Robocop Dallas

[texman]

I don't if this has been brought up before, but as we know, Dallas was the filming location of Robocop (1986). Though the movie was set in Detroit, I always thought they made a good decision for picking Dallas to flim it in during the 80s. The movie was set in the futurisitic 90s as one taken over by a violent, consuming society ruled over by huge corpotations. See it, its pretty good, LOT OF SHOTS OF DALLAS. I found some pictures though that they did for the movie. The totally redid downtown with new buildings but you can see the resemblance between the two. Such as, if you look for SBC plaza they made it much taller. Also they did a markup of city hall making it over 100 stories.

[gc]

Cool. I am not sure I knew that.

[Geaux Tigers]

Part of the film was also shot in Pittsburgh at one of the old (read: closed) steelmills. In fact, the entire part of the movie where he gets shot up before becoming Robocop was shot in Pittsburgh. But, you're right, there are TONS of scenes with Dallas in the background!

BTW, how did you get a still of a movie and make it a picture? I only ask because I think my boss was in 3 O'Clock High (awesome John Hughes movie) and I want to get a still of him! His role was Jock #3 (Tom Taylor).

[bloodandpopcorn]

there are a few picutres that i think are even better of the unaltered dallas skyline... i will try to capture them this weekend and put them up here. I love the film, and seeing Dallas in it is a big bonus!

[drumguy8800]

wow! amazing. i'd love to see more stills!!!

Is this Dallas?



It's from Robocop2.

This one's from Robocop3..



http://robocoparchive.com

[bloodandpopcorn]

No. Robocop 2 is Houston and 3 is Atlanta.

[drumguy8800]

No. Robocop 2 is Houston and 3 is Atlanta.

Thanks.. I was gonna say, that round building looks a lot like the Peachtree Tower.

[freewaytincan]

I have been trying to get screenshots of the OCP Tower for so long! Thank you so much!

[rantanamo]

in some scenes you can see Reunion Tower in the background

[freewaytincan]

in some scenes you can see Reunion Tower in the background

Almost the entire movie was made here (the stuido parts were made in Las Colinas), except for the steel mill, which was in Pittsburgh. The only time Detroit is in the movie is at the very beginning, with the stock helicopter shot.

[RobertB]

I don't if this has been brought up before, but as we know, Dallas was the filming location of Robocop (1986). [...] Such as, if you look for SBC plaza they made it much taller. Also they did a markup of city hall making it over 100 stories.

Since some board members may not have even been *born* in the mid-80s, I'd like to point out that the "enhancements" to the Dallas skyline were done before computer graphics made it easy. So don't be too critical if you can see a bit of a seam between the actual building and the 100-story addition...

Wasn't the climatic running gun battle filmed in The Crescent's parking garage?

[texman]

in some scenes you can see Reunion Tower in the background

The scene where you see reunion tower is when robocop was fighting the bad guys shooting out of his police cruiser. Many mistake the road robocop was driving on for I-35 but its actually N Houston Street (current location of AA Center) with Reunion Tower in the background.

Also I found this picture at the robocop website of when the "OCP" execs were in a board meeting. See the building in the background. Look familiar?

[bshiker]

Those board room scenes were filmed on the top floor of the Rennasaince building. When I worked in Dallas, I worked at the law firm of Winstead, Sechrest & Minick. It has the top 4 floors, and those scenes were actually done in the law library.

[freewaytincan]

Those board room scenes were filmed on the top floor of the Rennasaince building. When I worked in Dallas, I worked at the law firm of Winstead, Sechrest & Minick. It has the top 4 floors, and those scenes were actually done in the law library.

As I suspected. The lobby of the OCP building was the atrium of the Plaza of the Americas, with more of that very impressive mattework. If you look in some of the scenes in the board room, you can also see Momentum under construction.

[xen0blue]

I just got done watching the movie robocop (shot 1986-1987 in Dallas) and it's real interesting to see so many of Dallas' buildings back in the 80s, and some of the most prominent buildings we take for granted today even under construction! I've put an arrow by some of the buildings I can't identify or find interesting. Can anyone point out which buildings are under construction in the movie which are in the pictures or tell me why city hall looks so tall and where this 'southland life insurance' building is? And is that really Dallas' old city hall in that one picture?

[RayM]

Southland Life building is the Adams Mark now.

The first construction photo looks like the Chase Tower.

The second one looks like the Chase (neé Bank One) Buildling.

City Hall looks tall because it's had a painting extension added.

Not sure which photo you're talking about as old City Hall. I don't see any caps with any previous City Hall in it. If you're talking about the next-to-last arrow, that looks like Baylor.

Edit: Oh, yes. I was looking for the arrows. That one cap (without arrow) is the old Municipal Building.

