Has anybody seen this particular tiki looking place...

... in or around LA? I can't find it! A bunch of us Knight Rider nerds are trying to locate places where famous scenes were shot. Any and all info greatly appreciated!

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/4101/knightriderknightofphoelm9.jpg

[ Edited by: bladoww_chick 2008-11-23 10:19 ]

I have no way of being of help to your quest, but I salute your ingeniousness in enlisting the help of urban archeologists/tiki freaks to find an A frame, and hail you as a brother geek of a different flavor, our is for polynesian pop culture and yours for the finest talking car/detective show that television ever produced.

can anybody help them?

Whoa! THREE icons of American pop culture (David Hasselhoff, "House of the Rising Sun" :music:, AND an A-frame) all in one image!

That "Rising Sun" sign most likely was just a prop for the show, I assume you already searched for a restaurant/Motel of that name during that period and came up empty.

The outrigger beam makes it Tiki, but the hanging driftwood board sign and the wine cellar-style/old stone lined arches make it more nautical. A fascinating challenge!

For easier reference:

Lol... you guys are funny! It really stinks because even though this is a still photo, you can't really pick up on any landmarks or other identifiers in the entire scene even if you watch the show. I know this place is somewhere in LA, if it hasn't been demolished, and may be a remodeled to be a Mexican restaurant or something. Oh well, thanks for the help!!!

Btw, I did do a search for House of the Rising Sun, and I think you're right, it's probably just a prop for the show. It's a shame you can't see the sign hanging from the peak because I'm sure that has the actual name on it.

I thought I noticed something hanging off the outrigger beam.

Does anyone recognize it now? Or can anyone make it look mo betta? My skils are naught.

Not much to go on but this link talks a bout the bar..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_of_the_Phoenix_(Knight_Rider_episode)

and I found an image of it with the new roof...

:wink: I tried...

On 2008-11-23 17:36, Mr. NoNaMe wrote:
I thought I noticed something hanging off the outrigger beam.

Does anyone recognize it now? Or can anyone make it look mo betta? My skils are naught.

How about the Parking Restrictions sign? Sometimes they list cities. Can anyone clean up that image?

Looking at that sign close up, it now looks even less than a driftwood/nautical sign, but together with those studs in the A-frame fascia, like some medieval coat of arms, a la "Ye Olde" House of the Rising Sun. Maybe pirate themed?

By the late 60s, A-frames housed all sorts of establishments, be it Italian restaurants, car dealerships, or churches. The location/township would be somewhere in Orange County, or the Valley, I would say. The Knight rider fan club should know what the show's preferred shooting area was, like which desert. I don't think they ventured as far as Palm Springs.

On 2008-11-23 19:13, beachbumz wrote:
Not much to go on but this link talks a bout the bar..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_of_the_Phoenix_(Knight_Rider_episode)

and I found an image of it with the new roof...

:wink: I tried...

Lol yes you did! Good find. I'm not sure if that's the building, but I did see that article on Wikipedia. It claims that this particular scene was shot in Silicon Valley, which is where the setting is supposed to be during portions of this episode. However, every other scene is shot in the greater LA area, so I'm not convinced Silicon Valley was used at all. Besides, logistically speaking, I don't know why anyone would drive that far to film this establishment.

You guys are great detectives!

[ Edited by: bladoww_chick 2008-11-24 05:01 ]

On 2008-11-23 21:13, mrsmiley wrote:

On 2008-11-23 17:36, Mr. NoNaMe wrote:
I thought I noticed something hanging off the outrigger beam.

Does anyone recognize it now? Or can anyone make it look mo betta? My skils are naught.

How about the Parking Restrictions sign? Sometimes they list cities. Can anyone clean up that image?

Good call... maybe we can zoom in on that. I think there's another scene where you can see the sign in the parking lot. Maybe I should YouTube the whole scene!!!

