Abbott and Costello - Dance With Me, Henry (1956) - Filming Locations
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Historical Production & Location Reference
| Film: | Dance With Me, Henry (1956) |
| Stars: | Bud Abbott, Lou Costello |
| Significance: | Final Abbott and Costello film |
- Palms Neighborhood: This movie captured the original single family homes of the area on film before the mid-1950s zoning changes replaced them all with apartment buildings.
- Our Gang / The Little Rascals: The filming location on the 3400 block of Mentone Avenue was the exact same block used in many of the Our Gang / The Little Rascals movies of the 1920s and early 1930s, most notably the film The First Seven Years.
Production & Preservation Note: As a rare independent production in the duo's career, Dance With Me, Henry offers an invaluable window into the Palms neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles in the mid-1950s. The film functions as an unintended historical documentary, preserving the streetscapes that have since been dramatically reshaped by urban development.
The Plot
Bud and Lou are running a children's amusement park but get mixed up with gangsters.
The Filming Locations
As the final film ever made by the legendary comedy duo Abbott and Costello, Dance With Me, Henry holds a special place in Hollywood history. It is also a unique entry in our Los Angeles filming locations then and now tour.
While most Abbott and Costello movies were filmed almost exclusively on the Universal Studios lot, this 1956 classic was produced by an independent company, resulting in extensive and rare (for Abbott and Costello) on-location filming across Southern California.
From Beverly Park "Kiddieland" to the Beverly Center
In the film, the story centers around "Kiddieland," which was actually the real-life Beverly Park amusement park. While this landmark is no longer standing — the site is now occupied by the massive Beverly Center shopping mall — the film serves as a vital historical record of this lost Los Angeles treasure.
The Historic Palms Neighborhood - Lou's House
One of the most significant finds in this tour is the real-life house used as Lou Costello's home in the movie. Located in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles, this area is a "holy grail" for film historians. It is the same historic district featured in dozens of Our Gang / The Little Rascals shorts filmed 20 to 30 years earlier.
A Neighborhood Lost to Time
Due to major zoning changes in the mid-1950s, the beautiful single-family homes seen in Dance With Me, Henry were on borrowed time. This "then and now" filming locations look provides a rare glimpse into:
The Palms Neighborhood before the transition to high-density apartment buildings.
Vintage Los Angeles architecture that has since been replaced by paved lots and modern developments.
Side-by-side comparisons of 1956 film frames versus the modern-day L.A. landscape.
More Filming Locations Here!
Browse through all of the other filming locations on the site here:
Filming Locations Then and Now - Site Listings
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Abbott and Costello - Dance With Me, Henry - Complete Filming Locations Photo Gallery