This Is Where Old School Was Actually Filmed
They say you can never go home again, but what's the statute of limitations on frat houses? That's the question the main characters ask themselves in "Old School." Todd Philips' 2003 bro comedy is often considered the film that kicked off the mid-aughts Frat Pack domination, spawning other movies like "Anchorman" and "Wedding Crashers" that featured a rotating cast of recurring funnymen.
"Old School" stars Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn as three thirty-somethings trying to relive their college glory days. When Mitch (Wilson) rents a new house near the local university, his buddies Beanie (Vaughn) and Frank (Ferrell) turn the place into a party pad, much to the ire of the school's dean. Dean Pritchard plots to have the district rezoned as university housing, all but forcing the guys to turn Mitch's house into a raucous, all-ages fraternity. "Old School" obviously required some collegiate-looking shooting locations, including a passable frat house and a college campus. Here are the locations that gave "Old School" its not-quite-academic charm.
Old School was filmed at UCLA and Harvard
For the establishing shots of the fictional Harrison University, Todd Philips used the platonic ideal of college campuses: the tree-lined squares of Harvard University. Philips and co. didn't have to trek to Cambridge to get the shot, though. For the aerial views, he used leftover establishing shots from his previous movie, "Road Trip" (via Movie-Locations).
Even though "Old School" takes place in upstate New York, the bulk of it was filmed in and around Los Angeles. On-the-ground campus scenes were filmed at UCLA's Westwood campus. Other locations are scattered around LA. Frank's wedding reception takes place in midtown at a venue that can also be seen in "Forrest Gump" and "Catch Me If You Can," among other films. Frank's famous streaking scene on Honolulu Boulevard, meanwhile, takes place further east in Pasadena (via IMDb).
Mitch's bachelor pad-turned-frat house is also in Pasadena, with a handsome stone balcony sturdy enough to host "Mitch-a-Palooza." It wasn't just Snoop Dogg's presence that made the site a venerated filming location; Bushnell Avenue had previously served as the location of the McFly home in "Back to the Future" (via Movie-Locations). It's safe to say, however, that the McFlys never hosted a KY Lube wrestling match at their house.