If you have watched the film Brewster's Millions (which is a remake of the 1945 classic starring Dennis O'Keefe) starring Richard Pryor (Encino and Northridge resident) and John Candy, you will recall that it was primarily shot on location in New York City. However, there are two memorable scenes filmed in the San Fernando Valley (which I was shocked to discover).
Those two memorable scenes are the baseball games during the opening credits of the film and towards the middle of the film when Richard Pryor's team plays against the Yankees. That baseball field is located in Sun Valley which was called Bluebird Field that was originally built by MTM Enterprises in 1983 for the short run NBC TV show Bay City Blues which was based on a fake minor league team with the same name. After the show got canceled, Mission College and Village Christian High School used the fields for their respective teams.
The site of this Bluebird field was built on the LADWP 153 acre Valley Generating Station in Sun Valley, CA in between Glenoaks and San Fernando Blvd on Sheldon Street. In both, the TV show Bay City Blues and the film Brewster's Millions, you can see the smoke stacks of the power plant and the storage tanks that sit directly behind centerfield.
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| Image courtesy Google Maps |
In 1985, Brewster's Millions used this site to look like the home field for the Hackensack Bulls of New Jersey. One funny distinction for this field was the railroad track that ran through it which caused interruptions to the game whenever a train passed through it. This was of course, not real, but added for comedic purposes to demonstrate how poor and bad the Hackensack Bulls were. I am guessing that to get the train to travel through the stadium, the film's producers extended the rail lines that run from through the plant (which connect to the San Fernando line) and into Bluebird field.
Unfortunately, this site was torn down in 1989 to allow for the LADWP to expand their facilities. Also, check out The LA Times article about the closing of this site titled, Bye-Bye Bluebird: End at Hand for Sun Valley Film Set and Home to Amateur Baseball Teams by Jeff Meyers on June 25, 1989.
You can see a good shot of Bluebird field in the background with the storage tanks and smoke stacks in the foreground at 10 second mark in the opening credits for Bay City Blues (first video below). Brewster's Millions offers some good shots during its opening credist (second video). Also, the scene of the Hackensack Bulls vs. the Yankess can also be seen in the third video below. Pay close attention to the smoke stacks and storage containers.
You can view more filming locations here.
