Universal Studios With Sue B.
GDB friend Sue B. scanned some very fun photos from her October, 1967 visit to Universal Studios. I'll share three of them today, and the rest on another day.
I wish I could remember where this scene was located - the Prop Plaza? Guests could stand against a painted backdrop, while a rotating mesh cylinder full of artificial snow turned overhead (when a button was pushed). Sue was mesmerized by the magic of the movies! This was especially fun on a 95ยบ SoCal day.
Oversized furniture was a popular feature of the Prop Plaza, it makes Sue appear to be three feet tall. Part elf! You can see a giant table to the right.
This one's a little blurry, but I wanted to include it anyway. I think Sue is sitting in a rickshaw, I wonder if it was a genuine movie (or TV) prop? Sue is cute as a button.
MANY THANKS to Sue for sharing these scans! Stay tuned for the rest.
10 comments:
Major-
Sue always knew how to choose the perfect outfit for venturing into the snow-! (It must be all those cold Chicago winters that toughened her up).
Thanks for sharing, Sue.
1) Sue looks like she's singing a song from a musical, "The sun'll come out, tomorrow!". Looks like Maria von Trapp made Sue's costume... from the kitchen curtains. :-D
2) I like the worn-off paint on the giant chair rungs (is that what they're called?) where countless people have climbed up onto the seat. The chair looks rather uncomfortable. It needs a giant cushion.
3) I thought maybe the rickshaw was used in "Around the World in 80 Days", but that wasn't a Universal picture, sooooo, I dunno.
Thanks, Sue. I actually thing your summer outfit is cute. And thanks, Major. I'm sure your summer outfit is cute too.
Cute as a button is right! More great pics from Lou. I'm even surprised at that slight blurriness in the last pic, but maybe Frankenstein came up behind Lou right at that very moment and surprised him.
Major, that snow scene was very close to where the pond was with the two miniature battleships. And it wasn't too far from where the Simpsons Ride is today. That area is now called the "Upper Lot." Prop Plaza was located somewhere in the middle of the tram tour, and the trams don't drop people off there anymore, or even go past that area. However, I think Prop Plaza may have had a different location in the early days of the tram tour.
I have a pic of my brother in that very same chair, from the very same year. I was supposedly sick, so I got left with my grandmother and did not go on that trip. But there are other pics of my brother with other large props, and the area looks a little different than the Prop Plaza I was familiar with.
Thank you Lou, Sue and Major, for the vintage trip to Universal!
Thank you Sue and Lou!
I remember that snow scene, sitting on the rails in almost the exact spot!
As I recall it, it was in a building with an open side along the tram route. The tram stopped so we could get out to see the set. I think maybe there was a big roll-up door to close off the scene after hours or in (genuine) bad weather, but I can’t recall for sure. I could be completely wrong about all of it, fifty plus years on.
Thanks for posting these, Major, and cute-as-a-button Sue.
JG
@ JB-
"I thought maybe the rickshaw was used in "Around the World in 80 Days", but that wasn't a Universal picture..."
I wouldn't be so certain about the rickshaw - Michael Todd shot that film at a number of studios - including Universal and the 'Little Europe' street...
Nanook, my brother sometimes watches “Bonanza” on MeTV, and I swear some of the backdrops are not even as convincing as the one behind Sue!
JB, Sue is always bursting into song, and somehow there’s always an orchestra to accompany her! Yeah, think of how many thousands of people posed on that big chair… they probably had to repaint it regularly. I remember trying to watch “Around the World in 80 Days”, kind of excited to see one of those old “big spectacle” movies, and man was I bored. I couldn’t finish it.
TokyoMagic!, yes, even Lou can get jumpy at times, and you can’t blame him for being startled by Frankenstein. Thank you for telling me where the snow scene was located, I actually looked at one of my vintage Universal Studios guidebooks (with a nice illustrated map) but it didn’t indicate where the snow scene was. It’s funny, the old Prop Plaza is such a simple idea - place a bunch of random odd stuff around and let people take pictures of it - but it was surprisingly popular and fun. I still have fond memories of my own childhood visits to the Studio.
JG, I remember the snow scene, but my main memory of it is pressing the button that would make the mesh cylinder overhead turn. I loved a good button! I sure couldn’t tell you if there was a building with an open side on the tram tour, my recollections are all too foggy.
So cute Sue! I’m glad you survived your brush with the asbestos flurry. It was a fun effect.
MS
Yes, JG, I also remember this snow scene in an "open sided" building. Thanks, TokyoMagic for the exact location details. I recall the snow feeling like what they used for fake snow (flocking?) on vintage Christmas trees--from the 50s and 60s. Sort of like ceiling popcorn coming down. Come to think of it, the vintage Christmas tree flocking would fall off, too, and get all over.
Speaking of Frankenstein, I loved seeing 'him' walking around Universal. Scary, but fun! I'm looking forward to that new 'monster land' in the new Universal park in Florida.
Thanks, all, for the laughs!
--Sue
I forgot to mention that there was a snow scene that the trams passed by during the tour. It was a little cottage and one side of the cottage was supposed to be "summer" and the other side had snow and was supposed to be "winter." Does anyone else remember this from the tour?
https://www.thestudiotour.com/wp/wp-content/gallery/USH%20Studio%20Tour%20Snow%20Cottage/1.jpg
TM! I don't remember seeing that cottage, but thanks for sharing that link and info.
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