So, I'm watching my third episode of The Rookies. The first was not so good, the second much better, and the director of the second, Leonard Horn, is very good and took them off the lot, so some really nice West LA location shots (the show was filmed at Fox). The third episode comes on. First, there's a long sequence somewhere in Santa Monica that I couldn't quite figure out. Then, the next sequence takes place at what was left of Pacific Ocean Park in 1972, i.e. burnt timbers and the apartment highrise where I lived for eight years, the Shores. Later in the show, they're driving down a street in Santa Monica, they turn, and suddenly pull up in front of a liquor store the bad guys are casing. Now, that is some neat turn - to turn from a street in Santa Monica and a moment later pull up in front of Ringside Liquor - which is - wait for it - THREE BLOCKS FROM MY HOME ENVIRONMENT, at the corner of Whitsett and Moorpark. It's still there, still called Ringside. I couldn't believe it. Ringside is on the southwest corner. On the other three corners - all gas stations. You're lucky if you can find a gas station once in a mile on Moorpark right now, and here we had three next to each other. One of them is a car repair place and looks exactly the same. The other is a smog check station, and the third is the Studio City Library. Otherwise, all the buildings look exactly the same except that most of Moorpark to the east of Whitsett is lined with tall bushes.
