In time-flies news, the comedy “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” turns 30 this week! Initially released on June 7, 1991, the film (which is currently streaming on HBO Max) didn’t exactly garner big box office numbers or rave reviews upon its debut but thanks to regular airings on HBO as well as VHS rentals (remember those?) became a cult favorite and remains insanely popular today. Not only is there a remake in the works with Treehouse Pictures, but the lines “The dishes are done, man!” and “I’m right on top of that, Rose!” endure as oft-quoted fixtures of the pop culture lexicon.
As the title suggests, the movie centers around the five Crandell siblings whose crotchety babysitter, Mrs. Sturak (Eda Reiss Merin), unexpectedly passes away the very night their mom leaves for a summer-long trip to Australia. When it is discovered that the money she had been entrusted with to support the five kids for several months had accidentally been dropped off at the mortuary with her body, eldest sister Sue Ellen (Christina Applegate), aka “Swell,” finds herself in need of funds fast. Faking a resume, the 17-year-old lands a cush gig as the executive administrative assistant to the senior vice president of operations at General Apparel West (aka GAW, the “bowels of the fashion industry”) for a yearly salary of $37,500 – plus a plethora of petty cash. Instead of floundering in her new role, Swell flourishes, as do her brothers and sisters who pick up the slack at home, much to the shock of Mrs. Crandell (Concetta Tomei) when she finally returns. The story is fun, heartwarming and fantastical – and has certainly cemented its place in cinematic history.
Directed by Stephen Herek (of “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and “The Mighty Ducks” fame), “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” was lensed in Los Angeles throughout the summer of 1990.
A few of the locations utilized include Mission Hills’ Groman Eden Mortuary, where the Crandell children drop off the trunk containing Mrs. Sturak’s body, along with a note that reads “Nice old lady inside. Died of natural causes.” Clown Dog, the restaurant where Swell first gets a job at the beginning of the film was The All American Burger formerly located at 7660 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, which has since been torn down and replaced with a Chipotle. The strip mall where Mrs. Sturak’s Buick is stolen from the kids is Canyon Plaza in Sun Valley. And the restaurant where Sue Ellen orders a Martini & Rossi at lunch is the former Opera on Ocean in Santa Monica, which today is a Del Frisco’s Grille.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures -
Image Credit: Lindsay Blake But the real star of the film’s locations is the Crandell residence, a massive American farmhouse-style dwelling with a wraparound front porch and freeform pool. Said to be at 201 Bent Rd. in “the boonies” of Los Angeles, the dwelling can really be found at 15548 Iron Canyon Rd. in Santa Clarita, about 15 miles east of Six Flags Magic Mountain.
In real life, the dwelling, originally built in 1983, contains seven bedrooms and seven baths – plenty of room for the large Crandell clan.
The pad was roughed up quite a bit for the shoot, to make it appear run down so that Swell and her siblings would have the opportunity to fix it back up to its natural state at the end of the movie. Tight camera angles were also employed to make the place seem smaller than its massive 7,384 square feet.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures The exterior of the home even appeared on the movie’s poster.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures According to actor Keith Coogan, who played Swell’s stoner brother Kenny, the property’s interior was also extensively utilized in the filming. Areas that appeared onscreen include the kitchen, family room, several bedrooms, staircase and entryway.
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Image Credit: AV Club You can check out some interior imagery of the property in a promo Coogan filmed for Wargod’s recent LP reissue of the “Don’t Tell Mom” soundtrack, which retails for $28. (“Rock and Roll!”) The shoot marked the first time Keith had returned to the house since the movie was lensed three decades ago! In the segment, he shares several fun behind-the-scenes tidbits, including the fact that the wigs he donned in the film cost a whopping $3,000 apiece and that a mock-up roof was constructed in the home’s backyard for the scene in which the youngest Crandell sibling, Walter (Robert Hy Gorman), falls from the second floor and breaks his leg. For the infamous “Dishes are done” bit, though, Keith and his “scummy” onscreen friends, Hellhound (Michael Kopelow), Skull (Alejandro Quezada), Lizard (Chris Claridge) and Mole (Jeff Bollow), did actually climb onto the pad’s second story to shoot.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures The house’s expansive 2.08-acre lot appears prominently in the film, as well. It is in the pool and spa area that the GAW fashion show takes place at the end of “Don’t Tell Mom.” There’s also a 1,850-square-foot guest house with two bedrooms and two baths and a two-car garage on the premises.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television Studios Prior to “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead,” the residence found small-screen fame portraying the supposed Eureka residence of the Lubbock family on the television series “Just the Ten of Us,” which debuted in 1988.
Disclaimer: Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.