Santa Rosa, California - Film Locations

Film Locations

Further information: Film locations in Sonoma County, California

Santa Rosa has served as a location for many major films, including:

• The Happy Land (1943) Shot in Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. Natalie Wood's first movie, at age four.
• Shadow of a Doubt (1943) Alfred Hitchcock's personal favorite, filmed at Santa Rosa Railroad Depot, NWP Engine #140, Old Courthouse Square, Public Library, and McDonald Avenue. The 1991 telefilm involved eight weeks' filming on McDonald Avenue.
• The Sullivans (1944) Shot on Morgan Street.
• All My Sons (1948) Shot on McDonald Avenue.
• The Wonderful World of Disney The "Inky the Crow" episodes (beginning in the late 1960s) filmed in the Fountain Grove area.
• Storm Center (1956) Bette Davis spent six weeks on location at the Santa Rosa Main Library, which keeps a collection of clippings. It also includes scenes from downtown and a house on Walnut Ct.
• Pollyanna (1960) Featured the Mableton Mansion (also known as the McDonald Mansion), on McDonald Avenue.
• Little Dog Lost (1963) Filmed in Santa Rosa and Cloverdale.
• It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) The sequence involving the plane flying full bore, at about 150 knots, through an airplane hangar in less than a second, was shot at the Sonoma County Airport (in unincorporated Sonoma County between Santa Rosa and Windsor).
• The Candidate (1972) directed by Michael Ritchie was shot in Howarth Park and Schlumberger Gallery.
• Slither (1972) Highway 101 south of Santa Rosa, and Cloverdale.
• Steelyard Blues (1973) Shot in downtown Santa Rosa and at the Sonoma County Airport.
• Smile (1975) Shot at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium and many other nearby locations. Made into a 1986 Broadway musical of the same name with music by Marvin Hamlisch.
• Little Miss Marker (1980) Shot at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
• Shoot the Moon (1982) Used a real Carl's Jr. on Industrial Drive at Cleveland Avenue. Also filmed at Wolf House at Jack London State Park.
• Cujo (1983) Locations include Santa Rosa and Petaluma.
• Smooth Talk (1985) Locations include Santa Rosa shopping malls and Sebastopol.
• The Blue Yonder (1985, TV) "Lower" 4th Street (west of Highway 101) in Railroad Square.
• Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) Locations include Santa Rosa High School and Petaluma.
• Wildfire (1988) Wood Pontiac & Cadillac on Corby Avenue.
• Wired (1989) Filmed in Santa Rosa.
• Die Hard 2 (1990) Scenes shot at Santa Rosa Air Center.
• Shadow of a Doubt (1991, TV) McDonald Avenue and the Train Depot.
• Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! (1992) Shot over a four-week period at Santa Rosa Air Center.
• Phenomenon (1996) Used Santa Rosa Junior College as an establishing shot for UC Berkeley. Also used "The Wagon Wheel" bar off of Highway 101 for bar scenes.
• Scream (1996) A house on McDonald Avenue, a local grocery store and the Bradley Video Store on Marlow Road.
• Inventing the Abbotts (1997) Shot at Santa Rosa High School and in Petaluma.
• Mumford (1999) Shot at Santa Rosa Junior College, other Santa Rosa locations, and in Guerneville and Healdsburg.
• Bandits (2001) Locations included the Flamingo Hotel
• The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) Set in Santa Rosa.
• Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) Filmed in Railroad Square.
• Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) Set in Santa Rosa during the 1980s.