Ryan Murphy might have reimagined 1940s Tinseltown [1] in Netflix's Hollywood [2], but the miniseries does feature actual historic locations — or at least very detailed replicas and dupes of them. As real as Rock Hudson [3] and Hattie McDaniel [4] were places such as director George Cukor's home, where industry insiders attended lavish parties, and Shrine Auditorium, where celebrities gathered for the Oscars. Indeed, the miniseries isn't all Hollywood magic — even fictionalized spots such as Golden Tip Gasoline [5] and Ace Studios take root in reality. Keep reading to learn the intriguing histories behind the real locations the show references!
Bronson Gate at Paramount Studios
Ace Studios didn't exist, but it's heavily based on Paramount Pictures. In one of the opening shots on the limited series, we see aspiring actors like Jack Costello [6] (David Corenswet) crowding at the gates of Ace Studios to get picked as extras in movies. This really did happen back in the day at the Bronson Gate [7] leading to Paramount Pictures' studio.
The Front Gate to Paramount Pictures in the 1920s
Richfield Gas Station on Hollywood Boulevard
There really was a gas station that served as a cover-up for an underground escort service — indeed, Ernie (Dylan McDermott) is based on Scotty Bowers, a well-known Hollywood pimp. Bowers notoriously arranged hookups at a Richfield gas station on Hollywood Boulevard [8]. The production design team for Hollywood found a home for the Golden Tip [9] at a period automotive repair shop in L.A.'s Atwater Village [10].
A Richfield Gas Station in Los Angeles in the late 1950s
The Beverly Hills Hotel
Jack meets with Avis (Patti LuPone), his first Dreamland client, at the famous Beverly Hills Hotel. One standout detail that designers may know is the banana leaf wallpaper [11], which became a signature look for the landmark in the '40s. While we see the pink-and-green getaway and sign outside of the hotel [12], the bungalow was recreated on set.
The Beverly Hills Hotel in 1957
Schwab's Pharmacy
Actors notoriously hung out at Schwab's Pharmacy, a drugstore with a big lunch counter — Lana Turner supposedly found her big break there [13]. In the series, Henrietta (Maude Apatow), Jack Costello's wife, works at the counter. Unfortunately, the store closed in 1983 [14], the building that it was housed in eventually destroyed for development.
Schwab's Pharmacy on Sunset Boulevard
George Cukor's Home
In episode three, the guys get invited to director George Cukor's home, where a sexually charged Sunday party takes place. While it's widely debated [15] whether or not Cukor's soirees were really as scandalous, Cukor was known for his gatherings that were labeled as "all-boys affairs [16]." Because the Cukor home has been significantly remodelled, the Sunday bash was actually filmed at two different houses [17].
George Cukor's Backyard Pool in 1946
The Hollywood Sign
One of the production struggles for Raymond Ainsley (Darren Criss) was building a Hollywood sign on the set, as Peg Entwistle [18], the actress who the character Meg is based on, tragically jumped to her death from the letter H. No, the movie Meg [19] never existed, but the Hollywood (formerly Hollywoodland) sign is, undoubtedly, real. The 1923 structure originally had over 4,000 blinking lights [20] and was eventually renovated by Hugh Hefner.
The Hollywood Sign Circa 1970
Shrine Auditorium
The 1948 Oscars [21] did take place at Shrine Auditorium [22], even if the night didn't go as the miniseries depicted, with the fictional Meg sweeping the nominations. Production designer Matthew Flood Ferguson [23] used the Orpheum Theatre for the ceremony and recreated the Oscar in the middle of the stage with spray-painted Styrofoam.
Shrine Auditorium in the 1930s
El Cabrillo
El Cabrillo is a historic Spanish-style courtyard building constructed by Cecil B. DeMille in the '20s [24] for out-of-state actors. In Hollywood, Anna May Wong [25] (Michelle Krusiec) resides there in a garden apartment after being passed over for a role in The Good Earth. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the real building.