1927– Welcome to United Artist Studio Corp. Charlie Chaplin was the key to this Independent as was Buster Keaton.
The General -1926…Buster Keaton
Pioneer film making that can’t be beat!–The General-1926
Not scale-Not CGI-“We don’t even know what that is yet” – Just a real train on a real wood bridge with a little dynamite to send things in motion..
Nothing like the real thing…1926-Cottage Grove, Oregon
Cottage Grove, Oregon location…
In 1924, Mr Goldwyn would become the founder of MGM
Thomas Ince built this Colonnade in Culver City and it was his Triangle Studios- first, but he got a sweetheart deal down the street from here thanks to founder, Harry Culver. This pioneer is who Harry loved the most. Samuel Goldwyn would take this over afterwards. All things leading up to the merger of the best of all studios…MGM!
Samuel Goldwyn would ring lead cross town to Culver City as founder of the consortium known as Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer. In 1981- MGM would acquire United Artists and has much of the library that another mogul-Ted Turner would purchase this library and TCM was born. The greatest movie channel ever devised. The only channel many of us watch- besides T.V Land. I worked at MGM in 1981 in their Film Lab. I was so proud… I was earning paychecks with the MGM logo after a decade of trespassing their lots. Moral to the story-“Don’t give up your dreams, the Universe works with you if you just let it!”MGM Film Labs, do to contracts lasted longer than MGM department. Lorimar was briefly running the place. Our shows at that time were Little House on the Prairie, Fame, Chips, Dallas and Victor Victoria. Michael Landon, well he’s the coolest guy on the lot. I met him at the guard shack, chatting with my guard friends. Larry Hagman was high profile and would often drink over at The Backstage, a watering hole across from the “South Gate” on Culver Blvd. Combat stars would drink there at ‘wrap,” the shot glasses were lined up waiting for our war hero’s.
Charlie Chaplin, Ronald Coleman, Douglass Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, D.W Griffith are the founders of United Artists in Hollywood on Santa Monica Blvd and Formosa Avenue.
Buddy Ebsen or Barnaby Jones, this hit T.V series was effected by yet another studio fire. I miss T.V Guides, the Guides were better than shows on T.V today. “I’ll just read thank you, you keep the remote.” Looks like Barnaby is looking for clues of the fires origin…
Bring in the Detectives Please…
Nothing like “Top Flight Detective Actors” to solve a a mystery.
This set burned down- Sometimes I don’t think the studios care when sets that are old burn, cheaper than demolition and we need area for new sets. Studio Executives are detached from sentimental journeys. We want Fresh Money!
Opened its doors in 1939, right across the street from Goldwyn Studios. Frequent visitors include Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, and Ava Gardner Even Elvis Presley and James Dean popped in. John Wayne passed out in one of the Red Leather Booths only to wake up and cook himself breakfast in their kitchen. This was the go to joint when working ‘The Lot.”
A Formosa Cafe moment – A Marilyn Monroe Birthday Party.
Samuel Goldwyn Studios looks down on this iconic establishment.Both entity’s still remain.You too-can have a Martini and dinner. The Studio is now called…The Lot.
Formosa Cafe–John Wayneonce passed out here. When he woke up “after cafe closing” he made himself eggs in the kitchen. Elvis frequented here and practically everybody that worked at U/A, Goldwyn, Warner Hollywood etc. You could stumble back to work it was so close.
Trivia –Every Studio has a bar just outside its gates, that’s a fact. I’ve been to them all, they even let in minors to watch the adults. Dark, sleazy, places your mother would not go. A minor, on a stool with a glass of orange juice under a haze of thick tobacco smoke. As pool gets played on tables that our crooked or ripped. “Donald Sr -where is our son, he was with you in the car” a conversation between my parents I’ve heard. “You didn’t bring Donnie here did you- you better not have” as I hide under a table. Mom knew where to find dad at certain times.
Let’s begin here-1981- MGM /United Artists
I worked at MGM in 1981 in their Film Lab. I was so proud… I was earning paychecks with the MGM logo after a decade of trespassing their lots. Moral to the story-“Don’t give up your dreams, the Universe works with you if you just let it!” MGM Film Labs, do to contracts lasted longer than MGM department. Lorimar was briefly running the place. Our shows at that time were Little House on the Prairie, Fame, Chips, Dallas and Victor Victoria. Michael Landon, well he’s the coolest guy on the lot. I met him at the guard shack, chatting with my guard friends. Larry Hagman was high profile and would often drink over at The Backstage, a watering hole across from the “South Gate” on Culver Blvd. Combat stars would drink there at ‘wrap,” the shot glasses were lined up waiting for our war hero’s.
This box remains with me today as a souvenir from my “Tour of Duty” at MGM/UA. Inside, pictures of MGM. I have box loads. That picture with the light outside my old “back cottage” says 56th Precinct. Off a show titled Popi, seen here lighting up my backyard…MGM Laboratories. A story for another time, quite an experience.
Yet another film reel container from a James Bond film “Moonraker” produced by MGM U/A. Technicolor was located on the Universal Lot and all the naughty chemicals used in these labs were dumped run the L.A River at that studio. That’s why it was built alongside the channel, easy disposal.Now NBC News sits where Technicolor stood. All those slides are MGM and will be in my Picture Book of my “El Supremo” picture stash of Studio Backlots. Yes-it will be in color with a Hard Cover. My life in pictures…”Holy Shit Batman”
Out of Business …Do to no fault of mine, the desert sands shifted. MGM as we knew it was officially done.
Like a desert horizon void of water, it was time to do something else. Poisonous snakes were everywhere it seemed. It’s not easy to get jobs at the studio, so I applied for Police and Fire Department jobs in surrounding cities. I looked into stunt work, did some cool extra work, but it was the Southern California Gas Company that threw me out a solid contract. I accepted, and wouldn’t you know it, I wanted Santa Monica Base-since I lived in S.M at that time having just been married. But I was assigned to Hollywood Base, on Formosa. Just behind The Formosa Cafe and alongside The Warners Hollywood Studio. This was the former Goldwyn Studio looking down on us.
I had to watch “Cattle Calls” sometimes a block long, of pretty girl behind pretty girl “demonstrating their abilities” while trying to catch the fancy of casting directors. This line took forever to move as truck after truck of heavy equipment moved slowly down Formosa Avenue checking out who we would choose for what- Only the Lord knows…
I had taken tests for IBEW Local 40-Studio Electrician and was accepted to be a trainee but, there were no openings. I had to wait my turn, so I did this “manly man” job, working on live Gas Mains around Hollywood. Funny thing is in the studios, the jobs requirements at So Cal Gas equal 4 different unions in the studios. Here, we just wear 4 different hats and flame retardant clothing.
Teamsters, Laborers, Welders, and Electricians would be required in the studios, due to Unions- here “it’s just me and my crew leader.” I learned a lot and am thankful for it- but I wanted to be in Showbiz. I was reminded of that every time I went down Formosa. We return to base all worn out & filthy, while the studio side of the street was all smiles and kisses…just a typical days work trying to get a part on Love Boat. The most famous Party Boat in Hollywood History!
A very successful series that ran from 1977 to 1986. Basically “Love‘ sums it all up.
Casting –Little Mermaids-Where’s Mary Pickford? All So happy and full of energy.A very difficult search that’s going to take some time- says every “Male Casting Director.”
I Want Some Kisses… Too
Rumor has it -Cocaine is rampant.Not at the Gas Company-we get tested,but across the street in those long lines of females at that studio. “Producers help enable this conduct”according toLauren Tewes one of the stars.
Samuel Goldwyn wouldn’t do that…
Whose “High” in these following pictures
How come my gums are so numb?
I’m not sure” answers Margot Kidder, another regular at ‘The Lot”… “Can I borrow some clothes?” Superman even looks like-A person of interest. ” Fly a Straight line for me-Mr Clark – S”
The joke was the “Love Boat” smuggled drugs. Probably as accurate as it is funny. Cocaine flourished at the studios. I have stories with top actors at Universal heavily under the influence, witnessed by myself-first hand from my predecessors. Parties are legendary,
Cheech and Chong/ The Blues Brothers had a ” combined wrap party” that’s better than their movies. The stage was-Up in Smoke so to speak. Kids, well they had their own stage to play on so grown ups could “chill privately” – the kids weren’t allowed on the party stage. They had plenty of gadgets and gizmos on the stage next door, popcorn and clowns were provided to keep their little minds occupied. The studios are experts own keeping everybody happy. This was the most talked about party from insiders who lived it.
Tram Drivers and Tour Guides often lacked scruples and tuned up together before heading into the cockpit of our vehicle- tours were better that way. The kennel where the guests “dogs are boarded” doubled as a “last chance saloon.”… If those dogs could talk!
