Tag: television

Bruce Bilson-Desilu Legend

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The Desilu Studio Backlot, where Television Stars and Directors became legends.
Let’s revisit this Backlot Ranch known as 40 Acres as we reflect on the passing of a Hollywood Great-Mr. Bruce Bilson. He just may be in this picture as Hogan;s Heroes was in production when this as taken. Look closely at Stalag 13…

More history on this part of Desilu than you can imagine. Gone With the Wind, King Kong proceeded Stalag 13 standing for 10 years…1964-1974. This site also ties to the first ever movie compound on Lucerne Ave.

This list was found by myself inside a P.O.W barracks and lo and behold-Mr. Bruce Bilson happened to be directing it.

The matching sequence- paperwork. Found at Stalag 13

What is really neat is this paperwork was found where it was filmed, I became the Stalag 13 caretaker, that was my favorite set. But I also had a fort in Andy Griffith’s house at this time-1973

Gray skies over Desilu in this picture I took today. I went on a nostalgic journey today after hearing of Bruce Bilson had passed. He was my friend, I looked up to him when I would see his name as First A.D on the Andy Griffith series and then Director on Hogan’s Heroes. I never thought I would ever touch base with this legend…

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Amazingly- I would be given his contact- so I nervously called him and kinda picked his brain on his career as he sat outside his home. I told him my stories too…Like taking the Tree Stump from Hogan’s Heroes and having a fort in the Taylor Home. I have a lot of history in my Radio Flyer Wagon myself.

How honored am I, this man that as a kid I respected because he directed all my favorite T.V shows. I was the Opie no-one knows. Sneaking around this backlot, building forts, grabbing props, even making out in the Stalag 13 Guard Towers. I was like a blood-hound on all things Desilu and Bruce Bilson rained supreme all over this backlot. Bruce is pictured here with my book-Hole in the Fence-one of my greatest honors, never did I in my wildest dreams did I ever think I we would connect.

Pictured here is The Mayberry Group that connected Bruce Bilson with my book. Dixie Griffith, Andy’s real life daughter, wearing the Cowgirl Hat.The lit mirror you see is from Desilu, last used in Hogan’s Heroes and first used by….Marion Davies.

From the hilltop above Desilu, let’s look back down this real life….Memory Lane

From the hills above Desilu great television and film played out.



A Farewell to Bruce Bilson involves a heavyweight guest list!-Desilu lies in the background-The Tara Plantation can be seen here. Let’s follow Superman to the 40 Acre’s Backlot today-upon hearing this news of Bruce, let’s see those sets today!

Desilu Forever…This is The La Ballona Creek, how to best trespass this backlot.

The Mayberry Courthouse stood right here–

Inside the Courthouse Door, on the floor inside, was the sign….Mayberry Courthouse

The Courthouse as it looks today on the day of the Bilson passing. Studio 43 replaced it. The wooden framed window looks like a typical thing you would see at RKO. A friendly homeless guy is sleeping just out of view at this entrance.


“Who’s that guy asleep out there? I want out of this Studio 43 jail cell !”

“Do not disturb” now hangs out in front of this once alcohol prohibited town of Mayberry.A Man in no hurry fell asleep right at what was the -entrance to the jail!

From silent movies-to television- from Thomas Ince-to Bruce Bilson-they all begin and end their day at this main gate on Ince Blvd.

Meanwhile, at the former Stalag 13, we have another Hollywood empty stage as the industry shifts to A.I. Catering is taking place where Gomer Pyle once ate catering, now we have Court T.V . From the Mayberry Courthouse to Court T.V…The shifting sands over time!

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Epilogue of the passing of Bruce Bilson…

I’ve had the privilege to meet and work Ron Howard-Apollo 13 and The Grinch, Andy Griffith,-on Matlock, and Bruce Bilson. These 3 individuals all started together on this backlot. All became legendary Hollywood Stalwarts – this lot is where it began. My first experience here involved seeing Batman. I was lucky enough to see in real life that Super Hero I emulated, I’d wear a cape and mask, bought with Blue Chip Stamps, like a million stamps were needed -but so be it!

Only Ron Howard is left now to shed light on this legendary figure. I was always in the shadows, grabbing props, building forts and living my own life on this backlot. I was my own Indiana Jones, before the character existed. Hanging out here at the Desilu Studio was funner when you could connect dots on all the series and shows that preceded me.

Clues were everywhere, signs on buildings referred to business’s in Mayberry, ammo boxes were stored in the Stalag Barracks-both in English and German. We decorated our forts with those. Plaster white snow surrounded the Stalag and some slabs- full of spider webs- found there way into my hide outs. I had four forts…The Taylor Home, until it burned down, The Mayberry R.F.D Home, we turned that farm upside down, the parties we had upstairs at that set. I had a saloon fort that for awhile had a rolling phone that called both on and off the studio backlot, and one in the Cantina that also burned down when Goober’s Gas Station went up in flames.

Needless to say I was living my own movie, I even filmed a western with an 8 millimeter camera on the aforementioned western street, I pretended to be …Bruce Bilson.

This was a very special moment today as I retraced his footsteps as a director here, a gathering of spirits followed my every move. A calm and quiet revisit with a town drunk and television caterer before me in real life. His legend will never disappear around this lot, another soul from this glorious movie studio, is now-Gone With the Wind

Streets and places I had forts…

R.I.P Bruce Bilson, thanks for being my friend-

Written and lived by….Donnie Norden.

Mission Impossible-Mayberry in Disguise

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Never say Never!

We start with a Mission Briefing, inside this KVWV truck located at the Paramount Studios lumber storage and mill.

The Big Black Vehicle arrives…

The briefing involves election fraud in Mexico. In this swank 1966 apartment, the record player is disabled as we browse the folders on I.M.F personnel needed for infiltration.

“Cinnamon” is perfect for this assignment and “every” mission period.

We have our small yet tactical force. “Rollin Hand” is a code name we used. It describes how we rolled our “Doobies” on the backlots…

This Mission starts in Mexico, look behind the curtains, this is Mayberry…

Behind this ‘False Front” is the Mayberry Post Office. A Police Station, for this episode. Directly across the street, where camera is, is Andy Griffith’s Courthouse. The backlot uses several disguises in this Golden Age classic. Several Mayberry and Gone With the Wind facades will be altered. T.A.G.S was still shooting this street almost daily, so these set decorations and modifications required “striking.” This backlot was as busy as anywhere in Hollywood. T.V was never as good as this era.

Our I.M.F Force has arrived…

We need a free and honest election…Liberation !

Window set dressing…often-this kind of stuff ends up in my forts. Winston Churchill is a perfect trespasser motivational influence! We would sneak up to these widow displays from the back entrances and remove set decorations. Right after a scene was filmed and before set decorations could retrieve their items.

On the set of Roger Corman’s “CAPONE,” an entire tobacco shop was relocated upstairs in my fort. This included cigars and brier pipes relocated to the Mayberry R.F.D House set. This happened after a gangster was shot from a passing car band was blasted through the picture window. That story in full detail can be found in Book One titled…”Bootleggers, Tommy Guns and L.S.D”…Hole in the Fence–Book One.

This election…is rigged!

A day of reckoning -I.M.F in Volkswagon- Election fixer in dark glasses.

Downtown, Mayberry was built to be Atlanta in 1938. When television was born, this Main Street was disguised as any Metropolis in the world. Paint, cars, signs, and costumes can transform your mind. Production wants you to experience different places, all within the comforts of the studio.

Long before Mexico, this street was used as Atlanta in …Gone With the Wind

Lets unpack this picture...The West End of Atlanta/Mayberry. The Desilu Watertower overlooks the backlot. He pictured above the Atlanta train depot, still standing in 1966. False fronts were installed to block the view of this iconic depot used in GWTW.

There were two theaters in Mayberry. On the corner on the left side, you can see a marquis. An alleyway, not shown, separates the theater from Main Street.

This is that corner, minus the train depot. My picture taken in 1972. The single one story row of buildings that blocked this view of the depot is no longer standing. I took this photo after they had been removed. This is where the pavement begins on this dirt backlot. It was dirt for Gone With the Wind. No backlot in history used so little cement.

Same corner in…Gone With the Wind

Mayberry became the next identifier on this main street. The Untouchables branded it as Chicago, Metropolis in Superman, Gotham City in Batman and Berlin in Hogan’s Heroes.

