A Studio Map From Nearly 100 Years Ago Reveals Where Hollywood Filmed Kentucky Stories in California

On several occasions, I've expressed my frustration over films that have been set in Kentucky but were not filmed here. That's changed a lot, recently, with the advent of the Kentucky Entertainment Incentive, an attractive tax break that makes shooting movies in the Commonwealth much more affordable.

Hollywood and Kentucky

The TV series I often cite in this regard is the FX crime drama Justified, which aired on the cable network from 2010 to 2015. It centered around the activities of the U.S. Marshal's office in Lexington, with episodes taking them to familiar locations like Hazard and London (Kentucky).

However, the series never "set foot" in the Bluegrass State. The pilot episode was shot in Pennsylvania (yes, that can pass for Kentucky), while the remaining episodes were shot in California (no, it can't pass for Kentucky unless you're filming in a house with no windows.) Those latter episodes were shot in Los Angeles County. But nearly 100 years ago, they wouldn't have been.

Where Hollywood Used to Film 'Kentucky' Scenes

I came across one of the coolest maps I've ever seen. It's an old Paramount Studio map detailing the Southern California locations that would double for places like South Africa, the Swiss Alps, the Nile River, New England, and, yes, the mountains of Kentucky.

After checking an official map, it looks like mountainous areas in the Mojave Desert were proposed as duplicates of eastern Kentucky in 1927. I don't see it. Our mountains are green, and I mean leafy green. In the southern half of the Golden State, the green comes from drought-resistant live oaks and sycamores.

Read More: Hollywood Stars Who Maintain Homes in Kentucky and Indiana

I still don't see it.

But hey, California has become so prohibitively expensive that directors and producers are heading East to save money. Yes, East, as in the real Kentucky.