After The Rialto Report told the troubled behind-the-scenes story of Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Fantasy (1976), we wanted to find the original locations – and see if we could visit them all within one eight-hour period.
This is how we got on.
Use the sliding bar in many of the pictures below to see ‘before’ view (from 1976) and ‘after’ view (from 2017) of the locations.
The previous installments in our series featuring adult film locations today have been:
1: The Mansion in The Story of Joanna (1975) and Through The Looking Glass (1976)
2: The Restaurant in Take Off (1978) and Misbehavin’ (1978)
3: Pretty Peaches (1978)
4: The Devil and Miss Jones (1973) and Memories Within Miss Aggie (1974)
5: Deep Throat (1972)
6: Naked Came The Stranger (1975)
7: Boys In The Sand (1971)
8: Debbie Does Dallas (1978)
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As recounted in The Rialto Report’s article ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (1976): What really happened?’, Bud Townsend shot the film three hours north of Manhattan in upstate New York. Four principal locations were used: the D.R. Evarts Library, a private estate in Palenville, the Kaaterskill Falls, and the Olana State Historic Site.
Alice in Wonderland: Location 1 – D.R. Evarts Library
The opening scenes in Alice in Wonderland were shot in the D.R. Evarts Library, Athens, NY – a beautiful, small building that is unchanged since the 1970s.
D.R. Evarts Library, Athens, NY – 2017
The opening scene of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ outside the D.R. Evarts Library
Alice (Kristine DeBell) opens the library door
The inside of the library has not changed in the 41 years since the film shoot…
…except for the addition of DVD racks.
The same book shelves and radiators remain.
The library itself is tiny, and would have been a challenge to film in.
The only change in this view is the addition of the DVD rack.
This section was, and still is, the children’s section of the library.
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Alice in Wonderland: Location 2 – Private Estate near Palenville, NY
Most of the film was shot on a private estate just outside of the town of Palenville. The main mansion on the estate was built in the early 1900s, and the builder’s granddaughter’s family still lives in an adjacent cottage on the land. Her husband remembers the filming of Alice in Wonderland, which was shot on the lawn in front of the mansion and in the surrounding grounds. The couple were surprised when they looked out and saw scenes of a sexual nature being filmed in front of them.
The mansion, also known locally as ‘White’s Castle’
The woods behind the mansion were used for the dance numbers
One dance number, featuring Terri Hall and Nancy Dare, took place in front of a brick wall
Another dance number, featuring Kristen Steen, Terri Hall, Gila Havana, and Nancy Dare was staged in an open air dining area
The area is now overgrown and doesn’t appear to have been used for years
If the statues could talk…
The large entrance to the estate remains the same
The scenes with the Queen of Hearts (Juliet Graham) were shot in front of the mansion
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Alice in Wonderland: Location 3 – The Kaaterskill Falls
The scenes shot in the waterfalls were filmed in nearby Kaaterskill Falls, located in the eastern Catskill Mountains.
Kristine DeBell in Alice in Wondlerland
The falls in 2017
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Alice in Wonderland: Location 4: The Olana State Historic Site
The closing scene of Alice in Wonderland was shot in the grounds of Olana State Historic Site, home of Frederic Edwin Church, one of the major figures in the Hudson River School of landscape painting.
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Congrats! You did it…. all locations visited and a fine report back. :0)
I love this series! I’ve always been obsessed with movie locations, and the adult locations, for obvious reasons are so much harder to identify. Kick ass tour!
I love ‘Alice’ and so this is a dream come true…… Did you spot any of the large mushrooms in the woodland??!
Another amazing find from you guys.
Kristine debelle was smoking hot. she denies she did her own hard-core scenes but it’s hard to believe that.
Another great article, Ashley West!
Filmed within an hour or so of where I used to live…wow.
Do you (Ashley and April) ever get tired of hearing how great the Rialto Report is? If so, I’ll stop! 😉
Thank you Adrian!
Fantastic stuff (as always)!
Never seen it. But is it a real porn film?
Yes, it is a “real” porn film.
Wowsa! Kristine DeBell is ravishing! Now searching for this gem. Thanks for the tip.
Great list of many of the locations used….but you left out two that I know of first hand. The pond scene (where Alice fell in) was filmed in Hunter, NY, off of Ford hill Road (pond is hidden from road) and the Big gray Mushroom scene (where Alice is ‘dried’ off after falling in pond) was filmed in a treed wood line, just off of SR 296 diagonally across from the old Drive In moving theater (on the Village of Hunter side). I was a kid living in the area at the time it was filmed. I believe it was Jeff Prince who hooked them up these locations and it was done rather low key. The large gray Mushroom was left abandoned there and was just barely visible from the road (when leaves were off trees and if you knew where to look) for years afterwards until the plaster finally rotted off it.