The Mission Inn, located in Riverside, California, was the inexplicable setting of a military base in the third season's two-parter "The Exodus." We drove out there to film a wedding and came back with some exclusive photos and information about the historic landmark.
by Matt Hutaff
It started as a wedding celebration, but like so many things it ended in planetary genocide.
In June 2001 I drove to Riverside to film the wedding of a friend of a friend. When I arrived, I discovered that the ceremony was being held at the Mission Inn, the location Sliders production used to represent the Air Force Base seen in the third season two-parter The Exodus.
The Mission Inn is a California Historical landmark, and, not surprisingly, looks nothing like a military facility. It's a very nice hotel, though, with a gorgeous antique chapel and a variety of top-notch restaurants on the first level. It's also the most intriguing thing about Riverside, as the city itself is ugly, boring and dull.
I managed to take about a dozen photographs of varying quality which are available below. I tried to get a little information about the site itself that was non-Sliders related before heading into the wedding, and this is what I got:
- It was built by a midget. That's why there's specially designed doorways and entrances that only a midget can fit through comfortably. Easily the coolest part of the hotel, but that could be because my wife used to work at the Winchester Mystery House (which is loaded with useless crap like that). I'd like to think it's because of the midget factor, though.
- It's confusing as hell. I tried to make my way to one of the Arab-inspired spires in the north-east part of the building only to find myself lost. Room numbers do not increase in any rational incremental system, nor are the 8 disparate stairways a form of help in finding anything.
- They had no idea why Sliders would want to film the Inn as an air force facility. Shocking, right? I spoke to someone who was working there when they filmed the episodes and while she was very happy that there was filming done there, she was just as perplexed as I was why anyone would try to pass off a Spanish villa-style hotel as a military base.
I have footage but no pictures of the chapel, which was the setting for Doctor Jensen's murder (an apropos discovery considering I was there for a wedding).
Anyway, you came here to read up on Sliders, not take a history lesson. Here are the pictures.
The main building
These first couple pictures were taken on the second level to kind of give an overall impression of what the inn looks like. The main courtyard was used in most of the scenes, while the chapel, which begins on the second level as well, is primarily obscured. The spires are meant to reflect the Arabic/Muslim influences in architecture. Those arched doorways that lead out onto balconies were used in that scene where Maggie and Quinn land on Pulsar Double Prime and Maggie's double manages to eke out an "Oh, my God!"
As you can see, the veranda where many of the "action" shots of Rickman and Maggie walking is in reality a place where people sit and relax, or smell the flowers, or do whatever it is people do before they realize they're vacationing in Riverside. This is also the landing place for Quinn and Maggie when they land on Pulsar Double Prime.
To the right you'll see the best picture I could get of the main plaza on the first floor. You might recognize it as the location where Rembrandt sees the kids playing by the fountain, knowing they're all going to be irradiated/blown up. In reality, it's the outdoor location for one of the three restaurants located inside the inn, and when I was there it was crowded with people like it was the place to be seen. This is the fountain that kid was playing around while Rembrandt looked on. It serves as the centerpiece of the restaurant's ambience.
Any fan of director Stanley Kubrick knows that corridor shots are essential. Don't ask me why; just take a look at his movies and you'll notice the trend. Anyway, this is the corridor that Colonel Rickman (played by Who frontman Roger Daltrey) confronts Wade in and convinces her that she's the right woman to pick those who slide. A shot in the other direction shows the location where Quinn finds Maggie stumbling down a hall in the beginning of the second part. Redress it a bit and it's Malcolm's father's quarters.
Thinking back, I don't really know if the staircases were given any screen time (I doubt it), but take a look at these things. They're about four feet across at their widest. No artificial illumination. This picture was taken at one o'clock in the afternoon. It's pitch black at the bottom! With the exception of two staircases at the entrance to the hotel, they all look like this. One of Rickman's victims probably met their fate trying to find their way. Once again, ask yourself: does this look or feel like a place the Army would build?
Bridge of Death
However, this is the most interesting part. Fans have long debated Executive Producer David Peckinpah's reign over the show. Was he good, was he bad, did he promote violence... well, consider the following images. If you can't recognize the location, either from the angle or the poor turnout of the film, don't be surprised. What you're looking at is a bridge. It's also the location in part I where Rembrandt tries to find a way off the base and finds himself electrocuted by some kind of force barrier.
Now, setting aside the face that the locale is suspended above ground (the episode makes it look like it's not), check out the history of the bridge. Frank Miller, the owner and builder, was afraid that the chambermaids working in the Inn were in danger if they left late at night and walked to their quarters across the street. He built the bridge to allow them safe and unfettered access between their lodgings and their job. On Sliders, it's directly responsible for the assault of a beloved R&B singer. Talk about delicious irony...
The Mission Inn in Sliders
A couple screen captures I took also give a little more detail into the geography and history of the Mission Inn.
Office or hotel check-in? Colonel Rickman's (Roger Daltrey) desk is set up to the right of check-in, on the stairs leading up to the second level.
Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks) and Malcolm (Wes Charles, Jr.) stand outside the entrance to the inn's chapel. They're staring at the bridge gate that will electrocute those trying to cross through it.
Maggie Beckett (Kari Wuhrer) and Rickman argue over the handling of Jariabek's death on the uppermost floor of the hotel.
Maggie pauses to catch her breath at the end of the hallway seen above. In the distance, you can see the doors to the inn's honeymoon suite, which sits off from the main hotel on the third floor.