Maps of Movies
The Aviator (2004)
Where The Aviator says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
Half of Hollywood's glamour was rebuilt in Montreal: the real filming places behind Howard Hughes's story
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Scenes and places
The bath and the word "quarantine" (Houston, 1913) (1913)
Eight-year-old Howard is washed by his mother, who teaches him to spell "quarantine" and warns him about cholera. The film opens on the fear that will follow him all his life.
Set in Houston, Texas — The Hughes family home where young Howard is bathed by his mother. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Houston is the Texas city where Hughes was born and raised.
The Hell's Angels premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre (1930)
Hughes's expensive war-flying epic Hell's Angels reaches its Hollywood premiere. Even a hit does not satisfy him, and he orders it recut.
Set in Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood — The Hollywood Boulevard cinema where Hell's Angels premieres. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The Hollywood landmark famous for its forecourt of handprints.
Filmed at Grauman's Chinese Theatre (interiors), Hollywood — The real theatre was used for the interiors; the exterior was recreated for the premiere. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Nightlife at the Cocoanut Grove (1930)
Hughes's romance with Katharine Hepburn plays out among Hollywood's high society. The film rebuilds the Cocoanut Grove nightclub for these social scenes.
Set in Cocoanut Grove, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles — The Ambassador Hotel nightclub where Hollywood society gathers. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A legendary Los Angeles nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel, since demolished.
Filmed at Queen Mary, Queen's Salon, Long Beach — The ship's Queen's Salon was used for the nightclub scenes. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Hepburn's family estate (1936)
Hughes grows close to Katharine Hepburn, who eases the symptoms of his worsening OCD and germaphobia. The relationship is his one steady refuge.
Set in Hepburn family home — Katharine Hepburn's family home, visited by Hughes.
A private estate; no exact address is given in the sources.
Filmed at Longueuil, Quebec — The Hepburn manor sequences were shot in Longueuil. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The H-1 Racer crash-lands in a beet field (1935)
Hughes pushes the H-1 Racer to a new speed record, then runs out of fuel and crash-lands in a beet field. He walks away from it.
Set in Beet field — A field where the H-1 Racer comes down after running out of fuel.
No real-world location is given in the sources.
The XF-11 crash in Beverly Hills (1946)
On the XF-11 test flight an engine fails mid-air and Hughes crashes into Beverly Hills. Severely injured, he survives.
Set in Beverly Hills, California — The residential district where the XF-11 comes down. Google Maps · Apple Maps
An affluent city surrounded by Los Angeles.
Ava Gardner kicks Hughes out (1947)
Hughes plants microphones and taps Ava Gardner's phone lines to keep track of her. She throws him out of her house.
Set in Ava Gardner's house — The house Hughes bugs before Gardner throws him out.
No real-world location is given in the sources.
The Hercules lifts off in Long Beach Harbor (1947)
Hughes has staked everything on getting the giant H-4 flying boat off the water. It makes its famous short flight over the harbor.
Set in Long Beach Harbor, California — The harbor where the H-4 Hercules makes its short flight. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A large working port on the Southern California coast.
Filmed at Port of Long Beach, California — The flight of the H-4 Hercules was recreated in the Port of Long Beach. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Technoparc, Mel's Cité du Cinéma, Montreal — Most of the principal photography Google Maps · Apple Maps
Characters
- Howard Hughes — A wealthy film producer and aviator whose obsessive-compulsive disorder grows worse as his ambitions grow bigger.
Questions answered on the map
- Where was Howard Hughes's Hollywood really filmed?