The Griffith Observatory is a famous tourist location, mostly due to the amazing view over Los Angeles, but we Arnold Fans know it best as where the Terminator first arrives. The observatory was built back in May 14, 1935 and has been free to the public as an attraction ever since. The main reason we went was to locate the exact spots Arnold Schwarzenegger filmed his world-famous nude crouching pose, where he overlooked the city and where he was filmed walking over to kick Bill Paxton’s ass.
By referencing and walking around The Griffith Observatory we were able to find the arrival location and the skyline shot. It is located on the left side of the observatory that does not require any access or fees. Both the arrival location and skyline location were literally right next to each other. We decided to do our famous arrival scene and overlook the city of Los Angeles. This was during the daytime where the scene was shot at night. No nudity was involved so don’t worry about that.
Visting the location where the first scene was shot in the movie The Terminator is a great experience. Some people say that this specific arrival scene launched the arrival of Arnold Schwarzenegger's career. Perhaps TheArnoldFans can arrange a special screening there one day where Terminator fans could watch the movie on the lawn of this Hollywood landmark. If you go, please share your photos with us but make sure you don’t go on laundry day. Nothing clean, right?
