I know this toad…or his ancestors anyway!
The MGM Backlots were known for their jungles, lakes, and wild animals. From exotic Asian Elephants, Lions, such as Leo-the MGM moniker, and stables for trained horses to perform stunts in the many Western Movies being made in the day. MGM doubled as a specialized zoo, Star Power comes in many varieties, a collie named Lassie is one of the studio’s top box office draws.
All these 4-legged stars filmed scenes on the MGM backlots. Hippos provide a difficulty for production tending to disappear beneath the surface of the water rather than act above the waterline. Chimpanzees swing limb to limb through a canopy of tall, mature trees filled with a variety of colorful birds who chose this studio as their home. Each sing their own special tune. I have much in common with this animal habitat. I too have chosen these backlots as my home away from home. I spend many an afternoon with the sky reflecting its clouds off the dark water, as subterranean creatures traverse beneath the surface. My eyes look below the surface as tiny creatures peek upwards wondering- who is floating above their habitat.
My late old pal, Tim Gray-had a pet chimp and it was very tame. Timmy brought it with him on a couple lake visits. It traveled on his shoulder and neck. Lucky we didn’t get chased out on those afternoons but had we-we know this chimp can climb the fences no problem. Named “Skelter,” after the Beatles song -Helter Skelter, he was able to experience tree climbing in the same jungle Tarzan interloped. We were on Skelter’s clock, having to coax him down with peanuts and bananas after a couple hours on the jungle tree tops.
On the backlots, the day begins here in this jungle reserve. Animals naturally have early “call times.” The skies slowly shift from moonlight to sunlight as day arrives, each species has its own signature sound. A chorus indeed -especially as day breaks or as the sun sets. It’s a fun day-everyday!
MGM is the Captain of War Television and for the entire decade of the 1960’s, these creatures endured a war twice as long as World War II. A war where no one gets hurt, although gunfire echoes not only through the studio-but also through the surrounding neighborhoods such as mine. We all become accustomed to this environment, myself, my friends and all my critters in what is for me a real-life Jungle Book.
Combat, The Rat Patrol, Jericho, and Garrison’s Gorillas
This backlot has played host to a myriad of intense battles. Every building in our Europe sets retain spent shell casings on the floors below every window and doorway. War at epic proportions
All filmed on the shores of this man-made set that became real to several species of escapees from films from the past. Ducks surf back and forth-animal wranglers sometimes lose their feathered animal stars as some escape the set perimeter while filming, trading a day in front of the camera for a lifetime behind the scenes. “They know a good thing when they see it.” Several chickens flew the coup on the film The Stuntman, living in a group that wandered in and out of building doorways. Each animal and creature have their own story and if you have the time, many often surround my tiny rowboat to share their stories of paradise. We all understand each other through sounds, expressions, movements feeding off a special universal cosmic understanding.
It’s called LOVE…
Creepy, crawling crawfish traverse the shoreline with their pincher arms extended towards the sky, always scavenging with attitude. This is the most abundant occupant and constantly seeping down below the surface to the dark depths of this black lagoon. Anything could pop up from the depths since -after all-this is Hollywood at its best.
No set has so much life taking place 24/7 and it is the best place anywhere on the backlot for lazin’ on a sunny afternoon. The lake is long and winding with a thick forest favoring one side. Cottages line the non jungle side and guards -when they patrol here- almost always approach from the road that connects cottages to bridges. Only once did I get caught here in my Oar-less rowboat. My friend Jimmy was pulling me with a rope when the MGM Red Bronco pulled up. Jimmy dropped the rope and ran away leaving me lazily floating towards shore where big Ron Smith just casually waited to grab hold of this-BIG FISH.
I negotiated a peaceful settlement with the biggest guard MGM has, 6′ 7″ -260 pounds of muscle, a shiny badge, a .357 Magnum side arm, and cap covering his thinning hairline. He kinda likes my girlfriend Maureen and has given her friendly tours while practically running over me with the Bronco in our chases. Dual standards, I get it Ron.
Maureen and I would float to the bend in the lake in our rowboat, out of view to most roadways while listening to 93 KHJ. My tiny transistor radio would entertain us with bands such as The Kinks, singing “”Sunny Afternoon” as if we were Tarzan and Jane on a jungle cruise. Disneyland isn’t this fun. Beauty and the Beast would play out here in 1976…
KING KONG 1976
The backlot welcomed the King of Beasts in the summer of 76′ -King Kong arrived like a forty-foot robot should-in sections. An upper torso, shoulders and arms, a lower torso legs and feet, and the head of the Giant Beast. All these components had to be assembled in quite the undertaking by the monster’s creator-Carlo Rambaldi. The enormous walls of Skull Island overlook this lake which will become a critical centerpiece in this film. The Altar where Dwan is drugged and offered up to the mighty giant was filmed here beneath these walls lined with torch bearing natives. This set was so massive it could be seen well beyond the studios. Planes flying over headed to LAX Airport had to wonder what they were looking down at-Welcome to Los Angeles.
An artificial fake tree jungle was added for Kong to push aside as he picks up Dwan’s intoxicating scent. MGM has never had a bigger star demonstrate the prowess that this Gargantuan demonstrated with the army of special effects technicians it took to operate this …Giant Robot.
Nighttime at Tarzan Lake
This lake at night is its own trip. Different animals visit; raccoons, possums, and owls take on this jungle as moonlight replaces sunlight reflecting off the water’s surface. Trespassing at night through the jungle often startles the sleeping turtle doves into a mass, loud exodus of fear when footsteps are heard and twigs snap. That creates KAOS. This can work for you, warning you guards are lurking in the jungle foliage. That can be a two-way mirror since these bird flock sounds do not discriminate and also tip off security that there is a… Bungle in the Jungle.
Owls act independently, hooting from a nearby steeple, watching intently as their heads turn 270 degrees. Aware of everything taking place below them. These owls still exist, recently I saw one swoop down and fly off towards MGM Lot 1-“Sony” now,” clutching a tiny possum. As the flying ancestors of the past, they have adapted to this former backlot studio that is now home of a residential complex know as Studio Estates-or as we call-Studio Mistakes. How this Tarzan Lake was not preserved as part of this development I can’t possibly understand. This was a mature, glorified paradise full of generations of animal ancestry.
Good Morning Good Morning
In 1977, Sgt. Pepper films the last ever scenes here at this legendary pond. This Beatles song was performed by Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees at a set we call- The Watermill House. A bright sunny morning greeted our Rock Stars who most likely are not use to “being up” as the sun takes hold of this jungle landscape. Animals change roles, nocturnal try to get sleep while the others sing their own pleasant songs as daylight breeches through the forest canopy. Horses, cows and chickens report to the backlot with 5 a.m. call times as this lake throws one last movie party.
This area got a facelift of blockbuster proportions and the show even left behind a new fancy rowboat- used by the Postal Service to deliver an important telegram to the boys in the band. It didn’t last long because my next-door neighbor took it out of here to use elsewhere, he and his brother love to fish. I hate fishing, that would be like killing the wonderful sea life I cherish.
Joy to the World
Jeremiah was a bullfrog.
Was a good friend of mine. I never understood a single word he said but I helped him a-drink his wine… And he always had some mighty fine wine.
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me.
You know I love the ladies and love to have my fun, I’m a high life flyer and a rainbow rider- a straight shootin’ son of a gun.
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls, joy to the creatures that inhabit my kingdom
Joy to you and me…
Three Dog Night-1970-These lyrics created joy wherever this song played-especially in a place that is a big slice of heaven, for me anyways…
Tarzan is calling – “I gotta go- time to play!”
Picture Glossary...
A Bullfrog named Jeremiah. The legendary star of today’s remembrance. Center of picture-two white circles on a the slimy green and brown body. He was croaking from a sunken rowboat as I sailed by him and sang me a song. I remember this like it happened yesterday.
A typical summer day- two ducks owned this lake. Always together, they became used to filming and were part of paradise.
