LMGI COMPASS
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Summer 2019
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Christian McWilliams
well as in Orange County and Long Beach. Geographically, we
were all over the place."
Schuler credits Mapel "with landing some very key locations that
helped set the movie's timeframe," he says. "For example, Taqueria
Los Primos in Long Beach was brought back as a Wienerschnitzel
with the old classic sign and yellow-colored roof, and an original
Taco Bell in the City of Tustin was also taken back in time. It was
restored to look as it would have done at that time (with the help
of Taco Bell Corporate) before it was subsequently torn down to
make way for newer development."
Another of Mapel's finds was an alternative to the Manson family
compound on Spahn Ranch in Simi Valley. "The church that now
owns the property rightly did not want to be associated with
anything that even mentioned the Manson murders," Schuler
says. "Steve discovered Corriganville Park. Located near the real
ranch site, it offered the same topography, rock outcroppings
and vegetation. We ended up recreating the old Spahn Ranch
buildings. Additionally, the topography of the park allowed for
the placement of George Spahn's house to be slightly elevated
over the rest of the set, perfectly situated for Quentin's vision.
Opposite page: The film restored the Aquarius Theater on Sunset
Boulevard to the way it was painted for the opening of Hair in 1968;
filming at Spahn Ranch. Above: DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino film
a scene.
"We built Spahn Ranch from the ground up. After checking out
a few ranches in New Mexico, Quentin decided to make things
work in Los Angeles. He returned to Melody Ranch for some
cowboy scenes, and we did a huge renovation in Western Town
on the Universal back lot by covering the asphalt streets with
sand and restoring all the cement sidewalks to wood planks. A
few of the facades were also changed. The Cameron Nature Pre-
serve in Malibu was the perfect double for several Leo DiCaprio
scenes that were inserted into a period movie to establish him as
the character Rick Dalton."
Although Manson and his followers play a role in the film, Mapel
stresses, "This is not a film about Manson." The actual Spahn
Ranch, a 55-acre movie ranch, burned to the ground in 1970. "The
original ranch was by the 118 Freeway in Chatsworth. We found
another area just on the other side of Santa Susana Pass in Simi
Valley with a similar look and spent several weeks constructing a
replica of the Manson compound."
