Reference is made here to Susan Compo's book, "Earth Bound: David Bowie and The Man Who Fell To Earth," Jawbone Press, London, 2017. While there is much valuable information in Compo's book, there are too many errors regarding New Mexico filming locations to make it entirely dependable for the filming-location enthusiast.
Note that I do not post filming locations on the maps unless I have a pretty good idea exactly where they are. I don't post White Sands' locations, for example, because I don't know exactly where they were filming in that very large area.
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Stock space imagery from the Apollo program - probably Apollo 7 (launched October 11, 1968).
View of Manzano Mountains and the thunderstorm hovering just east of them.
Stock space imagery. Southern NM vista & lake? Or stock imagery of Lake Mead, or some other lake in the American West?
Fenton Lake
Fenton Lake is in the Jemez Mountains northwest of Albuquerque, NM.
One of a number of my photos of Fenton Lake (February 26, 2026).- - - - - -
Madrid, NM
Walk down mining scree hill past ruined building - just outside Madrid, NM, roughly (35.404241°, -106.153891°)
View from hilltop - roughly (35.403526°, -106.152595°)/ Locomotive in Madrid, NM (I wonder if the locomotive still exists?)
I discovered that I had already taken a photograph of the coal-strewn hillside used in "The Man Who Fell To Earth." This photo was taken just south of Madrid, New Mexico, in October, 2012.
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Los Lunas, NM
Haneyville sign - Highway 6 bridge crossing Rio Grande River at Los Lunas, NM (34.805019°, -106.719448°)
I stumbled across an unusual scrap of Internet lore regarding the name
Haneyville. I have no idea if the information is correct. A question was posed in the "Albuquerque Memories" Facebook group: "What celebrity have you met in Albuquerque? (other than Breaking Bad cast members). One of J. Chris Haney's responses is posted below. The 'High Noon' he refers to is a restaurant in Old Town Albuquerque. (Haneyville was the name given in the movie to Los Lunas, NM, not Madrid, NM.)
The amusement-park stuff comes from Uncle Cliff's Amusement Park in Albuquerque, but the scene looks like it was filmed in Los Lunas.
Trini's Bar and Lounge/ Pawn Shop - Original locations along Highway 6, long since erased by newer buildings.
Wad of cash - east side of Rio Grande river, since water appears to be flowing from right to left, from north to south (34.804022°, -106.716608°)
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Oliver Farnsworth's residenceThis location is in a townhouse, or perhaps a couple of townhouses, in the
Villa Serena gated neighborhood of Four Hills Village, a community roughly ten acres in size. (Note: NOT the Villa Serena Apartments, which is located on Indian School Rd. NE.)
View of big city - Manhattan, NYC - View south along 7th Ave. from roughly 50th St./ Oliver Farnsworth's residence.
Manhattan, NYC/ Oliver Farnsworth's residence.
Quick view of NYC
I tried to discover more information about this difficult-to-access Albuquerque filming location, a high-end townhouse (Oliver Farnsworth’s New York City apartment, from “The Man Who Fell To Earth,” starring David Bowie, 1976). I found my target location at 1369 Wagon Train Drive SE, but I didn't quite have the heart to knock on the door there. I didn't have the nerve to abruptly intrude on their privacy.
Nevertheless, I was distracted by the activity two doors down, at 1365 Wagon Train Dr. SE. Movers were removing furniture from that townhouse. Maybe there was an entrance path here. I asked the movers if I could meet the owners.
The owners were a 93-year-old woman and her daughter on one of the most significant days of their lives. It was time to sell the place and move the elder into a nursing home. The elder was lucid and well-spoken: an Albuquerque native; bright, well-traveled. She reminisced about times gone by. But time had taken its toll and it was time to leave.
The elder had moved into 1365 Wagon Trail Dr. SE around 2002. The townhouses were advertised then as southwestern-style townhouses, so sometime between 1975 and 2002 the style of the townhouses was changed.
