Circus Liquor

Circus Liquor is a liquor store at 5600 Vineland Avenue, on the northeastern corner of Vineland Avenue and Burbank Boulevard in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. Established in 1959, the business occupies a single-storey commercial building dating from the late 1950s. Its defining feature is a 32-foot-tall neon sign depicting a grinning clown with crossed eyes, a blue polka-dot costume, oversized red shoes and a large circular drum bearing the store’s name. The freestanding sign stands beside the parking lot and is illuminated in red, blue, yellow and white neon. It is a surviving example of the elaborate roadside advertising developed in Southern California during the post-war expansion of automobile-oriented businesses. Both the building and its sign were identified as historically significant in the City of Los Angeles’ SurveyLA heritage survey, with the clown sign singled out for its design and surviving original materials.

Circus Liquor has appeared in Blue Thunder (1983), The Living End (1992), Clueless (1995), Ken Park (2002), Alpha Dog (2006), Private Practice (2007–2013), Californication (2007–2014), Ray Donovan (2013–2020) and Grace and Frankie (2015–2022). Its parking lot and illuminated clown sign are particularly prominent in Clueless, where Cher Horowitz is robbed at gunpoint, and in Grace and Frankie, where Grace Hanson has her car stolen. Blue Thunder uses the store for an armed robbery, while several other productions feature its distinctive exterior during scenes set in the San Fernando Valley.

In Blue Thunder (1983), directed by John Badham, Circus Liquor appears approximately five minutes into the film during an armed robbery. Los Angeles Police Department helicopter pilot Frank Murphy (Roy Scheider) and his new partner Richard Lymangood (Daniel Stern) are patrolling the city when they assist police officers responding to a robbery at the liquor store. The exterior of Circus Liquor is clearly visible as the suspect attempts to escape and is apprehended by officers outside the building. The store’s large clown sign stands above the parking lot, with the illuminated neon and surrounding street forming part of the nighttime sequence. The scene was filmed at the actual North Hollywood business during the production’s extensive location work around Los Angeles in late 1981.

In The Living End (1992), written and directed by Gregg Araki, the Circus Liquor clown sign appears briefly among the Los Angeles street locations used in the film. The low-budget independent drama follows Jon (Craig Gilmore), a film critic who has recently learned that he is HIV-positive, and Luke (Mike Dytri), a rebellious drifter who shares the same diagnosis. The two embark on a journey through Southern California, passing through streets, commercial districts and roadside businesses. The enormous neon clown is visible in a brief exterior shot, identifying the North Hollywood location. Unlike its later appearance in Clueless, the store is not the setting for an extended dramatic encounter.

In Clueless (1995), directed by Amy Heckerling, Circus Liquor appears during one of the film’s most memorable sequences involving Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone). After attending a party in the San Fernando Valley, Cher accepts a ride home from Elton Tiscia (Jeremy Sisto), who has become romantically interested in her despite her attempts to match him with her friend Tai. When Elton tries to kiss Cher, she rejects him, and their argument ends with him abandoning her in the parking lot of Circus Liquor. The store’s illuminated clown sign is clearly visible as Cher finds herself stranded in an unfamiliar part of Los Angeles.

Attempting to arrange transportation home, Cher calls directory assistance on her mobile phone, but a man approaches from behind and threatens her with a gun. He orders her to surrender her phone and handbag before demanding that she lie face down on the pavement. Cher protests because she is wearing an expensive Alaïa dress, but eventually obeys when the robber threatens to shoot her. The mugger leaves her on the ground and tells her to count to one hundred before getting up. The scene was filmed in the actual Circus Liquor parking lot, with the store’s frontage, illuminated signs and enormous clown appearing in several shots.

After the robbery, Cher uses a public telephone outside the store to call her former stepbrother Josh (Paul Rudd) and ask him to collect her. She tells him that she is stranded in Sun Valley, although Circus Liquor is actually situated in North Hollywood. The public telephone used in the sequence has since been removed, but the store and its famous clown sign remain recognisable from the film.

