Universal Studios
Today I have a neat series of black and white (or sepia, to be precise) photos, taken by Sue B's cousin Stu during a visit to Universal Studios. The studio officially opened to the public as an amusement park in 1964, introducing the "Glamour Trams" and the famous Studio Tour. My guess is that these photos must have been from around 1964.
This first shot appears to have been taken from inside a Glamour Tram, with that angled window and the fringed canopy. The view outside is overexposed, but it almost looks like a "modern" mid-century home.
Here's a great shot of the Bates house (from 1960's "Psycho"), it looks very spooky and definitely haunted! You can still see the Bates house (and the Bates Motel) on the Studio Tour, though the buildings have apparently been moved around several times over the decades.
I asked Sue if she knew the people in this photo, and she had no idea who the young boy is; but the woman in the middle is her paternal grandmother, and the woman on the right is Sue's aunt (father's sister).
Sue's aunt and grandma needed a time out!
There's Stu himself, posing among what I assume are foam-rubber boulders.
While a bit blown-out by overexposure, you could easily convince a person that this was a real New York street. I tried fiddling with it in Photoshop, but no significant details could be recovered.
Here's one of the soundstages with the big doors wide open, probably to let the bats out. Why are there bats? How should I know?! I don't know why you are always talking about bats.
It's fascinating to think that this big warehouse of a building could become the inside of a U-boat, a New York penthouse, a courtroom, or a suburban home. The possibilities are endless. All thanks to THE MAGIC OF THE MOVIES.
This is probably my favorite photo in the batch! Universal Studios looks more like Corriganville here, it is almost unrecognizable. What I wouldn't give to see it like it was back then!
Here's a quartet of character actors, though the fellow on the left might be an "above the line" type. The gentleman who is third from the right looks very familiar, but I can't place him. Can that possibly be Paul Lynde on the right??
I don't know who this gentleman is, but that little girl (and the woman behind her) appears to be wanting his autograph. Does anybody recognize him?
MANY THANKS to Lou and Sue and Stu!
29 comments:
Major-
If I didn't know any better, I'd have to say that "modern" home was seen in both Adam 12 and The Rockford Files as an apartment building.
As to the gentlemen in the 2nd to last and last images - I recognize all of them - but at the moment can't put names to the faces. (Although that gentleman does bear a resemblance to Paul Lynde - I don't think so). Hopefully others, here, can put names to the faces. I may come up with some names, later.
Thanks to Lou and Sue and Stu. (It's beginning to sound like a vaudeville act-!)
Major-
Okay - the actor on the far left in the 2nd to the last image is Stacy Harris. (1918-1973). And speaking of Adam 12 - he appeared in a total of three episodes, in the 1st & 3rd seasons.
I'm wondering how come these photos were processed in sepia tone. And also if it is genuine sepia from a cuttlefish, or just a chemical dye offered as an option by the film developer to make it look old-timey.
Major, your favorite Corriganville-ish photo has a thumbprint (or index fingerprint) in the bottom right corner.
I like the Bates house & motel photo the best. The house looks especially spooky in sepia tone. The lack of landscaping also adds to the eeriness; sitting up on that bare hill like that.
Thanks to Lou & Sue & her uncle Stu and Major, too. And yuh, and yuh, and yuh-uhh. (Anybody get that?)
Oops. I meant cousin Stu, not uncle.
Wow! This is the very beginning of the Universal Studios Tour!! Ironically even in 1964 you could view the interior of Jammie Summers house set from the Bionic Women. People came from all over the world to see it “rain” outside a 1975 future house set…..
I totally thought it could be Paul Lynde …. But on a break , Lynde would have had a cocktail in his hand ….
The actor with the tie I THINK is Michael Pate …. Who was on Voyage to the Bottom of Sea in 1964…. But I don’t think that was a universal pictures production….
Thanks Lou, Stu and Sue!
And Major!
@ MIKE-
It IS Michael Pate (1920-2008). Thank you-! (He kept reminding me of Gerald Mohr, but I knew that was wrong). Pate was also in Hondo, in 3D - with John Wayne - (and later the TV series of the same name). He did a lot of television work including many westerns, and of course - Perry Mason - among many others.
I thought that man in the last photo looked a little like Jerry Orbach, but when I look up Michael Pate (who I had never heard of until now), it looks more like him!
That "modern" looking structure in the first photo was an apartment complex used in many different films and TV shows. It was built around 1964 and remained standing until 1981. It was located near the "Parting of the Red Sea" effect, and adjacent to the riverboat that was used in the 1936 version of Showboat:
http://www.thestudiotour.com/ush/backlot/apartments.shtml
Thanks for these great early shots of the Universal Studios Tour, Major, Lou, Sue, and Stu, too!
This is the Universal that I wish I had seen- the "real" sets and people of the movies. Now, I suspect, it has been so commercialized that you see little real stuff. I say "I suspect" because I've never been!
Yep, I knew those guys- just not their names. I still don't. I'm terrible with names.
Thanks Lou, Sue, Stu, and Major too (from Stu too!)
Wow, these are historic pics. Right from the beginning.
Thanks Lou, Sue and Stu! The Major too! (JB, the hills are alive…)
Thanks too everyone for the celebrity IDs. That’s a minor interest of ours, watching tv and sorting through IMDB to see who’s who.
JG
That's definitely the apartment complex built for the 90 Bristol Court programming bloc in 1964 in the first shot and Michael Pate in the last. The other guys look familiar, but in that "everything looks familiar at Universal Studios" kind of way.
Thanks, Lou & Sue & Stu!
Nanook, that photo is so blown-out that it’s hard to tell what it looks like (to me), but I trust your encyclopedic knowledge! Funny, I showed that photo of the four guys to my older brother, and said, “Is that Paul Lynde??” (being positive he would be amazed), and he said, “Hmmmm… no…. I don’t think so…”. Maybe he’s Paul’s fraternal twin Pip?
Nanook, awesome! Thank you for identifying Stacy Harris!
JB, I am wondering if Stu developed these himself, possibly in a photography class? No idea of course, and I doubt that Sue would know either, but you are right, sepia-toned photos are pretty unusual for that era. The Psycho House photo is neat because it is from not long after that legendary movie shot on the lot. The last time I took the tram tour, “Norman” was carrying a body (wrapped in a sheet) out of the hotel, and when he saw us observing him, he pulled out a large knife and started walking toward the tram like the Terminator. It was fun to see the reaction from the other guests as he got closer and closer!
JB, “uncle” Stu’s gonna getcha.
Mike Cozart, sure, I love Jamie Sommers, but most people only loved her after she became Bionic. So they had a rain effect outside the house? Maybe they replaced that with the tropical lagoon with the battleships and torpedo-launching submarines, it would “rain” there regularly. Poor Paul Lynde, I do feel bad for people who are slaves to booze. Michael Pate, amazing! Once I looked him up I realized that he looked very familiar. THANKS!
Nanook, it’s amazing to look at the careers of these character actors, they were on EVERY show, sometimes on multiple episodes. My brother watches tons of MeTV and has been having fun seeing people who would later be big stars in small supporting roles, or well-known character actors doing their thing.
TokyoMagic!, I can see the Jerry Orbach resemblance, but he would have been pretty darn young in 1964. Thank you for the link about the apartment complex! I almost wonder if I don’t have photos of it in my collection of Universal Studios slides, but I’ll have to double check.
Stu29573, yes, this would have been a fascinating place to see, before it became more of an amusement park. Back then, it was a working studio with some fun things for guests to do tacked on. I’m so glad that Stu took these photos!
JG, I’m hoping that some of the other guys will be identified too, especially the man who is third from the right, he looks SO familiar.
Chuck, 90 Bristol Court, never heard of it. Is that place? Or a show? Or a dessert topping?
Major, it's a floor wax...
Chuck... oh, wow, 90 Bristol Court. I vaugely remember seeing some promos for that as a kid. I looked up Wikipedia...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/90_Bristol_Court
speaking of Voyage to the Bottom Sea, apparently that was on Monday evenings the same time as the 90 Bristol block...
https://www.reruncentury.com/primetime/1964-1965/
Major, nice photos. Could it be the Bates House was built with only two sides? I can see daylight through one of the windows.