On 2008-11-23 23:41, bigbrotiki wrote:
Looking at that sign close up, it now looks even less than a driftwood/nautical sign, but together with those studs in the A-frame fascia, like some medieval coat of arms, a la "Ye Olde" House of the Rising Sun. Maybe pirate themed?

By the late 60s, A-frames housed all sorts of establishments, be it Italian restaurants, car dealerships, or churches. The location/township would be somewhere in Orange County, or the Valley, I would say. The Knight rider fan club should know what the show's preferred shooting area was, like which desert. I don't think they ventured as far as Palm Springs.

You may be right. I'm going to try to YouTube this scene a little later, but I can tell you the interior reminds me more of safari than tiki. In terms of locations, the show was often shot in and around Universal Studios in LA, as well as up and down Lankershim Blvd, Ventura Blvd, and in Encino around the Sepulveda Dam, etc. Also, a large part of this show was shot in Santa Clarita.

[ Edited by: bladoww_chick 2008-11-24 07:22 ]

I am almost positive that this was shot from Ventura county, south, The palms are not hardy enough for any higher north.
On the wall behind the hanging sign are decorative "dots" that look medieval like Bigbro said, I think it started life as TiKi but morphed to something else. Also the rocks around the arches give it that grotto look. To bad, now it's about as tacky as Hasselhoff.

On 2008-11-23 12:28, atomictonytiki wrote:
and hail you as a brother geek of a different flavor, our is for polynesian pop culture and yours for the finest talking car/detective show that television ever produced.

You dare to compare Polynesian Pop to...to..."Knight Rider, the finest talking car/detective show ever produced?" Run away to the Loch's, be glad that your in Scotland or the torch bearing mob would find you and hang you. You probably like the Sit-n-sleep commercials too?

Well YouTube was no help... evidently I'd be violating copywright laws.

hhhumm not sure but i think it's casa escobar in marina del rey.i will drive by and give an update

On 2008-11-23 13:18, bigbrotiki wrote:
For easier reference:

Is that even a Tiki A-frame? With those diamond shaped "dots" on the front, and what looks somewhat like a Heraldic Shield hanging from the roof beam, it may be a Euro-style A-frame (i.e., a Swiss Chalet or Ski Lodge) that has allowed the paint to come off the front and had the roof redone in Mexican/Mediterranean unglazed tile.

Why don't you ask David Hasselhoff? There are places where you can do celebrity searches online and it looks as though trial memberships for the better services are cheap. One I saw has a $1 trial membership for a week.

That kind of service tries to find e-mail addresses, snailmail addresses, phones, etc. of the celebrity in question as well as that celebrity's agent and other contacts. You might not have to get all the way to Hasselhoff to get the info you want. The agent or some other related contact might know or might know of who you should be contacting to find out historical info regarding the Knight Rider series (like who was in charge of arranging the venue locations).

On 2008-11-24 11:04, freddiefreelance wrote:
Is that even a Tiki A-frame? With those diamond shaped "dots" on the front, and what looks somewhat like a Heraldic Shield hanging from the roof beam, it may be a Euro-style A-frame (i.e., a Swiss Chalet or Ski Lodge) that has allowed the paint to come off the front and had the roof redone in Mexican/Mediterranean unglazed tile.

Freddie, you're a genius...:

On 2008-11-23 23:41, bigbrotiki wrote:
Looking at that sign close up, it now looks.... together with those studs in the A-frame fascia, like some medieval coat of arms, a la "Ye Olde" House of the Rising Sun......By the late 60s, A-frames housed all sorts of establishments, be it Italian restaurants, car dealerships, or churches.

But that all does not hinder this post to be an exciting chance for urban archeology! And don't diss David Hasselhof, he is really big in Germany! He had a singing career here! Like Heino! :)

Here are some additional screenshots. Not sure if this will help anyone:

Looking away from the building:

Front door:

Inside:

Note the building behind Hasselhoff's head:

Better view of the design on the front of the building:

Joe

[ Edited by: firebirdta84 2008-11-30 07:20 ]

On 2008-11-30 07:12, firebirdta84 wrote:
Here are some additional screenshots. Not sure if this will help anyone:

Joe

[ Edited by: firebirdta84 2008-11-30 07:20 ]

Sweet!!! Thanks Joe! Hopefully this sheds some light on things...