Under the disturbed circumstances, normal privacy considerations were relaxed. I asked for and received permission to photograph the staircase at 1365.
One day I’ll learn more about 1369, my target location. On this day, it was enough to learn about this place.
The townhouses at 1365 and 1369 look nearly-identical on Google Earth, and they may have nearly-identical footprints. (The intermediate townhouse at 1367 is one-story and wouldn't work.) Excepting the style, the staircase at 1365 looks just right for the TMWFTE staircase. The fireplace in the TMWFTE townhouse might be fake, but that's OK. So, either 1365 or 1369 works for TMWFTE, or both together.
The front of 1369 Wagon Train Dr. SE (February 25, 2026).
The staircase at 1365 Wagon Train Dr. SE (February 25, 2026).
The staircase at 1365 Wagon Train Dr. SE (February 25, 2026).
No fireplace is evident on the distant, south wall.
The staircase at 1365 Wagon Train Dr. SE (February 25, 2026).
Muscleman Photo
I have a candidate location for the "Muscleman" photo: (35.043347°, -106.499889°). The view is looking northwest, with the photo taken in the very early afternoon (about 1 p.m.). (Photo provided to me by Kris C. Jones.)
New photo taken from just a short distance, maybe 30 feet, east of the Muscleman photo site, and just in front of 1369 Wagon Train Drive SE, on February 25, 2026.
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Limo ride - Thinking Albuquerque - southbound 3rd St. between Tijeras and Copper Aves. NW - (35.085901°, -106.650164°)
Oliver Farnsworth's Residence
Campus - New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in Roswell, NM
Dr. Bryce's House/ Japanese Kabuki performance/ Dr. Bryce's House/ Japanese Kabuki performance/ Dr. Bryce's House
NYC
View out Mr. Farnsworth's Albuquerque office - First Plaza Galeria
First Plaza Galeria.
Southwestern interior corner of First Plaza Galeria exterior.
Screen capture of Mr. Farnsworth's Office. 400 level lobby, southwest corner of First Plaza Galeria.
Looking out the window on the 3rd floor (400 level) - Mr. Farnsworth's Office, which, strangely enough, was in the elevator lobby rather than in a separate office ("The Man Who Fell To Earth").
Mr. Farnsworth's Office. Marquette Avenue is clearly visible. The Albuquerque Convention Center parking garage was under construction at this time, but First Plaza was already there (since it had opened in 1972).
Looking out the window on the 3rd floor (400 level). Marquette Avenue is now behind the Albuquerque Convention Center and can no longer be seen.
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Dr. Bryce's House
Manhattan, NYC drive - Heading south on 2nd Ave. at E. 47th St.?
Oliver Farnsworth's office
NM Drive - "It's what I want" drive/ View from Highway 165 in the Sandias - (35.227084°, -106.403649°)
Prof. Canutti's Office (NMMI? Los Alamos? Unknown right now. It doesn't look First Plaza in Albuquerque.)
Vicinity of the intersection of Hwy 285 and Main St. in Artesia, NM.
Hotel Artesia - Hotel and view of barber shop
203 N 2nd St
Artesia, NM 88210
Dr. Bryce's House/ Hotel Artesia
NE corner of Hwy 285 and Main St. in Artesia. .Artesia Alfalfa Grower's Association and the Navajo Refinery quite recognizable
Hotel Artesia/ Dr. Bryce's House/ Hotel Artesia
Oliver Farnsworth's Office/ Hotel Artesia
New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) Campus
ABQ Sunport - departures
View out Mr. Farnsworth's Albuquerque office - First Plaza Galeria.
Hotel Artesia room - "It's so strange here; the trains." (Artesia Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce)
First Presbyterian Church - 402 W. Grand Avenue, Artesia, New Mexico, USA
Galloping White Horse
Galloping Horse - Sandia Mountains are clearly visible in the scene. Candidate location is 1600 Malpais Rd. SW. I like this location.
