With its intricate, carved-wood paneling and diamond-shaped glass panes, location scout Lori Balton thought the smoking room of the historic Andrew McNally House was just glorious.

The distinctive look of the Altadena mansion, built in 1887 for the co-founder of maps and atlas firm Rand McNally Publishing, made it a favorite for filming. The Queen Anne-style home appeared in the HBO series “Entourage,” among other productions.

But the McNally House, along with other notable filming locations around Southern California, was destroyed in the recent fires.

“There was so much texture,” said Balton, who is based in Venice. “You did not feel like you were in L.A. Such a great location to have. It just breaks my heart.”

As the region grapples with the sheer number of homes and buildings destroyed, livelihoods disrupted and lives lost, its signature industry will face yet another setback in the loss of go-to filming spots, particularly in the Altadena area and Pacific Palisades.

The destruction adds to the list of hardships Hollywood faces, which now includes the loss of workers’ homes, from below-the-line crew members to actors and executives, and pauses in production that can strain personal finances.

“There is no question that the fires’ impact extends to the business of film production and the livelihoods it sustains,” nonprofit FilmLA spokesperson Philip Sokoloski wrote in an email. “We believe the immediate and long-term impacts to the local entertainment economy from the fires will prove significant, but these are also unknowable at this time.”

Over the years, Sherman Oaks-based location manager Ed Lippman had scouted many homes in the Palisades and Altadena areas for potential filming locations. As he watched the local news reports last week, he saw crews driving down Altadena’s E. Mendocino Street, where he had worked with many homeowners who allowed shoots on their property.

“I wasn’t even thinking about film or location sets at that point,” Lippman said. “I was thinking about the people, the magnitude of people I had personal interactions with … suddenly, their houses were gone. It was kind of overwhelming.”

Location scouts, managers and set decorators are now putting together a database with addresses and photos of homes in the fire zones that they’ve scouted over the years to help homeowners who need documentation for insurance claims. If a house was ever used in a film or TV production, or even was just scouted, someone could still have photos that may help with those claims, Balton said.

Balton has already added 50 homes to the list from her own records.

“The film industry supports them any and every way we can,” she said. “We can’t film on location without their homes and their communities.”

Palisade fire: memorable film landmarks gone

With its coastal views and sprawling mansions, Pacific Palisades has been a frequent spot for filming.

“You could get a lot of really nice, East Coast looks,” Lippman said. “You could shoot L.A. for other parts of the country, easily.”

The Palisades fire has now burned more than 23,000 acres and numerous homes, structures and landmarks.

One of those destroyed was Will Rogers State Historic Park, which was made up of a ranch house, barn and other buildings that once belonged to the vaudeville and film actor. The property was the filming location for “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” where it doubled as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. It was also featured in the 1981 movie “Cutter’s Way” starring Jeff Bridges, 1999’s “The Story of Us” with Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer and Lindsay Lohan’s debut feature film, “The Parent Trap,” from 1998.

About two miles away, Palisades Charter High School suffered heavy damage from the fire, though it was not lost in the blaze. School officials have said about 40% of the campus was burned, and the school is now looking for temporary facilities to resume classes.

The high school has been featured in productions including the Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis remake of “Freaky Friday,” 2001’s “Crazy/Beautiful” with Kirsten Dunst and the Anne Hathaway-led crime drama “Havoc” from 2005. The school’s volleyball courts and track also briefly appeared in 1976’s horror film “Carrie.”

The historic Topanga Ranch Motel, which was built in 1929 and designed in a distinctive bungalow style, was also destroyed. The location was a popular spot for film and TV shots.

Eaton fire: homes with character up in flames

Long favored by location scouts and managers for its film-friendly community and the distinctive looks of its older homes, Altadena has doubled as East Coast locales, international destinations and even places closer to home.

The Eaton fire has burned more than 14,000 acres and numerous structures in both Altadena and Pasadena, including entire neighborhoods.

“Each house had been there so long that it had its own personality,” Balton said. “We look for locations that are really adding another character to a movie.”

