Despite what most gamblers will tell you, the house always wins. There’s definitely money to be had in running a casino. Such is the premise of the 2017 comedy “The House” in which suburban parents Scott (Will Ferrell) and Kate Johansen (Amy Poehler) find themselves in desperate need of funds for their daughter’s college tuition and decide to turn a quick profit by opening an underground casino with their quirky BFF Frank Theodorakis (Jason Mantzoukas), who is having some money problems of his own.
Frank’s rambling contemporary home, which has just been foreclosed upon, sits adjacent to a forest abutting a market with a large parking lot and is therefore pegged as the perfect spot to house the illegal gambling operation. Not to mention, his estranged wife, Raina (Michaela Watkins), “took a lot of the furniture, so we’ve got plenty of room for tables.”
Said to be located in the town of Fox Meadow somewhere in the tri-state area, in reality, Frank’s residence can be found at 2413 Midlothian Dr. in Altadena. The split-level pad was custom-built in 1976 for its original owners, who held onto it until August 2015 (almost 40 years!), when they sold it for $1.58 million. Realtor.com estimates its current worth at a whopping $2,615,000. With five bedrooms and six baths in 4,295 square feet, that number is, ahem, flush with the prices of similar residences in the area.
Though in definite need of updates, the property has an authentically unique retro charm that would be lost in any sort of major renovation, which is I’m sure how it caught the eyes of “The House” production team.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures -
Image Credit: Realtor.com Grounding the exterior is a fabulous set of double wooden doors that appears to stretch two stories to the home’s roofline.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com In truth, the lengthy top portions of the doors are just decorative panels but they create a definite visual.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Beyond the grand entry is a gaggle of dated living areas including an eat-in kitchen, a formal dining room, a family room with a fireplace and a recreation room with its own kitchen and bath. All five bedrooms can be found upstairs, including the owners’ suite which boasts a large bath with double vanities, a step-up soaking tub and a walk-in shower. The remaining quartet of rooms share two sets of Jack and Jill bathrooms (or Brandon and Brenda bathrooms for the “Beverly Hills, 90210” fans out there).
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Outdoor amenities include a circular driveway, a porte-cochère, a pool with a diving board, a spa, a large patio and a firepit, all situated on an impressive 0.47-acre lot. But despite what is purported onscreen, it does not sit anywhere near a forest or market.
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Image Credit: Google To keep the gambling operation covert, Frank instructs his patrons to “park at Taylor’s. Buy something and keep the receipt to prove you’re a customer. Don’t attract attention. Remember – you’re just buying groceries! You’re not on your way to an illegal casino. Walk out to the back where the electrical wall and the wooden fence meet by the woods. Ignore the sign. It’s a decoy. Take the path through the woods, bear left at the fourth tree and boom! You’re right in my backyard.”
An overhead view of Frank’s house is even shown at one point, with the adjoining forest and grocery store parking lot clearly visible. But those elements are just digital creations. In truth, the area behind 2413 Midlothian is made up of residences, as the Google aerial map above attests.
Taylor’s Ol’ Fashioned Market, where the gamblers are made to park, though, is a real place. Originally established in 1966, the beloved grocer is a veritable Sierra Madre institution! In reality, it can be found at 14 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., a good four and a half miles away from Frank’s house, so not exactly within walking distance.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The exterior of the residence was altered slightly for “The House” shoot. The front yard foliage was made to appear unkempt and stucco planters overflowing with hedges (which the town of Fox Meadow is said to have fined Frank $1,500 for not maintaining) were installed along the front walkway, somewhat shielding the entry – and the illegal casino just beyond it – from prying eyes. As Frank tells Scott and Kate about his home, “My hedges are crazy high, so it’s private.”
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Image Credit: Realtor.com As the casino operation grows, Frank makes some “Vegas-style upgrades” to the property, including transforming his backyard into what he dubs “Club Ooze,” “because what does every casino need but a kick-ass pool!” A thatched-roofed bar, plethora of greenery, umbrellas and cabanas were brought in to accomplish the transformation.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures While the exterior of 2413 Midlothian appears extensively throughout “The House,” the interior is only featured once. It is in the home’s three-car garage that Scott, aka “Paul Bunyan,” axes off the finger of a card-counting mobster. All other inside scenes were lensed on a large-scale set created by production designer Clayton Hartley and set decorator Lauri Gaffin on Stage 23 at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank. Aside from a dated look, the set does not resemble the Altadena residence in the slightest.
To make Frank’s home believable as a working casino required an interior that was large and open. So Hartley and Gaffin fashioned the main living area as a massive space open to the second story with mezzanines on each side. The inside of 2413 Midlothian is much more closed off.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The set did take a few cues from the home’s actual design, though, including featuring a built-in retro bar in one of the mezzanine spaces.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Some small details were also carried over, such as the metal stair railings of the casino set which mimic those of the Altadena dwelling.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures The residence meets a sad fate at the end of “The House” thanks to Kate, aka “The Burner,” who accidentally lights mobster Tommy Papouli’s (Jeremy Renner) arm on fire, which in turn causes the entire property to go up in flames. In reality, the pad is still standing quite intact on Midlothian.
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂
Stalk It: Frank’s residence/underground casino from “The House” is located at 2413 Midlothian Dr. in Altadena. Disclaimer: Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.