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Reminisces
White Sands (with white horses)
Here is the railroad crossing at Desert Rd. and Second Street SW, in the South Valley, where, in the movie, Mary Lou reminisces to Bowie’s Newton about the trains of her childhood. The commuter-train Railrunner stands in for the passenger train (presumably Amtrak) in the film.
White Sands/ Haneyville again (Los Lunas)/ Madrid NM again
Pioneer Scene
Pioneer scene (Photo provided to me by Kris C. Jones.)
Frontier Flashback. Times past come to life. I'm thinking the barns are just south of Fenton Lake (35.881852°, -106.724454°), and not in the Valles Caldera. The empty valley; I'm not sure, probably nearby.
Remaining facade of the rightmost structure, featuring the hole in the wall. Located just south of Fenton Lake (February 26, 2026).
Pioneers watch the limousine vanish in TMWFTE.
Sidelong view of the mountain behind Mr. Newton's vanishing limousine (February 26, 2026).
The view with the pinnacle right next to the road is likely very near Fenton Lake too (Passing Limo)/ Fenton Lake.
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White Sands (and spinning bodies. According to Susan Campo's book, spinning bodies were filmed in Los Angeles)
Oliver Farnsworth's residence
Helicopter Landing
I'm thinking this view might be in the Jemez Valley, near Jemez Springs, NM, with the helicopter hovering about (35.732271°, -106.711415°).
There was once geothermal drilling in the Jemez Mountains. Thinking the drilling rig is at about (35.881130°, -106.674103°), with one view looking NW.
The World Enterprises mountaintop location was first a geothermal energy project (closed in 1995) but is currently the site of the
Fenton Hill Observatory.
Fenton Hill Observatory site (February 26, 2026).
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Caretaker's House and Mr. Newton's House (both at Fenton Lake).
Mr. Newton's House at Santa Fe - Telescope
Looks like the view of the horizon, looking southeast from Santa Fe, so the location is probably in southeast Santa Fe, not all that far from the International Folk Art Museum.
Filming the tossed cookies scene. The unusual molding of the adobe on the south side of the residence helps identify the residence. The hills appear to be those in the southeastern precincts of Santa Fe. Based on Google Earth I'm thinking the likely address is 820 E. Zia Road.(Photo provided to me by Kris C. Jones.)
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We drilling rig and trailers/ Mr. Farnsworth's Office
Fenton Lake/ Santa Fe home/ Caretaker home/ Limousine
Facility - Cement Facility at Tijeras, NM (35.070895°, -106.389709°)
Apparently at a small studio in Santa Fe - "Are you Lithuanian?"
Spaceship interior, apparently at a small Santa Fe studio
ABQ Civic Plaza
ABQ Civic Plaza, seen from SE - walking through plaza - they get in car heading west on Marquette Ave. NW from the northwest corner of Civic Plaza.
Albuquerque Civic Plaza.
Albuquerque Civic Plaza.
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Drive - pine trees seen in rear view window.
Immediately after Dr. Bryce says, "Mr. Newton, are you crazy?" we get a view of the Jemez Valley (35.638484°, -106.724169°)
Lake Fenton Rain showers
NYC. NYC Office? Don't know. "We're determining a social ecology."/ Caretaker house
Tossed cookies (Santa Fe house)/ Spinning bodies/ cat's eyes
Filming the tossed cookies scene.(Photo provided to me by Kris C. Jones.)
Santa Fe house
White Sands/ Fenton Lake dock/ White Sands
Ramshackle house is near current Valencia Middle School, east of Belen, NM - Dirt road has since become the Manzano Expressway - Watching Indians on TV
House of Trevor and Mr. Farnsworth/ Mary Lou on bed (likely Santa Fe house)
Near Valencia Middle School, east of Belen again, with big storm present behind Manzano Mountains.
