Movie Studio Monday

Today’s post takes you on a tour of some of the biggest movie studios in Hollywood. These first two vintage shots from the 1950’s show Paramount Studios, beginning with a view of the Bronson Gate.



Here’s one I shot back in 2006 showing the Melrose Gate at Paramount. BTW: it's located on Melrose.



This Universal image from July 1974 just SCREAMS 70’s. The entrance signage could only exist in that decade. I think I smell polyester, too.



A September 1965 shot of the Universal City Studio Tours Tram. Universal is not only a studio; it’s a city, too! I wonder if Harry Potter is the mayor?



This shot was taken during the 1965 tour. A great overview of the backlot.



Here’s one I snapped in 2004, showing the Bates home. I believe Mother is in the window.



Welcome to Warner Brothers! Here’s the Gate 2 entrance:



Two images I took back in 2004 showing the backlot:





Let’s hop on over to Burbank to see the Disney Studio, featured in this June 1941 image with Walt surveying his property. I wonder if he’d still want his name associated with the current company?



The iconic street sign at the studio, with actor Farley Granger surrounded by two lovely ladies. Farley better watch that cig so that he doesn’t burn the lady on his right!



A 1958 shot of the Disney backlot which no longer exists:



How the animation building looked when I visited it a number of years ago. Almost like time stood still here.



Leo the Lion from MGM no longer roars here in Culver City. Sony & Columbia kicked him out years ago. However, many of the iconic buildings still exist from yesteryear, including the original front gate:



The Thalberg Building:



Stage 15, the largest on the lot and the fourth largest in the world:



...and the interior of Stage 15, which is where portions of “The Wizard of Oz” were filmed:



And finally, one 1954 image of RKO Studios:



You'll have to wait until Temple Tuesday for Fox Studios!

See more Hollywood photos at my main website.

La La Land

I saw the movie "La La Land" the other night and my brain is still buzzing. A movie has not affected me so much since "The Artist" in 2011. This post will contain some spoilers, so if you haven't seen "La La Land," please do so...and then you can come back here.

It's one of those movies that I wanted to immerse myself into and stay for days. Stylistically it is a throwback to the musicals of the fifties, but story-wise, it is a very modern tale of pursuing your dream and what may have to be left behind to do so.

The movie begins with a powerhouse musical number filmed on the offramp of the I-105/110. How the hell did they do this?!? If you're not into musical numbers, just patient...the story line will begin soon enough and you too will be swept away.



It is also a colorful postcard of Los Angeles and Hollywood, featuring some of the iconic landmarks and secret treasures that I adore.

The Angel's Flight Railway was put back in action to film a very short sequence showing the two main characters Sebastian and Mia, played by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.



Oh how I wish it were still working.



The Griffith Observatory is also prominently featured as Mia and Sebastian visit the location where "Rebel Without A Cause" was filmed.















A walk down the Colorado Street Bridge was filmed at just the right time, capturing the globe lights and saturated sunset/sunrise.



I was not so lucky when I shot this photo; the lights had just gone off!



Quite a few scenes take place on the Warner Brothers lot, where Mia works as a barista to help pay the bills while she struggles to be an actress.



The casting call audition scenes are brutal; apparently they were based on actual experiences by both Stone and Gosling.









My fave hotel the Chateau Marmont is shown in a brief clip of where "future" Mia stays while visiting from New York. Unfortunately, the interior room shoots were filmed elsewhere. That was a bit of a buzzkill!



Run...or dance...to the nearest theater that is showing this film.

See more Los Angeles photos at my main website.

When My Sugar Walks Down The Street

Judy Garland's 1954 "A Star is Born" is almost as famous for the uproar caused by the roughly 30 minutes that were trimmed from it AFTER the movie had debuted across the country. Warner Brother executives felt that the greater amount of times the movie could be shown (thanks to the deletions) would mean higher profits. Their strategy backfired, and the sales of the movie trailed off when the public wasn't as enamored with the less compelling film that resulted. Here is a still from one of the musical segments removed after the first preview, "When My Sugar Walks Down The Street." During the "Born in a Trunk" sequence, Garland's character learns that her mother has passed away and she must fill mama's shoes on the stage, singing and dancing this joyous tune while silently mourning her loss. That's showbiz folks.



Judy Judy Judy and more Judy at my main website.

Traveling Thursdays: Warner Brothers Studio

Although not quite as well-known as The Universal one, The Warner Brothers Studio Tour is still quite a bit of fun. It is somewhat less “staged” and a little more genuine. Whereas Universal has created a number of theme-park elements along the way, Warner Brothers pretty much offers a what-you-see-is-what-you-get experience.

I love seeing the backlot sets; there aren’t too many of them anymore. It’s great to see these buildings that have played a background part in many a classic movie.







One of the coolest things about Warners is that they have historic reference signage outside each Soundstage, telling you what has been filmed there. More than a few of my faves have been shot on Soundstage 6!



To think that James Dean & his monkey once hung out at Soundstage 6...



Wardrobe/costumes/props are on display from faves such as Friends:



Smallville & Gilmore Girls:



Harry Potter:



And the Scooby Doo van; where’s Shaggy?



And while you are in the hood, don’t forget to stop by the Brady house!



See more Hollywood photos at my main website.