Lost in this picture are the many underwater activities below the surface. Taken by my first camera which was a Kodak Instamatic, the perfect camera for a guy on the run. Crawdads hang out on these water edges, sunning themselves. Below them-tiny minnows provide a food source for larger Carp, which get hunted by raccoons. Although man made-this lake became an ecosystem. Parrot’s moved in the lot in the early 70’s. A squadron of about a dozen, MGM guards had a theory they came from Busch Gardens in Van Nuys. The timing coincides-Busch tore down one of the most beautiful landscapes ever for a paved parking lot. Shame, shame, shame. As colorful as they are loud, these colorful feathered flying story tellers made a wonderful edition to our backlot. “Here comes a guard -Crawww-run-run-Crawww” Finally animals that can talk. I think I’m in heaven, it can’t be better!
A footbridge often used in war movies-many battles took place in this lake with soldiers being killed and falling into this pond. This innocent looking bridge has been the site of death in the MGM War Machine I grew up living next to.
Uneven depths line the drained lake bottom. The high point here was where the footbridge once stood. In MGM’s War TV series-soldiers would fall into the water in this deep enclave I’m standing in as the lake is now drained in 1978.
Picture taken from footbridge…
Same set seen from drained basin- here being dressed for Sgt. Pepper-1977
A view from my Boystown Fort that towered above the lake like a palace for- kids only!
Speaking of kids -here I am on my knees like some little hobbit. The doorway was not tall enough to stand up in.
Another view from my fort- one of several I built on studio backlots. I spent a lot of time here while ditching school. I received a studio education in this All Girls School used in Hollywood Confidential, Good News etc… This is where stars went to college on films.
A bridge fit for Musketeers. Gene Kelly rode his horse over this outlet, King Kong changed this exterior to fit into the jungle. Many scenes took place here as this is Skull Island.
Many of my pictures are from rooftops or hiding in bushes-don’t forget we are “Uninvited Visitors“
Dazed and Confused ceremony…Full Scale Effects/King Kong-1976
A ceremonial altar offered Dwan to The King of Beasts right across from me.
One of the Greatest Movie Sets of all time, I’ve been on more movie sets in my life than anyone, but King Kong remains supreme and a testament to old school film making. Never seen another set quite like this – I recommend my book-The Uninvited Visitor. Spend a year with me on the making of this film-I was 16. I struggled going to school and often didn’t because you could hear gunfire and natives chanting “Kong-Kong” in my school rooms. I developed some pictures in my photography class and the teacher had to ask “how do you get these pictures” in a serious tone. I said ‘With a camera sir.”
King Kong was in New York “wrapping out’ on the Bicentennial-July 4th in 1976 from filming at The World Trade Center. Next location -Shea Stadium -The One in Culver City. What a party that was-gotta read the book!
This book is a history piece on how movies were made in the 70’s through the eyes of a trespasser. The story behind the story. I’ve been inside Kong when he was laying down – being reassembled from his journey from the MGM front lot to his arrival on the MGM Backlot. As Pink Floyd would sing in this same year-Welcome to the Machine. This movie set was truly-The Dark Side of the Moon.
The lake will never have water again, now I must save all my underwater friends. I braved the stench of swamp mud, ruining my clothing, filling up buckets of crawfish to transport from MGM to 2’s lake to ride them to the MGM lot 3 lake that was kept in the Raintree Lot 3 complex built in the early 70’s. I wanted to keep as many creatures alive as possible. I’m proud to say-I succeeded with this mission and ancestors of these buckets of crawfish exist today at Raintree. Figures kids have to fix adult mistakes.
A view from the MGM Parking Lot- the jungle beyond the fence is the surrounding landscape of Tarzan Lake.
The Backlot 2 on a “Sunny Afternoon”-you will find me at Tarzan’s Lake-that jungle-over there!
We have a new book soon to be released titled-The Desilu Companion. Come see me live at this event at Vets Park in Culver City-A stones throw away from my old backlot. I will take you through Desilu this night featuring 40 Acres in the 60’s and 70’s when TV shows were all over this backlot.
Thanks Everybody – Happy 4th of July America
Written and lived by-Donnie Norden
Phantom of the Backlots 