3 More Holiday Movie Locations in Los Angeles

Southwestern Law School | Photo: Daniel Djang

1) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The third film in the comedy series, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation stars Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold and Beverly D'Angelo as his wife Ellen, with Juliette Lewis and Jonny Galecki joining the cast as their kids, Audrey and Rusty.

The cringey scene when Clark is trying to buy lingerie for Ellen with the help of shopgirl Mary (Nicolette Scorsese) was filmed at the Art Deco landmark Bullock's Wilshire, now part of Southwestern Law School (3050 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90010).

Designed by the father-son architecture firm of John and Donald Parkinson - which also designed and built LA icons like the Coliseum, City Hall and Union Station - Bullock's Wilshire was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 56 in June 1968 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in May 1978.

2) Surviving Christmas

Cindy's | Photo: So Have You
Scene That for Discover LA

In the 2004 comedy Surviving Christmas, Ben Affleck stars as Chicago ad exec Drew Latham, who hires the Valco family (James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara, Christina Applegate, Josh Zuckerman) to pose as his family for the holidays. In the closing scene, Latham takes the Valcos to the diner where his mom worked double shifts at Christmastime.

That diner scene was filmed at Cindy's (1500 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles 90041), owned and operated by the husband-and-wife-team of Monique King and Paul Rosenbluh. Cindy's is located in Eagle Rock off Historic Route 66 and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, including all-day specialties like Noah's Ark (two eggs, two pancakes, two slices of bacon), Brisket Hash and Fried Chicken & Eggs.

3) Pee-wee’s Big Adventure

The first feature film directed by Tim Burton and scored by Danny Elfman, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure continues to delight new generations of fans. From his iconic "Tequila" dance to rescuing animals from a burning pet shop, Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) is the hero we need. Pee-wee keeps his house (1846 Oxley St, South Pasadena 91030) decorated for the holidays year-round with light-up Santas and reindeer statues. Other LA film locations include Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, Malibu Creek State Park and Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. "Be sure and tell 'em Large Marge sent ya!"