013 The Wild Bunch 1969 1999
Wild Boys of the Road 1933 2013 Woman of the Year 1942 1999
3:10 to Yuma 1957 2012 42nd Street 1933 1998
Anatomy of a Murder 1959 2012 The Bride of Frankenstein 1935 1998
The Augustas 1930s-
1950s
2012 The City 1939 1998
Born Yesterday 1950 2012 Dead Birds 1964 1998
Breakfast at Tiffany’s 1961 2012 Don’t Look Back 1967 1998
A Christmas Story 1983 2012 Easy Rider 1969 1998
Corbett-Fitzsimmons Title
Fight
1897 2012 From the Manger to the Cross 1912 1998
Dirty Harry 1971 2012 Gun Crazy aka Deadly Is the
Female
1949 1998
Hours for Jerome: Parts 1
and 2
1980-
82
2012 The Hitch-Hiker 1953 1998
Kidnapper's Foil 1930s 2012 The Immigrant 1917 1998
A League of Their Own 1992 2012 The Last Picture Show 1971 1998
The Matrix 1999 2012 Little Miss Marker 1934 1998
The Middleton Family at the
New York World’s Fair
1939 2012 The Lost World 1925 1998
151

Film Title Release Inducted Film Title Release Inducted
One Survivor Remembers 1995 2012 Modesta 1956 1998
Parable 1964 2012 The Ox-Bow Incident 1943 1998
Samsara: Death and Rebirth
in Cambodia
1990 2012 Pass the Gravy 1928 1998
Slacker 1991 2012 The Phantom of the Opera 1925 1998
Sons of the Desert 1933 2012 Powers of Ten 1978 1998
The Spook Who Sat by the
Door
1973 2012 The Public Enemy 1931 1998
They Call It Pro Football 1966 2012 Sky High 1922 1998
The Times of Harvey Milk 1984 2012 Steamboat Willie 1928 1998
Two-Color Kodachrome Test
Shots No. III
1922 2012 Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Collapse
1940 1998
Two-Lane Blacktop 1971 2012 Tootsie 1982 1998
Uncle Tom's Cabin 1914 2012 Twelve O’Clock High 1949 1998
The Wishing Ring: an Idyll of
Old England
1914 2012 Westinghouse Works 1904 1904 1998
Allures 1961 2011 Ben-Hur (1925) 1925 1997
Bambi 1942 2011 The Big Sleep 1946 1997
The Big Heat 1953 2011 The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957 1997
A Computer Animated Hand 1972 2011 Cops 1922 1997
Crisis: Behind a Presidential
Commitment
1963 2011 Czechoslovakia 1968 1969 1997
The Cry of the Children 1912 2011 Grass 1925 1997
A Cure for Pokeritis 1912 2011 The Great Dictator 1940 1997
El Mariachi 1992 2011 Harold and Maude 1972 1997
Faces 1968 2011 Hindenburg Disaster Newsreel
Footage
1937 1997
Fake Fruit Factory 1986 2011 How the West Was Won 1962 1997
Forrest Gump 1994 2011 The Hustler 1961 1997
Growing Up Female 1971 2011 Knute Rockne, All American 1940 1997
Hester Street 1975 2011 The Life and Death of 9413: a
Hollywood Extra
1927 1997
I, an Actress 1977 2011 Little Fugitive 1953 1997
The Iron Horse 1924 2011 Mean Streets 1973 1997
The Kid 1921 2011 Motion Painting No. 1 1947 1997
The Lost Weekend 1945 2011 The Music Box 1932 1997
The Negro Soldier 1944 2011 The Naked Spur 1953 1997
Nicholas Brothers' Home
Movies
1930s-
'40s
2011 Rear Window 1954 1997
Norma Rae 1979 2011 Republic Steel Strike Riot
Newsreel Footage
1937 1997
Porgy and Bess 1959 2011 Return of the Secaucus 7 1980 1997
The Silence of the Lambs 1991 2011 The Thin Man 1934 1997
Stand and Deliver 1988 2011 Tulips Shall Grow 1942 1997
Twentieth Century 1934 2011 West Side Story 1961 1997
War of the Worlds 1953 2011 Wings 1927 1997
Airplane! 1980 2010 The Awful Truth 1937 1996
All the President’s Men 1976 2010 Broken Blossoms 1919 1996
152