In Ken Park (2002), directed by Larry Clark and Edward Lachman, Circus Liquor appears during a nighttime drive involving the abusive father of teenager Claude (Stephen Jasso). Claude’s father, played by Wade Williams, travels around Los Angeles with a friend while looking for prostitutes. Their journey takes them to the parking lot outside Circus Liquor, where the large illuminated clown sign and the store’s exterior are visible. The scene uses the actual roadside business as part of the San Fernando Valley setting, with the two men moving through the neighbourhood in search of women before returning home. The film was shot around Los Angeles and Visalia, California, with several North Hollywood locations used for scenes involving Claude and his family.

In Alpha Dog (2006), directed by Nick Cassavetes, Circus Liquor appears during a scene involving young drug dealer Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch). Johnny stops outside the store and places a duffel bag containing drugs into the boot of his car. The transaction takes place in the parking area beside the liquor store, with the familiar clown sign visible above the surrounding vehicles. The brief scene uses the real North Hollywood business as part of Johnny’s drug-dealing activities around Los Angeles. The store is separate from Bill’s Liquor in Harbor City, another liquor store used later in the film.

In Private Practice (2007–2013), Circus Liquor appears in the first-season episode In Which Sam Gets Taken for a Ride (2007). Dr Sam Bennett (Taye Diggs) receives a call from his patient Sara Hill, who asks him to make an urgent house call. When he arrives at the address, he discovers that it belongs to Circus Liquor rather than a private residence. Sara comes to the entrance and leads him inside, where he finds store employee Damon (Elden Henson) suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg.

Sam soon discovers that the store is being held hostage by Damon’s pregnant former girlfriend Kelly (Sara Gilbert), who is armed with a gun. After treating Damon’s injury, Sam is forced to help Kelly when she suddenly goes into labour. The medical emergency unfolds among the store’s shelves and merchandise, with Sam receiving telephone instructions from his colleague Naomi Bennett (Audra McDonald) as he delivers the baby. Circus Liquor is therefore used as the setting for the episode’s central hostage situation, rather than appearing only as a passing exterior.

In Californication (2007–2014), Circus Liquor appears in the sixth-season episode Blind Faith (2013). Hank Moody (David Duchovny) and Faith (Maggie Grace) stop at the North Hollywood liquor store while spending time together in Los Angeles. The store’s exterior and parking area feature in the sequence, including the large clown sign overlooking Vineland Avenue. The visit takes place during an episode in which Hank accompanies Faith as she reconnects with people from her earlier life, including her parents and her religious upbringing. The same episode also uses a separate church location in Los Angeles, while Circus Liquor provides the roadside stop during their journey.

In Ray Donovan (2013–2020), Circus Liquor appears in the third-season episode Tulip (2015). The store and its distinctive clown sign are visible during a brief street scene in which a flatbed truck passes along the road outside the property. The familiar roadside landmark appears behind the moving vehicle, providing a recognisable North Hollywood location within the episode’s Los Angeles setting.

In Grace and Frankie (2015–2022), Circus Liquor appears in the second-season episode The Bender (2016), directed by Alex Hardcastle. Grace Hanson (Jane Fonda) is struggling with her personal problems and her deteriorating relationship with her housemate Frankie Bergstein (Lily Tomlin). After drinking heavily, she drives to a liquor store to buy more alcohol, stopping at Circus Liquor in North Hollywood. The store’s frontage and parking lot appear as Grace purchases small bottles of vodka.

When Grace returns outside, she discovers that her car has been stolen, leaving her stranded in the parking lot. She calls Frankie for help, but Frankie refuses to collect her because of Grace’s drunken behaviour and the hurtful things she said earlier. Grace is left to deal with the consequences, eventually receiving assistance from the police. The scene returns to the same parking area where Cher Horowitz was robbed in Clueless more than twenty years earlier, with the giant clown sign still standing beside the store.

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