Tavern on Main

Tavern on Main in El Segundo, California, is a neighbourhood bar on Main Street, not far from Los Angeles International Airport. The building has changed since the mid-1980s, and the front of the bar has been remodelled, but the location is still recognisable as the place used in “8 Million Ways to Die” (1986). Its position on a small-town-looking main street gives the scene a slightly different feel from the more obviously Los Angeles locations elsewhere in the film.

In “8 Million Ways to Die” (1986), Tavern on Main is used as The Keg Bar, the place connected to Matt Scudder, played by Jeff Bridges. Early in the film, the exterior of the bar is shown on Main Street, with Scudder’s apartment located behind it. The bar and the apartment help establish Scudder’s worn-down life after leaving the police force, giving him a base that feels ordinary, shabby and far from glamorous. The real location at 123 Main Street in El Segundo has since been altered, especially around the front, but it remains an interesting stop for fans of the film because it connects directly to Scudder’s world in the opening part of the story.

8 Million Ways to Die (1986)

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