Film Title Release Inducted Film Title Release Inducted
The Bargain 1914 2010 The Deer Hunter 1978 1996
Cry of Jazz 1959 2010 Destry Rides Again 1939 1996
Electronic Labyrinth: THX
1138 4EB
1967 2010 Flash Gordon Serial 1936 1996
The Empire Strikes Back 1980 2010 The Forgotten Frontier 1931 1996
The Exorcist 1973 2010 Frank Film 1973 1996
The Front Page 1931 2010 The Graduate 1967 1996
Grey Gardens 1976 2010 The Heiress 1949 1996
I Am Joaquin 1969 2010 The Jazz Singer 1927 1996
It's a Gift 1934 2010 The Life and Times of Rosie
the Riveter
1980 1996
Let There Be Light 1946 2010 M*A*S*H 1970 1996
Lonesome 1928 2010 Mildred Pierce 1945 1996
Make Way for Tomorrow 1937 2010 The Outlaw Josey Wales 1976 1996
Malcolm X 1992 2010 The Producers 1968 1996
McCabe & Mrs. Miller 1971 2010 Pull My Daisy 1959 1996
Newark Athlete 1891 2010 Road to Morocco 1942 1996
Our Lady of the Sphere 1969 2010 She Done Him Wrong 1933 1996
The Pink Panther 1963 2010 Shock Corridor 1963 1996
Preservation of the Sign
Language
1913 2010 Show Boat 1936 1996
Saturday Night Fever 1977 2010 The Thief of Bagdad 1924 1996
Study of a River 1996-
1997
2010 To Be or Not to Be 1942 1996
Tarantella 1940 2010 Topaz 1943-
1945
1996
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 1945 2010 Verbena tragica 1939 1996
A Trip Down Market Street 1906 2010 Woodstock 1970 1996
Dog Day Afternoon 1975 2009 The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 1995
The Exiles 1961 2009 All That Heaven Allows 1955 1995
Heroes All 1920 2009 American Graffiti 1973 1995
Hot Dogs for Gauguin 1972 2009 The Band Wagon 1953 1995
The Incredible Shrinking Man 1957 2009 Blacksmith Scene 1893 1995
Jezebel 1938 2009 Cabaret 1972 1995
The Jungle 1967 2009 Chan Is Missing 1982 1995
The Lead Shoes 1949 2009 The Conversation 1974 1995
Little Nemo 1911 2009 The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951 1995
Mabel’s Blunder 1914 2009 El Norte 1983 1995
The Mark of Zorro 1940 2009 Fatty’s Tintype Tangle 1915 1995
Mrs. Miniver 1942 2009 The Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse
1921 1995
The Muppet Movie 1979 2009 Fury 1936 1995
Once Upon a Time in the
West
1968 2009 Gerald McBoing-Boing 1951 1995
Pillow Talk 1959 2009 The Hospital 1971 1995
Precious Images 1986 2009 Jammin’ the Blues 1944 1995
Quasi at the Quackadero 1975 2009 The Last of the Mohicans 1920 1995
The Red Book 1994 2009 Manhatta 1921 1995
153

