A place…. where nobody dared to go… the love that we came to know… they call it XANADU. Today marks the 40th anniversary of one of my favorite films, starring Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, and Michael Beck. I’ve been to several of the locations over the years and even went to Xanadu: The Musical a few times!
The mural superimposed on a fake wall built in an alley in Venice Beach, California. It is located between 325 and 405 Ocean Front Walk. (Some say the wall was superimposed as well, but I seem to remember seeing behind-the-scene photos where it was present.)
A typical (pre-COVID) look at Venice Beach near Paloma Avenue.
Sonny skates in front of the alley here…
Air Flo Studios is located at 1040 North Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood. This is also the same studio used in The Player.
Sonny hitches a ride at the corner of Main and Hill Streets in Venice, California.
The Hollywood Bowl….
The spiral stair case is at the corner of 3rd and Figueroa Streets in Downtown Los Angeles.
The Malibu Pier….
Sonny first bumps into Kira at Palisades Park in Santa Monica. (This was shot by me in 1988!)
Unfortunately, Xanadu itself burned down quite a while ago, but was located at Pan Pacific Park.
Michael Beck as Sonny Malone
Olivia Newton-John as Kira
For those interested, I attended XANADU: THE MUSICAL a few times and met several of the cast members:
