Universal Studios 1972: Scenes from a Studio on a Verge of a Boom

Universal Studios 1972 - Snow Backdrop
Universal Studios 1972 - Snow Backdrop

With these photos of Universal Studios in 1972, understand the context:  this was the studio at one of its lowest points.  Its big, bustling period of huge stars and directors was well in the past.  Its next boom, the Easy Riders, Raging Bulls period detailed by author Peter Biskind–Jaws, The Sting, American Graffiti–had not yet happened, though it was right around the corner.  Though it was a well-established studio tour and most of it was orchestrated for tourists, a few “real studio” elements did shine through.

Universal Studios Entrance

Far quieter than it is today.  Notice that you could park just a few feet away from the ticket booths.

Western Set (for Tourists)

Universal Studios 1972 – Western Set

Traditional Westerns were long dead by 1972 (replaced by the anti-Western), notably 1969’s True Grit.  But the iconography of the Western still meant something to most people.

Especially the Western Stunt Show

Universal Studios 1972 – Western Show with Stunt Men

Purely for tourists, the Western stunt show, with blank guns a-firing and stuntmen a-fallin’, were a staple of many fake Western towns of that period.

Prop Plaza’s Fighter Jet

Universal Studios 1972 – USAF Fighter Jet

Prop Plaza was a place for tourists to chill.  All of the props scattered around the plaza were authentic.

Above Universal Studios

Universal Studios looks nothing like this today.  A fire in 2008 destroyed much of the backlot.

Top View of Universal Studios Backlot and New York Street

Universal Studios 1972 – High View of Studio

A tighter view showing the extensive New York Street backlot at Universal.

Snow-Making Machine and Snow Backdrop

Universal Studios 1972 – Snow Backdrop

Put together for tourists, this snow backdrop featured a snow-making machine (top).  A wire cylinder rotated, releasing the fake snow.  Almost certainly the backdrop of the snowy scene was used in Universal movies of the past.

Stuntmen Practicing on New York Street

Universal Studios 1972 – New York Street

Not a demonstration for tourists, this was a group of stuntmen practicing or rehearsing a scene for a movie or TV show.

Interior Room Set

Universal Studios 1972 – Interior Home Set

Likely this was a real interior set that was temporarily available for the studio tour.

 

Fake Burning House

Universal Studios 1972 – House on Fire Exterior Set

This fake burning house would catch fire every time a tram passed by.  This was a real set.

Back of the Burning House

Universal Studios 1972 – House on Fire Set Back Side

Fake Rocks on Prop Plaza

Universal Studios 1972 – Hefting Fake Rocks

Oversized Telephone, Chair, and Table

Universal Studios 1972 – Giant Props

 

Prop Plaza: Giant Books, Scissors, Hand

Universal Studios 1972 – Giant Book Props

Titles:  Play It As It Lays, by Joan Didion, Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, and a fake novel, Frenzy, referring to the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name. While it’s tempting to think that these props were used in the Land of the Giants TV show (1968 to 1969), this is unlikely, since Giants was produced by 20th Century Fox.

Fake Rain

Universal Studios 1972 – Fake Rain on Sea Port

 

Fake Snow Scene with Dry California Hills in Background

Universal Studios 1972 – Exterior Snow Set

 

Seaport and Dock

Universal Studios 1972 – Exterior Sea Port

 

Sea Port and Dock Set with Wave-Making Machine

Universal Studios 1972 – Exterior Sea Port with Wave Making Machine

OK, maybe not waves exactly–ripples?

Sea Port and Dock Set

Universal Studios 1972 – Exterior Sea Port and Dock

 

Chariot

Universal Studios 1972 – Chariot

 

 

By Lee Wallender

Deception, influence, fakes, illusions, themed environments, simulations, secret places, secret infrastructure, imagined places, dreamscapes, movie sets and props, evasions, camouflage, studio backlots, miniatures.

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