Tag: mgm

Evolution of the Andy Hardy House…MGM

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A Beautiful Day in Carvel, Idaho. A quintessential version of the America Louis B. Mayer wanted to depict. From a 1925 play titled “Skidding.”

The Streets from Andy Hardy series is where we are going to explore today. Coast is clear, I see no security from this rooftop…

3 sides of this home constitute Andy’s home. This side with Phil’s Bakery faces Small Town Square and downtown Carvel. I have a fort upstairs, inside this window that has a view of the main entrance to the backlot.

The commercial side of the Hardy House. Train tracks are used not only for “Picture trains” from everybody from Judy Garland to Elvis Presley.

Beautiful Downtown Carvel -1975…Soon to be renovated for the Blockbuster film Sgt. Pepper.The Band would perform here and sail over this land…from Carvel to Heartland U.S.A

1973 version of a street we called Maple Street, from the Twilight Zone Series. We snuck in with a beat up-Black and White T.V and managed to get good reception with bent and broken antennas. We watched that 1 dimensional episode on T.V in a 3 dimensional colored setting where it was filmed in Andy Hardy’s house.

Another beautiful day in Carvel as Mickey Rooney walks into-The Twilight Zone.

Mickey Rooney returns home in 1974…That’s Entertainment

Nothings changed…

Looks like more fan mail for our star…

I’m sure Mickey delivered to his fan..

If you search hard around here, you receive gifts from MGM’s Glorious past, Penmanship was a special quality before computers. You actually had to write your thoughts. Can’t beat that MGM scribe!

1932 on left, 1935 on right. Both films had this same future structure of the Hardy Set. This home was pieced together from differs MGM Films. This backlot had acres of walls stored and categorized. They rarely just tore sets down, they disassembled, stored and used to build other sets. Ironically, Sgt. Pepper disassembled again it in 1977. The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree at MGM.

Pre- Andy Hardy- which began in 1937.. Mickey Rooney filmed at his house before the Hardy Series in ‘AH Wilderness’. TCM doesn’t deliver this much info….The movie industry is a very small world full of trickery and illusion. This mysterious world is my home.

Marion Davies and her original make up mirror from the silent film era. Key figures in her life recomposed in this mirror I’m the proud possessor of.this Magic Mirror, it is a portal back in time and the Holy Grail of Hollywood history. The bulbs are original with many colors for skin tone. Red, blue, and clear. When I powered this trailer up for the first time since 1970, everything came -Back to Life.

Hollywoodland and its original make up trailer. This discovery will forever preserve this most Glamorous relic. These mirrors talk in image form. For more on this subject visit-Phantomofthebacklots on Youtube. Watch for yourself as Long Lost History comes back as if it was in between films. I will forever keep the artifacts from inside this room as together as the as I rediscovered them.

Fine Craftsmanship stands the test of time…

Some assembly required but you too -can build your own movie set! An almost endless line of walls, stairways, and turrets. From storage as seen here, Andy Hardy finalized a home that would stand until 1977. Then it was disassembled and used to block the view of all the storage areas on the backlot.

Front porch of his house-“My Fort!” I acquired a wicker chair in 1977 on the set of Sargent Pepper, exactly like this one 2 houses down from from this porch. This is how we furnish our hide aways…

“Your bedroom is a mess!”…Blame it on me Mickey. My fort, his room- upstairs would get decorated with furnishings on this street. Floor mattes, carpet, table with fake flowers and a picture hanging on wall is how every house on this street rolled. We grabbed what MGM Property Department left behind. Behind the curtain, inside the doorway is the stairway that takes you to the Hardy House upstairs. The layout at the top of the stairway has windows on all sides, a balcony overlooking downtown Carvel and …chairs, shag carpet, and a table. All are set decorations from previous shows. We set up in the windows that face the main gate so we don’t get surprised or caught-“off guard.”

Andy Hardy house- front porch in the Twilight Zone Episode…The Monsters Are Due ON Maple Street .Andy is lucky he moved out just in time…

Upstairs it is, facing Downtown Carvel. North side view out of Hardy Home. Meet Me in St.Louis is below balcony. Clang, Clang Clang went the trolley on this side of house. Pictures from balcony of Hardy Home.

I took this picture upstairs in the Hardy Home.

The Trolley Depot ended up an Arco Station in -They Only Kill Their Masters-1972, Starring James Garner.

Upstairs in the Hardy House looking out on Maple Street through a tree in front yard. The Hardy House became a 70’s Party House. This house had a fort, it fit the necessary criteria needed for fort status which is…Dual escapeability, in case a guard comes inside and heads upstairs, we will wait until he arrives a top the indoor staircase, then jump of the balcony in flight. It has a strategic view allowing us to see the main gate. That way we can see who comes and goes through the main gate.

Upstairs window on right is the window- frame in tree picture.

Notice the younger tree in front of upstairs fort. Everything gets older except these two mischievous kids. If a guard comes up the stairs, auto pilot kicks in -we can jump from this balcony or the one overlooking the St. Louis Depot.

“Let’s go upstairs, we only have so much time you know “

The trolley to St. Louis

Nice seeing you again Mickey, I got a song to sing and trolley to catch!

MGM Security handed off the backlot to this gentleman-Lewis Hunt. Cowan Security was in over its head and a huge fire took place burning the church and half of Maple Street. In this double exposure, the church lays in ashes as Lewis tells us Gospel passages. standing in front of his cruiser….1976

Warnings exist every 20 feet…. Center-Les Green MGM Overland Gate. He sometimes shared stories but was too old to catch me. He didn’t often get backlot duty. Garth Bluff- pictured right-23 year veteran in 1973. He owned a home on Elenda Street. His house was extremely close to the backlot and the enormous Grand Central Station Terminal. Very friendly, these senior guards were found manning the gates. My best friend of all with a badge was Ken Hollywood-he introduced us to Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in 1974-That’s Entertainment.

Fire strikes Carvel, the church across the street burns down, late 1975. In my photography class at school, I often developed my own Black and White film. Photography was expensive so I cut costs shooting B/W. Once, my teacher saw the emulsion develop into into a picture of King Kong. He was stunned, not the usual high school photo shoot, so he asks “How do you get these photos?” I answer, “with a camera sir.” Good ole Mr. Leatherman. The Hardy Home did not burn at all but the church and 3 other structures were turned to ash…Not the Hardy’s-that house had a different fate ahead.

This set is about to be revamped…Carvel is to become Heartland USA for the film Sgt. Pepper

The St. Louis Trolley happens to stop in Heartland U.S.A, the music never stops…

In 1977, The Andy Hardy House was split into 4 sections, each wall became a blocker of parts of the backlot not wanted to be seen by production and it’s 360 degree camera shots. This front porch was situated to replace the burnt down church from 2 years ago.

The last picture ever of this Hardy front porch.

This Bell Tower replaced the Hardy home in 1977, sections of the home are spread out in Heartland.

This is the Bell Tower that replaced the Hardy Home. Only the front side was viewed by camera. We had a harrowing moment up in this tower with Sgt. Pepper armed security. I was with a truck full of Marines from Camp Pendleton. Recommended reading, not your typical stories in other books. In mine, wear a helmet be prepared for anything.

The Yellow home is the Hardy House North side that use to overlook Small Town Square, here being moved as to block view of Vets Tower and an oversized prop warehouse. Walk through the front door and nothing exists-drapes hide-nothing inside.

Carvel, now Heartland-That’s not Mickey and Cecelia in the Hot Air Balloon basket, rather it’s Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees. Come sail away with them.

I could see this balloon from my house. This scene I captured was cut and replaced with CGI fireworks. Only see this scene and effects in my world now.

The final act in Carvel was this blockbuster…My summer of Love!

“Hot Set” Do not touch without UPM approval– Unit Production Manager…

Pic left-balcony as on Hardy House but relocated for a set designed to block vision of other backlot sets. Heartland/Carvel about to be destroyed pictured right.

1978- The End of Carvel …From dust to dust-decades worth of memories…I was so disillusioned I anted to cry, I watched every backlot in Culver City disappear-one at a time. Only New York Street stayed up, until October of 1980. Notice the teeth on the Bulldozer in the dirt cloud, a single Bulldozer pushed these sets down from behind.

At night, I pretend the lot is still here because I feel its spirit. You can take Donnie out of MGM, but you can’t take MGM out of Donnie…

Studio Estates formerly MGM Lot 2. A full moon over the former backlot where the Hardy House once stood. My mind still tunes in MGM when I- walk on by.

For more stories and content-please subscribe to The Phantomofthebacklots on YouTube and WordPress…. Thank you for giving me your time, this is my passion.

As Emerson, Lake and Palmer sing so eloquently… From the Beginning ;

My life has taken me many places-past, present, and future. In the studio backlot world, all things are possible. The Moon is your clock. Sets and stars come and go, as do guards and trespassers. Spirits exist- no one wants to ever leave this view master of MGM History.

As I deliver this story in 2025,, 100 years have almost passed by since this version of the Hardy Home.Yet it still stands proudly on Television in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and feature films.

I was upstairs in this home when a spectacle of large proportions rolled in, literally. King Kong-The Robot arrived for his scenes for that Blockbuster on the MGM Backlot.MGM Security returned to the backlot as Kong’s escort. Several groups people walk on both sides of this slow moving cargo that was covered by a Blue Tarp with only Kong’s feet sticking out.

The first section to arrive was the lower torso. As the convoy passed under us, Kong veered down a dirt road alongside the Tarzan Lake to its final resting stop, dead center of “Shea Stadium.” A Gas Pump- the size of Kong- had already been delivered that had PETROX as the corporation wanting to capitalize on this 40 foot star.

Imagine having your trespassing afternoon interrupted by this event. Guards I know escorted this beast like a Gold Shipment from Fort Knox. As the sand in the MGM Hour Glass winds down, two of the most expensive movies of the 70’s decade finish this area off. From the Hardy home, you can see the King Kong walls, natives, and torches on top of the walls in a place built as Skull Island..

Sitting in my fort, either watching shows get filmed, or watching Twilight Zone reruns on T.V that looks like it was in a tackle football game-we were constantly entertaining ourselves. Every kid who visited this set did their own Rod Serling imitation, right down to the Chesterfields. Common’-you gotta smoke. We had a large shag carpet upstairs we drug up from the downstairs, a table, chairs from interior doorways and an extension cord that ran from a “shooting station” on the bottom floor.

During one impersonation of Rod Serling, the lit cigarette fell on the carpet, lighting it on fire. It didn’t want to extinguish itself easy-so my friends ran down the stairs and took off.

What a bunch of quitters

Left as if I’m the only one who cares, this fire was not stomping out, it was growing. Luckily it didn’t catch any of the wood on fire and I flipped this large carpet over, cutting off the oxygen and extinguishing this poorly planned / what could go wrong – Rod Serling imitation before the structure caught fire.

Boys will be boys, especially….In the Twilight Zone.

This T.V only pulled in –The Twilight Zone.

The channel knob broke so pliers sit on top of this set. The rabbit ears are short from continuous travel back and forth to the MGM lot. A coat hanger helps pulling in a signal from the Outer Limits – to The Hardy House.

Written and Lived by….Donnie Norden.

Happy Holidays Everybody….

The Evolution of the MGM Records Label.

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Music tames the Savage Beast. This Metro Goldwyn Mayer label was supreme. Let’s play a stack of some 45’s today …shall we?

MGM Records began in 1946 –when the King of Beasts started spinnings his head in circles…

The “other” MGM King. Of all the artists you would expect on the MGM Label, Elvis Presley was not one of them. In 1954, he signed his first contract with Sun Records.The next year, RCA Records took on his record contract.

This moment was connected to the MGM label, Apple would become The Beatles label.

2013- The British Invasion Flag flies above Sony, Stages 27/29, formerly MGM Studios.

Take a taste of this. Turn up your Marantz Stereo and light the living room up in colorful patterns with a sound reacting Light Organ… if your hip!

Artists signed aboard include…

Louie Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Mickey Rooney, and Tony Bennett graced the stage. Leslie Caron, Richard Chamberlain, and Maurice Chevalier added to the charm. The Cowsills, Bing Crosby, and Jimmy Durante entertained the masses. Billy Eckstien, 5 Man Electrical Band, and Eydie Gorme mesmerized the audience. George Hamilton, Jack Jones, and Hugh Masekela captivated listeners. Donnie Osmond, Mel Torme, and Eric Burdon and War thrilled fans. Hank Williams, Tony Sheridan and The Beatles—also known as “Beat Brothers”—and Three Dog Night were unforgettable. This part of the studio specialized in sounds and soundtracks. Over time, the sounds faded away. They disappeared like the studio itself.

Three Dog Night, an All -Time Favorite of mine, seen here in 1972, on float in the Rose Parade.

Put -some “Whiskey in Your Water” and continue…

Never too late to cherish an iconic MGM experience, A studio most famous for legendary musicals…Many large bands continued on, under RSO Records, Robert Stigwood’s label. The Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, Earth, Wind and Fire, Billy Preston etc, performed on the MGM backlot in 1977. That year became my own “Rocker” on the set of SGT. Pepper.

This label was originally developed for releasing MGM Soundtracks from MGM Films. It quickly evolved to include several musical genres. Nevertheless, it maintained an accent towards Country Western. MGM’s western collection is interesting because it includes western films, trains, and carriages. There are also horses, western streets, and legendary musicians influenced by country artists.

MGM created the old west right here in Culver City. They shuffled in Singing Cowboys. They developed and delivered music for this studio to market.

This MGM label took off as a major player. Its competitors in the early 50’s were Columbia, RCA, Decca, Capital, and Mercury. MGM manufactured their cataloged at the studio more legendary for films. the only label besides Columbia that are dual film/records. But MGM forever will be-King of Beasts!

In the mid seventies, I was found at this studio on a daily basis. I was part of this Rock and Roll landscape. Polygram took over this label as MGM divested all its assets. The 1970 MGM auction was the beginning of the end of MGM as we knew it.

The 50’s and 60’s

Connie Francis, Hank Williams and Conway Twitty led the way for record sells. 45’s turned into ten inch 33-1/3. That brought on album covers, and artwork, instead of paper envelopes with vinyl wrapped inside. In 1961, MGM bought Norman Granz’ Verve record label and MGM became-A rock label. The Righteous Brothers, The Velvet Underground, and The Mothers of Invention.

These artists were not happy with MGM’s censorship, and often released content without artist approvals. Welcome to the world of MGM labels and holding stables. Actors and films came before musicians and tunes. Studio higher ups gave them all a take it or leave it response. Censorship ruled supreme as Rock Music was taking off. In the mid 60’s, MGM distributed a new Kama Sutra label, The Lovin’ Spoonful signed on. Acid Rock competed against Vietnam protests. Tough times make for great music, L.S.D was a music gateway. MGM was buying artists from other labels to hedge the future. This label evolved from singing cowboys to singing hippies!

MGM bought in the the colorful decade to come by signing Eric Burden and The Animals. But profits plunged. MGM Records lost 18 million dollars to close out the 1960s. Records in music stores were unsold.

The 70’s–I became a member of that culture…

Nothing funner than L.S.D on the MGM backlot while listening to Acid Rock, just sayin!

MGM was busy auctioning off their soul right after Woodstock changed the music world forever in 1969. One entity was headed upwards while the other was sinking below the surface. MGM executive Mike Curb, a future Lt. Governor of California, fired 18 groups who publicized …the use of drugs!

“I couldn’t be fired” since I was just a Trespasser with his own personal…Hole in the Fence. I counter cultured and embraced escapism- literally and figuratively. I was a rebel with a cause who did not want to end up in Vietnam. President Nixon agreed and praised Mr. Curb. for his unrelenting attitude against drugs. Drugs became a huge item going ahead in Hollywood. Stars were using drugs. Cocaine use was an issue at every studio. When I began my long career at Universal, several major stars would take “powdered lunches.” Dirty stories for another time. Alcohol and cigarettes were no longer enough.

My hero, WW2, veteran, Lee Marvin. The leader of The Dirty Dozen. In the 80’s, “Maggot” Telly Savalas could be found at Universal. He was often in a limo, at Telly’s Bar at the Sheraton Universal. A big mirror was inside, driven around the property. Prefabbed “white lines” were also inside. The studio that promoted drug films, such as Cheech and Chong, hosted a wrap party on Stage 4. It was a legendary drug fest. Drug use escalated effecting in someway almost every star we had on the lot!

As I was experiencing MGM first hand in the early 70’s, MGM switched to “bubblegum” acts. Sammy Davis Jr, Petula Clark, and The Osmonds. These successful performers helped stabilize MGM financially.

In 1972, a conglomerate of Dutch /German Polydor and and Phonogram was buying into the U.S market. Polyvgram was now the MGM record label. The merger failed and was reduced to going forward with soundtracks from MGM films.

The 80’s

After the merger of Metro, Goldwyn, Mayer Inc. and United Artists in 1982, the label discontinued all together. For me, I became employed at MGM. My dreams came true” and I worked for the last MGM entity still using the MGM logo. MGM Film laboratories was the final MGM department identified as MGM.

My job took me all over MGM Lot 1, Job description” Reel Router.” The processing of film is very involved, from waxing to reduce projector noise, editing of course, and color corrections. Cannery Row was one of our films, starring Nick Nolte, Deborah Winger, and John Huston. Based off a John Steinbeck novel. Almost entirely shot with clever Art Direction using MGM’s main lot. the only lot still standing.

In 1972, Raquel kicked ass dressed like this, in 1982 she” kicked ya and flipped ya.” She won a match race that paid her –extremely well…

Screenshot

I wanna tag team with her…I’m a great skater! I watched Roller Derby, L.A Thunderbird’s, The Olympic Auditorium. Announcer, the legendary Dick Lane.

During the making of Cannery Row, a lawsuit occurred involving the original casted star and MGM. Additional legal entanglements came under scrutiny, focusing on stolen MGM raw stock film. It was being hijacked and resold to Hollywood film labs. The F.B.I arrested the perpetrator “on set.”

Meanwhile back in the MGM lab, I walked in on a pile of cocaine in the “film timers” studio. The color correction involved magenta, cyan, and all things color. It took place in a state of the art post production facility. Expensive consoles corrected the 35 millimeter prints based off the timers recommendations. A huge movie screen completes the interior of this facility. Next to a basket of fruit and tasty munchies was a pile of “blow.”

Cocaine became as prevalent at “craft service” as snacks themselves. no one hid it, you were welcomed by it. An MGM security guard named George Barner was hired to catch me a decade ago. He ran a sting operation to bust employees. He used a famous Hollywood watering hole across the street, still operating as a bar today, The Backstage.

CHiPs Television– wasn’t safe, either. The star, Tom Reilly, was arrested for drug use and relieved of duty. End off Watch, end of his involvement in that hit series. MGM then started searching star dressing rooms when actors on set. MGM Studios would disappear. It would fade to black. Nonetheless, the Acid trips and drug use would continue. I would experience much more at Universal.

The Who “Long Live Rock” was a song and signal of more to come…

Written and lived by…Donnie Norden

My Female Side Kick at MGM

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Her friends call her Esther…I call her Maureen

Let’s Go Back Jack and Do it Again… There’s those old kids again they never stop climbing fences

Book signing at Sony – If MGM Guards could see us now. They are represented fondly in this book Maureen is holding.

I hear sirens , Hurry up and get this shot!

Huron Avenue, that’s my street, and all the kids who live on it know my new hobby… Trespassing MGM.

My helmets and ammo made a big impression. While playing Combat, I had a belt full of blank ammo shells and a fancy helmet. I had found the helmet in a building in German Village, when we first met.

Her backyard is France …1944. I was at war. While running through the neighbor’s yards, I met this girl while I was shooting other kids. Now, I just tolerate girls mind you. She is different. I think- I kind of fancy her, and her bombed out backyard!

I always thought she would have made a swell boy. Her name is Maureen. The prettiest girl around these parts, I find myself wanting to impress her. I want to show her around MGM,  but I am torn. Jimmy and I have an alliance that girls do not belong there. They would slow us down and they scare too easily.  Dare I say our first crush is MGM lot 2. I figure she will probably say “No” to trespassing anyway. I casually ask her if she would like to come with me. I offer fair warning: “I guess this is illegal.” She rubbed her hands together and said “Let’s Go.”

Understand, most of the boys are scared. The prettiest girl around is all in. That is, if she can climb.

Well this Saturday morning she strolled down to my house in comfortable pair of running shoes. We walk the tracks on the steel rails themselves, like a tight rope. When we arrive at the barb wire pole behind Grand Central station. I brief her. I fill her in on what to expect. We kick at the gravel alongside the rails. This is where the rubber meets the road, literally. If she climbs this successfully, it’s a good sign we will work out. She is dressed in cutoff jeans and a T shirt, not a whole lot of protective clothing. I am going to get a kick out of this!

” There you are, that’s the climb, I will go first, watch where I grab.” I say

I’m now inside as her pretty little head pops above the fence, followed by her pretty behind. The prettiest climb I have ever seen. Slow-motion, pretty, like a shampoo commercial. She jumps down and looks thrilled. I dampen her enthusiasm by letting her know she needs to do it faster … next time. Silently, I am Frigging impressed.

I first show her the trains. We sit in the plush but filthy seats and talk about things. We avoid sports and the army. We just talk about stuff. There is really nowhere we have to be…any set is cool. Somehow, I am relaxed. This is going well, this girl thing.

I feel brave and we cross the field to a building we named Boystown. We named it after seeing a movie that used it called- Girls Town. Jimmy and I changed it to Boystown, since we’re boys…

We find a bench on the bottom floor. I wanted to bring it up to the top of this building. We can sit and view the Tarzan lake from a nice high vantage point. She helps me get this bench up to the top of this 4-story maze. I couldn’t do it without her so she is already paying off.

She is covered with dust but she even looks prettier filthy. Plus, none of the guys smell this good. The first piece of furniture is in the new Penthouse fort we are building. The Red Bronco has come in, and does the the rounds, below us. We can see the main gate from here, that’s big. We know we are alone when the guard exits that main gate. Not sure when he comes back, but, he is gone now…we are alone.

Jane’s looking pretty good to me right now …up here, not wanted or being chased. She’s is an angle. She glows in this dim room. Sun beams direct themselves on her glittering blonde hair. Her blue eyes are silver. A strong attraction takes over. I release a Tarzan like yell projecting over her towards Tarzan Lake. It is powerful enough for the birds in the forest below to take flight…

I lead her down from this maze of a building. We run across a dirt road holding hands. So Romantic, we our overdressed for this party.

Then, we cross over the lake. on a tiny foot bridge. I have a row boat stashed with a couple of paddles, just above the pond edge in thick bushes. Aah, the perfect way to end this afternoon. We float around listening to a transistor radio playing 93 KHJ…Boss Top Thirty hits.

The Real, Don Steele. Charlie Tuna, Humble Harve and Robert W. Morgan spin classic vinyl on a classic lake. The prettiest girl I know framed by this exterior,

Jethro Tull’s hit song Bungle in the Jungle evokes a journey to the jungle. The lyrics take you across the green pond. You traverse under two bridges. Meanwhile, the sun slowly begins to sink into a blaze of orange blinding light.

This area is secluded and a guard would probably have to leave the vehicle to see us…that rarely happens. We even doze off as we sit low in the boat. Hazy sun reflects through the trees and off the water. The lake is the sky as clouds in the sky duplicate their image on the water, as do our faces. The lake is a giant mirror of its environment. A pair of ducks mingle around us, as does a bull frog. This lake is loaded with crawfish, minnows, and carp but more so than anything else- history!

This is like dream, this legendary place is my new backyard. And, I have a new friend to explore it with. We dock and step off into the jungle that is magical and gigantic. I step on a twig, as it snaps, a thousand birds took off like a Hitchcock movie.

That can work for us. I remind myself of this. If the birds suddenly take off, it’s a signal someone bad may be coming.

The only problem the lake has for us is that it is located in the middle of the lot. This means you have a long run from here to the fence if things go bad. Better off hiding, most likely. I am always thinking ways to keep ahead of my pursuers. Small stuff adds up. I’ll take any advantage I can.

We end our day hungry like typical teenagers, so climb out over an old green wood fence. Maureen is probably the dirtiest kid in town right now. Using lake water to clean up smeared dust and created mud. She looks like a native in war paint. and now she smells like an aquarium. There is just something magnetic about her…

We picked a spot not barbed to exit. Maureen has already earned an advanced climbing badge. I grade kids on my own set of expectations like an Iowa Test at school. swears she will someday pole vault this sharp obstacle.For now…she’s one pretty -pole dancer.

Donnie thinks he so tough…Guys are the biggest chickens! That fence is nothing…

 She runs over to her apartment. “Wait till she looks in the mirror. Good-by Jane,” I salute. She looks like she exited a Hollywood Movie.

I thought to myself as I was going to bed…”Girls aren’t so bad after all!” 

Maureen and nephew Chad… notice MGM in background…German village and China St.

Leon, you asked for more Maureen, who doesn’t. Try this on for size.

A typical day in the life in our private Disneyland…

Written and lived by Donnie Norden and Maureen Miller…

Hogan’s Heroes Tree Stump Adventure…Chapter 19

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Well, since we first explored this camp that one Sunday night, it has become our favorite set on all of our backlots. The Desilu lot is much different than MGM Lot 2. It is laid out like a big ranch. Lots of open space, nature, and many single story exteriors that you frequently see in the background of Andy Griffith, and a huge list of TV shows.

MGM lot 2 is a metropolis of sorts, all crammed in, as efficiently as possible. Huge skylines tower above the fences to the real world, beyond. Desilu is much more rustic. The only part of Stalag 13 you can see from Higuera avenue are the guard towers that stick up behind the chain link fence and the grassy knolls that help disguise the camp.

Stalag 13 is different. MGM Lot 3 had a prison camp, Dachau, for the Twilight Zone. Deaths Head Revisited. Combat used it; 12 O’Clock High also filmed it as a prison camp. But, Stalag 13 has been the same set for the same show for close to a decade. Only a rogue Mission Impossible episode has penetrated these fences—that was as a third world prison and not as Colonel Klink’s inescapable stalag.

Inside the camp is a couple of tunnels used for establishing entry in and out of this stalag. Me and my pals fancy the guard towers, of which there are three. All of them nicely overlook the stalag and the Baldwin Hills beyond. The same hills we look down on from the camp are now our backdrop. Like a reverse camera angle.

Reruns can be found everyday, so we watch an episode then sneak into the camp and follow the footprints of those who preceeded us. It is as if time bridges itself, while we reflect backwards.

This camp is nestled into surroundings that keep all other sets obscure, making you feel that this is all by itself. You walk in one doorway and out another, but you’re still in the stalag. The doorways of most sets are passages to other lands… not here.

This afternoon, after school, this set is where we feel like hanging out. Pat and I make our way from St. Augustine’s to Desilu. We make our entry inside, from the La Ballona creek. Cutting through Gomer Pyle’s barracks, we make a stunning revelation… Stalag 13 is no more. All the wooden barracks are gone. The guard towers have been moved to the western street and Klink’s office is gone.

I want a dog house from Stalag 13 kennel (of which there are six), but as we get closer, we see that they are gone. I am very sad… but I think of one more place where a cool prop may still exist: The entry where the tree stump may still exist.

It’s still there! I feel an urgency to grab this… but how?   

It is very awkward, tree stump awkward. Real size, except this one can be lifted. It has sat at this location for a decade and today it’s going to leave…. somehow.

Things come together quickly. In a barn on Western street, we find a steel wheeled flat bed cart to move things like this. Next… a rope would make a great handle. Lucky for us, rope exists all around the backlot in every thickness imagineable.

So, we have our make-shift caravan, as we pull it up to the tree stump. Workers are still clearing the stalag for another show that is going to build a set on this site. This lot is going to get busy. No one notices or cares what we are doing.

All the paths and roads are dirt, surrounding this area, so I’m glad Pat is with me. We jockey this stump off its placement above its tunnel, where it sat forever!

It fits perfectly on our rig. This iconic movie prop is on the move… slowly!

We pass through whatever is left of Stalag 13, for the last time, and then through a gate that leads to Gomer’s Camp Henderson. I pull the rope, as Pat stabilizes the rear end of this slow moving sight.

We pause in front of Goober’s gas station, wishing that we could grab a bottle of pop, like Opie frequently did.

A dramatic pause, you could say, as my tree stump sits next to a gas pump while we sit on a bench next to an empty soda fridge. We ponder the next step…

We now face the most difficult part so far… going down a steep embankment that puts us onto a cement path that runs along the creek. We remove the stump from the cart and jockey it down this ramp. It is very heavy and if we mess up, it could end up crashing into the deep end of the creek.

But little Irish Pat does not give up. Nor do I. We have sucessfully left the property with this full sized tree stump, whose top opens up to get inside. We head towards Culver High School with our cool prize.

This happens to be where we need to cut through to head to my house. It is mostly level here. One straight shot through the faculty parking lot. It must look odd. We are headed down the home stretch now. Just a few residential blocks to go.

We have to cross a major Boulevard: Culver. We will have to cross in front of an audience of cars and pedestrians. I say to Pat, jokingly, “I hope there are no cops sitting at the red light as we cross.”

People stare, wondering what in the world they are seeing, as we try to get across as quickly as possible. I shout, “school project… just never you mind.”

Funny thing is, most everybody has seen this on TV, as we go down the home stretch, or shall we say Huron. A crowd is following me. Now understand, seeing me come home with movie stuff is a common sight and does not usually gather a crowd. But this is quite a picture.

Gerald, Jimmy, Todd, Danny, and the rest of my neighborhood friends all happen to pop up out of their homework assignments see to this steel wheeled train rumble down the sidewalk, with me as the engineer. Ohh, it’s Donnie is all, with his latest prop.

This prop is about to make its way into my bedroom, where it will sit for the next seven years, until I move out. I have a secret museum developing. Every kid that comes over is so jealous and as the years go on, it gets better.

After I moved out, at age 20, my dad put it outside, where it rotted, inside and out. It is wood framed, with a composite outer skin, typical in set and prop building. It broke down over time and no longer exists… 50 years after.

If you ever wondered what happened to that iconic stump… now you know the final journey of the iconic tree stump!

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This road leads you to Stalag 13 and to the tree stump.

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The picture above is where Stalag 13 stood. The shed in the distance was next to Klink’s office and the water tower. Barracks’ rooftops and cots sit below, removed from the stalag.

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We sat parked here for a bit, planning our next move. The gas pumps and soda machine have since been removed.

Here is a link to little known facts about Hogan’s Heroes:

https://www.metv.com/lists/12-incredibly-true-facts-about-hogans-heroes

All stories written and lived by Donnie Norden
Edited by DQ

MGM …Full Scale Toy Chest

Phantom of the Backlot7 Comments
These pictures show the east end of Lot 3 and give the scope of just how large this backlot is. As a kid exploring, you could get lost in this vast expanse. That’s a good thing!
MGM had its own stables since its horses were in demand, as were elephants. To create the illusion of African elephants, large prosthetic ears were attached to Asian elephants. This allowed extra mileage out of the beautiful creatures that were maintained here. Tarzan required African elephants…welcome to Hollywood!
Movie stars are being pampered below. Credits include Tarzan. There is no other place in the world I would like to live as an elephant than MGM lot 3. Heck, that applies for us kids too…

Is this a zoo, what century are we? What goes on inside this poorly fenced Adventureland? Airplanes from World War 2 lie in a field of sagebrush, as if they were shot down. Not by gunfire, but by low TV ratings. MGM has something for everyone. These backlots draw inspiration for writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray Bradbury, and the genius- Rod Serling;

In a cement flood control channel…we appear.

A trampled, rusted old barb wire fence allows easy entry, inviting any and all who dare inside its boundaries. It looks like a herd of animals hastily exited here before us. An abandoned barn sits vacant as if life stopped abruptly, not long ago. The unmistakable scent horses and hay stacks makes us think some Mustangs might still be hiding out.

Next to the barn on what could be some French farmland, bombers lay in ruins. B-17’s sit empty, void of crew, in deafening silence. Jimmy and I wonder most quietly, but each thinking the same things. Silence is how you first react to amazing things. That awe while processing the images, the abandoned and lonely landscape. Objects can be identified by unique smells. This is the opening credits for our own… Twilight Zone

We boys in my neighborhood play Army all the time…and here we stand where it looks like a great air battle liberated this farmland. It’s as if we’re dreaming. We climb and crawl into one of the fuselage doors that parachutists begin or end their missions jumping out of. Machine gun turrets, or little glass bubbles line the plane and are just the right size for kids our age.

This was a flying fortress…as we look out a window and down the wing, the propellers gently turn in the wind. It’s as if they are trying to fire up these old engines. The smooth skinned young flight crew has arrived. School teaches us history, but this place is history-we have the class room to ourselves!

12 O’Clock High has a property tag on one of these fuselages. This indicates how long ago this has been lying here. That series was made by 20th Century Fox, but MGM Lot 3 is a Disneyland with weapons. Swastikas painted on the cockpit might as well represent T.V shows these bombers finished their distinguished service on this MGM Backlot.

Across from this airplane graveyard sits MGM Lot 3, a 67-acre wonderland with exterior sets ranging from multiple western streets; a lake that goes on and on that’s wrapped by a jungle nestled below rolling hills packed with oil wells. The sounds and smells of the petroleum industry seem part of this lot as Standard Oil Company has a large oil field just beyond the studio fences.

You see these oil derricks often in the background of loosely framed exterior shots in many TV reruns. A huge painted sky stands out as the most distinguishing set of all. It is massive, the painted backdrop alters itself like a chameleon, depending on the sun light.  New Orleans and France also represent themselves here. There are winding tree lined dirt roads that appear to go on forever. Hyder Simpson and his old hunting dog RIP have been seen wondering down this eternity lane.

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Continue if you dare do so…

One side of the fence is magical, the other side is reality… and far too serious. But you must dare yourself to visit the magic. It is forbidden. Trespassing is what the studio calls it.

Well what fun is life without risk? I was born ready, nothing ventured, nothing gained. This land calls out to Jimmy and I…

Holes in the fence happen…naturally and artificially. Climbing is easy when you’re a kid, so getting in is easy. The rush begins immediately. Generally, you hide…every chance you can. Slow and steady. No clocks here. These lots have movie production prepping or shooting, all the time. Night and day. But weekends are generally just a guard and a big empty lot. Plus, kids get weekends off from school also, so it’s a perfect match.

MGM does not use dogs. Lot 3 should be patrolled by dogs. It is almost twice the size of all the other backlots. But thankfully they do not. They leave it up to old men who take turns driving a jeep that packs a salt rock gun inside it…. Yes, you can be shot here!

First, they have to find you in this labyrinth of hiding places. That’s why we pick and choose the paths most isolated and off the beaten trail. There are false fronts, everywhere, it’s a world of trickery and illusions.

Hiding behind the sets…and in many cases, in the sets, is the key to successfully avoiding unwanted meetings in security. This sounds intimidating because it is. Most people shy away, honoring the No Trespassing requests posted along the fences. Especially as you hear accounts from older kid trespassers who have been…shot at!

Lack of challenges puts security in auto-pilot mode. We even see them nap, often… I told you they should go with dogs!

I recognize equipment that was on Lot 2…now at Lot 3. The backlot world is interchangeable with many moving parts, literally. The Rat Patrol moves their squad back and forth down Overland, the public street that connects these lots, depending on what village or train station they are attacking. Combat did the same, as did Garrison’s Gorillas, starring Ron Harper.

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Combat was canceled in 1967, but the crew jumped on to The Rat Patrol, then Garrison’s Gorillas. More quality war TV.

The Rat Patrol, starring Christopher George, followed that ill-fated but really cool TV show and had a bit more success. , A.D Flowers expertly does special effects for all these shows. Constantly blowing things up…safely!

I have a Combat board game we play on Copperfield Street, in an upstairs that still has large holes from a German Panzer Tank and a Rat Patrol lunch box that has been inside the equipment that is painted on its tin exterior. I live for this stuff. I play with games inspired by shows exactly where they were filmed. Reruns take us backwards to war torn ravaged sets. Shell casings from a machine gun nest lay on the floor, beneath our tennis shoes as we …roll the dice for our next battle. 

I have eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out of my Rat Patrol lunch box…inside the real German half-track from the Rat Patrol series. And I drank my Kool-Aid out of my Rat Patrol thermos. Gomer Pyle is my Desilu lunch pale. I buy my lunch pails because they- come to life! 

I have yet to be chased here, at Lot 3…and don’t want to. I have run into trespassers who warned us this happens here…getting shot at, that is. It hurts badly, the salt rock-I’m told.We have no doubts about that. On the film Soylent Green, a chase occurred with Bronco Bob Coleman in the notorious Red Jeep. The loudest gun shots I ever heard as I ran off with handfuls of Soylent Green. We put our lives on the line for dyed green loafs of stale bread.

“Being hit” by blast of rock requires soaking in a tub to recover.We try to avoid that, at all costs. Your choices are… keep a lot of distance, cut and run like a jack rabbit and crisscross…so they can’t aim straight. Doorways are your friends, but don’t get in a building where you’re trapped. Words to live by. 

Jimmy, my best pal, and I, are like a modern Lewis and Clark. We deal with the same harsh but rustic surroundings. They dealt with Indians. We deal with guards. Both will scalp ya. But just like them, we successfully map this wild frontier. We can make fake storms here, I see snow in storage bungalows. Dirty, dusty decades old snowflakes are overflowing from box after box. MGM Lot 2 also has a snow room.

In fact, this is where you would film Lewis and Clark. Anything you can imagine can happen here. It’s where the right side of your brain can enjoy itself. Creative time and space for your mind to expand. Not the dribble you get brainwashed with at school. We sneak in comic books from these war T.V series. We are our own cartoon book. 

Lot 3 could be a train museum. A real steam engine pulls passengers half way around the Lot. The Harvey Girls, starring Judy Garland, capture this in the song “On the Atchison, Topeka & the Santa Fe.” This defining number sang by Judy herself, capture for eternity what backlots are about. History goes backwards here, but it’s captured on film for us to enjoy today. I get goosebumps when I see scenes and productions that used my old sets.

“Willoughby, next stop is Willoughby,” shouts the conductor. That is a Twilight Zone episode, starring James Daly. In this episode, shot at our little train station at Lot 3, James succumbs to the corporate grind and dreams of of this backlot town, called Willoughby. He wants only to live the simple life that exists inside these fences. This train stops at Willoughby!

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That episode describes how wonderful my life is becoming. I live in Willoughby! 

Inside these studio fences is an unmistakable sense of history. You feel it, see it, it exists. Pure Magic!

I am catching on, that inside these fences is a time machine of history—created where I am standing. One side of the fence is the harsh reality of school, responsibility, and expectations to succeed. But inside these fences, time merges…not a care in the world.

Time you learn to appreciate stuff not taught in school: a special time that you hope never disappears.

The Harvey Girls on MGM Lot 3

This Church Steeple has been center stage of some of the best battles ever captured on film.

Just inside the main gate, this village greets you…

A calm body of water fit for Gondolas.

This Ghost Town is famous for Magic Dust. Sprinkle some on yourself and the Hangman’s Knot will come untied. “That’s what she is…she’s Magic!”

The jail cell is the Art Department Picture picture of North Side of Ghost Town.

Rance McGrew showed up to work on this street famous for saloons -in shiny Cadillac Convertible

Call my Agent Please

Lee Marvin arrives by horse here at Fort Canby in a lot 3 Dust Storm in – The Grave

Fort Scott also appeared as Dachau in Deaths-Head Revisited

Cloudy Street…

It’s easy to get lost in here, a huge lake is on the other side of these trees…
We have a paddle boat, none of the other kids have one!

The Cotton Blossom was sold at the MGM Auction in 1970 and ended up in a theme park in Missouri.

The Cotton Blossom found a new home closer to the Mississippi River. It survived much longer than the MGM studios backlot did.

Jupiters Darling set– The Baldwin Hills and a Eucalyptus road still stand beyond Raintree. Old, rusty barbed wire still hangs from original MGM fence poles. The tennis courts are now built in this corner of the former backlot.

This picture from MGM’s Art Department is amazing. Baldwin Hills Oil Fields, Standard Oil owned this area back then, and those wonderful old derricks stand out. Oil production preceded film production starting in 1924. Oil is still being pumped out of the ground here. Filming stopped as clocks hit …1970. Oil and film combine on this backlot production filmed next to the fake rock formation set. This castle was removed before I had a chance to actually see it in person. The Fake Rocks was the first set we would hide in, this was the section we snuck in at. A four foot, chain link, barb wire topped fence was your physical barrier. We could see inside clearly and could be seen just as clear. Those rocks have platforms to stand on or kneel.

This beats school any day of the week

Palm trees were mostly fabricated that you see in the background. Made of molding and composite materials. They get moved around where needed. There was a storage area where they laid horizontally. They were moved by mobile cranes. Notice in this exact angle above, none exist…They are props in an adult toy chest.

In fact, we have all kinds of ships, from the Bounty, to Tom Sawyer canoes

So, put on your tennis shoes, and grab your fishing pole, we got a huge lake inside…are you coming?

Everything you could possibly imagine has taken place right here…follow me!

Written and lived by Donnie Norden…

Donnie here...Checkout my other WordPress site, The Glamour Tram. Real life stories from behind the wheel of of this 16 tire contraption. If you rode a tram in the 80’s, I may have been your driver. Please Subscribe on WordPress…All Aboard–The Glamour Tram…