[bshiker]

All of the executive office and Board scenes were shot on the top floor of Rennaissance Tower. That is the law library for the law firm of Winstead Sechrest & Minick. Its a great location for viewing buildings if you can get access (used to work there).

[RobertB]

I mergified this thread with a previous Robocop thread. Still one of my favorite movies, even more so now that I know the buildings better (I was new to Dallas when it came out).

[Spjz]

I think you are asking whether or not the ninth picture down is the old municipal building? I don't think so, but I am working from memory. The only other building like that in DT Dallas is the old post office. I am thinking that might have been shot in Fort Worth?

[RobertB]

I think you are asking whether or not the ninth picture down is the old municipal building? I don't think so, but I am working from memory. The only other building like that in DT Dallas is the old post office. I am thinking that might have been shot in Fort Worth?

No, it's definitely the "MVNICIPAL BVILDING" in downtown Dallas.

[barrykooda]

That was a fun film to watch being made. We got thrown off the set in a couple of different locations. The "shoot the bad guy through the hostage's dress..." scene was in a parking lot on main behind where we hung out at the Twilight Room. (2111 Commerce) and then we were ousted again when Kurtwood Smith (Red Foreman from 70's show" was blowing up the 6000 S.U.X. .
Good times...

[Spjz]

No, it's definitely the "MVNICIPAL BVILDING" in downtown Dallas.

RobertB, what street are those cars parked on? Where is the old police station?

[dfwcre8tive]

RobertB, what street are those cars parked on? Where is the old police station?

That's the view from Harwood/Commerce. The old City Hall / Municipal Building / Police Station is on the right and the old Gold Ring parking garage (now demolished for the future park) is on the left.

[BigD5349]

Ha, I missed this thread. What about these shots on Ross Avenue? In the shot with the gas station blowing up, you can see the Crescent and the old Moorland YMCA (now the Dallas Black Dance Theater) in the background...

[BigD5349]

Anyone know where this scene was filmed?



Here's where Robocop gets the bad guy at the end of the movie:

[SDORN]

That shot down Ross going south has changed. The parking the parking lot and strip center which was at Leonard and Ross has also been demolished for the wylie theater and museaum tower. I shot a bunch of photo in this location in the last year.

[txRNGr]

^Uptown sure has changed since this movie. You can see how sparse Uptown used to be in that last picture.

[BigD5349]

This got me thinking about when I first saw this movie. It was in Palo Alto, and back in 1987, there was no dallasmetropolis.com to keep track of the new developments back home, no way to read the local newspaper. It was kind of fun watching the movie and seeing the city in it. I hope more films will be made in Dallas in the future.

[kozzy]

^Uptown sure has changed since this movie. You can see how sparse Uptown used to be in that last picture.

Actually txRNGr, from what I can remember in the 80's, many parts of uptown were scary. I know that the Crescent existed and a few other wonderful places like Hard Rock, but some of Upown was high crime and dilapidated. Can anyone remember when that all turned around?

[RobertB]

^^ Well, there was this cop named Murphy, see, and he got this cool cybernetic body...

[Double Wide]

Its a travesty that DETROIT Police were used and not Dallas Police.

[mjblazin]

The plot line is the city is so dysfunctional that it outsourced the police department to an American subsidiary of a Japanese firm. Detroit at the time was the most dysfunctional city in America. I doubt that Detroit was loving the exposure.

[portyhead]

^^^^^^^^

WAS the most dysfunctional?? :errrr:

[RobertB]

^^^^^^^^

WAS the most dysfunctional?? :errrr:

Dallas, spurned by the producers of the Robocop sequels, has worked hard to usurp Detroit's position.

(Although to be fair: it's one thing to have a mayor who once pimped bad mortgages; it's something else entirely if he assaults a deputy.)

[ancientshoes]

Detroit at the time was the most dysfunctional city in America. I doubt that Detroit was loving the exposure.

Not much has changed. Well, San Francisco is the most backwards city in the US, but I digress.

[RobertB]

Not much has changed. Well, San Francisco is the most backwards city in the US, but I digress.

Once the world sees our signature Calatrava suspension bridge, a grand, multi-million-dollar structure towering over a shallow drainage ditch, extending from a glittering downtown to a cement plant, with another expressway in the floodway below, I think Dallas will be known as the most self-delusional city in the US. Not the world, though -- I think Dubai will always have us beat.

[texcolo2]

I like the scene that takes place at Elmer's Beer and Wine... which sits on Industrial literally between the north and south bound lanes of I-35E.

[jsoto3]

Anyone know where this scene was filmed?

That red brick building on the right is the back side of BraJay Salon at Elm & Central:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...01931&t=k&z=20

[FastbackJon]

Compare these shots. Movie shot versus google maps street view shot. In the movie shot there's a tall square building in the background that looks pinched at the top. Other buildings look different in the background as well.