Film Title Release Inducted Film Title Release Inducted
The Revenge of Pancho Villa 1930-
1936
2009 North By Northwest 1959 1995
Scratch and Crow 1995 2009 The Philadelphia Story 1940 1995
Stark Love 1927 2009 Rip Van Winkle 1896 1995
The Story of G.I. Joe 1945 2009 Seventh Heaven 1927 1995
A Study in Reds 1932 2009 Stagecoach 1939 1995
Michael Jackson’s Thriller 1983 2009 To Fly! 1976 1995
Under Western Stars 1938 2009 To Kill a Mockingbird 1962 1995
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad 1958 2008 The African Queen 1951 1994
The Asphalt Jungle 1950 2008 The Apartment 1960 1994
Deliverance 1972 2008 The Cool World 1963 1994
Disneyland Dream 1956 2008 A Corner in Wheat 1909 1994
A Face in the Crowd 1957 2008 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 1982 1994
Flower Drum Song 1961 2008 The Exploits of Elaine 1914 1994
Foolish Wives 1922 2008 Force of Evil 1948 1994
Free Radicals 1979 2008 Freaks 1932 1994
George Stevens’ World War II
Footage
1943-
1946
2008 Hell’s Hinges 1916 1994
Hallelujah! 1929 2008 Hospital 1970 1994
In Cold Blood 1967 2008 Invasion of the Body
Snatchers
1956 1994
The Invisible Man 1933 2008 The Lady Eve 1941 1994
Johnny Guitar 1954 2008 Louisiana Story 1948 1994
The Killers 1946 2008 The Manchurian Candidate 1962 1994
The March 1964 2008 Marty 1955 1994
No Lies 1973 2008 Meet Me in St. Louis 1944 1994
On the Bowery 1957 2008 Midnight Cowboy 1969 1994
One Week 1920 2008 A MOVIE 1958 1994
The Pawnbroker 1965 2008 Pinocchio 1940 1994
The Perils of Pauline 1914 2008 Safety Last! 1923 1994
Sergeant York 1941 2008 Scarface 1932 1994
So’s Your Old Man 1926 2008 Snow White 1933 1994
The Terminator 1984 2008 Tabu 1931 1994
Water and Power 1989 2008 Taxi Driver 1976 1994
White Fawn’s Devotion 1910 2008 Zapruder Film 1963 1994
12 Angry Men 1957 2007 An American in Paris 1951 1993
Back to the Future 1985 2007 Badlands 1973 1993
Bullitt 1968 2007 The Black Pirate 1926 1993
Close Encounters of the Third
Kind
1977 2007 Blade Runner 1982 1993
Dance, Girl, Dance 1940 2007 Cat People 1942 1993
Dances with Wolves 1990 2007 The Cheat 1915 1993
Days of Heaven 1978 2007 Chulas Fronteras 1976 1993
Glimpse of the Garden 1957 2007 Eaux d’artifice 1953 1993
Grand Hotel 1932 2007 The Godfather Part II 1974 1993
The House I Live In 1945 2007 His Girl Friday 1940 1993
In a Lonely Place 1950 2007 It Happened One Night 1934 1993
The Man Who Shot Liberty 1962 2007 Lassie Come Home 1943 1993
154

Film Title Release Inducted Film Title Release Inducted
Valance
Mighty Like a Moose 1926 2007 Magical Maestro 1952 1993
The Naked City 1948 2007 March of Time: Inside Nazi
Germany
1938 1993
Now, Voyager 1942 2007 A Night at the Opera 1935 1993
Oklahoma! 1955 2007 Nothing But a Man 1964 1993
Our Day 1938 2007 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest
1975 1993
Peege 1972 2007 Point of Order 1964 1993
The Sex Life of the Polyp 1928 2007 Shadows 1959 1993
The Strong Man 1926 2007 Shane 1953 1993
The Three Little Pigs 1933 2007 Sweet Smell of Success 1957 1993
Tol’able David 1921 2007 Touch of Evil 1958 1993
Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son 1969-
1971
2007 Where Are My Children? 1916 1993
The Women 1939 2007 The Wind 1928 1993
Wuthering Heights 1939 2007 Yankee Doodle Dandy 1942 1993
Applause 1929 2006 Adam’s Rib 1949 1992
The Big Trail 1930 2006 Annie Hall 1977 1992
Blazing Saddles 1974 2006 The Bank Dick 1940 1992
The Curse of Quon Gwon 1916-
1917
2006 Big Business 1929 1992
Daughter of Shanghai 1937 2006 The Big Parade 1925 1992
Drums of Winter
(aka Uksuum Cauyai)
1988 2006 The Birth of a Nation 1915 1992
Early Abstractions 1939-
1956
2006 Bonnie and Clyde 1967 1992
Fargo 1996 2006 Carmen Jones 1954 1992
Flesh and the Devil 1927 2006 Castro Street (The Coming of
Consciousness)
1966 1992
Groundhog Day 1993 2006 Detour 1945 1992
Halloween 1978 2006 Dog Star Man 1964 1992
In the Street 1948 2006 Double Indemnity 1944 1992
The Last Command 1928 2006 Footlight Parade 1933 1992
Notorious 1946 2006 The Gold Rush 1925 1992
Red Dust 1932 2006 Letter from an Unknown
Woman
1948 1992
Reminiscences of a Journey
to Lithuania
1971-
1972
2006 Morocco 1930 1992
Rocky 1976 2006 Nashville 1975 1992
sex, lies, and videotape 1989 2006 The Night of the Hunter 1955 1992
Siege 1940 2006 Paths of Glory 1957 1992
St. Louis Blues 1929 2006 Psycho 1960 1992
The T.A.M.I. Show 1964 2006 Ride the High Country 1962 1992
Tess of the Storm Country 1914 2006 Salesman 1968 1992
Think of Me First as a Person 1960-
1975
2006 Salt of the Earth 1954 1992
A Time Out of War 1954 2006 What’s Opera, Doc? 1957 1992
Traffic in Souls 1913 2006 Within Our Gates 1920 1992
155