Election interference…”I was pushed off the road!“

This crash was where the theater alongside the Mayberry Hotel stood. Donkeys are first responders.Concerned voters assist with election ballots inside ambulance.

Meanwhile, in the nearby jungle“We need some gas- Cinnamon”

“I need a smoke Rollin!“ I have seen this gas station before…

Wally’s “Gasolina” Station

This famous turn into Goober’s Gas Station

Goober’s filling station. This dirt road parallels the La Ballona Creek. Gomer Pyle films across the way…

If only I had some music to unwind-says Cinnamon…Mission Accomplished!

To the left of this jeep is the filling station. Music for a successful “Mission Accomplished.”

Final thoughts;

I thought I would share my version of Mission Impossible dating back to 1966. These screen grabs, combined with my photos and personal experiences paint at picture of a wonderful era of television. As God would lay out my future, I worked on the first feature of the same name with Tom Cruise. Paramount rented the Universal -“SKY” backdrop and water basin for some stunts and inserts.

Paramount owned Desilu when this T.V series was in production. Hogan’s Heroes was also a regular Paramount location on the 40 Acre backlot. These streets were like revolving doors, different shows, every day-non stop. Crime had no chance with all the capped Super Heroes and detectives roaming these streets.

I Spy, The Green Hornet, and Batman followed Superman and the Untouchables. Sheriff Taylor also patrolled this street with Barney through much of this 60’s decade. It was originally designed as Atlanta in GWTW.

I rode my bike here in the late 60’s. I came just to look through the fence. I was in search of all these- “Heroes.”

The marvel of television allowed me to watch episodes then go relive scenes where they were filmed. Basically, “I lived my T.V set.” Even my parents were amazed by this passion burning inside me. We would sit and watch television together and I would have my own stories…like a real life Opie Taylor. I put a fort upstairs in the Andy Griffith house.

My folks saw the Hogan’s Heroes tree stump effect become my own personnel hide out. That big bulky item moved in and out of my bedroom to various locations around my house. Everyone wanted to go -“under the lid.” My house had signs with bullet holes nailed to it. I even had a working Barbers Pole that would spin and light up when plugged in.

I was quite the sight. I could be seen towing tree stumps, various props of all sizes, spears, bows and arrows, etc. I had weapons ranging from rifles to ray guns. I brought B.B guns to play inside Combat sets. I fought real Marines from Camp Pendleton. I gave tours of Camp Henderson to these same soldiers. Gomer Pyle, Jim Nabors- was a recruiter and recruitment soared.

Most kids carried school books, but I carried props. I even had bushels of King Kong horse fir, so much I attached it to my dog. That was quite the monster looking creature. My dogs trespassed at times with me. I wasn’t like all the other kids, needless to say.

It’s fun being the “Black Sheep.” I never wanted these times to stop and they never did. My life evolved into living this lifestyle everyday. 35- Universal working years later, I feel a need keep and hand down my history. I did not realize then I was living in the Golden Age. I thought things would never disappear. But disappear they did.

Thankfully, I took notes, no matter what time of night I came home. I gobbled up discarded “call sheets” and have taken more studio pictures than anyone alive. MGM blessed me with hundreds of Art Department pictures. I became a legend long before I worked at these studios. Everyone knew me, or about me-at MGM. I had an endless supply of blank ammo shells, what kid has that?

Not bad for a trespassing kid who even snagged the studio “Trespassers List” from a guard shack. I knew 50 percent- of the captured folks!

I thank all of you. You like to return to that marvelous era I specialize in capturing. This era is called- The Phantom of the Backlots. I always knew I was experiencing “special things.” A salute-from me to you…

Written and lived by…Donnie Norden

But wait-There’s More…Glamour Tram is back up and running. Come take a tour with me. This site on WordPress reads like a book. You must scroll to the beginning for “cast of characters & training exercises.” Otherwise, your just lost on the tram route, which is really fun anyways…

Real life Tram Tours with Donnie Norden, you too may be on my celebrity list of “miscasts.“

More adventure stories now on sale at Amazon. Follow The Phantom in his escapades back in time…

As always…Boots on the ground stories–Written and Lived by…Donnie Norden