Up at the top of the hill, just to the right of the Christmas tree (?!) is the "Crusades Tower". Nearby you'd find (but can't really see) the "Spartacus Courtyard", the "Hong Kong Waterfront", the "Pushbutton Snow Set", the Stunt Show, and the "Munster's Lab".
Down below (near the beautiful L.A. River) you'd find the various actor's bungalows, soundstages (including the world's largest soundstage!), and a whole bunch of backlots. To the left is "Falls Lake", with the Psycho house nearby. And if you let your eyes wander, you'll see "New York" streets, Medieval streets, suburban streets, and even the Courthouse made famous in "Back to the Future".
You'll notice that lots of things familiar to us are not there yet; no "Jaws" or "Parting of the Red Sea", no "King Kong", "Earthquake" or "Backdraft", not even the spinning ice tunnel.
In a later guide (1973), this big centerfold is reduced to fit onto a mere two pages, which made me cry. And then I laughed. And then I ate lunch.
Major, I love this artwork almost as much as your Waikiki Motel postcard from last week! I bet after you cried and laughed, you ate your lunch at Prop Plaza which is also visible on the map!
ReplyDeleteAhh..Prop Plaza. I kind of recall this as the half way point on the old tram tour. It's where my sisters and I helped ourselves to some of the free souvenir Hollywood prop rocks offered to the kiddies. (Crumbling hunks of painted foam rubber.) I still have the snapshot we proudly posed for in front of the Woody Woodpecker statue with our prized loot.
ReplyDeletea great piece of art. whatever they call this style, i like it too!
ReplyDeletewent to Universal Studios Hollywood on our first trip to DL in 2001....it was SOOO awesome to know that that was THE Bates Motel and Mother's house there on the hill behind it....
hope to get there again one day
Wow Major, I love this version of Universal! Thanks for the high res scan - so much to look at!
ReplyDeleteNancy, that was the original Bates house, but the original Bates hotel had been torn down years ago. They had to rebuild it in the 80's for the sequels.
ReplyDeleteThe original Bates house also served as the Bodega Bay schoolhouse in Hitchcock's classic "The Birds". There was a small house further up the hill, behind the school yard that was the home of Annie Hayworth, Suzanne Pleashette's character in the film. It was still there and was pointed out on the backlot tram tours around the time of this brouchure. There are two small structures to the left of the Bates house in this illustration and I am wondering if this is not one of them. BTW-The Bates house was also the only four-sided structure on the lot for years. All others (including my beloved Munster house, were (alas) just facades.
ReplyDelete