Spoiler alert: “An American in Paris” wasn’t actually filmed in Paris. It was filmed, of course, on the MGM backlot in Culver City. This production shot shows us what it actually looked like. Known as Waterfront Street, we can see it was in impressively detailed set designed and constructed to resemble a slightly run-down Parisian street. In the final movie, those girders at the back were blocked out by clever matte paintings because, let’s face it, “An American in Culver City” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it?

Here’s how the street looked in the movie: