Tag Archives: Universal Studios
Looking west along Hollywood Blvd from Vine St as a motion picture camera crew shoots outside the CoCo Tree Café, Hollywood, 1936
Filming on the corner of Hollywood and Vine would be a lot more complicated these days, but back in 1936, when this photo was taken, all it seemed to take was a couple of cops. I’m exaggerating, of course, but … Continue reading
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Tagged Hollywood, Hollywood and Vine, Hollywood Blvd, Restaurants, Universal Studios
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Seven men stand on the front of a locomotive chartered by Universal Pictures to publicize the opening of Universal City in Los Angeles, 1915
On May 15, 1915, Carl Laemmle opened Universal City, home to his newly built Universal Pictures, a studio so large that it became its own city. To publicize the event, Universal chartered this train from New York to Los Angeles. … Continue reading
A circa 1929 Ford Model A is parked in front of the Universal Cafe outside Universal Studios, Los Angeles
When Universal Studios moved to the San Fernando Valley in 1915, the studio development – Universal City – was so large that it qualified for its own US Post Office. That’s the building on the left we can see in … Continue reading
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Tagged Movie Studios, Restaurants, San Fernando Valley, Universal Studios
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Universal City movie studio backlot, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, circa late 1910s
The movie studios were (and still are) so vast that they’re almost cities unto themselves, with their own post office, fire department, police force, and power generators. Universal Pictures went one step further and called their studio lot Universal City. … Continue reading
Screenshot of the opening credits to “Hollywood Story” (1951) showing the street signs for Hollywood and Vine
Recently, I was contacted by a guy name Ken who wanted to alert me to a Universal picture from 1951 called “Hollywood Story.” He said I might enjoy it because it was filmed on location all around LA. Whenever I … Continue reading
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Tagged Hollywood, Hollywood and Vine, Hotels, Night photo, Radio, Stores and Shopping, Trains and Railways, Universal Studios
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Striking photo of a bank of lights, Universal Studios, 1963
Apart from the fact that this photo was taken for Life magazine at Universal Studios in 1963, I have been able to find no other information to share with you. But it’s such a striking photo that I couldn’t not … Continue reading
Aerial photograph of Universal Studios backlot, Universal City, California, 1963
In this aerial photo taken by Life magazine, we get to see what a chunk of the Universal Studios backlot looked like in 1963. If you’ve not been to a movie studio backlot before, the castle in the bottom right … Continue reading
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Tagged Aerial photographs, Movie Studios, San Fernando Valley, Universal Studios
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Up in the rafters among the lighting in a soundstage at Universal Studios, 1963
You know how in the movies, someone yells “Lights! Camera! Action!” (Well, they do that in the movies about making movies, anyway.) Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be up on the catwalks in the rafters of a … Continue reading
Universal Studios on opening day, Universal City, Los Angeles, March 15th, 1915
Pandemic lockdowns notwithstanding, Universal Studios is a busy, bustling complex of movie studio and theme park. Unlike other studios, Universal’s head, Carl Laemmle, welcomed the general public to come see how movies were made right from the opening day. What … Continue reading
Universal Studios, Universal City in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, circa 1915
These days, Universal Studios covers approximately 415 acres, including the studio and the theme park. But back in the mid-1910s, when this photo was taken, this all there was when the Universal Film Manufacturing Company moved its first studio at … Continue reading