I'm not sure where this is, but if the "comtron" shot with the ladies is any indication, this location would be in OR North of the San Fernando Valley, and It could also be a location East of Covina area towards the San Bernardino Mountains "909" area. The terrain is identical.

On 2008-11-30 07:12, firebirdta84 wrote:
Here are some additional screenshots. Not sure if this will help anyone:

Looking away from the building:

Joe

It sort of reminds me of the Odyssey Restaurant in Grenada Hills, based on the parking lot and view, but the current Odyssey does not have an A-frame structure. I do not know what the place looked like in the mid eighties either.
http://maps.google.com/maps?um=1&hl=en&q=odyssey%20restaurant%20grenada%20hills&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=il

It also resembles the way old Bowling Alleys used to look, architectually speaking. In the late 70's up into the mid 80's, if by then bowling alleys were failed businesses, and if they weren't leveled to make room for strip malls and or housing, they were usually bought and converted into Restaurants and Nightclubs. Not sure if this applies here though.

Also, If you look at the shot closer, it looks like a lake view or body of water in the background behind the guard shack, and if the studio didn't shoot the above picture in a different location to make the restaurant seem to be somewhere else, it should narrow down the search. Hansen Dam in the Valley has views like this, as well as Puddingstone Lake in San Dimas(next to Raging Waters), both with the same Mountainous terrain. Lake Piru, Castaic Lake, Cachuma Lake, Pyramid Lake and Green Valley Lake in Ventura County also has this same terrain. Hope this can help someone close the mystery on "The House of The Rising Sun"...

Hey guys,

I posted this question on another forum and someone responded with this:

"That's the old Cal Islands restaurant in Canyon Country. The building was demolished several years ago to make way for a new freeway onramp."

Found this also, not sure if it's the same one, or maybe they moved locations?

http://foodpage.us/661344

Can anyone verify?

Joe

[ Edited by: firebirdta84 2008-12-01 14:02 ]

hhhumm not sure but i think it's casa escobar in marina del rey.i will drive by and give an update

ron-tiki, did you ever drive by to see what casa escobar looked like?

I have a postcard of the interior of a Casa Esocobar in Sherman Oaks. I bought it because I always thought it looked like a tiki establishment.

This one was located at 13321 Moorpark St.

It said it had a main dining room and the "Aztec Dining Room".

It also said there was one at 10951 W. Pico Blvd.

I'm reviving this thread because I've discovered the partial answer to this question, which would be the full answer as far as film location fans would be concerned--but not Tikiphiles.

Fortunately, a Knight Rider Forum found the answer last year. The A-frame building is the Tennessee Gin & Cotton Company (House of the Rising Sun is a sign added for the TV episode) at the southwest corner of Ventura Blvd. at Corbin Ave., Woodland Hills, which apparently existed under that banner from 1972 until it burned down in 1985 (a gas station is now on the site).

http://knightrideronline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1060&t=17509

To quote from posted "1982" on this forum:

"Now for the “House of the Rising Sun” location. I first remember the location site during filming 10 years before “Knight of the Phoenix”. In the mid 70’s it was a popular disco hangout called the “Tennessee Gin & Cotton Co.” that lasted until 1985 when it burned down. You may be able to make out their logo sign hanging from the rafter of the A-frame. The location was at the east end of the Corbin Village Shopping Center; southwest corner of Ventura Blvd and Corbin Ave, in Woodland Hills (roughly 19700 Ventura Blvd.)

"Below is their logo sign and site pictures from 1972 and 1980. “Tennessee Gin & Cotton Co.” aka “House of the Rising Sun” is in the center of each picture. About the only remaining signs left are the parking lot lights and retaining wall at the tree line."

