I lived in Burbank and have been working in film for 30+ years. Thank you for doing this. I moved just before they announced the ranch was being leveled. Thank you for documenting the final moments of what should have been designated a cultural and historic landmark. I’m crying watching this. So many memories are now just memories.
It’s sad to see the progress that isn’t really progress take away not only our memories but also the incredible quality work that used to be put into the film and television industry. Those of us who are older know that CGI can’t replace actual facades that resemble real buildings or real people so soon will only be watching classic films and television series.
I loved the movie about going to White Castle in New Jersey. South Jersey more specific and there is mountains all around. And Honey it’s all flat ground around here. Part of the name of the movie was “” “” and kumar go to White Castle” cult movie. Had to laugh seeing the mountains 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣❤❤❤
The fact that the Griswold house is being torn down drives homes the sadness of this demolition for me. Christmas Vacation is one of my favorite films and I picture that house in my head like it's somewhere I grew up. Thanks for the last look, Adam.
It's a real shame, though judging by the condition of the roof it would cost an absolute fortune to fix it and make it at all usable (if you wanted to move it, past tense of course)
I used to work as a security officer for Warner Bros and had many great experiences on the Warner Ranch and main studio lot. If they are indeed tearing this all down, it’s a tragic loss of film and television history. Thanks for posting this video and bringing back some great memories!
That is so cool! The swimming pool still looks good > probably some of the crew are using it ;-) I'm sure they'll save certain memory item's, but a lot of those building's are falling apart, etc., and it would be awesome if they also built high tech movie building's! I think I saw a shadow in one of the window's, too!? a bit spooky...
@@SunLightFawn I wouldn’t be surprised if the pool gets some “extracurricular” use. When I worked there, it always looked clean and camera-ready. I agree, the place definitely could use some updated facilities. It was looking a little worse for wear, even back during my time there. No doubt, they’ll keep some special items in the archives. As for potential ghost sightings? The place does have some stories! I’ve got a couple of my own I could tell! Maybe in a future podcast one day! 😉
@@sandrasanders706 back in the early days of the studio, most definitely. The only issue I ever noticed was with raccoons on the backlot. There were plenty of feral studio cats (descendants of those demanded by James Cagney) to keep the smaller pests at bay.
@@IncredibleMrWrite Thanks for that comment about James Cagney. I'm a huge fan and have read his autobiography but never heard that little tidbit. I just looked it up and found the rescue group Cats at the Studios who have been taking care of those cats and many more over the years. Really interesting history.
Funny how we become emotionally attached to what we watched on TV and in the movies. For most of us it represents a time in our lives when we felt happiness and comfort. I know it does for me. Thank you for this. Good memories flowing through 😊
I’ve been an employee of Warner Brothers for 12 years, thank you documenting the Ranch. I have many great memories from working there. I thought they would move the facades and preserve movie history. But I guess that’s not going to happen. It’s sad 😢
Things like this really bring home the fact that we're witnessing the ending of all the things that made up the 20th century. In this case, it's the the way entertainment was once filmed, and it brings to mind the things that happened every day on sets like this, and the life that filled its streets. The stories that were told here, and the memories that brought us all together. If whatever follows turns out to be better, most of us will never know, but as these memories recede it's hard to see any improvements appearing on the horizon.
I did some work in Hollywood for a Post Production studio in the 80s, they did Playboy at Night there, the first state of the art green screen synced to the cameras , it's gone way beyond that and now everything is the stupid reality tv style, people are really brain dead now
I worked for years on the WB ranch filming Living Single, The Wayans Bros., & various feature films & commercials. It breaks my heart that they're tearing all this history down. It's just like when MGM tore down Lot 2 & sold it off to build crappy houses. I grew up across the street from MGM & used to play on Lot 2 with my friends, mainly 'hide & seek' from security. Just a damn shame.
Thanks so much for this video. I worked on that block for the movie "Pleasantville" in 1997. I was the paint Gang boss and was charge of anything shot on that block. I had the best time on that show. If things got too crazy, Id head over to the Bewitched house, sit on the front porch and say" Sam, get me a drink. Is your mother here?...make it a double"
This brings back memories. My father was a carpenter/prop maker there in the '60s, before going to work at Universal. In '68 when I was 5 I was there for the yearly Columbia picnic for family members of employees. Elizabeth Montgomery and Sally Field were there mixing with us and signing autographs. Still have the home movis and pics my dad took that day. I have hazy memories of being there.
Truly breaks my heart to hear that the WB Ranch Backlot (old Columbia) will be gone. TV shows like "Father Knows Best", "Hazel", "The Donna Reed Show" and others....I can still visualize the houses used in these shows. Another piece of my childhood gone with the wind. Great video.
I loved how Hazel leaves her house in Mr B's car, and as she gets in, you can see the Bewitched house next door. Then off Hazel goes to the hospital, and she's driving, and gets pulled over by the cops as she was speeding, I think, and you can see the Bewitched house again. LOL. Even though she's 'heading to the hospital', you can see she just drove around the park.
Well done, Adam, for doing this and your previous visit to the Warner Bros. Burbank Ranch. Like you I am a location fanatic (mostly westerns), but English living in England. This is another kick in the gut. Laramie Street on the Warner Studio backlot was torn down in 2003, the Western Street destroyed by fire, 1983. Paramount Studios backlot Western Street bulldozed 1979, their Ranch, fire 2018. And now this. Although as far as I’m concerned, is really the second and final stage of destruction. Columbia purchased the land in 1934. There were 2 Western Streets over by Pass Avenue that lasted until 1993. Small section maybe, but that was the heart taken out of it. So think Charles Starrett and ‘High Noon’. Great crane shot of Cooper - with Warner stages in the background. Visiting Southern California for a week in 1995, I did get a lot in. Mostly gleaned from books as this was before the internet proper. Iverson, Lone Ranger rock, Chatsworth etc., but no studio visits. Lone Pine, Vasquez and best of all Melody Ranch, Newhall. Impromptu visit, but the Veluzat brothers very kindly showed me round. No photos, though. I could have been a spy. Hooray for them and Uncle Carl of Universal. He loved his westerns - and the street's still there. Managed a reasonable shot of the Disney Ranch western town from the road. Now also gone. Watching so many westerns as a kid, it felt like I grew up around here. Oh, and Old Tuscon burned down a few months before my visit. Also love your back roads, small towns and ghost towns videos. All the very best. 🤠
A heartbreaking tragic loss....as a kid I was glued to the TV watching The Partridge family and Bewitched...in the later 70s it was Fridays and The Dukes of Hazzard which I didn't see anything that looked familiar from that show. Over filming a soon to be demo site...not a chance...thanks so very much for doing this!! It really is a shame some of those huge old trees can't be worked into their new vision. I bet they could sell some parts of the sets to fans of the various productions too if they wanted.
@@retrounderground1 Which was helpful to me. What was incorrect? I was left wishing for a more comprehensive list of show per building, howevererer. Like the green house lookd like the 1st house used in Leave it to Beaver, but dunno if that was filmed @ WB.
the amount of age and natural decay the sets had make them feel like an actual real neighborhood. they aged just like real houses were because they were built the same as a real house even though it was only a prop house. the attention to detail in road planning and street layout was also right on the money - it was one of the most well-built live sets of human history let alone movie history.
I’m so glad you filmed this. They should really keep this as a tourist attraction. LA seems to be losing its appeal as it is and it’s only going to go down without these historic places that embody movie/tv magic from the past. The younger generation seems to be even more fascinated by relics of the past and have a real appreciation for it. They’ve grown up in modern suburbia where literally everything looks identical and the landscape is nothing but boring and complete lack of stimulation in your surroundings drains dopamine & serotonin. People become desperate for things such as this as a “fix”. The older generation has no idea what they’re wasting! Of course they’re prioritizing money over nostalgia. That’s what they’ve been raised & trained to do. What they’re not understanding is that there’s going to be a lot of money in nostalgia. There already is. And it’s only going to steadily move more in that direction when there’s so few relics of the past left to explore and experience. I get that they figure the land has more value utilizing it for new sound stages. I know little to nothing about real estate, but maybe buy up a “neighborhood” full of some crappy, hideous new build homes early 2000 era no one will buy because the only way to update them is for them to be fully gutted not to mention they start to fall apart immediately after being thrown up as quickly and cheaply as possible and after five years to a decade they’re ready to be condemned. Lol, yet it’s actually true. I mean, who in their right mind thought the garage should jut out hideously as a focal point for curb appeal!? Zero privacy homes. Only two to four feet away from each other. Basically town houses that cost more because they’re not literally attached? Lol. Your windows look directly into your neighbour’s identical house or pathetic yard likely smaller than your bedroom. So kids live their entire lives mostly inside. Sorry, I just despise these houses going up everywhere. With a passion. Anyway maybe build the sound stages there? Over top of those hideous monstrosities no one wants anymore as it is. And turn this historic site into a tourist attraction park, as well as an occasional filming site when they want an authentic look and feel for the past in a show/movie. Because CGI just doesn’t do it. It really doesn’t. I thought it creatively fitting that you ended this little blast from the past with a shot of your car mirror and that warning “objects in mirror are closer than they appear” which is so familiar to most of us who were kids before that completely disappeared from mirrors eventually. That in itself caught a moment of nostalgia. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity to explore WB ranch with you before it’s destroyed.
1164 Morning Glory Circle (the Bewitched house) was like a second home to me. I know it was just a façade, but still heartbreaking to see all this entertainment history be wiped away. Thanks Adam, for returning to Warner Bros Ranch again and giving us one last look at our favorite place from the movies and TV. I'm grateful to have the full Bewitched series on DVD so I can still go "home" whenever I want, but still hard to imagine all those wonderful old buildings just being destroyed. ☹
I am sad because I wanted to see it ,feel bad when I flew to Cal to see Johnny Carson and his show was cancelled . The Bewitched House is reverse copy of a home in L.A. ,so if it's any consolation , you can still see the original .
I remember in one episode of Bewitched Daren went running outside for some reason. In that scene you get a great overview of the lot with that mountain in the background. Unmistakable.
@@terryw7683 , the realistic mountains of New York. In another scene, Darrin’s parents are driving in a convertible and you can see palm trees behind them. LOL.
You are not alone in your fascination with film houses, sets, props, cars and locations! Film is bigger than life! It preserves a scene , a line of dialogue, an actor for generations. The wow factor is definitely not lost on me, for one, Adam! As long as you have the ability and means, keep them coming! We appreciate you!
The art of film includes locations. Thus, are not the locations art? .... (I check out the flood of deals in Malibu before setting in the bulldozers for more over priced housing, if I were the studio and it isn't too late.) ... LA can always use more things to occupy tourists and locals babysitting their tourists.
I remember a post on the Warner Brothers studios The brick was made of Styrofoam, chicken wire and plaster The reason they didn't use real brick was because it would be too heavy to build and if they had to tear it down They also painted from the left for a light source usually on scenic backdrops with buildings Thanks for this terriffic post Adam So sad these classic shells are being razed
When watching shows like Adam-12 as a kid ? I used to crack up noticing the extremely CLEAR deliniation between the on-location shots & the studio lot (Universal ?) shot scenes. They were truly obvious- enough to make an 8 year old even tell the difference..... Welp, thanks for taking us along & for the memories, chief !! 🚬😎👍
I can really appreciate this kind of thing because I really miss the old hollywood and really think its such a shame when places like this go away.The MGM Backlot comes to mind so places like this,it is just fantastic that you can document what it looks like for future generations.
The Partridge family house is the grandma’s house in Young Sheldon. In the season finale, there was a tornado and it destroyed her house. I was able to match up with the house to the left and the trees in the background. 😊 Thank you!
I'm assuming the dead tree near the remains of Meemaw's house is really still alive and was stripped of its leaves for the tornado aftermath scene of Young Sheldon which recently aired in May 2023. That house was just razed in April 2023 and you saw the back of it was still standing. Adam didn't seem to be aware of any of this.
Thanks for the tour, I worked at Warner Brothers security from 1985 to 1998 and spent many hours at the ranch driving around in the security golf cart bicycles and on foot. Not too much is changed but it was certainly nice seeing it from another person’s viewpoint. I worked there when lethal weapon was films and used to receive calls at 2 o’clock in the morning because the helicopters were flying around for the fight scene at the house. As well as one Christmas vacation was shot there and we got calls from as far as 3 miles away complaining about the bright lights. They were coming off the top of the Griswold house.