I'm assuming the old city hall building (OCP) was edited into another location. Or were the building(s) in the background torn down?

[jwest1973]

Update: re-posted pics as attachments (thx RobertB)
I work in the Crescent (which you can see in the background of the gas station explosion scene) and the Robocop vs Detroit cop shoot-out takes place on our P1, P3, and P4 levels of Crescent parking garage. It starts out by our P1 elevators at Building 100 and Robocop eventually falls down a couple of levels before Nancy Allen picks him up.

Of course the movie folks could shoot here that year because the Crescent barely had any tenants yet and the paint was still drying!

I took a pic recently and you can clearly see the Bldg 100 P1 entry point where Robocop exits the stairwell. The props covered the elevator barriers with neon "garbage cans" and put a modern facade wall near the stairwell door (this wall-thickening prop's job was to hold the pyrotech "bullet holes" popping behind Robocop as the cops open fire on him).

I can post more pics from that scene if ya'll want. They show the Crescent P1 exit signs and column paint - both are still here to this day even 23 years later. Wild stuff....

[RobertB]

Blogspot doesn't seem to like embedding the pix. They're small enough to attach to your message -- let me know if you need any help.

[RobertB]

Robert Willonsky <3 dallasmetropolis.com.

Because Dallas Has Always Been New Detroit
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfa...lways_been.php

Been meaning to mention this for a few days, but friend of the show Justin Cozart recently grabbed a few scenes (ah, Crozier Tech) from Robocop to offer up a history of New Detroit, by which, of course, we mean Dallas circa 1986. Which reminds me: There's an even larger catalog of stills on the Dallas Fort Worth Urban Forum, where folks have long dissected every last local monument, standing and otherwise, from the shooting of what several Friends insist is the best Dallas-made movie ever.

Cool, but of course you'll have to click the link and visit the DO site to get the links to the Flickr pages he's talking about. Because as much as Willonsky <3 us, he probably us when we copy his stuff and don't give anyone a reason to actually GO to the original article.

[dfwcre8tive]

Here's more information from an old article:

http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx...C00B934DD580D0

[dfwcre8tive]

Detroit is erecting a Robocop sculpture:

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02...statue/?hpt=T2

[lakewoodhobo]

Has anyone seen the Robocop image on a mural in Deep Ellum? I can't remember the context of it or where exactly it is, but I'll post a picture next time I see it. Was also wondering if there are other references to Robocop painted or somehow inscribed in Dallas.

[cowboyeagle05]

Has anyone seen the Robocop image on a mural in Deep Ellum? I can't remember the context of it or where exactly it is, but I'll post a picture next time I see it. Was also wondering if there are other references to Robocop painted or somehow inscribed in Dallas.

Its at the Deep Ellum DART station. The artist used icons of Dallas culture to fill the letters in the mural including Walker Texas Ranger and such.

[lakewoodhobo]

^That's it! Thanks for posting it.

[jrd1964]

Hard to believe, that

http://forum.dallasmetropolis.com/sh...0&postcount=15
(pix 6, 8, 14, and 15)

is the same block where I transfer to my connecting bus before and after work, much less seeing the rooftops of Channel 4 and the late/great Dallas Times Herald buildings, and the parking garage seen in the last scene of yet another movie, TalkRadio.

I go near the point of the fight in the messy lot on the way to the connecting bus at night (a little later than in the pic), and near the blown-up (and now gone) Ross Ave. station sometimes if I go get groceries on a different bus after work.

I had no idea that the Crescent's parking garage was used in the movie. Hopefully no one gets the dumb idea to mess up that great Deep Ellum mural.

[jsoto3]

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfa...p_in_front.php
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221217017910238

BYOB- Bring Your Own Blanket and don't miss your opportunity to see the 1987 cult classic, Robocop right where it was shot! The famous three-piece structure, The Dallas Piece will play host to the evenings screening on July 1st. The Dallas Film Society, Downtown Dallas Inc. & the Dallas Observer, have teamed up to bring this FREE event, right to the heart of Dallas. Come hungry, authentic food trucks will be lined up and ready to serve at 7:30 p.m.! Robocop will begin showing at 8:30 p.m. after sunset. For more information click here: http://bit.ly/kc3AEJ

[sriramr9]

Residents of Dallas/In and around.
Could any one of you help me figure out the building that appears in the movie Robocop where airlifted Police Officer Murphy's body would be transferred from the chopper to the emergency ward, it happens in the terrace of a building, its still looks futuristic, the unique lighting design in the ceiling of the hallway where the stretcher is pulled along to the operation theater.

Could the hallway be from the same building ?

Also help me figure out the buildings that are shown up in the background in the chopper scene,