She sighed.

“It’s gone, it’s all gone,” Balton said.

Zorthian Ranch, an artists colony in the foothills of Altadena, also burned. The sprawling ranch with its eclectic art pieces, wandering llamas and sculptures, was featured in a music video for Capital Cities’ “Safe and Sound,” as well as other film and TV productions.

About a mile away, Charles S. Farnsworth Park, too, was destroyed in the fire. Boasting an airy outdoor amphitheater surrounded by trees and a view of the L.A. skyline, the park was used to film Apple TV+’s series “Shrinking” starring Harrison Ford and Jason Segel, and the 2001 film “American Pie 2.”

“There are no words, really,” Balton said of the destruction. “Hope we go on. You can rebuild homes but boy, how long it takes to rebuild a community.”

The premise

Make no mistake. Unstoppable is very likeable and ultimately packs an emotional wallop. It has all the ingredients to make an amazing genre entry, but it stays so expectedly overwrought in its own formula that the story rarely takes shape. Marking the directorial debut of Oscar-winning Argo editor William Goldenberg, and produced by Ben Affleck, Unstoppable features a fierce central performance from Jharrel Jerome as Anthony, and an equally impressive supporting turn from Jennifer Lopez as his mother Judy. However, the film feels too caught up trying to impress, too one-note to add any texture to these characters to make them feel more than what they are offered on screen.

Unstoppable starts off with Anthony’s final years in high school, where he impresses with his agile moves in the match. His mother roots for him to excel, and his coach (Michael Peña) supports his dreams. But back home, he has to deal with his abusive stepfather (Bobby Cannavale), which amounts to his anxieties about his next steps. Should he take the offer of a full college scholarship at Drexel or pursue at Iowa, where he believes the best wrestlers go? During his search, his way will lead to coach Shawn Charles (Don Cheadle), whose push will keep Anthony striving for more.

What works

The tone and texture of Unstoppable are unabashedly formulaic and one-note, which feels like the film is deliberately trying to tell such an uplifting story in a Wikipedia-ish fashion. Scenes set in Anthony’s home are tough, so we get a montage scene next, and then we return to the house for more revelations through a short flashback. This tried-and-tested trick fails to add any support to the material.

Still, the film moves ahead and works in several parts thanks to the committed performances of its cast. Jharrel’s central turn is intense and physical, but his bond with his mother forms the core of this film. Lopez tries hard to salvage her scenes with roughly overdone dialogues and succeeds largely. If 2019’s Hustlers was not enough proof, Unstoppable is yet another reminder that Lopez can very well bring in the acting chops when required: she just needs to experiment with better scripts.

Final thoughts

Even though the end is predictable, Unstoppable does manage to get there with some saving grace and emotion. The wrestling scenes are well choreographed and shot, even as the overtly melodramatic score comes in the way at several points. Unstoppable is loud and unsubtle, often undone in its all-knowing attitude. Because the subject itself is so revelatory and poignant, the film ultimately wins you over with its truth. It manages to be quite effective and moving. What it required was a little more consideration, a slight pause to stand beside this human being and watch him tackle so many obstacles. Just watching is, in many ways, akin to empathy.

Unstoppable is now available to stream on Prime Video.

Decimated by fire season, it seems impossible that the Los Angeles area could even begin to think about awards season.

As fires that have killed at least 25 and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses continue to burn, the idea of glitzy red carpets, brimming swag bags and arguments over who should have won best picture feel like they belong to another time, another world.

The heart of the entertainment industry is devastated, literally and emotionally, and the true extent of the damage won’t be known for months. So it’s not surprising that some have called for the upcoming Grammys and Oscars to be canceled.

Is now really the time to contemplate celebrities flaunting borrowed diamonds and haute couture, delivering emotional speeches while clutching coveted statuary?

Yes. Yes it is.