Film Title Release Inducted Film Title Release Inducted
Baby Face 1933 2005 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 1991
The Buffalo Creek Flood: An
Act of Man
1975 2005 The Battle of San Pietro 1945 1991
The Cameraman 1928 2005 The Blood of Jesus 1941 1991
Commandment Keeper
Church, Beaufort, South
Carolina (May 1940)
1940 2005 Chinatown 1974 1991
Cool Hand Luke 1967 2005 City Lights 1931 1991
Fast Times at Ridgemont
High
1982 2005 David Holzman’s Diary 1968 1991
The French Connection 1971 2005 Frankenstein 1931 1991
Giant 1956 2005 Gertie The Dinosaur 1914 1991
H2O 1929 2005 Gigi 1958 1991
Hands Up! 1926 2005 Greed 1924 1991
Hoop Dreams 1994 2005 High School 1969 1991
House of Usher 1960 2005 I Am a Fugitive from a Chain
Gang
1932 1991
Imitation of Life 1934 2005 The Italian 1915 1991
Jeffries-Johnson World’s
Championship Boxing
Contest
1910 2005 King Kong 1933 1991
The Making of an American 1920 2005 Lawrence of Arabia 1962 1991
Miracle on 34th Street 1947 2005 The Magnificent Ambersons 1942 1991
Mom and Dad 1944 2005 My Darling Clementine 1946 1991
The Music Man 1962 2005 Out of the Past 1947 1991
The Power of the Press 1928 2005 A Place in the Sun 1951 1991
A Raisin in the Sun 1961 2005 The Poor Little Rich Girl 1917 1991
The Rocky Horror Picture
Show
1975 2005 The Prisoner of Zenda 1937 1991
San Francisco Earthquake
and Fire, April 18, 1906
1906 2005 Shadow of a Doubt 1943 1991
The Sting 1973 2005 Sherlock, Jr. 1924 1991
A Time for Burning 1966 2005 Tevye 1939 1991
Toy Story 1995 2005 Trouble in Paradise 1932 1991
Ben-Hur (1959) 1959 2004 All About Eve 1950 1990
The Blue Bird 1918 2004 All Quiet on the Western Front 1930 1990
A Bronx Morning 1931 2004 Bringing Up Baby 1938 1990
Clash of the Wolves 1925 2004 Dodsworth 1936 1990
The Court Jester 1956 2004 Duck Soup 1933 1990
D.O.A. 1950 2004 Fantasia 1940 1990
Daughters of the Dust 1991 2004 The Freshman 1925 1990
Duck and Cover 1951 2004 The Godfather 1972 1990
Empire 1964 2004 The Great Train Robbery 1903 1990
Enter the Dragon 1973 2004 Harlan County, U.S.A. 1976 1990
Eraserhead 1977 2004 How Green Was My Valley 1941 1990
Garlic Is As Good As Ten
Mothers
1980 2004 It's a Wonderful Life 1946 1990
Going My Way 1944 2004 Killer of Sheep 1977 1990
Jailhouse Rock 1957 2004 Love Me Tonight 1932 1990
156

Film Title Release Inducted Film Title Release Inducted
Kannapolis, N.C. 1941 2004 Meshes of the Afternoon 1943 1990
Lady Helen’s Escapade 1909 2004 Ninotchka 1939 1990
The Nutty Professor 1963 2004 Primary 1960 1990
OffOn 1968 2004 Raging Bull 1980 1990
Popeye the Sailor Meets
Sindbad the Sailor
1936 2004 Rebel Without a Cause 1955 1990
Pups Is Pups 1930 2004 Red River 1948 1990
Schindler’s List 1993 2004 The River 1938 1990
Seven Brides for Seven
Brothers
1954 2004 Sullivan’s Travels 1941 1990
Swing Time 1936 2004 Top Hat 1935 1990
There It Is 1928 2004 The Treasure of the Sierra
Madre
1948 1990
Unforgiven 1992 2004 A Woman Under the Influence 1974 1990
Antonia: A Portrait of the
Woman
1974 2003 The Best Years of Our Lives 1946 1989
Atlantic City 1980 2003 Casablanca 1942 1989
Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid
1969 2003 Citizen Kane 1941 1989
The Chechahcos 1924 2003 The Crowd 1928 1989
Dickson Experimental Sound
Film
1894-
1895
2003 Dr. Strangelove 1964 1989
Film Portrait 1972 2003 The General 1927 1989
Fox Movietone News: Jenkins
Orphanage Band
1928 2003 Gone with the Wind 1939 1989
Gold Diggers of 1933 1933 2003 The Grapes of Wrath 1940 1989
The Hunters 1957 2003 High Noon 1952 1989
Matrimony’s Speed Limit 1913 2003 Intolerance 1916 1989
Medium Cool 1969 2003 The Learning Tree 1969 1989
National Velvet 1944 2003 The Maltese Falcon 1941 1989
Naughty Marietta 1935 2003 Modern Times 1936 1989
Nostalgia 1971 2003 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939 1989
One Froggy Evening 1956 2003 Nanook of the North 1922 1989
Patton 1970 2003 On the Waterfront 1954 1989
Princess Nicotine; or, The
Smoke Fairy
1909 2003 The Searchers 1956 1989
Show People 1928 2003 Singin' in the Rain 1952 1989
The Son of the Sheik 1926 2003 Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs
1937 1989
Tarzan and His Mate 1934 2003 Some Like It Hot 1959 1989
Tin Toy 1988 2003 Star Wars 1977 1989
The Wedding March 1928 2003 Sunrise 1927 1989
White Heat 1949 2003 Sunset Boulevard 1950 1989
Young Frankenstein 1974 2003 Vertigo 1958 1989
Young Mr. Lincoln 1939 2003 The Wizard of Oz 1939 1989