You can also see on page 1 of this thread (pages 2 & 3 mostly dissect the Comtron location--which was elsewhere) confirmation that the bar interior was the genuine interior, not a studio set.

"1982" also posts: "For a comparison between then and today, there is one way that I know of. Back in the early to mid 1970’s, there was a TV show called Cannon, starring William Conrad. In a 1972 episode called “Murder by Moonlight” the script lists a scene at Ventura Blvd and Corbin Ave. If someone has the show on DVD, it should show the location. It should be a “bus” scene with Conrad as a passenger. A set of screen shots should do it." So there might or might be answers in the Cannon episode.

I've found a number of articles and posts via Google about the Tennessee Gin & Cotton Co. that go back to the 70's, and evidence that this was quite a notorious "meet market" in its day.

However, none of this answers the burning question: "What was this before 1972?", because it is almost certainly Tiki in origin. The Aku Aku Motel was down the street, but not adjacent. So it might be time to start looking through your matchbook collections for something in the 19700 block of Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA, for the answer.

Caltiki Brent

On 2013-04-30 14:44, congawa wrote:

Fortunately, a Knight Rider Forum found the answer last year.

God, I love the internet!

Funny, San Fernando Valley Relics posted a picture of that place on Facebook today. It's the Tennessee Gin & Cotton Company in Woodland Hills like congawa said.

[ Edited by: Bora Boris - Deleted some "Edited bys" - 2013-04-30 15:07 ]

There is still a Casa Escobar on Wilshire in Santa Monica. I've driven by it dozens of times but I've never stopped, I'll fix that soon.

Yes, that's what started my search (the Facebook post).

And the address of the Tennessee Gin & Cotton Co. was 19710 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills.

However, before that, at least up to 1974 or so, it was:

Torches West!

I found this matchbook on Kooky Kitsch, which I'm reposting with the link (credit where credit is due).

http://kookykitsch.com/Store/tabid/138/ProdID/4666/1960s_Matchbook_Torches_West_Restaurant_5_Torches_Inglewood_Woodland_Hills_CA_.aspx

However, going through The Valley News in Newspaper Archive, in 1967 it was a jazz club called Harlow's (at this address), which doesn't sound very Tiki.

Caltiki Brent

Okay, here's what my Valley News and Green Sheet searches are telling me:

Nothing for 19710 Ventura Blvd. prior to 1967 (though the Valley News goes back to the 1950's in the search).

From 1967 until 1971 it was Harlow's Restaurant (a jazz club).

In the October 17, 1971, in the Valley business permits column, Nick Masney and Alice Lillion Masney are applying for Cafe Entertainment and Shows license for 19710 Ventura Blvd. Apparently here is where it was becoming Torches West.

The first reference to Torches West comes on December 31, 1971.

"Torches West Hosts Party for '72"
Torches West in Woodland Hills will feature six entrees on the New Year's Eve special menu, said owners Nick and Alice Masey. (that's how the name is spelled there)
...blah blah blah about their menu, then....
Torches West, formerly Harlow's restaurant, features dancing to Bob Frappia's Big Band plus favors and hats on New Years Eve. Also Mel Williams performs in cocktail lounge.

Last references to Torches West are 1974, so it must have become Tennessee Gin & Cotton Co. after that.

So the question is whether it was an A-frame originally as Harlow's, or good old Nick and Alice added that when it became Torches West. Or if there was an earlier incarnation prior to 1967, or that was about when it was built.

Caltiki Brent

From the food fare, and the entertainment during those years 1967-74, nothing sounds vaguely Polynesian.

Caltiki

A little more info from Nov 26, 1971. "Torches West" was opened as a branch of "Five Torches" in Inglewood:

FIVE TORCHES INGLEWOOD EXPANDS WEST!

The famed Five Torches Restaurant of Inglewood has opened a Valley branch featuring Continental Cuisine by renowned Chef Nick Masney.

Harlow's Under New Ownership

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2013-04-30 17:57 ]

Cool, thanks Sabu!

Caltiki Brent