Griffith Observatory

Griffith Observatory is an Art Deco observatory and public science landmark in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. Opened in 1935, it stands on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood and is one of the most recognisable buildings in the city, with its domes, terraces, and wide views over Los Angeles. It has also become one of the most famous film locations in California.

Griffith Observatory appears in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Midnight Madness (1980), The Terminator (1984), Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), La La Land (2016), Transformers (2007), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), Dragnet (1987), Bowfinger (1999), The Rocketeer (1991), and MacGyver (1985–1992).

In Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Griffith Observatory is one of the film’s most important locations. It is used for the school trip, the knife fight on the terrace, and the climactic return to the observatory, where the final confrontation takes place. More than any other film, this one helped turn the observatory into a major screen landmark.

In Midnight Madness (1980), Griffith Observatory is one of the stops in “The Great All-Nighter”, the elaborate overnight scavenger hunt that sends five competing teams across Los Angeles. The first clue contains the phrase “See the stars” together with a series of numbers, eventually leading the teams to Griffith Observatory and its telescope. Adam’s yellow team arrives and Marvin enters the numbers as telescope coordinates, causing the telescope to point towards a digital sign in the city displaying the next clue: “Find the 8800 keys.” The phrase refers to the 88 keys of a piano and directs the contestants towards their next destination, the Los Angeles Piano Museum. When Levitas and the green team arrive at the observatory, Adam deliberately resets the telescope before leaving, preventing them from immediately discovering the same clue.

In The Terminator (1984), Griffith Observatory is used for the opening arrival of the Terminator. He materialises there at night, confronts the three punks, and takes their clothes, making the observatory the setting for one of the film’s best-known early scenes.

In La La Land (2016), Griffith Observatory is used in the film’s romantic fantasy sequence connected to Mia and Sebastian’s relationship. The observatory appears as one of the key Los Angeles landmarks in the film and is among the locations most strongly associated with its visual identity.

In Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Griffith Observatory is used as part of the film’s stylised Los Angeles setting. Its terraces and recognisable exterior make it a natural fit for a production built around iconic California locations.

In Transformers (2007), Griffith Observatory is one of the Los Angeles landmarks associated with the film’s city setting. The site forms part of the wider screen geography used to place the action in Los Angeles.

In “MacGyver” (1985–1992), Griffith Observatory appears in the pilot episode as MacGyver’s home. The series uses the real Los Angeles landmark in an unusual way, turning the observatory into the place where the audience first gets a sense of MacGyver’s private life away from the mission. The building’s hilltop position, terraces and views over Los Angeles give his home a distinctive identity, making it far more memorable than a normal apartment or house. This use is specific to the pilot episode, before the series later gave MacGyver different living arrangements.

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