Eight On The Lam (1967)
In the film Eight On The Lam (1967) Bob Hope plays a widower trying to raise seven kids on a bank teller's income. One day, Hope stumbles across $10,000 in the parking lot of a grocery store and he must decide whether to keep the money which his family could certainly use, or turn the money over to the grocery store for the rightful owner to come back and claim it. Hope decides to wait two weeks to see if any one reports in the newspaper that they have lost the money. When no one claims the money, Hope decides to keep the cash after checking with the management at his bank first, to see what the best thing to do would be.
Hope goes on a spending spree, buying his teenage daughter new dresses, the other kids the toys they want, and a larger car for the family to ride in (trading in the little VW bug that was way too small for a family of 8 plus one dog). Meanwhile, the bank finds out that they are missing $50,000 and immediately they think that Hope is embezzling the money. After Hope is tipped off by one of his co-workers that the bank is sending the cops to arrest him, Hope's family babysitter, played by the theatrical Phyllis Diller, tells Hope that he should take the seven kids and go somewhere where the family can lay low until things get figured out. Hope loads the kids into the new station wagon and tells them they are going on an "early vacation."
The film is not one of Bob Hope's best, but it has some fun moments, including the usual Bob Hope one-liners and a big screwball chase scene. In addition to Hope and Diller, the cast also includes Jonathan Winters and Jill St. John. Although set in Altadena, California and Phoenix, Arizona, quite a bit of the film was actually filmed in the Larchmont Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, located just a few blocks south of Paramount Studios. Here are some of the film locations in Larchmont.
At one point in the film Hope sneaks into the bank that he works at to see if he can find any evidence that will clear his name. While Hope is in the bank he accidentally triggers an alarm. Soon the cops are on their way. Below are a few scenes of the cops driving down Larchmont Boulevard in the heart of the village.
192 N. Larchmont Blvd as seen in Eight On The Lam
192 N. Larchmont, Blvd, Los Angeles (2010)
157 N. Larchmont Blvd, as seen in the film.
157 N. Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles (2010)
147 N. Larchmont Blvd. The police arrive at the bank.
147 N. Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles
What was a First National Bank in the movie is now the movie rental store Blockbuster; but, like the First National Bank, the way things are going with Blockbuster, I'm sure the location will soon be turned into another business.
147 N. Larchmont Blvd. The cops arrive at the bank.
147 N. Larchmont Blvd. The bank is now a Blockbuster.
147 N. Larchmont Blvd.
When the cops arrive at the bank, Hope, who is disguised in a beard, sneaks out the backdoor into the back alley. The alley Hope goes down is just behind the shops on Larchmont Blvd, but is actually a couple blocks down from where the bank is supposed to be.
Hope exits in the back alley.
The alley behind the shops on Larchmont Blvd.
Hope comes out of the alley at First Street.
Looking down First Street
Hope pretends to be a protester. First Street at Larchmont Blvd.
First Street at Larchmont Blvd.
You can see in the image above that the Richfield gas station is no longer standing. Today there is a Bank of America. The tall red roof building next to the gas station is also now gone. Below is another view looking at the southeast corner of Larchmont Blvd. The house is still standing but now is surrounded by a wall of bushes.
Hope at First Street and Larchmont Blvd.
Looking at the Southeast corner of Larchmont Blvd.
Another view of First and Larchmont
First Street and Larchmont Blvd
I almost didn't notice this next location with the Safeway, but fortunately, I have a photographic memory when it comes to buildings and I remembered the funny shaped rooftop of the building next door to the Safeway. When I was walking down the sidewalk of Larchmont Blvd I saw the same rooftop on a building next door to a Right Aid. I took a picture of the location so I could see if it matched what I remembered from the film and it certainly does.
226 N. Larchmont Blvd in the film was a Safeway grocery store.
226 N. Larchmont Blvd. Today is a Rite Aid drugstore.
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