White Sands/ Spinning bodies/ Near Valencia Middle School
Space Pavilion, at White Sands Missile Range, Army Unit - these days (and probably then too) just east of the Organ Mountains of southern NM (32.348196°, -106.446909°)/ Mr. Farnsworth's office
WE gas station
According to Susan Compo's book, this station was located in Belen. Through a label visible on the pump that wasn't covered, we know the station is a Chevron in real life. I've tried to verify the active Chevrons in the Albuquerque area, plus a few in the Los Lunas/Belen area. I haven't fixed on any as being correct yet. In my opinion, the most likely candidates are:
- The former Bosque Farms Chevron, 815 Bosque Farms Blvd.; or,
- Isleta Blvd. Chevron, 7630 Isleta Blvd. SW.
Lately, I'm thinking that both locations are less likely. More likely is the Chevron station on Highway 6 west of Los Lunas, and just east of I-25. It's the right size. The only question in my mind is whether the gas station is the right age - whether it was operating by the summer of 1975, or not.
Gas station, with the Chevron label visible on the pump.
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Mr. Farnsworth's and Trevor's residence/ NYC
Mr. Peter's Pool (maybe the pool at Villa Serena? Seems unlikely.)/ Mr. Peter's house
Newton's Prison
122 Second St. SW (It's unclear if the Sunshine Bldg. was actually used as a filming location, but the building that once stood at 122 Second St. SW, since removed and replaced, was definitely used.)
Mary Lou enters Newton's prison.
Clinic scene, with the top of the octagonal cupola of the U.S. Court House visible in the distance west down Gold Avenue.
Here is a schematic diagram of Newton's Prison, as far as I can make out by orienting myself to the street scenes outside, as visible through the windows, plus
a fuzzy aerial photo from 1961. Most or all of Newton's Prison was hosted on the second level of the building at122 2nd St. SW, just to the south of the Sunshine Building, in downtown Albuquerque. According to Susan Compo's book "Earthbound: David Bowie and The Man Who Fell To Earth," the structure at 122 Second St. SW was formerly Washburn's Clothing and then the offices of Albuquerque Housing and Development, before becoming a filming location. After filming, the structure was torn down and later rebuilt.
The solo numbers in the schematic diagram refer to the story level. Certain features can be glimpsed through the windows (a glimpse of the Sandias to the northeast; the western end of the Lead Avenue overpass over the railroad to the south, and its intersection with Second St. SW; the starlike top of the cupola on the Albuquerque Federal Building & United States Courthouse, at 421 Gold Ave. SW; the former PNM Building (Public Service Company of New Mexico) and the NM Bank and Trust Building). The winding path between rooms where Newton spends most of his time is indicated in this schematic diagram.
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Mr. Peter's Pool
Clinic - 122 Second St. SW.
Butterfields Restaurant, once located behind 8426 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA, 90069
Clinic - 122 Second St. SW.
Flashback to Madrid, NM.
Mary Lou arrives (122 Second St. SW) & Flashback to Santa Fe house - see "Newton's Prison."
(Flashback to eastern end of Highway 6 bridge over Rio Grande at Los Lunas)
Clinic - western and SW corner of building at 122 2nd SW.
White Sands
Unknown launch site (Los Alamos?)/ White Sands
Bedroom - southwest corner of building at 122 2nd SW./ view of PNM building in distance, beyond the scaffolding/ Newton's prison
Hotel Andaluz
Building hallway, elevator (8th floor, and moving to 7th floor), and lobby - Hotel Andaluz, 2nd St. & Tijeras Ave. NW, Albuquerque, NM.
Hotel Andaluz (formerly the Hilton Hotel).
Hotel Andaluz (formerly the Hilton Hotel).
Hotel Andaluz Lobby ("The Man Who Fell To Earth"). Newton walks rapidly through the lobby on his escape to freedom.
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Gil Turner's Liquor Store, 9101 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA, 90069 (34.090870°, -118.389993°).
Dr. Bryce's and Mary Lou's house/ View out window/ White Sands
Tower Records, 8801 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA, 90069 (photo on album cover is also notable)
Apparently MacArthur Park snack stand (burned down around 2014). Approximate location of the old Snack Bar (34.058202°, -118.276766°).
White Sands Missile Range acknowledged in credits.