In recent days, many guilds and organizations, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, have postponed nomination announcements and delayed or canceled other January events. The Recording Academy, however, announced that the Grammys will take place, as scheduled, at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 2 — with, as Recording Academy and MusiCares Chief Executive Harvey Mason Jr. and Board of Trustees chair Tammy Hurt wrote in a letter to members, “a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours.”

And despite a recent erroneous report in the British press, the Oscars will be following suit.

“After consultation with ABC, our board, and other key stakeholders in the Los Angeles and film communities, we have made the carefully considered decision to proceed with the 97th Oscars ceremony as planned on March 2nd,” Academy Chief Executive Officer Bill Kramer said in a statement to The Times.

“This year’s ceremony will include special moments acknowledging those who fought so bravely against the wildfires. We feel that we must go forward to support our film community and to use our global platform to bring attention to these critical moments in our history.”

The academy, he said, will continue to monitor the situation closely.

“The spirit of Los Angeles and our film community has always been one of resilience, and the Oscars represent not just a celebration of film, but the industry’s strength and unity in the face of adversity.”

For some, the ability of these awards shows to help raise money for the many in need is the best argument for them to take place. But, as Kramer points out, there are other compelling reasons as well.

Whether you like them or not, the Oscars and the Grammys remain important rituals, dependable moments in time around which Los Angeles, the country and indeed the world regularly gather. To celebrate or deride, it doesn’t matter. They are a fixed part of our cultural conversation and calendar year — and as we discovered during the COVID-19 pandemic, the absence of such rituals only adds to the sense of powerlessness and demoralization that accompanies any crisis.

It’s difficult to imagine asking those who have lost their homes to put on a tux or shimmy into foundation garments, but never before will a sea of famous faces be seen as such an act of defiance.

Despite dwindling ratings, the Oscars is the most-watched awards show in the world; its trophy remains the ultimate icon of success. Though postponed and rescheduled several times in its 94-year history, the Oscars have never been canceled. Not during war or plague, not after assassination or the 9/11 attacks. To do so now would send a message diametrically opposed to the historic resiliency of both the city and the industry it represents.

We must always celebrate the work that unites and defines us, makes us laugh, cry, think and aspire. Especially in the midst of tragedy.

And that work must continue despite the destruction and grief. The fires are only the latest blow to many already struggling to find work, make the rent, feed the kids. For almost five years, the entertainment industry has been beset, first by the pandemic, then by the writers’ and actors’ strikes and the constriction that followed.

The economy of every awards season, even one muted or modified to reflect national trauma or local devastation, is critical to thousands of people. To those involved in the nominated works, the studios that produce them and the shows themselves — it takes roughly 1,000 people to put on the Oscars, not counting presenters and guests — of course. But also to the hotel workers, florists, restaurants, construction crews, cab drivers, stylists, seamstresses, rental companies, cleaners — the number of people required to mount, oversee and break down these enormous events is incalculable.

Including all the press involved. The crucial fire coverage you have been reading in The Times and other outlets is paid for, in part, by awards season advertising.

It may seem cruel and impossible to expect Los Angeles to pull herself together and start throwing nationally televised parties in a matter of weeks. But I know this city. In the the 30-plus years I’ve lived here, I’ve watched her endure fire, flood, plague, civil unrest and a 6.7 earthquake that flattened houses and broke freeways in half.

Like the steel jacaranda she is, Los Angeles will never surrender. She will weep for what is lost. And then she will dry her eyes, fish out a few glad rags, throw on a little makeup and get a blowout.. She will stand, straight-backed in the rubble, greeting guests and passing out Champagne in broken tea cups with a smile so dazzling that no one will even notice anything’s amiss.

So use the Oscar and the Grammy telecasts to raise money and awareness. Suggest that those businesses in the habit of giving A-listers exclusive goodies donate to fire relief instead. Acknowledge and honor all that the industry, the front-line workers and the city have endured with a more sober ceremony — though not too sober, because God knows we could use a laugh. Just don’t talk about how they should be canceled altogether. That would make a bad situation only worse.

The show is here, just as it’s always been. And now more than ever, the show must go on.