Let’s not forget the bands that played The Universal Amphitheater, no rules apply where the Red Carpet connects to the “Green Room.” The holding area where Rock Stars anxiously wait to go on stage while downing expensive and hard to get liquors, pallets full of Heineken beer , and piles of white powder. All was provided and considered a must it this holding area.
You had to feel it -to sing it.
I know I’ve been all over the Boat with this story and this iconic studio -but I’m never coming back here so lets- let it – all hang out-right! I’ve just been connecting lines and dots. I would soon get my invitation to party, not on a boat, but a tram that’s- as long as a boat.
Universal Studios hires me to be Captain of my own Ship… The Glamour Tram– All Aboard Ladies!
Vasquez Rocks-Santa Clarita, Calif….A popular backdrop for cowboys.
No truer words…
I’m a Rhinestone Cowboy
Laramie Street, The Burbank Studios–1982
1975pictureof mine–Speaking of “Fall Guy,” as I took this photo, the roof caved in on this set on Laramie Street. I dangled precariously as only my camera case attached to my body kept me from falling 3 stories down. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of this predicament, I was on the roof by myself, no one was going to save me. Carefully edging my way back up, inches at a time, I could see the length of the street with my upper torso while my legs dangled above a dirt interior 3 stories down.When I finally finessed my way free “like the Milton Bradly board game Operation” and safely went down the ladder, I looked up at the sky through a new Hole in the Roof. Take that Lee Majors, I was a 15 year old Fall Guy, I think there are child laws against that!
The Saloon would receive a major remodel by 1982.
Singing “Water Cool Water”
Howie shoots Triggerwhile practicing his “draw”
Often employees and even The Cast of The Waltons referred to the area surrounding their family home as a jungle. On today’s adventure, this is NOT VIRGINIA!
After the Waltons were evicted- a cartel of sorts moved in. Recognize this house?–This is now Singapore for the series Bring Em Back Alive.
Meanwhile…at the former Walton House. That home is covered with rusty corrugated steel, ferns and palm trees. The Walton Family Home now looks like a South American drug lab. This series is titled Bring em Back Alive. A Golden Triangle is recreated on The Burbank Studios backlot
The jungle has cable running through it as this area is being rigged by seat lighting. Set decorations include spears and canoes, motorbikes, and cages. Where Singapore ends, the old west begins at TBS. Ike Gotsy’s is now a store in Asiaselling jungle provisions.
Get your “Jungle Merchandise” here…The TBS Art Department slapped up some corrugated rusty steel and tropical vegetation to transport us to another continent. Fantasy Island was also a very popular jungle type series going on at the same time at The Burbank Studios.
Example of…Rusty steel and thatched reeds quickly and cheaply cover up previous conservative set designs.This picture I took on the Columbia Ranchon the set of Fantasy Island.
“Keep that Tiger off our set,” warns Roy Rogers. “Trigger don’t like Big Cats!”
You can see the parachute under his blue blazer coat.
Now a days – this is CGI… Stuntmen are getting squeezed and A.I will only reduce the need for Hollywood Stuntmen.
This action all takes place in the opening credits…Live and Let Live
Live and Let Die…
The Life of a Hollywood Stuntman…
Farah Fawcett and The Flying Nun, Sally Field- love Stuntmen..
Donnie’s notes begin like The Jungle Book...At this time and date, Jimmy and I appear- in a Asian Jungle.
Slowly but surely, Jimmy and I climb a backlot fence with a posted sign-Trespassers will be Prosecuted. We use this section as our main entrance when trespassing- The Burbank Studios. Nothing has changed on this tree lined residential street that we scouted out many years ago while exploring for access to this backlot. We determined back in 1974, this was the safest, most practical entrance because of its isolated location. The neighborhood’s upscale homes and living rooms stare directly at the ivy covered chain link fence that protects this studio from- people like me.
These residents can be watching an episode of The Waltons on their T.V sets while also looking at rooftops and partial side angles Ike Godsey’s and The Walton family home. Sounds easily carry from inside the lot when filming. These our the real neighbors and whose everyday life combines in synchronicity with the large T.V family across the street from their homes and T.V sets.
We are seasoned veterans now, and we never met a fence we could’t climb. But now, we are adults. The good news is we look like we work here, once we’re inside anyways. The bad news is we are 22 and 24 years old respectively. We will no longer receive a “minor” get out of jail free card. We most likely will beprosecuted. Well, nothing ventured-nothing gained!
Jimmy climbs first, we go one at a time- do to- “fence wobbling.” As he climbs, I watch the neighborhood carefully to see if …we’re being watched!
Jimmy takes about 3 minutes, that’s professional grade when fences have barb wire on the top. The point of No Return, you’re committed. My turn now, I stick one tennis shoe in between the fence holes that allow us to see inside while pulling myself upwards with my right hand and right foot pushing upwards for leverage to reach the top. It’s here that you turn into a sloth, extreme eye/ hand coordination is necessary at this point, touching the barb wire is necessary, just avoid- the barbs.
This is much more dangerous climb at night, you do what you gotta do around here.
Once past the the sharp barbs, you jump and free fall into tall grass in a safe jungle setting, landing behind The Waltons hen house and tool barn. A tiny shed allows for cover. “My how things have changed” we immediately notice. We stare out a doorway as workers are moving around greens and shrubbery in a house we no longer recognize. If only The Waltons could see their former residence now…
Rusted corrugated steel covers what once was…The Waltons House. Today, it looks like a jungle drug lab. Another thing we notice is the tree house is gone. The Waltons were canceled in June of 1981, this area is now fair game for all things The Burbank Studios needs sets for. Motor bikes with leather bags attached have replaced the cars we once drove around here. This is a Hollywood jungle set.
Universal Studios also has one of these sets going on in their backlot. Tales of the Golden Monkey is filmed there, we just trespassed that set last Friday night. A crashed airplane in the Universal jungle, located alongside the Black Lagoon, had a skeleton pilot in the cockpit. Natives in war paint and armed with spears pull up in canoes to examine the wreck. Jimmy and I began this hobby long ago in a jungle used by Tarzan and Johnny Weissmuller over at MGM. We are like a couple of Johnny Quest expeditionists…we have even explored the ultimate jungle-Skull Island.King Kong lives there.
Movie jungles are our friend…
We see cages for large game in an unoccupied part of this TBS jungle. An animal handler is working/ rehearsing a “Big Cat,” before the actors arrive. It’s like we have arrived on the set of The Jungle Book. We have no choice but to walk in front of grips, electricians and drivers if we want to explore more of the backlot. We ask a laborer what this show is and we are told “Bring Em’ Back Alive,” a new T.V series. Everyone is busy here so we move on into a jungle being rigged with electrical power.
Canoes, rafts and cages make this area appear like The Jungle Cruise at Disneyland.The only thing missing arethe Macaws.
We take time out here, manning a canoe, we gently float out in this the most tiny of backlot ponds. Just because we can. Workers return from lunch on bicycles and race each other around this cement edge, one guy has his tire slip and he falls in the water…every one laughs and shouts unflattering jokes. Jimmy and I find a beer can in the jungle and contort it into a pipe with just a couple quick tweeks and a nail, which are everywhere, to put holes into it for inhalation. We are ready to smoke some “high grade” weed. Standard procedure on these backlots, beer can pipes. We find them a lot., including in The Walton home. We gotta feeling that’s what these guys were up to.
Cowboy On…
We have no idea what’s next as we pony up to western street. We pass the former Ike Godsey ‘s country store and it’s now been reclaimed by the jungle. Reeds, rusted steel, now cover it. More interesting is the horses we see tied up to a horse carrying trailer. We gotta cowboy movie going on, just out view. Western sets have their own horse smell. We probably kinda smell just like these four legged T.V stars- we are now petting.
Transportation trucks parked near by indicate this is a 20th Century Fox show and before you know it- we cross paths with a star. Jimmy and I say “Hi” to Howie, Douglass Barr. He is sitting outside the saloon reading his lines in the script. “Love this show Howie!” I retort. “I love everything right now” is how I feel.
Across the way is Lee Majors joking with a very pretty woman, this guy is a chick magnet. We let him be because we see …Roy Rodgers and his horse Trigger. It turns out the next scene is “Howie” accidentally shooting Trigger. Trigger is well versed in Falling Down, we hear from his wrangler.
So we stay around with Roy Rogers as his horse is about to get shot. We stand on gang planks alongside this most famous of cowboys wearing his very fancy boots… It’s fun being a trespasser!
What we don’t see is a caterer and these two stoned trespassing guys are getting a bit hungry. We decide to leave the old west for life around the sound stages. We walk down New York Street where for the last year Blade Runner had this entire area “locked down.” I spent over 20 nights on this crazy ass set. Spinners took off, in clouds of liquid nitrogen, with the help of a crane. Street atmosphere included ostriches, enormous snakes, crazy eyed Asians…Oh-and non stop acid rain.
Things have returned to normal on this street after a year of Ridley Scott directing Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer in a futuristic thriller that has come home to roost in 2024. A harbinger then of things to come.
As we reminisce, it does not solve our hunger. But, afraid of nothing, we pass security like we stepped out of our own movie. The Studio Commissary is still open, how cool is this, a sign says…”We arewelcome here.” I have been eating on movie sets since I was 12, but not inside a commissary. A novel thing to do, of course, since we are trespassing, this is not a free meal is the only drawback.
When in Rome or just– The Burbank Studios, I order a plate of turkey and mashed potatoes, and a piece of Boysenberry pie. We relax in quiet being the last folks inside, it’s closing time.
During our meal we plan another escapade, we’re going over to Universal Studios after leaving here, it’s right across the street, separated only by a fine restaurant-The Smoke House. We love double features. Since MGM was torn down, we get our fixes in the valley now. Backlots are everywhere out here!
Rather than risk not being able to get out where we climbed in at, we casually walk towards the main gate on Barham Blvd, waving good bye to security. MGM security knew us all to well, these guys don’t. It’s as if Jimmy and I got amnesty-the thing Alias Smith and Jones tried so hard to get. Well cowboys, we’re headed to your lot next and we got a story to tell you about Roy Rogers…Gitty Up!
I know the guards, Al Black, pictured in guard shack and MGM Lot 3 entrance. Another grizzled veteran, Les Green. Al was the most difficult guard to escape from due to his athleticism, Les, well, he may just shoot you, MGM security often used “salt rock” in the backlots…Al Black has chased me more than any guard at MGM, he never caught me, he had is hands on me as I jumped off the fence once and I needed stitches to close the gash. He was grabbing my hand right when I jumped. This is a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
My Art Department picture dated Feb 9, 1949-10 A.M, to be exact …Right side of frame has the fence and on the other side is another Eucalyptus Road in a grove on the oil field side.
Every great adventure begins with...A Hole in the Fence. The Eastern MGM border connects to the Southern border here. The fence post “rusted “is original to MGM. The wall you see was also a chain link fence back in the Backlot days.
Just ask Todd Spiegelberg about lurking dangers…The MGM Curse is still in effect...This is the area we snuck in at, the weak link in the chain of fences.I couldn’t help but laugh at his injury, he is now in the club of –Blood Brothers. We have all had bad days, it’s how you earn stripes
Roads less traveled – many still exist. Chances are, you will find me here wondering around Eternity Road. Be careful if your dog picks up the scent of Brimstone.I am the closest thing to Hyder Simpson you will ever meet.
Yellow line indicates the area most used to trespass.In a jungle know for Tarzan...We often AppearedNotice Eucalyptus Roadinside MGM, but it has a sister grove on the oil field side of the fence.
This is that Eucalyptus grove today. My dog hunts where Mr. Hyder Simpson and his dog RIP went “coon hunting” in The Twilight Zone.
Wildlife that passes by to this day include…Coyotes, foxes, raccoons, skunks, owls, Canadien Geese, ducks and Crawdaddy’s. I transported crawdad’s from MGM Lot 2, as the lake was being drained once and for all, I transferred the crawfish whose pond was turning to mud, to this MGM lake that partially still exists. Picture me on a ten speed bicycle, going back and forth down Overland with buckets of crawfish hanging on my handle bars. I was so despondent, on a mission of mercy…
A Full Moon-over MGM Lot 3
Many of these trees still exist, witness to all history, both in film and oil production. The drainage channel is here to prevent rain run off from inundating the former MGM Backlot and now it’s replacement …Raintree. This concrete catch basin was a safe refuge, like a trench in WW1. When your being pursued, this was you exit and and security unloads their weapons. Real Combat, happens here!
Original trees east border, wall replaced barb wire fence. The steel pole in the picture most right was for oil well tie downs. This was an oil field when MGM was shooting on their side of the fence. This area has had their oil wells removed that existed going back to 1924.Original trees still can be found all over this development. This lot was the first one I saw demolished, of course I was devastated.
In my MGM Art Still-notice the fence. A four footer with 3 strands of barbwire, Made to discretely blend into the landscape. WLA College lies beyond this area today. The Football Field-the team name in the 70’s, when Warren Moon, NFL Hall of Fammer was the QB, was “The Oilers.”
My first ever sneak in happened at this rock formation which of course is fake. All kinds of platforms to position actors on. Shells remained from Combat, here- and in all the French Villages in the series. That show was all things...GUNFIRE!
Eternity Lane-“Man will walk into hell with both eyes wide open…But even the devil can’t fool a Dog!” …No truer words
I live this everyday...Every dog I’ve ever had has watched this episode with me then-then we go relive it!
We Begin in an era of war, “Vietnam”- music “Woodstock” and the infamous MGM Studio Auction.
The landscape we traverse backwards through. MGM filled the 60’s with the best War TV of any studio ever by far. Combat, The Rat Patrol, Garrison’s Gorillas, and Jericho. Features include The Dirty Dozen, The Bridge at Remagen, and Kelly’s Heroes. Ice Station Zebra even filmed here on MGM Lot 3.
The gunfire these shows delivered were twice what you see on your TV screen. Reverse angles create more and more noise, machine guns, rifles and bombs. Part of growing up next to MGM, it was the hook that became overwhelming and fueled an addiction that has never stopped. I have all these series and watch stuff daily-60 years later.
What you may not realize is, half this landscape still exists. On the oilfield property and also WLA College. As flowers bloom, hummingbirds hum and butterflies flutter, I remember when gunfire was king. Upsetting and even terrifying nature’s paradise. The sounds of war are long gone, peace has been achieved.
The Eucalyptus Road was actually two roads, one existing the oil field side and the other on the MGM side of the fence. This is the jungle area of a backlot that covered 67 acres. Three of the four studio fences were framed by Eucalyptus trees. This backlot had more trees than any backlot with Universal a close second, depending on your math. Universal has the most Oak Trees.
Looking back now in a time when almost every old set in existence has been removed from our Hollywood backlots I respect something I never expected to say ” this development captured the spirit of this MGM Lot 3. A partial lake with “my generation of transported Lot 2 crawfish” and many original trees were preserved. I rescued the craw daddy’s from death when they drained the Tarzan Lake on Lot 2 and bucketed them cross town to this former MGM lake. Lot 2,Studio Estates, saved nothing, absolutely nothing.
Plaques of how things were remind all who read them of what once was. I feel like I’m at MGM Lot 3. It is embedded in my mind as if it’s still 1969.
This is 2024, Universal Studios Nissan commercial.But this lighting took me back to a feature we did here titled –Dick Tracy, back in 1990. Starring Warren Beatty and Madonna. Warm up with these first 5 car shots for what follows…
.Cut Here…Bring in Dick Tracy
The climatic shoot out, probably the best I have ever seen on this lot. A close second is City Heat starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds
He’s so vain, he probably thinks this song is about him!-So says Carly Simon.
1984 Brownstone Street Universal. A fun, drawn out, exchange of humor mixed with gun fire. This is the same corner Clint says ‘Do you feel Lucky Punk”
Dirty Harry 1971
Telly Savalas, Peter Falk
We are well stocked on this lot with investigators..
We begin on Universal’s original New York Street:
Uniformed officers patrolled around here back in the 70s in Dodge Darts while filming Adam-12. We had our own Fire Company and still do- Engine Company 51. The most famous fire fighters ever to step in front of a camera. We had more detectives than criminals. The one common denominator is the paved streets all this takes place on.
During the time of all these pictures I’ve displayed, they took place on our original New York City streets.Sadly it would burn down, as would its replacement 10 years later. Each rebuild took almost a year to accomplish. The job was titled The Phoenix Project. Up from the ashes we carried on.
The show must go on and this street is our big moneymaker. The best films done here were made on New York One -the original street.
I lived these fires, I have fire pictures from our Fire Department and the challenges they faced, prioritizing the film vaults that were irreplaceable. With everything bad something good surfaces often. Seeing an entire city get rebuilt in the footstep of the original was a historic site to see, the thrill of victory would once again be achieved. Fresh wood dominated the landscape and air we breathed.
To literally see massive 5 story street structures return from the ashes was similar say to a dead plant surprising you with re-life sprout again. I always wondered what it must have been like to have built this street and never figured I’d live to see- not one, but two of these Metropolis’s rebuilt.
Much of Dick Tracy is night scenes to take advantage of lighting effects. Not only were the buildings repainted in brighter hues, but colored gels were put in front of 12 K lights to illuminate these otherwise non descriptive generic streets. Watering down streets also help the color flow be reflective.
I worked days during this film and much of this show was nights. As I arrived at work, I could see the damage filmed the night before. The smells of gunpowder and rubber cement were everywhere the morning after. I could only imagine the mayhem that took place hours before… I couldn’t always be assigned to the shows I’d prefer.
A long standing production electrician and best pal-Greg Bishop, my mentor who has literally seen everything on this backlot told me the shootout he witnessed as the finally was… the most insane thing he ever witnessed on our lot. We walked the bullet ridden sets and damaged cars together while as I tried to imagine what he was saying as we explored the wreckage. Bullet holes and crashed cars litter the streets. The smell of kerosene attaches to everything.
One funny side bar, unless you’re Madonna, is the fact a Glamour Tram clipped her vintage Mercedes Benz. The car was parked outside a soundstage and the 4th car of the tram smacked her car good. That didn’t go over well. Universal flipped the bill for that expensive repair…
The steamy relationship between Warren Beatty and our singing star was in full City Heat during this project. Cherished memories would continue for me on a daily basis for decades to come, as I continue my childhood adventures as a full grown adult that now gets paid for having fun.
An aerial view of the Columbia Ranch in it’s heyday.
January 3, 1981-we begin our rooftop story:
The Boys and I love a good challenge, my gang tonight are all good friends who have grown up together on movie backlots- alongside me. You may recognize their names-Jimmy, Pat and Danny from previous adventures. Tonight, we’re going to do something special –trespass the Columbia Ranch at night. We have done Warner Brothers and Universal in the dark and of course the MGM lots and Desilu, but we’ve yet to tackle this 40-acre ranch.
We arrive by way of Jimmy’s square back VW and park in an empty parking lot behind a barb wire cage that protects Hollywood from onlookers. We sit momentarily staring at a sharply covered brick wall, Blondie sings “Call Me” on the radio and we get out the car and stand on our horseshoes. “They’ve added more barb wire since last visit” I point out. The four of us are sizing up the situation. Looking for the path of least resistance. We see a section of brick wall not wrapped in wire.
This is where the rubber meets the rode and in 30 seconds, we are all now taking cover in nearby bushes inside the backlot. We use a climbing method so simple it childish. One kid puts his hands together forming a cup, the next kid puts his foot in that cup and is lifted high enough to pull himself up to the top. Once there-that kid on top pulls the kid who boosted him upwards by his extended arms. It’s almost like cheating it’s so easy and quick. All you need is the right fence situation, meaning no sharp barbs or edges.
We lurk slowly towards Fantasy Island, which is as dark as you can get. We let our eyes turn into night vision goggles, on the look for the slightest movements. Employees move around in the daylight, but spirits travel at night. We fit right in.
Clocks are unnecessary since we have no where we need to go-we’re in exploration mode. We’ve all been here before and know certain sections better than others. It takes time to learn every square inch of a backlot-it took a couple years of “all the time visitations” to master the MGM backlot 2. The area we that attracts us is the rooftops on the tall New York Skylines. Weaving in between parked Police cars, ambulances, Army trucks, all boxed in tight formation like a Hot Wheels carrying case.
As tempting as it is to sit inside some of these unlocked picture cars from various shows, it’s just not safe yet, that still needs to be determined. Roof tops will determine exactly what and where is safe. Soldier on…we continue behind buildings and through every kind of doorway possible, we arrive at the staircase that takes you 4 stories high where we can get a handle on what we may be in for tonight.
Much of this interior ascension upwards is in Braille- meaning you can’t see. Slowly proceed up each step, making sure- there is a step. Just because- it’s a long fall the higher you go. The rooftop is our sanctuary. It overlooks the entire backlot, this set is in the middle of the backlot with very long distances in each direction to reach safety if being chased. Anything’s possible, but no time to worry, rather time to celebrate…No risk-No reward moment!
We quickly light a joint and take in all our surroundings. A cold breeze blows off tiny sparks like fireflies towards our faces. You know- Danny’s high- when he goes into a music trance and everything becomes part of a Slingerland drum set. Everything…His lap, the wood he’s sitting on, and the guy he’s sitting next to are all make shift drum set pieces. Just the other night we enjoyed Buddy Rich on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Danny went completely nuts over this band leader, drummer extraordinaire as did Doc Severinsen. Buddy is the real deal. Rodney Dangerfield added humor as only he can deliver.
Just 3 months ago, exactly where are car is parked tonight, the F.M radio dial, 95.5 KLOS informed us John Bonham, Led Zeppelin’s drummer, passed away. That afternoon we all trespassed this same wall… with very heavy hearts. I digress…
Still up on the roof– Jimmy and I pass this Bomber doobie while game planning what to expect in tomorrows championship football game between the Raiders and the Browns, while Pat sits fixated on the picture cars below. He’s a trespassing Transportation Captain, specializing in cars that aren’t his. Pat and Danny have beards, and Pat has on a Fedora he picked up at MGM awhile back. Up on this roof we must look like an Allman Brothers record cover. The only thing missing are the instrument cases.
We can relax up here because we have the upper hand. No one knows we’re here, and we can see everywhere. There is always anxiety when – traversing in the backlot- since these studios are 24/7. Never take anything completely for granted but it appears tonight it’s just us. Very few lights are on and none where we choose to go.
We retrace the stairway back down and cross a paved street, passing a large circular fountain and square pool. We are a slingshot away now from the Dennis the Menace house now, which I enter for the first time at night. “I too- my little blonde friend- am extremely accurate with rubber band attached to a stick” I say as I open the front door. Just in case he’s hiding in here…
It’s always fun when a group of kids get in character when entering a set with a glorious past-we become that family that was …canceled!
In the dark, at ground level, the large buildings we were just on top of look so imposing. We have a tendency to compare sets we are on to other sets at other studios and that’s because…we’ve seen and touched them all. Both daytime and night time. The night winds down without any unwanted visitors or interventions as we quietly touch back down on the asphalt parking lot where this night began…
40 years later here we are again…
A couple of months back, Maureen and I came to the guard shack with high hopes of sharing a little past history and perhaps getting a snapshot or two. We were appropriately dressed. She said I looked like I just stepped out of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and she was wearing her “C’mon Get Happy” Partridge Family t-shirt. We came to pay a final visit to Columbia Ranch and show our respects and we ended up being the center a “Code 3.” The Burbank Police showed up after an irate guard threw a frenzy as we took pictures at the entrance.
Whatever happened to the Ken Hollywood’s of the world, security guards who double as legends themselves. The icons of MGM security, who wore bright smiles above shiny silver badges. Friends to movie stars and trespassers alike. Guards such as him who would introduce this impressionable teen ager to MGM’s legendary talent. Complete with decades of stories of how wonderful the magic of Hollywood touched all of us.
Written and lived by Maureen Miller and Donnie Norden.
The Partridge Family home
Bewitched Home I took 30 years apart
Dennis the Menace pulling “Opie” on a wagon in front of the home. And the same Home I took while trespassing
I Dream of Jennie home and renovation below it
Under the Rainbow 1981 and my trespassing picture below it
The Partridge Family on Western Street
The Partridge Family on Western Street
The Fantasy Island cottage at Columbia Ranch undressed
And a B&W pic I took of the cottage “dressed“
Another B&W set from Fantasy Island on the backlot
Andy Griffith in Savage-1 with my photo on the left
The Walton’s home at Columbia Ranch
Filming Hooper on the backlot and my picture below it
40 years apart, Gate 11 in better days…
Behind me is one upset guard with his camera out and calling police.
We don’t cause trouble-it follows us.
Maureen… I hear trouble behind me…
The police have arrived with sirens no less, we didn’t think it was for us until, they positioned themselves on the street corners. One police car went inside the lot. I quickly concluded it’s time for Bonnie and Clyde to make for the getaway car. We hid behind the white truck before driving past this developing situation. We decided to cover our tracks, literally in a Pullman car at nearby Travel Town to process what just happened. It wouldn’t be the first time a Pullman car would provide a hideout for us. Calmly like the 63 year olds we are, we left the area with one final memory. Maureen and I love backlots – We plead guilty to that charge!
One final Goodbye
I love this studio because it was nestled in with real life normal people living everyday life with a balcony view of the studio. Maureen’s apartment growing up was just outside MGM’s fences. Sequence of pics from off lot, behind house and front door. Picture one of Bewitched house from Oak St. The address used for this fictitious house is 1164 Morning Glory Circle.
“Come and get me Mr. Security Guard- Be careful not to fall in the trench”
Backside New York Street.
I can be found on backlot rooftops…
Looking towards Forest Lawn Drive from the highest vantage point on the Columbia Ranch
Gate 11-Hollywood Way-located behind trees.
The backside view from same roof-a silver spaceship, off in the distance, left side of building. Subtle changes-years apart
The rooftops we are on in my Trespassing Story…
View of Western Town from the highest vantage point I can climb on.
Those rooftops overlook the backlot, a fountain is situated on the front side-in a park setting.This place is like a kid’s toy chest. I’ll take you up there in today’s story, a night time trespassing adventure…This area can double for car salesman Cal Worthington. We can sell you a car,. any car. Common Down, your credits good here!
Some of my Western Street pictures are beginning to fade away
The swimming pool on the lot which can be seen in many movie and television shows
This utility road sits directly behind The Bewitched home on the left, and the studio barbed wire ivy covered fence on the right– Oak Street.
A picture that breaks my heart; Then and now
Thanks for reading! For more backlot adventures, check out my newly released book on Amazon. Phantom of the Backlots Presents: Uninvited Visitor https://a.co/d/eRTFLsy
Maureen and I had to pay a final visit to show our respects and we ended up being the center a “Code 3.”The Burbank Police showed up after an irate guard threw a frenzy as we took pictures at the entrance. We are 63 years old at this point in time. We will start herein the present -before going back in time.
The culprits:
They seem innocent …
Grown up version of this same duo oftroublemakers over at the former East End of MGM Lot 3…We never stop playing this game!
We don’t cause trouble-it follows us.
I hear trouble behind me…
Behind me is one upset guard with his camera out and calling police.
The police have arrived with sirens no less, we didn’t think it was for us until, they positioned themselves on the street corners. One police car went inside the lot. I quickly concluded it’s time for Bonnie and Clyde to make for the getaway car. We hid behind the white truck before driving past this developing situation. We decided to cover our tracks, literally in a Pullman car at nearby Travel Town to process what just happened. It wouldn’t be the first time a Pullman car would provide a hideout for us. Calmly like the 63 year olds we are, we left the area with one final memory. Maureen and I love backlots – We plead guilty to that charge!
These Stages once used by Bewitched, The Monkees, and The Partridge Family. An entire forest was viciously destroyed in this now desolate area that once was Fantasy Island. Foreground was a lush forest…”we don’t need those anymore.” says the project manager…Disgraceful!
Backside New York Street.
Once Upon a Time this was our entrance.
Gate 11 in better days…
One final Goodbye
“Come and get me Mr. Security Guard- Be careful not to fall in the trench”
Fountain foreground, pool behind me. My color and Black and White pictures years apart.
Let’s go on top of the buildings off in the distance. Keep your eyes out for guards…
I can be found on backlot rooftops…
Same rooftop-years apart.
Looking towards Forest Lawn Drive from the highest vantage point on the Columbia Ranch
Gate 11-Hollywood Way-located behind trees.
Same rooftop, same angle, years apart.
The backside view from same roof–a silver spaceship, off in the distance, left side of building.
Subtle changes-years apart
Transportation/picture cars. Columbia Ranch stages
Same roofs looking toward Western Street. Very few shots exist from rooftops, these are special-I’m like an owl, watching over everything…
Hoot hoot…
Those rooftops overlook the backlot, a fountain is situated on the front side-in a park setting.This place is like a kid’s toy chest. I’ll take you up there in today’s story, a night time trespassing adventure…
The pool area-fountain is just out of frame.
Dive on in…
Steel structure contained hand props, really cool stuff inside. Trees in back of frame is where Fantasy Island-studio version of Queen Anne Cottage in Arcadia, California. A seldom used nearby location. This ranch reproduced that location.
My pal Jimmy as we approach this backlot version of Queen Anne Cottage. Exterior set duplicated on the Columbia Ranch. Discovery after discovery around every corner.
Welcome to Fantasy Island…“You guys remember me?” I met “you all” on your second ever episode-over at MGM lot 2… “Pleasure to be here!”…I have an amazing story to share on this set in 1977, when I spent the day with this cast and crew. My story is titled “Glass Onion” You will trip out, literally. This colorful event will be in book three, not yet titled- so Stay tuned!
This is a picture of set duplicated at the Ranch. This is the real Queen Anne Cottage.
What’s real and what’s illusion?
Fantasy Island Storage Company-Set decorations as simple as a palm tree, a sign, and tropical jungle reeds save going on location. I was on set at MGM for Fantasy Island. Bert Convy and Robert Clary guest starred with MGM legend Ricardo Montalban. The show had not yet aired, second episode. Plot was about escape from Devil’s Island. This story will be in my 3rd book. Episode Directed by Gene Levitt. Famous for his Combat history at MGM, he also was the Director on The Phantom of Hollywood. A film the parallels my dealings at MGM in the beginning of the 70’s. I’m that Phantom- that plot is ghostly-because it’s my story at that studio. That’s why I’m –The Phantom of the Backlots
TBS Backlot
Walton house over at Columbia Ranch
Replica barn -Columbia Ranch for Waltons reunion.
Original barn set-picture taken by me in 1975. We would later on that holiday afternoon drive a car used in this series and dress in clothing found in trunk as we toured the backlot, in a Waltons car, dressed as family members.” “Hey, where is everybody?…When’s supper?”
“There’s those trespassers again… Kami go back inside…these boys are up to no good!”
Let’s check out that spaceship…yonder –apparently we’re not alone
He was a Sheriff on earth–I had a fort in his house!
I’ll take the window seat
This backlot is a portal to…Outer Space!
Water tank set on backlot-real homes across from studio on Hollywood Way
This corner was where we entered for over a decade, the parking lot of a shopping center. We would park here, listen to music and plot. That’s the water tank, surrounded by scaffolding. Actors swim inside as cameras film from windows. Universal and MGM also had these heavy duty steel drum sets. Esther Williams made her living in one of these at MGM. Plus she had a deep pool to dive into…
Recent picture where all my adventures began…
As time passed…More barb wire was added and a moat full of alligators…Just to keep me out!
Church from outside studio
Church inside studio
Backlot fencing, covered with ivy. On the other side is a utility road. This public street is Oak St.
I love this studio because it was nestled in with real life normal people living everyday life with a balcony view of the studio. Maureen’s apartment growing up was just outside MGM’s fences. Sequence of pics from off lot, behind house and front door. Picture one of Bewitched house from Oak St.The address used for this fictitious house is 1164 Morning Glory Circle.
Just inside the fence on Oak St.-This utility road separating the public street “Oak” from Samantha Stevens home in Bewitched.This is picture 2 of 3
The most familiar angle of the three...The front door of the Bewitched home.
This series aired from 1964 to 1972. Created by Sol Saks. 254 episodes were created, most directed by William Asher.Hanna-Barbera produced the opening and closing animated credits…
Bewitched is rated number 50 in TV Guides fifty greatest TV shows of all time.
When I started in the business as a Teamster-driver I met drivers from shows with stories to share. One of these men was Elizabeth Montgomery’s personal driver. No star was as nice as this beautiful witch. Very caring, generous and giving. She is famous for special Christmas presents. One of my first TV Star crushes!
The studio residential neighborhood- a slingshot from real people’s homes with everyday normal lives.These homes were built between 1946 and 1951.
Front and side view– Dennis the Menace’s house.
1981 Ghost Town-This is where trespassers are hung!
Ghost Town bus break down...Partridge Family 1970 Christmas episode.
Gold Rush turns to Ghost Town. A window/wild wall put up for this shot-middle of street. Atmosphere extras replaced by tumbleweeds blown by a wind machine.
1970 meets 1981
Is that David Cassidy on those steps strumming his guitar? –Andy Griffith is also a Singing sheriffover at Desilu
Merry Christmas from the Partridge Family- 1970
Same Saloon entrance-10 years apart…
More backlot musicians policing the old west. The Monkees were not an organic band. They were successfully cast by Hollywood for this series. Picture on left- you can see sky through upstairs windows. Picture on right in same saloon the Partridge Family wished you a very 70’s Merry Christmas.
The Monkees became a huge pop culture sensationwith four chart topping albums and three chart topping songs. “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer” and ‘Daydream Believer.”They sold 75 million records world wide…A little know fact is- David Bowie’s real name is David Jones, he changed it to Bowie because of the success David Jones was having as a Monkee… The rest is history!
This Ranch is like a movie museum…
The stories these old sets can tell…
Sets used in Hooper- I met Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham back here when this was going on. Story in detail in- Book Three.
I love Stunts…I loved this studio!
Welcome to season three of…The Phantom of the Backlots
Or does it?…
Introduction...I hope all is well with my fans- I look forward to personally reuniting with all of you. I disappeared to focus on my books. Out of the mist, under the cover of darkness-I’ve reappeared. The Uninvited Visitor is now available on Amazon.
On the One Hundredth Anniversary of MGM Studios, I’m proud to go back 50 years with my own stories and experiences at this legendary movie studio that ended up having a major impact on how my life would play out. The MGM Effect is real, I salute you MGM as I would any dear friend I’ve known so long. We shared so much fun together, you’re forever part of my DNA. From hundreds of tiny wooden slivers, a few small yet still distinguishable scars from cuts and stitches from long ago that required a few trips to the ER for repairs. And a tooth that broke and ripped through my lower lip while running through buildings on New York Street. That’s not counting several other…near misses!
A third book detailing MGM’s final years 1977-80 will be my next and final installment. T.U.V will travel back through 1975/1976. A lot happened in these two years including my final stories involving Desilu as it disappears and literally becomes… Gone With the Wind.
Meanwhile a blockbuster film titled King Kong moves in at MGM and that set becomes my home. I will take you to Skull Island. Climb the walls with me in a story titled Dark Side of the Moon. I even briefly go inside Kong as he arrives on the backlot. That story is titled…Welcome to the Machine.
So without further ado, sit back, relax, smoke a cigar and enjoy the show…it’s a 70’s Rock and Roll-experience, like no other. As MGM celebrates 100 today, lets trespass back in time to the most recent backlot no longer in existence.
My favorite books on MGM Studios. Arnold Gillespie was truly The Wizard. His career at MGM was so long that he worked on the original Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)and its remake Ben-Hur (1959) and the original Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and its remake Mutiny on the Bounty (1962). Buddy G. will explain how each challenging scene was put together and captured for eternity. When you finish this large book, you will have an engineering degree involving how movies are made. A tip of the hat to Mr. Robert Welch on such a marvelous presentation on his legendary grandfather.
Dear Pal- Steven Bingen captures a history both in pictures and interviews in his two hard covered books pictured here. Proudly, I’m part of “The MGM Effect,” no one ever was probably more “effected” than me in that fairy tailish wonderland I had the pleasure of growing up inside of.
Warner Bros. Closes the Gates on what was a very special…backlot
Pretty amazing the final events that have taken place around this Burbank facility. The fact it’s so popular makes you wonder why tours were not offered in the Warner Studio Tour. This lot wasn’t always connected to Warners or TBS, it had rich history as Columbia Pictures. I am positive many historians would have flipped a hundred dollars for a final Curtain pulling event on this backlot.
Who doesn’t love studio history-Studio executives -that’s who!
Maureen and I have seen this movie before at- MGM, lots 2/3, and Desilu in Culver City. Now this legendary backlot all TV Land viewers have grown up inside of-has bitten the dust. The difference was the internet didn’t exist then and only we seemed to care. Apparently, this tear down spread like wild fire thanks to this cyber world we all now live in. You can’t rebuild it now and many things could have been auctioned and a more creative demolition or reimplementation in this land of captured memories. The park and fountain, and some wonderful mature trees who were part of all this backlots history could and should have been incorporated to respect the past in what will now be a concrete jungle of endless stages. A campus setting blending past, present and future- Not to be-thanks to contemporary visionaries.
At least MGM, RKO/Desilu and 20th Century Fox offered up incredible bargains of a historic nature. Desilu was like some circus that left town and not everything was packed on the train.
But not this place, not this legendary ranch “don’t even look inside or I’m calling the cops!”
“Go ahead, just saying- Hi, is all” was how my exchange with security at Gate 11 began as Maureen and I paid our last visit.
Whatever happened to the Ken Hollywoods of the world, security guards who double as legends themselves. The icons of MGM security, who wore bright smiles above shiny silver badges. Friends to movie stars and trespassers alike. Guards such as him who would introduce this impressionable teen ager to MGM’s legendary talent. Complete with decades of stories of how wonderful the magic of Hollywood touched all of us. Both those who wear shiny black shoes and those of us wearing worn out tennis shoes…we embraced history under that famous Lion logo.
For my third book which is in the works, ironically, I have a story that starts at this exact gate… Gate 11-Columbia Ranch. The story is Hooper, starring Burt Reynolds. Security, back in 1978, greets me and my actor friend Tim that morning, reminding us the speed limit and rules we should know. Tim was a bit actor in this and many other films.
If I followed every rule, we wouldn’t have all this content I present you. The Ten Commandments are the rules Maureen and I were taught to follow in our Catholic upbringing way back in our early years, we rationalized that trespassing isn’t specifically addressed as a sin in any one of those commandments. Never did we feel we were doing wrong…because this is not on Catholic school lists of sins.”…Thank God!
Like a King and a Queen, we’ve sat in carriages used by movie royalty. We occupied Castles, steeples of every size and shape, including trying on left behind wardrobe from ancient times. From tree stumps with tunnels underneath to famous prisons, we became part of the dangerous landscape…literally. We kept finding things others who preceded us overlooked. Most recently, Marion Davies and her Divine spirit allowed me to rescue a vital link dating back to Hollywood’s earliest days. As if we were selected to pass on these magical heirlooms of motion picture history. We gratefully accept the challenge bestowed upon us. You can be anything you wish to be once inside these fences. These backlots were where we grew up, truly our “Home Sweet Home.”
January 3, 1981-we begin our rooftop story:
The Boys and I love a good challenge, my gang tonight are all good friends who have grown up together on movie backlots- along side me. You may recognize their names-Jimmy, Pat and Danny from previous adventures. Tonight, we’re going to do something special –trespass the Columbia Ranch at night. We have done Warner Brothers and Universal in the dark and of course the MGM lots and Desilu, but we’ve yet to tackle this 40 acre ranch.
We arrive by way of Jimmy’s square back VW and park in an empty parking lot behind a barb wire cage that protects Hollywood from onlookers. We sit momentarily staring at a sharply covered brick wall, Blondie sings “Call Me” on the radio and we get out the car and stand on our horseshoes. “They’ve added more barb wire since last visit” I point out. The four of us are sizing up the situation. Looking for the path of least resistance. We see a section of brick wall not wrapped in wire.
This is where the rubber meets the rode and in 30 seconds we are all now taking cover in near by bushes inside the backlot. We use a climbing method so simple it childish. One kid puts his hands together forming a cup, the next kid puts his foot in that cup and is lifted high enough to pull himself up to the top. Once there-that kid on top pulls the kid who boosted him upwards by his extended arms. It’s almost like cheating it’s so easy and quick. All you need is the right fence situation, meaning no sharp barbs or edges.
We lurk slowly towards Fantasy Island, which is as dark as you can get. We let our eyes turn into night vision goggles, on the look for the slightest movements. Employees move around in the daylight, but spirits travel at night. We fit right in.
Clocks are unnecessary since we have no where we need to go-we’re in exploration mode. We’ve all been here before and know certain sections better than others. It takes time to learn every square inch of a backlot-it took a couple years of “all the time visitations” to master the MGM backlot 2. The area we that attracts us is the rooftops on the tall New York Skylines. Weaving in between parked Police cars, ambulances, Army trucks, all boxed in tight formation like a Hot Wheels carrying case.
As tempting as it is to sit inside some of these unlocked picture cars from from various shows, it’s just not safe yet, that still needs to be determined. Roof tops will determine exactly what and where is safe. Soldier on…we continue behind buildings and through every kind of doorway possible, we arrive at the staircase that takes you 4 stories high where we can get a handle on what we may be in for tonight.
Much of this interior ascension upwards is in Braille- meaning you can’t see. Slowly proceed up each step, making sure- there is a step. Just because- it’s long fall the higher you go. The rooftop is our sanctuary. It overlooks the entire backlot, this set is in the middle of the backlot with very long distances in each direction to reach safety if being chased. Anythings possible, but no time to worry, rather time to celebrate…No risk-No reward moment!
We quickly light a joint and take in all our surroundings. A cold breeze blows off tiny sparks like fireflies towards our faces. You know- Danny’s high- when he goes into a music trance and everything becomes part of a Slingerland drum set. Everything…His lap, the wood he’s sitting on, and the guy he’s sitting next to are all make shift drum set pieces. Just the other night we enjoyed Buddy Rich on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Danny went completely nuts over this band leader, drummer extraordinaire as did Doc Severinsen. Buddy is the real deal. Rodney Dangerfield added humor as only he can deliver.
Just 3 months ago, exactly where are car is parked tonight, the F.M radio dial, 95.5 KLOS informed us John Bonham, Led Zeppelin’s drummer, passed away. That afternoon we all trespassed this same wall… with very heavy hearts. I digress…
Still up on the roof– Jimmy and I pass this Bomber doobie while game planning what to expect in tomorrows championship football game between the Raiders and the Browns, while Pat sits fixated on the picture cars below. He’s a trespassing Transportation Captain, specializing in cars that aren’t his. Pat and Danny have beards, and Pat has on a Fedora he picked up at MGM awhile back. Up on this roof we must look like an Allman Brothers record cover. The only thing missing are the instrument cases.
We can relax up here because we have the upper hand. No one knows we’re here, and we can see everywhere. There is always anxiety when – traversing in the backlot- since these studios are 24/7. Never take anything completely for granted but it appears tonight it’s just us. Very few lights are on and none where we choose to go.
We retrace the stairway back down and cross a paved street, passing a large circular fountain and square pool. We are a slingshot away now from the Dennis the Menace house now, which I enter for the first time at night. “I too- my little blonde friend- am extremely accurate with rubber band attached to a stick” I say as I open the front door. Just in case he’s hiding in here…
It’s always fun when a group of kids get in character when entering a set with a glorious past-we become that family that was …canceled!
In the dark, at ground level, the large buildings we were just on top of look so imposing. We have a tendency to compare sets we are on to other sets at other studios and that’s because…we’ve seen and touched them all. Both daytime and night time. The night winds down without any unwanted visitors or interventions as we quietly touch back down on the asphalt parking lot where this night began…
40 years later here we are again…
We came to the guard shack with high hopes of sharing a little past history and perhaps getting a snapshot or two. We were appropriately dressed. She said I looked like I just stepped out of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and she was wearing her “C’mon Get Happy” Partridge Family t-shirt.
Ch-ch-changes… The former Columbia Ranch is now run by Warner Brothers. Columbia Pictures can now be found on the iconic and still standing MGM lot. Just the names changed. This backlot was entered off a street named Hollywood Way and was the best backlot still standing … it will truly be missed.
I conclude this post with another picture drop presentation of my pictures tied into the past, from a couple of old folks who cherish places like this and will never forget all things we experienced inside. Put up all the cameras and barb wire you wish- but you can’t take our memories Warner Brothers.
Written and lived by Maureen Miller and Donnie Norden.
Rockstars arrive like this…Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees at LAXLos Angeles.
Let’s go get…Billy Preston
The legendary Apple Recordsrooftop concert January 30th, 1969
Ladies and Gentleman….The Beatles- Billy Preston on keyboards.
Billy Preston’s rooftop performance at the MGM Backlot. 1977 -8 years after The Beatles last public performance.
I could hear this performance at my house, I live that close to MGM.
I’m surrounded by rockstars…I’m trespassing. Peter Frampton who is still basking in Frampton Comes Alive success, is on one side of me, while Billy spins around in circles…Welcome toMy Life…
We are all- Staying Alive
Get Back with Billy, trumpet in hand.
Billy Prestonexiting the rooftop, Here Performing Get Back. He is attached to a crane by way of a cable and harness. Soundtrack is booming loud in this shot.This song was performed twice on the 1969 rooftop.
Billy at this time was his own smash hits. His songs were always on The Radio… “Outta Space,”Going Round in Circles,” and ” Nothin for Nothin” are all big hits. Billy also played with The Rolling Stones in 1976, the year previous to his role in “Sargent Pepper.” The Stones let Billy do his stuff on the “It’s Only Rock and Roll Tour.” Ron Wood was the newest figure in The Rolling Stones back in this time. He left that legendary band that amazingly still performs, unhappy lack of credit for “Melody.”
Guess who’s in this picture I took…The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton. They had to duck when pyro is ignited. I was there but we could see this from my house. Cover of my next book, I’ll take there as only I can do. No release day set yet for my 3rd book.
Hollywood Gold…A land where Rock Stars, Movie Stars, and Giant Robots can be found side by side. All you have to do is climb these fences.
“My Life”
Let’s live this together in June Gloom that surrounds me as I punch keys in Liverpool weather. A British Invasion took over the infamous MGM Lot 2 in 1977. The year prior- King Kong, the 40 ft Robot, was the big star. But promoter Robert Stigwood, CEO of RSO records wanted to capitalize on the Mega success of Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees. To do this, Robert decided to unite big bands on this backlot in a film titled “Sgt. Pepper”
Just prior to this film, Robert produced Saturday Night Fever. During shooting of Sargent Pepper, those Bee Gee guys filmed a video for Robert titled “Staying Alive.” I watched as the stars left their main set in Heartland and mover further into the backlot where the TV series Combat was filmed. I happened to be in a church steeple often used in war that was a balcony of sorts to overlook the backlot. Low and behold below before my eyes and ears – a rock video is being made, long before MTV.
A dream come true for this long haired teen age boy. I was the most popular kid in school “when I showed up,” anyways. My priority and allegiance has always belonged to this film factory first. I went to school for drugs and to develop my film and rolls of pictures shot on Hollywood’s backlots.
My photography teacher once asked, “How do you get these pictures?” My answer was simple “with a camera sir,” somethings are better left unsaid. This was the music scene in 1977, I will hold you by the hand and take you to see the artists that dominated the Radio Waves and album stores.
If a girl wanted to go with me, all she had to do is climb a fence, easier said than done. Kids at school knew I was a “can’t miss party!”
I would see stars who partied all night and lip synced all day. No real lines, just happy yet sometimes tired faces. Peter Frampton had been promised the Beatles would get involved with this film but they never did. That upset Mr. Frampton who grew up in England idolizing that band. Who didn’t…
The only star with lines is George Burns who was coming off the feature “Oh God.”
The first day on the set was a press conference with all the heavyweights in our Small Town Square, now for this film named Heartland. As the stars unite for promotional obligations on day one, tiny friction occurs. The Bee Gees aren’t happy- Peter gets top billing. When it is Peter’s turn to promote, he is tripped while walking up to the podium, by a Bee Gee who stuck his leg out. Probably Barry who was one of this shows producers. Turns out that band wanted Andy Gibb to play Billy Shears.
Two Alpha Dogs don’t fit in the same room. We have a whole summer ahead and already not every body is happy, welcome to “Day One.” Peter would later claim he wouldn’t have done this film had he had know the Beatles were not involved. George Martin lied to him. Worse royalties were disappearing at an alarming rate. Little did I know then, Peter had reached his Azimuth in fame and fortune, a shop decline is what would be next for this Cover Boy of the 70’s.
At the premier in NYC on 7/13/1978, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr did attend. When George Harrison was asked about this he responded “I think they ruined there careers, asking them to be- The Beatles.” True, I would concur, but these bands were already catapulted too close to sun and other situations involving fame, insane money and drugs would begin a downward spiral.
George, you said it best –All things Must Pass. Nothing lasts forever.
At the end of this film, looking backwards, I would say “We all had a real Good Time.” I did anyways….
The interior sets was built at Universal Studios, Stages 27/28
“We wish to thank all the little people behind the scenes who helped us achieve this plateau.”
Hollywood Blvd was closed for two nights in January 2011 to film “Life’s a Happy Song,” the final musical number in the film.
When your Hot …Your Hot!
The skies the limit!
Let’s head to theAfter Party! … Where’s the Limos?
More Awards for my office…YES!
Let’s go inside these doors of Kermit the Frogs office.
A typical Hollywood set with enchanting actors going over their lines…
This film ended up grossing over 165 million dollars…Making these furry creatures the more popular than the human actors along side them.
We need room for more awards…
Kermit’s office was built on Stage 27, Universal Studios.
Extraordinary set dressing, recreating a vintage Hollywood Bungalow.
Built for a tycoon frog…
Ms Linda Ronstsadt…
This guy is not your ordinary Toad
Thanks for stopping by Linda!
The funniest man in Hollywood–Steve Martin
“Dam-This Jerk plays a mean Banjo!“
My make believe world before Muppet’s existed...That Battleship in foreground fired missiles, spring loaded! Take that you Muppets! My mom bought me the coolest toys.Long before Muppets existed.
Well before The Muppets, this was what my generation watched. This show was “‘Dope“
“Behave yourself you little toad!“
Can somebody cool down this stage please…
Hold me closer please Raquel…“Why are your ears standing up?“
“ I’m Bad –You know it”
WhoseBad !
Bob Hope and similar looking Muppet…”Bob ,we have the same nose.” Right side -Kermit fast talking with a legend!
My Pal from King Kong-Charles Gordon, on the right -Mr Dom DeLouise
Kermit’s wall of fame continues..
We grew up watching The Brady Bunch Florence…“I had a thing for Marcia”
One of the funniest men in Hollywood-Rich Little
Sing along if you dare- Mr. Ray Charles. He has the beautiful teeth all the Muppets would die for, let alone the voice.
George Hamilton and John Ritter vying for the same PIG…What a lucky swine!
Leading Ladies… meet Oscar the Grouch
Kermit and his honors fill this room.
Awards never stopped rolling in
Fabulous items in Kermit’s office
Play some more Linda Ronstadt...
This backstage area was built on Stage 28-The Phantom of the Opera Stage
Can we all get seated…
The Paris Opera House, stands overlooking the recreation of the Chinese Theater-Backstage.
This theater was built on Stage 28, the historic Phantom of the Opera set and the greatest sound stage in Hollywood history.
Just outside the El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Blvd is proof of their claim to fame…Bravo my little friends.
Exit Stage Right
Written and lived by… Donnie Norden…
Kermit the Frog’s Office at Universal Studios
Step inside Kermit the Frog’s iconic office at Universal Studios and take a peek at the magic behind the scenes! From Hollywood sets to famous faces, this is a whirlwind tour of the enchanting world within the walls of Stage 27 and 28.
Hollywood Magic Unveiled
Step into the enchanting interior sets at Universal Studios, where the magic comes to life.
A Night to Remember
Experience the glamour as Hollywood Blvd was closed for filming “Life’s a Happy Song,” a memorable moment captured forever on film.
The After Party Awaits!
Let’s head to the After Party and soak up the star-studded atmosphere – where’s the limos, you ask?
A Glimpse of Nostalgia
Marvel at the extraordinary set dressing, perfectly recreating a vintage Hollywood bungalow.
Wall of Fame
Explore Kermit’s wall of fame, a tribute to the stars that have graced the timeless Hollywood sets.
Star-Studded Encounters
Dive into the world of Hollywood legends as George Hamilton and John Ritter vie for the spotlight alongside the beloved Muppets.
The Phantom’s Stage
Behold the grandeur of The Paris Opera House, overlooking the spectacular recreation of the Chinese Theater backstage.
Experience the charm, the glitz, and the timeless allure of Kermit the Frog’s office at Universal Studios, where fantasy meets reality in the most enchanting way.
This rugged section of Universal Studios is rumored to be notoriously haunted by Spirits in the Night. This digital picture surprised me beyond belief. When I took it, I didn’t see these floating white objects that are dominating the skies right behind…The Psycho House.
Even camping isn’t safe around here…This tent is under attack –From Orbs! Enlarge floating white circular objects as we try to find clues.
This very poor fellow has 2 Orbs examining him…
Orbsand zombies attract…Both shots their are floating visitors…
The Jurassic Park visitor center is it’s own ...Haunted House. It’s behind this facade the Orbs have taken over.
In the early 80’s, Universal tamed this wildness area that at parts still are similar to Topanga Canyon. At night its pitch dark up here. The wild life takes over. Coyotes hunt, a pack of deer must remain alert for their young. Owls warn everybody they are being watched. Backlot folklore stories exist of a car going over the side of a cliff in this area and the deceased wasn’t found right away.
The War of the Worlds 747 crash is a perfect spot for this communion taking place between the dead and these Orbs. Wouldn’t you know the Psycho House would be in the middle of this mystery from The Outer Limits
Inside this house strange things happen...Animation technicians reported several lit candles inside when they were checking on mother upstairs, at her window. A seance appeared to have taken place all night with background noise of bull frogs croaking, crickets, and the terrifying sounds of coyotes hunting close by.
Orbs –one at tire and several all over the crash site.
The story you’re about to hear is real, no photo shop. “You see what I see” as we begin;
Early morning at work, my services were required to this area loaded with sets. In the month of October, Halloween Haunts loads in. I love Halloween so I toured the site the following morning after a sold out crowd was frightened to death the previous night in this exact area. A ghoulish and sinister environment surrounded me as I snapped off pictures on my cell phone.
Nothing seemed unusual at all, just me and dead people- distributed everywhere, in every way, in every position and their final strange fate. The wilderness was very still, spookily still. Because just last night, fairly late, this was the most active area on the lot. There are several sets here, the 747 crash built by War of the Worlds film company, Paramount Pictures. Another Spielberg set is barely hidden behind the plane and that was the Visitor Center for Jurassic Park- 1
Terror needs a home and Alfred Hitchcock provides us that.It oversee’s this entire haunted wasteland. When this photo op became something more to me just happened recently, inspiring this story. As I looked over these pictures and found un-regularities in these photos not seen by my naked eye. These pictures involving morbid situations have visitors.
White Floating Orbs…
They are everywhere, silent, invisible to the naked eye, but alive and well on digital photography. All occurred in a cove and backroad area know to be haunted for decades. Did I capture something here, like the Loch Ness Monster. Zoom in on these circles an embryo type image may be seen.
This is not a joke I’m playing here “you see what I see”
From the lot that brought you Cowboys and Aliens, This has no logical explanation. Unidentifiable by radar, similar to drones, but with a hankering for blood.
I wish Steven Spielberg or Alfred Hitchcock had there cameras rolling up here this morning.
I wore that helmet as security had a conniption fit and had me removed. It was Urko’s leather helmet, he was the Alpha Ape, hunting the humans. Ron Harper costar was a regular at this backlot in Garrison’s Gorillas, a series withNothing to do with Apes! -MGM war TV series in the 60’s.
Whose the old guy with the glasses?
Whose’s the young guy with the Hawk?…A bit of Ape Envy.
Where’s catering located?
Found it!Prosthetics make eating an adventure. Like conversing with a mouthful of Novacaine.
We fixed your hair, but those cigarettes keep messing up your lips.
Roddy McDowell-leaning on subway, smoking, wearing a blue robe. He is going over opening scene. Just exited a prolonged make up session and from here goes to wardrobe. 1974-This upcoming scene is that of a EarthQuake. The sidewalk below will collapse into a subway track.
Two Apes, resting on box-having a smoke also. All these Apes relax by smoking, like a futuristic Marlboro commercial.
I’m hiding upstairs, “No Cameras” rule enforced…I was a guest, but MGM security got involved and called me “The most dangerous boy in Hollywood” Funny thing is -I was wearing Urko’s helmet, hands, and looking over his rifle when MGM freaked out. This is a 20th Century Fox Production. MGM security got their way and escorted me of lot. Actors had taken off some of their wardrobe gear for lunch and I was trying on the stuff left sitting on there chairs when Bronco Bob Coleman of MGM Security arrived and had a conniption fit!
I’m located top floor-this building. Roddy’s cigarette smoke drifted upwards and I inhaled his expulsion “drags”
Train station on left-Brownstone on right. Roddy visited with about 10 kids, standing on crates watching this scene filmed from the train tracks along Lot 2. Ron waved to us but Roddy visited, mimicked ape gestures and reached up with his “hairy hands” to touch our ‘dirty hands” as we all bonded.
A younger Ron Harper…same set-Grand Central Station. Series ran from 1967-68. A West Point Grad, Lt. Garrison, commands a group of convicts behind Nazi lines. Same narrative as The Dirty Dozen
Genius at work…His legend started with American Werewolf in London, where he won his first Academy Award for Make-Up. As this series of films progressed, Rick took over- turning humans into apes.
Transformation -Man to Wolf. Rick won his first Academy Award creating these effects.Scary stuff is his specialty...”Insert hand here to operate”
Rick spent countless hours at the zoo studying Gorillas for this part.1976-Rick was the actor inside the suite.
This kind of make up makes for extremely long days. Costumes and masks in particular get hot inside. His day has just begun as this actor, Bill Corso, contemplates his career. Rick started working with Dick Smith in 1972 on The Excorcist.
Modern make-up session…
Roddy in make up- before Rick Baker took this over. Close by- is a pack of cigarettes. His face is now extremely flammable. 1968
Two MGM Studio icons...Ricardo Montalban and Roddy McDowell on left.Mark Lenard wearing “my helmet”right.
This would become the lovableE.T
1982 E.T
Filmed at Culver City Studios, other classics filmed here include King Kong 1933, Gone With the Wind 1938, and Citizen Kane 1941–add E.T to this list.
Movie making evolution of all things film. This was before CGI took over so much of this industry.
Let’s Roll Cameras...Action
1974- On Location at the MGM Back Lot 2,…We Begin;
Like all other young boys, I loved this show beyond end. Of course I saw the films, starting in the 60’s, but low and behold, that theater box office success bled off to a very expensive T.V series. MGM Backlot 2 became the devastated location for the pilot episode. Broken cement was trucked in as set decor simulating Earth Quake damage.
The prep of the street took approximately a month, then it stood on hold while awaiting the ratings of the first 6 episodes. Sadly, the series was canceled, but many scenes were filmed not just on New York Street but all over the backlot. Tarzan’s lake and Grand Central Station were also used. The star besides Roddy was Ron Harper and he has quite the backlot history himself.
Roddy was one of MGM’s child stars and worked with Elizabeth Taylor on Lassie. Ron filmed at almost every set on this backlot in a series almost entirely filmed on MGM’s backlots. I can tell you – Roddy has a innocent charm that is itself childish.
During filming on the MGM backlot, word spread around my high school that “Apes were on loose” on the backlot. It actually became out of control, kids everywhere, rooftops, windows, and doorways. Things came to a head with “production” when a kid walked out of a doorway while the camera was rolling. Now the line has been crossed, so Roddy to the rescue.
Roddy took charge, he invited every trespasser to stand behind camera, on set. He used his fame and clout to out rank the director and U.P.M, allowing the biggest group of trespassers ever to witness many action scenes to come that afternoon.
Wonderful memories that I shared in my First Book, The one with the Big Green Fence as the cover. Read “Hole in the Fence” for the best stories ever- behind the scenes of the Golden Age of Hollywood. I conclude with a reflection later in life at Universal Studios. Roddy was starring in Tales of the Gold Monkey. A Friday night in a crashed plane in a jungle setting, I had to ask him ” Do you remember the chaos on the Apes set at the MGM backlot in 1974″…He laughed, took a drag off a cigarette, stared deeply in my eyes and after a pause said “Yes I do” “Well Roddy, I was one of those kids!
Phantom of the Backlots 