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Can a place’s role as a location in a movie or television (TV) show serve as a criterion in determining its significance as a historic resource? Whether Lincoln’s home, a Greene and Greene Craftsman bungalow, or the first McDonald’s, the significance of historic resources comes from their value as physical remnants of past cultural experiences. They preserve shared memory. Movies and TV shows also create cultural experiences. Even if these sites represent a “fictional history” created by writers, actors, directors, and other artists and craftspeople, rather than a true history, if they can be as deeply ingrained in our shared memory as real events, should their physical remnants also be considered historically significant?

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

Beyond significance: integrity analysis considerations for modern residential tracts of the San Fernando Valley

PDF

Empowering communities through historic rehabilitation: creating a maintenance plan for public housing developments in Los Angeles

PDF

Mapping heritage justice in the city of Los Angeles

PDF

Identifying and conserving Pacoima: a heritage conservation study of a minority enclave in the San Fernando Valley

PDF

Capturing the layers of the Arroyo Seco landscape: documenting a cultural landscape using digital storymaps

PDF

Illuminating the grid: historic power buildings of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

PDF

Contemporary vision: photography's influence on perception of places and the past

PDF

Values-based approach to heritage conservation: identifying cultural heritage in Los Angeles Koreatown

PDF

Using the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape framework: a case study of the Pico-Union neighborhood

PDF

Culture, history, and gentrification: conserving Latino-oriented legacy businesses in San Francisco's rapidly changing Mission District

PDF

Historic preservation in the United States Air Force: exploring new frontiers

PDF

Would community design overlay (CDO) be a tool for revitalizing Los Angeles Chinatown?

PDF

Legacy business program implementation in American urban immigrant neighborhoods: a case study of Little Tokyo and Chinatown, Los Angeles

PDF

Mobilizing heritage conservation as a tool for urban resilience: linkages and recommendations

PDF

Beyond Chinatown: identifying significant Chinese cultural landmarks in the San Gabriel Valley

PDF

The ambivalence of conserving Busan’s colonial heritage

PDF

Heritage conservation in post-redevelopment Los Angeles: evaluating the impact of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) on the historic built environment

PDF

Clinton Marr: bringing Modernism to the Inland Empire

PDF

Seeing beyond the fog: preserving San Francisco's cultural heritage in the Clement Street Corridor

PDF

Not so Little Armenia: conserving Armenian heritage sites in Los Angeles

Asset Metadata

Creator Kaplan, Jonathan (author)

Core Title From Ramona to the Brady Bunch: assessing the historical significance of sites used in movies and television shows

School School of Architecture

Degree Master of Heritage Conservation

Degree Program Heritage Conservation

Publication Date 05/09/2018

Defense Date 02/18/2018

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag movie locations,OAI-PMH Harvest,TV locations

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Sandmeier, Trudi (committee chair), Horak, Katie (committee member), Platt, Jay (committee member)

Creator Email kaplanj@usc.edu,vintagevenicetours@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-502496

Unique identifier UC11266837

Identifier etd-KaplanJona-6322.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-502496 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-KaplanJona-6322.pdf

Dmrecord 502496

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Kaplan, Jonathan

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA