Elwood Bar

[izzyindetroit]

So I sat down to watch this week's Modern Family episode and after the opening credits, there is a placement shot of:



"WTF?" I thought to myself, "The Elwood Bar is a chain?" [[MF is set in California) After a quick google search, nothing came up. Comparing the street view, it is obvious this diner was in a different location but had the exact same building exterior details.

Then again after the last commercial break, a day time shot of the building:



There is a Michigan and Canadian flag in the background and an older, but new looking, buick parked on the street. The buick has no front plate, so certainly this couldn't be California where Modern Family is shot.

That is when I realize those shots of the Elwood are from when the bar sat on Woodward!! The show producers used a piece of, I am guessing stock film, from nearly 20 years ago. Aside from finding this discovery as an interesting detail to share on the forum, I am curious if anyone knows if this is a common practice in Hollywood?

[1953]

Fantastic find. In what context is this used? What were they setting up? Did you catch the episode number?

[mtburb]

Well at least this somewhat fits in to the show's 1980's setting [[may be thinking of the wrong show though).

[izzyindetroit]

Fantastic find. In what context is this used? What were they setting up? Did you catch the episode number?

The clip was just used to illustrate that the characters in the show were inside a bar/diner. That's it. Interior shots were of someplace else.

Season 7 episode 17, aired 3/23/16, available on demand, hulu, and abc go.

[mtburb]

Also, was I the only one who noticed the Detroiter Hotel in the far background to the left?

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

mtburb, MF is set in the present.

I know Hollywood uses stock images for quick small shots. I suppose studios probably have a database of pics and clips that they own, so when they need a shot of, for example, a diner in the daytime, they have a pool to pick from.

I had an actor friend in NYC who also modeled a little, and he has several times run into pics of himself in print ads. They were from pics that were shot for something but not used, but the agency retained rights, and they were later repurposed.

[canuck]

So I sat down to watch this week's Modern Family episode and after the opening credits, there is a placement shot of:



"WTF?" I thought to myself, "The Elwood Bar is a chain?" [[MF is set in California) After a quick google search, nothing came up. Comparing the street view, it is obvious this diner was in a different location but had the exact same building exterior details.

Then again after the last commercial break, a day time shot of the building:



There is a Michigan and Canadian flag in the background and an older, but new looking, buick parked on the street. The buick has no front plate, so certainly this couldn't be California where Modern Family is shot.

That is when I realize those shots of the Elwood are from when the bar sat on Woodward!! The show producers used a piece of, I am guessing stock film, from nearly 20 years ago. Aside from finding this discovery as an interesting detail to share on the forum, I am curious if anyone knows if this is a common practice in Hollywood?

Very interesting find!

As MikeyinBrooklyn says, producers buy stock shots for certain applications in film and TV. I sometimes do paintings or mock posters for productions where they buy the rights like print media do for illustration and photography.

Film companies are very keen on clearing rights for the most insignificant items. Even a framed postcard on a wall in a set has to be cleared. If an actor drinks a Coke and it isn't product placement which is the flipside of this, then, they need to clear rights with Coca-Cola too. Of course, many times it is product placement but not always. Producers are afraid of costly litigation, not so much the cost of paying usage rights.

[EastsideAl]

Also, was I the only one who noticed the Detroiter Hotel in the far background to the left?

And the old YWCA looming on the right.

[Bucket]

Could tell that this establishing shot was at the old location right away based solely on the setback. At its current location, the building is set back probably 10'-15' from the street to accommodate outdoor patio seating. At its original location, the building was street-tight.

Had The Elwood remained at Elizabeth and Woodward, it would be far more viable as a round-the-clock business catering to nearby residents, visitors and downtown employees. As it stands currently, the place is only open for a few hours before Tigers/Lions games. Too bad.

[drjeff]

There are a couple of episodes of the series "The League" [[which is set in Chicago) that use stock footage of Harper Hospital prior to scenes that take place inside a hospital, although it just says "University Hospital" on the outside.

[edgar_rhode]

my wife caught the images as well. we wondered if one of the actors / show runners had a detroit connection? i also wondered if this was a “digital drop in”. ie the producers inserted a still image / set up shot of a local greasy spoon from each major market. so someone watching in - say miami - saw a completely different diner. thats not completely out of the realm of possible considering all the local market personalization that goes on during sporting events. not likely - but still...

[Wesley Mouch]

Could tell that this establishing shot was at the old location right away based solely on the setback. At its current location, the building is set back probably 10'-15' from the street to accommodate outdoor patio seating. At its original location, the building was street-tight.

Had The Elwood remained at Elizabeth and Woodward, it would be far more viable as a round-the-clock business catering to nearby residents, visitors and downtown employees. As it stands currently, the place is only open for a few hours before Tigers/Lions games. Too bad.

The Elwood, the 'Y', and the Gem were all to be demolished by the new Tiger Stadium construction. Would have been nice for them to stay, but that wasn't possible. So the move was better than total loss for Elwood & Gem.

Up for Chuck Forbes.

Down for Mike Ilitch.

[[You may recall that I am an Ilitch defender -- but this clear the land approach was a mistake. I recall reading recently that Ilitch figured this out recently.)

[EastsideAl]

The Elwood, the 'Y', and the Gem were all to be demolished by the new Tiger Stadium construction. Would have been nice for them to stay, but that wasn't possible. So the move was better than total loss for Elwood & Gem.

Except, what replaced the Elwood at its orignal location, what's at that corner of Woodward and Elizabeth now, is... nothing.

The ballpark is a block away, the promised storefront buildings were never built, and instead what we have is some grass and a big surface parking lot on a 2 block stretch of our main street in the supposed "entertainment district".

Bucket below is correct, the Elwood would be a much more viable business, would be a more prominent piece of our architectural landscape, and would enliven a now-dead corner, if it had just been left in place.

[Hermod]

I wonder what the building was built for originally. Was it some kind of a White Castle type eatery? It isn't the kind of thing you would build for a corner bar and grill.

[p69rrh51]

Designed by Charles Noble. The Elwood Bar & Grill 300 Adams built in 1936 Downtown Detroit, MI.

Originally located at 2100 Woodward Avenue. Moved in 1997 to the present location to make room for Comerica Park.
Originally built as the Elwood Bar & Grill. I found the Elwood listed in the 1938 R. L. Polk city directory.

[mtburb]

1997 aerial of the Elwood in relation to the other buildings visible in those two scenes.


What the view looks like today from nearly the exact same location and direction.

[401don]

1997 aerial of the Elwood in relation to the other buildings visible in those two scenes.


What the view looks like today from nearly the exact same location and direction.

You just don't see lovely, landscaped surface parking like that on State St. in Chicago or Yonge St. in Toronto. It's a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle.

[izzyindetroit]

1997 aerial of the Elwood in relation to the other buildings visible in those two scenes.


What the view looks like today from nearly the exact same location and direction.

So, they moved the colony/gem because the building obstructed Ilitch's view of Comerica's grand entrance from the Fox??

I seem to recall there was to be some developments built along woodward. Does anyone have those development plans readily available to share?

It doesn't make sense to me as to why those buildings were moved, when the park foot print does not impede on them.

[mtburb]

Semi-related, but I've discovered another show that uses stock footage filmed on location in Detroit.

I was watching the episode of The Drew Carey Show where Gus Carey is "christened" and the church they went to...about halfway through the second act they showed stock interior footage of their church and at first I thought they went to a church that was identical to Saint John's on Woodward [[Drew Carey is set in Cleveland). But right away I noticed the street lights and found out that the church shown was indeed Saint John's!

I knew that footage was presumably taken on the very same day as the Elwood footage that started this thread and this was further proved when the same footage was shown again closer to the end of the second act and noticed that the background buildings were very different [[including part of the Detroiter Hotel at the far left).

Approximation of that footage as seen today: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3392546,-83.0524195,3a,75y,25.32h,98.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smvGkqM8NIjXFLpFS7w6mJw!2e0!7i1 3312!8i6656?hl=en

And if you want to know what episode it is: season 6, episode 23, overall episode 150, original airing May 3, 2001.

[downtownguy]

There are a couple of episodes of the series "The League" [[which is set in Chicago) that use stock footage of Harper Hospital prior to scenes that take place inside a hospital, although it just says "University Hospital" on the outside.

Six years ago, The Good Wife also used an exterior shot of Harper Hospital, although the episode was taking place in Chicago. I posted a thread about it at the time:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...Good-Wife-quot

[Gistok]

Lest we forget... on the same block as the Elwood Bar.... on Elizabeth & John R the Wolverine Hotel was "Eminent Domain'ed" from Chuck Forbes... and was razed.... had to... they needed those 30 parking spaces....

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/cho...PostCard.0.jpg

If you think of the wasted potential of this 16 story building today as residential.... all the Ilitch's can atone for it is lowrise modern housing spread on this and the next block.....

[Detroit]

It's open for lunch.

Could tell that this establishing shot was at the old location right away based solely on the setback. At its current location, the building is set back probably 10'-15' from the street to accommodate outdoor patio seating. At its original location, the building was street-tight.

Had The Elwood remained at Elizabeth and Woodward, it would be far more viable as a round-the-clock business catering to nearby residents, visitors and downtown employees. As it stands currently, the place is only open for a few hours before Tigers/Lions games. Too bad.

[mtburb]

Semi-related, but I've discovered another show that uses stock footage filmed on location in Detroit.

I was watching the episode of The Drew Carey Show where Gus Carey is "christened" and the church they went to...about halfway through the second act they showed stock interior footage of their church and at first I thought they went to a church that was identical to Saint John's on Woodward [[Drew Carey is set in Cleveland). But right away I noticed the street lights and found out that the church shown was indeed Saint John's!

I knew that footage was presumably taken on the very same day as the Elwood footage that started this thread and this was further proved when the same footage was shown again closer to the end of the second act and noticed that the background buildings were very different [[including part of the Detroiter Hotel at the far left).

Approximation of that footage as seen today: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3392546,-83.0524195,3a,75y,25.32h,98.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smvGkqM8NIjXFLpFS7w6mJw!2e0!7i1 3312!8i6656?hl=en

And if you want to know what episode it is: season 6, episode 23, overall episode 150, original airing May 3, 2001.

This aforementioned episode came on again tonight and this time I finally got this.


It's interesting how these double-fixture street lights, despite being repainted to greenish-black around the time the stadiums opened, were still there up until they were replaced during the Q-Line construction.

What's also interesting is that Saint John's is literally the only building in this stock footage that still stands today-all of the background buildings were eventually torn down during the Brush Park development.

As the beige structure on the far left is definitely the Detroiter Hotel, I would date this to somewhere around 1995 [[going by the cars).

And finally, this first appears about 21 minutes in [[commercials counted).