The Russians Are Coming! … in Mendocino!
Find the locations for “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” in Mendocino and now on The SetJetters App.
By Erik Nachtrieb, SetJetters CEO & Cofounder
The 1966 classic comedy The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming is a must-watch for movie lovers and film tourists alike.
Though the film is set on the fictional Gloucester Island, Massachusetts, most of it was filmed along the stunning northern California coast, particularly in Mendocino, Fort Bragg, and Westport.
Surprisingly, many of the exact filming locations have remained unidentified - until now! I took on the challenge of tracking them down and submitting them to the SetJetters movie scene location app.
In this blog, I reveal how I uncovered the final scene’s exact filming location and how you can visit it yourself.
I was most determined to find the final scene. It’s a moment that features my favorite character, Luther Grilk, the town drunk, who makes a dramatic proclamation on horseback, "The Russians Are Coming!" but where exactly was it filmed? That was the mystery I set out to solve.
The Journey Begins: Finding the Palm Court Bar Scene
I started by identifying the location of the Palm Court Bar, where Luther is told to get his horse, Beatrice, and ride through town yelling, “The Russians Are Coming!”.
This key scene led me to Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg. What was once a bustling bar in the film is now a marine research center. A close comparison of film frames and current images revealed the building itself and a structure in the background that matched perfectly, confirming the location.
With the bar scene identified, my next assumption was that Luther’s other scenes might have been filmed nearby. But despite extensive searching in the Fort Bragg area, I couldn’t find a match for the field, fence, coastline, or the narrow street seen in the final moments of the movie.
A Shift in Strategy: Searching in Mendocino
Since the film’s production took place in multiple locations, I moved my search location to Mendocino, another prominent filming site for the film.
My reasoning: if they used a horse, it would make sense to shoot all the horse scenes in the same general area for continuity and convenience.
After scanning various fields, I finally found a promising candidate - a long straight road next to a large field leading toward the sea, just like in the movie.
Next, I examined the adjacent structures and one shed in particular stood out. Its vertical board and batten siding, side gable entry, and overall dimensions all matched the one in the film. I believed this was the spot where Luther crossed the road to meet Beatrice.
The only thing missing was the fence. But upon further exploration, I discovered remnants of the old wooden fence posts still standing in the ground. This confirmed that I was in the right place. Shot-by-shot comparisons aligned perfectly - Luther’s road crossing, his encounter with Beatrice, and the field he ran through before finally giving up the chase.
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Pinpointing the Final Scene
The biggest challenge remained: finding the exact location of the final moment of the last scene. In the film, Beatrice rears up as Luther shouts a dramatic proclamation. To locate this spot, I analyzed every detail in the scene:
A narrow street
A two-story gabled house with a porch
A fence
A saltbox house in the background
A shed to the right
A headland visible in the distance
The combination of these elements suggested a location near the water. Using this information, I narrowed my search to the streets on the edge of Mendocino. And then I found it!
A house on Rundle Street caught my eye. Though the porch was filled in during a remodel, the gabled roof and door placement matched exactly.
Further down the lane, the saltbox house was still standing, and you could see a second roof just behind it.
The headland in the distance matched perfectly with the film scene. Even the fence and a shed with a flat roof (now modified with a gable) were present. With all these visual clues lining up, I confirmed that Rundle Street in Mendocino was the exact location where Luther proclaimed, “The Russians Are Coming!
Visit the Scene with SetJetters
If you’re a fan of The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, or just love exploring film locations, you can visit this historic filming spot with the SetJetters movie location app.
Check it out and experience a piece of cinematic history for yourself!
Want me to find a movie location for you? Ask and I’ll find it! Stay tuned for more discoveries!
Imagesⓒ United Artists & Google StreetView
