Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

No blog about movie locations would be complete without a visit to the Griffith Observatory.

On these grounds, James Dean, Nathalie Wood and Sal Mineo were filmed in all their "teenage" angst for the classic tragedy, Rebel Without a Cause. (Mr. Dean wasn't actually a teenager, he was 24 at the time.)

The Observatory plays a central part to the movie. Early on, the high school class takes a field trip there. After the presentation in the planetarium, everyone goes outside for a good old fashioned knife fight. Nobody gets killed until later when Buzz, the leader of the bullies, drives over a cliff.

But that's not it for the Observatory. Jim, Plato (Sal Mineo) and Judy (Nathalie Wood) run back to the park because the bullies are chasing them. Plato falls asleep so Jim and Judy take the opportunity to wander off by themselves. Judy proclaims her love for Jim even though her ex-boyfriend is not even dead by 12 hours. When Plato is woken up by the bullies and finds out that Jim and Judy have deserted him, he goes batshit crazy and runs to the Observatory. Since this is a tragedy it doesn't end well; Plato is gunned down by the police on the front steps.

If none of this makes sense, go see the movie. It is well worth it. Sorry for the spoilers.

The Observatory is a beautiful building, both inside and out. It is high on the list for must-see L.A. attractions for Korean tourists.

Here are the steps where poor Plato was gunned down. It was probably not a good idea to come out waving a gun when the police have you surrounded.

If you remember the film, this is the area where the knife fight occurred. Nothing much has changed since 1955 except for the skyscrapers in the distance.

It doesn't take long to walk around the grounds. They are very well maintained. And there is free parking!!

Every time I see this part of the Observatory, I think of R2D2. Hmmm, I wonder if George Lucas came here and found some inspiration.

Overlooking the Hollywood sign, there is a statue dedicated to James Dean and Rebel Without a Cause. As the plaque points out, there have been many other films made here but Rebel is the most famous.

James Dean didn't even live long enough to see his classic come to the big screen. The film opened on October 27, 1955 almost one month after his fatal car crash.

HOW TO GET THERE: The Griffith Observatory is part of the large Griffith Park located in the northern part of L.A. county. It is easily accessible by the 5 freeway.

WORTH THE TREK? 9/10 for the beautiful grounds and the amazing views. Although I personally find that the planetarium is a good place to fall asleep, it might be entertaining for the kids. And did I mention that there is FREE PARKING??