LTL, yes, the Bates house was originally built with only two sides since that's all that was needed to be shown in the film. The additional walls have been added in subsequent years. I'm sure the entire production company, including Hitchcock himself, had no idea that the building would be so iconic and would still be standing more than 60 years later (although in a different location). Thanks for the link to the 90 Bristol Court Wikipedia article.
These are indeed unique and wonderful photos. Thanks Nanook and Mike for identifying the actors. They all looked familiar to me. I love character actors from the old days. Even had a neat book that had all their photos and info on them. Lost it in the move I think. Perry Mason always had great actors and I always keep my eyes out for them on shows like Rawhide, which has a gaggle of great actors and guest stars.
Thanks so much Lou, Sue and Stu for these gems.
And the Major for putting them out there. It's the only place you'll see them probably.
Went to Universal Studios back in 2000 something and all I remember is the guided tour through the neat stuff like the Bates house etc. Also Dinosaurs, water and noise. Some bad for you food too. But I did score some miniature metal helmets from the Lord of the Rings in the cool gift shop.
JG gets 3 Golden Gorillas (I 'borrowed' them from Major) for the correct response to my "Yuh, and yuh, and yuh-uhh" line.
Major, I like that story about Norman coming after the Tram with a knife. I can visualize it. Did the 'actor' have to do that bit every time a Tram came by? Sounds tedious for the actor.
JG, That third actor from the right has the Burt Reynolds look about him, but I can't place him. I want to say he was in Rawhide at one point but I'm not sure. Same with the second actor from the right.
A real bumper crop of great pictures today, thanks to the usual Sue, the other Stu, and our customary Major, too! I remember my Grandma having some sepia-toned snapshots from this era in one of her albums, but being the least camera-savvy of the Junior Gorillas, I have no idea how or why they exist.
1. It probably wasn't on purpose, but there's a great dramatic tension to this shot. We can see the two people looking intently at something in the distance, but we can't make out exactly what it is. Mysterious!
2. I think this is my favorite shot of the bunch. The slightly washed-out sepia tone and air of abandonment make the house and motel look even spookier than they did in the movies. Atmosphere!
3. Somebody forgot to gas up the oxen. Grandma's cat's-eye glasses are pretty snazzy-looking, and she's carrying the standard-issue Grandma purse. I think the government automatically furnishes you with one when your first grandchild is born. Stylish!
4. It's such a shame when Grandmas go bad and have to be put behind bars. But otherwise they'd just turn to gang violence. Tragic!
5. Hey, one of those boulders could have been Rock Hudson. Or Cary Granite. This comment is already sounding like an episode of The Flintstones. Yabba-dabba-don't!
6. The bright light makes it look like a spaceship has landed at the end of the street, and all the people were abducted by aliens with an ambiguously-titled cookbook. Delicious!
7. I'm still getting over the fact that Our Flag Means Death was filmed in a soundstage, with the giant pirate ship set built in front of a wraparound LED screen showing footage of the ocean. Some of the actors have said they it made the seasick. They can pull off any illusion in those buildings; it really is a dream factory. Showbiz!
8. To your right, you can see the world-famous Backside of a Conestoga! I wonder if it's the same wagon from #3. Westward ho!
9. All the faces look familiar, but not familiar enough to name. In the age of the contract player, you'd see the same people everywhere. There was a humorous thing going around on social media a while back about Prince Charming having prosopagnosia (face blindness). It explains why he didn't recognize Cinderella, and also his name - he had to be friendly and charming to everybody because he wouldn't be able to tell his friends from his enemies. Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!
10. I can't tell if the wind is blowing the hair of the lady on the left, or if it's styled into a sort of swirly do. Whoosh!
@ DrGoat-
I sent that image to a friend who knows "Hollywood" really well and has been a production manager and 2nd AD for decades, but he failed to recognize the other three.
Each television and movie "era" had its 'stable of character actors', who appeared again and again and again. Although 'show biz' may seem different to the average folk, at the end of the day it still needs to 'deliver the goods' just as with any business; so going with a 'known, reliable quantity' always wins. 'Hollywood' is still a pretty small town and the number of actual working actors, compared to the entire membership of SAG-AFTRA is frighteningly-low.
The Perry Mason series is a veritable 'who's who' of vintage TV actors and [thanks to Gail Patrick Jackson] another place to find 'former movie greats' of all stripes. The Wiki site for that series is insanely detailed with all sorts of minutiae and input from fans (including me) that goes way beyond the usual 'pat summaries' of the series.
https://www.perrymasontvseries.com/wiki/index.php
Stu29573, I always forget which.
LTL, no memory of 90 Bristol Court AT ALL. I would have been watching Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (or “V to the B of the Sea” as we called it!). Yes, I believe you are right about the Bates House only being 2 sides, though it may have been augmented for the studio tour over the years.
Chuck, dang, I’m good (see my comment to LTL)! I truly wonder if a single scrap of the original house survives after all these years?
DrGoat, like I said, my brother has been having fun spotting familiar character actors, from Jeanette Nolan to Parley Baer to John McGiver to… well it goes on and on and on. It’s amazing to look at these folks on IMDB, they were all on Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, etc! Seems pretty sweet to be a working actor who always had something going on. While Universal Studios has changed drastically, I took my niece there a few years back and we had a lot of fun, especially at the Harry Potter area. Miniature metal helmets from Lord of the Rings, that sounds pretty cool!
JB, I don’t get the “Yuh, and yuh, and yuh-uhh” thing. I think the “Norman Bates” actor DID have to reset for the tram every few minutes, but it must have been rewarding to see everyone shrieking and laughing!
DrGoat, yeah, that guy definitely looks familiar, I probably saw him on “Bonanza” or any one of 50 other shows. I don’t remember ever watching “Rawhide”, but I think my brother does, even today! He loves those old westerns.
Melissa, because Stu was into photography, I would not be surprised if he developed these prints himself in a school darkroom. It seems that by the 1960s, sepia had kind of fallen out of favor, except in artsy circles. I’ve never seen “Our Flag Means Death”, but it sounds like they are working on a version of “The Volume”, like they use for “The Mandalorian”. Pretty remarkable technology. And yes, I am sure that wagon in photo #8 is the same one that is in #3.
Nanook, hmm, I thought for sure that at least the two guys on the right would be identified! Just goes to show you. I’m still holding out hope that somebody will see them and recognize them. My brother was talking about watching “Adam-12”, and in one episode, an actor who normally portrayed on of the regular cops at the station was cast as a thug in another episode. “Did they think viewers wouldn’t notice??”. They probably knew that some would, but decided to go with the “known quantity” as you said.
Major-
In Perry Mason, [actor] Wesley Lau (who became Lieutenant Andy Anderson in Seasons 5 thru 8) and [actor] Richard Anderson (who replaced Lau as Lieutenant Steve Drumm for the final season), played 'another' role, or two, before being anointed to [their respective] Lieutenant status'.
And forget about recurring locations, sets, etc.; as only those with incredible memories would recall the re-use of such things prior to daily airings of the series, home tapes, DVD's DVR's, etc.
Dear All-
I spoke too soon... my friend thinks the actor, 2nd from the right, with the cigarette is Richard Reeves - and I concur. [From IMDb... "Has the distinction of being the most popular gangsters/thugs in TV series based on comic books. He appeared in five episodes of Adventures of Superman (1952), as well as appearing in a failed pilot called "The Adventures of Superboy" in 1961. He also appeared in the first episode of Batman (1966), although not as a villain but as the doorman at the "What a Way to Go Go" nightclub. Richard also appeared on My Favorite Martian (1963), as a Picnicker in the first season episode, My Favorite Martian: How to Be a Hero Without Really Trying (1963). No relation to George Reeves or Steve Reeves"].
Major, the "Yuh" line is from The Sound of Music. It's sung in the "So long, farewell" number by Friedrich, played by Nicholas Hammond. The line is actually "You, and you, and you-ou". But with the Austrian accent it comes out "Yuh".
Now, aren't yuh glad yuh asked? :-D
Found the book I was speaking of about character actors. I had an old version but it looks about the same. Think I might get another one.
https://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Encyclopedia-Movie-Character-Actors/dp/0517561727
So much fun info and comments today from everyone! Thank you!
