My fort in Garrison’s Gorillas 1967

The view from a kids fort -1967 left- 1972 pictured right.

Soccer anyone?

Elvis wants in…

That perilous chimney became a refuge in a time of need.

Early version of Building 29. A tower would be added and the entire front was refaced over the old face. That created a maze of passages that could even confuse mice. Once you train yourself inside the interior on what passage connects to what-then try it at night in the pitch dark. A hidden ladder is a big key to reach this overhang we happily call….HOME.

Building 29 on map, doorway number 715.

This front became was remolded and refaced, leaving the original underneath the new exterior.

The remolded look below- The square platform section just below tower has the maze built through the original front hidden inside.

Remodeled front that became …The Best Fort in Hollywood!

Left pic-The Gap between the original front exterior to the refacing addition extending this section past the original. What all this does is create a maze with a hidden ladder wood built into the wall and passages that even a police dog could not overcome. I know this for sure because…THIS PLACE IS BATTLE TESTED.

A message for the 3 guards most likely to figure this out as if their jobs -DEPENDED ON IT! Full disclosure Jolly and the 3 Stooges, Jolly is MGM Security Captain, 3 Stooges are 3 Guards who are clearly named. Most of my most thrilling chases involve these names. Final part of message says”P.S I will miss you” That’s because word is MGM is handing the backlot over to a private security company. They have no idea what they \are in for here on this haunted back lot. Pic right- is another challenge, you must squeeze under that hole above the roof shingles to exit onto roof top of left chimney.

Complete the maze and you end up in here. All the comforts of home can be enjoyed. Pictured-A Mickey’s Big Mouth, Two Orange Crush Sodas and a couple Bazooka Joe wrappers. The coat hanging is from Combat and found in a building as is an ammo clip commonly used in battles like Garrison’s Gorillas. They have gunpowder and the explosive discharge can kill you. Not recommended for kids. I’m not your normal kid. A water cooler was given to us by the MGM Labor Department. The sign above the mop reminds all us school kids “Your Tardy if you are not in your seat when the bell rings”

Our fort library included-Garrison’s Gorillas Comics, Mad Magazines, Sports Illustrated, and a couple PlayBoy Magazines. Ron Harper would return to the lot one more time in 1974-Planet of the Apes T.V. I ran into him and Roddy McDowell at the train station. Ron left the backlot as a War Gorilla , but returned to fight apes in that series. Ron Harper had the coolest parts a fella can have.

Pat Rich, one tough Irish Kid, we just finished are St. Augustine education and were excited to start public school. That’s until Pat found out he’s headed to a private High School that is all male and built like a prison. They do play good football at Loyola High. Culver Middle School was on my horizon and I am now dating Maureen in 74.. My chum from my street. She helped me build this fort and one of the few girls capable of climbing this course. Plus…She still looks pretty covered with dirt.

That exit’s blocked…

Schools Out in the legendary MGM “Girls School”

That fort up there is in trouble…

There is enough propane fuel upstairs to torch the entire lot. Operation Hellfire is the title of this episode in Garrison’s Gorillas.

This is my picture exactly where this Special Effects blaze is being controlled. Propane, smoke makers, manifolds to control fuel, water hoses, fire extinguishers and several effects men would be what’s up here in my fort in 1967.

I became “The Dean” of this institution for “higher” learning.

This overhang is my fort-that’s where it is. Guards would hit this place with powerful search lights hoping we would flee since going upstairs and tackling the maze will get your uniform and badge filthy.

The view to die for…Dead center of the backlot is where we are located. Wide open spaces make for hazardous conditions in accessing this Shambhala for teenagers.

Tarzan Lake and Forest left- Right is view towards over sized property storage. That dirt road leading to this set was the rout Kong took to be assembled as a 40 foot Robot for the finale of 1976 Kong.

Another view from my all time favorite fort…

Picture I took in 1974 of fort from a rooftop in Small Town Square. A work light and tombstone can barely be seen. This set below the fort is a graveyard where Dr. Frankenstein and Igor exhume a body, in the pouring rain. This was a “hot set” and a guard was located there, Transylvania Station is right around the corner…

Operation HellFire-1967

I myself lead several operations into this set that didn’t always go as planned. When MGM Security realized we had a nest up top here, every mission was challenging.The rewards outweighed all the risks. We had several close calls including a night of a complete assault by Culver City Police and MGM Police.

In a chase that started on 5th Avenue,in NYC, we ran through the jungle, crossed Tarzan Lake and took refuge up in our fort. The guard on duty was named George Barner, he was hired for one reason, to catch me. Like a true Public Enemy #1, all available security guards were pulled in for this emergency. If that wasn’t enough-6 police cars rolled in to assist MGM officers.

This is where the rubber meets the dirt road that surrounds this college campus in so many films. We hear the clomping of footsteps climbing higher and higher. Police at the front door try to call us out on a loud speaker, but instead we climb out onto rooftop and climb up into a chimney. Each side of this structure has one. There was no place left to hide as our fort is being invaded.

MGM Police to the honor of clearing this upstairs except for one thing…we escaped into a chimney and could watch everything taking place on this rooftop and on the dirt road below-lined by police cars. “This is big” is all my friend Jimmy and I know as we whisper standing face to face in a narrow fake chimney. This went on for several hours and we watched as another friend was caught, handcuffed and hauled away. This chimney can only fit two kids. Danny, my friend who lives next door to me gave the police are names so they continued to try to talk us down using mega phones, with threats.

Patience is a Virtue

Hours go by-finally the police cars disembark, leaving behind the two suspects ‘Jimmy and I.’ The entire police department gave it their all to protect ‘The Heart of Screenland, and MGM Security had to explain again to the chief, “How did he get away this time, ?”….”He is like a Phantom, he was here one minute and gone the next!”

The Phantom of the Backlots is born- and the next year a movie of the week was made, using this fort-The Phantom of Hollywood.

Written and lived by….Donnie Norden