S1.E01 Griffith Observatory

Episode: 001 Pilot

Scene: Observatory – MacGyver’s home

Filming site:
Griffith Observatory
2805 E Observatory Rd
Los Angeles, California

 

The living area we see at the end of the episode doesn’t exist inside the observatory, that was a sound stage at Paramount studios.  The telescope seen at the beginning of the episode is the observatory’s real 12 inch refracting telescope and is located in the left doom (looking from the front) of the building.

The observatory is surrounded by the Griffith Natural Park which covers over 4,210 acres of wilderness segmented with a number of roads and hiking trails. The park is also home to the Merry-go-round seen in ‘Every Time She Smiles’ and the LA Zoo seen in season two’s ‘For Love Or Money’ episode – as well as the famous Hollywood sign located off to the right of the observatory.

 

Click here to learn more about and take a virtual tour of this location

 

 

The observatory and park is a really popular place for week-end outings with lots of people running and hiking at pace up and down the trails as well as families and groups visiting.

 

The rooftop from which MacGyver watched Gant’s helicopter land in the Pilot episode is open to public access via the outside stairways on either end of the building.

 

The 12-inch Zeiss refracting telescope we see MacGyver using at the start of the episode is located in the left doom (looking from the front) and is actually 2 telescopes. A 9½-inch was piggybacked to the 12-inch in 1955 for better observation use.

 

 

 

 

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