Melissa, that lady used honey on her hair.
One of the TV series that used a lot of the old old stars, and new upcoming stars - was The Outer Limits (1960s series). The only problem I had with watching those was that the plots were REALLY stupid, IMO. Not creative like Twilight Zone, or Alfred Hitchcock's TV series.
My cousin Stu would've been 20 in 1964, so he wouldn't have been in high school, but he may have used the film process (I have no idea what it's called) where you have a perforated-edged photo that needs an awful smelling goop smeared over the top of the photo (to finish developing it) - with a small plastic handle that held a thin pink sponge. It smelled awful. You could easily leave finger prints if you didn't hold it properly - or if you touched the photo before the goop dried. I remember my dad using it in the 60s, for some of his photos. I can still smell that smell (am currently hearing Lynyrd Skynyrd music - does anyone else hear it??). I think Stu's photos were originally black, but turned brown/sepia, over time. Sadly, Stu's no longer with us, so I'll have to ask my dad if he remembers what that process and film was called. I have photos somewhere that my dad took - using that film/process. It'll be interesting to see if those turned brown, too.
I am absolutely amazed that JB and JG share the same brain, no doubt. For JB to type that "yuh" comment, and for JG to know exactly what he was referring to, is amazing. I think it's possible they are the same person. We've NEVER seen them together, have we??
Here's that "yuh" clip - at the 21 second mark: CLICK HERE!
Thanks, Major and everyone, for the FUN day! I'm glad you enjoyed these photos.
Nanook, I never realized until recently just how big a deal “Perry Mason” was on TV! When I was a kid I think it was one of those “grownup shows” that I wasn’t into. Give me Adam West as “Batman”! Or “Gilligan’s Island”, ha ha. You are right about the locations and sets not being recognized in the old days the way they are now.
Nanook, Richard Reeves! Interesting! I looked him up on Google, it could be him. “My Favorite Martian”, another show I loved. Super cool, thanks to you and your friend!!
JB, I confess that I have never seen “The Sound of Music”. Yes it’s true. I was even in Salzburg, and part of our tour took us to locations made famous by that film. “Here’s the lane where they sang ‘Doe, a Deer’”. “Here’s the gazebo where… something something”. Snore!
DrGoat, thanks for the link to that book, maybe I should get a copy for my brother. It will take his mind off of conspiracy theories for a few minutes!
Sue, I can only vouch for myself, but I'm a different person than JG. Yes, we both have similar usernames. We both count Disney trashcans (although, JG got me started on that). We're both familiar with The Sound Of Music.... Hmmm, now I'm starting to doubt myself.
Major, Ha! The other people taking the tour probably pelted you with left over wiener schnitzel for not being a fan of the movie. (They probably also put a frog in your pocket and a pinecone on the seat of the tour bus where you sat.)
Hey, everybody! Andrew added another Disneyland post to his blog, today!
—Sue
Lou and Sue, I like to use bacon grease on my hair, but hey, to each his (or her) own. I’m surprised that you say that The Outer Limits was stupid, my brother LOVED that show, for a while it was on Amazon, and I meant to watch some. I vaguely remember seeing episodes when I was a kid and thought that they were scary! I’d love to see episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents too. I wasn’t sure how old Stu was, but thought that he might have had access to a darkroom, either at a college, or someplace else. Some people even had darkrooms in their homes, if they were really serious! I think those photos you are talking about (with the pink sponge) were early Polaroids, I had a friend whose mom had one of those cameras, I vividly remember the pink sponge! Nice Lynyrd Skynyrd reference, ha ha. Interesting that the photos turned sepia later, I’ve seen old Polaroids that look sepia too, maybe they didn’t always. Boy, that “Yuh and yuh and yuhhh” would have gone right by me, I had to watch the scene two or three times before I realized that they said it. Thanks Sue!
JB, of course you would SAY that you are a different person than JG. But you both speak with Cockney accents, according to my dossier! Nobody cared that I didn’t know the movie, they just played the soundtrack over the bus stereo, many MANY times.
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