If you’ve ever been watching a movie, TV show or commercial and thought to yourself, “hey, isn’t that in San Pedro,” you were probably right. San Pedro has had a long history with Hollywood that goes back to the silent film era and continues to this day.
Pearl Harbor, filmed at the Warner Grand Theatre
On Saturday, September 16, take a tour of San Pedro through the eyes of Hollywood as the San Pedro Heritage Museum (SPHM) presents “San Pedro On Film,” a live talk event at the historic Warner Grand Theatre, co-hosted by Joshua Stecker (SPHM president and San Pedro Today publisher) along with Amanda Silva (host of Hello San Pedro podcast). The evening will showcase the port town’s long-time recurring role as one of Hollywood’s favorite backdrops, featuring several local filming spots accompanied by clips, commentary, historical fun facts and anecdotes pertaining to each one. Later in the evening, special guest and local film location manager Kris Bunting will sit for a live interview discussing his experience bringing productions to San Pedro and why this area is such a popular filming location.
Gone in 60 Seconds, filmed on the Vincent Thomas Bridge
“San Pedro On Film” falls on the 45th birthday of the late Angela “Romee” Romero, a beloved local historian, San Pedro Today columnist, and self-described “Pedro nerd.” Romero founded SPHM in 2018 with the mission to identify, preserve, and promote the unique history and culture of San Pedro. This event will honor her legacy and raise funds to fulfill her dream of housing the organization’s collection of artifacts, photos and ephemera in a brick-and-mortar museum space. As SPHM relaunches from their hiatus following the passing of Romero and former Board Treasurer Margaret Sullivan in April 2022, they will be programming a series of pop-up events in the near future to continue raising these funds.
Heat, filmed at the LA Harbor
Doors open on September 16 at 6:30 PM where a selection of artifacts from the San Pedro Heritage Museum will be on display before the show. Raffle tickets will be available on-site for an assortment of prizes and merch from both the museum and Grand Vision Foundation will be available as well. Purchase a VIP ticket for $40 and receive a free special-edition T-shirt while supplies last.