I was a Burbank Police Officer who actually wrote the “disturbing the peace” complaint over the Lethal Weapon late night filming! It was surreal as the ground was soaking wet from the staged fire hydrant shooting up in the air, the helicopters flying low with the night sun illuminating everything, actors in cop uniforms, and a soaking wet Gary Busy. It was all resolved when the studios put the night sun on a tall crane instead of using actual helicopters. I do remember the neighbors in the area were pissed!
What a great episode. When I was a young man in the 60's, my uncle was the head of the prop department at Fox. I would spend my summers with him on the lot of many studios. I got to meet so many stars of the time. great memories...
When I worked at Warners in the 1990s, I might have passed the Warner Branch a few times. I never went inside, because it was offlimits to company employees. I am surprised that they are not putting up multi-million dollar homes or condominiums in its place. That is a huge piece of land.
I lived across the street for three years. Very sad, but at least it remains a studio. They need the sound-stages-- they shoot on location now, so these type of sets are not used enough to be viable. I don't know if you're aware, but the shopping center that abuts the studio was all part of the original ranch facility. They sold off part of the land when the studio was having financial trouble. The city would never allow them or any other studio to develop their land for commercial uses today. Universal tried to develop their backlot into thousands of condos and the people who live in Toluca Lake went crazy-- the city was forced to say no. Universal is now developing that part of the backlot off Cahuenga that was used for all of the Frankenstein, Dracula and Werewolf horror films into massive state of the art sound-stages.
Sad: The American entertainment industry, which is mostly unimaginative these days, destroys such treasures. It's not only sad, it's also tragic. The film fans in Germany mourn with you! 😢😢😢 Thank you very much for this great video!
My daughter and family have just returned from touring Ireland and London. They didn't go with a group. She's a great photographer. She posted pictures of 700 year old buildings. She mentioned that Americans think a house built in the 80's is old. She used to work as a realtor.
She is right. But it depends on area. Here in the midwest we have a lot of houses from the wild west and settler days still standing. In the suburbs you see 50s-70s. Newer suburbs 80s. 90s, 00s.
I think this episode might go down as one of the best on the channel. YEARS from now people will search for this video on youtube to see what the WB ranch once looked like. SO AWESOME that you got to do this.
@@TheDailyWooThis is an iconic video .. Your best so far and will be viewed forever.. You videoed history . It’s the equivalent of the MGM 1972 auction video on yt .. back lot history Thanks 🙏
I worked for the Warner Bros. security department many moons ago and spent a number of weekend shifts at the ranch location. It was the graveyard shift, so I had the entire place to myself much of the time (though I worked with one other security officer). The coolest thing--at least for me--was seeing the house used in THE OMEGA MAN. But the place certainly has a fine history. Sad to see it go.
jim ~ Did you ever encounter trouble on your shift? Like people sneaking in to steal pieces of memorabilia or perhaps to vandalize? Or was it nice and quiet most of the time?
I was a security guard at Universal Studios in the 1980's. I guarded so many sets including, "Psycho II", "Doctor Detroit", and "Scarface". It was an incredible experience for me, a big movie buff.
I am from Redding in Northern California and started in construction. These sets were well built it appears and maintained to stand the test of time. Thanks for the ride.
I was a group of film students who gave tours of the backlot when there was an open house there in the early 70s, later I was one of some 60 managers at Warner's in the 80s in studio operations. Heartbreaking to hear it's all history now. Schade!
Hollywood is the worst in preserving its own history! Just heartbreaking! Thanks from the bottom of Hollywood lovers’ hearts to you, Adam, and other CZcams vloggers who seem to be the only historians interested in documenting this timeless history that will be lost forever! Ironic this is happening after WB’s 100 year anniversary!
That’s true. They have been terrible about preserving their own history. I have a HS friend who’s dad was the local TV news movie reviewer when we were kids. He had an enormous collection of old film reels in his basement (like early 20th century). Idk what happened to them when he passed, but I know he was saving them because nobody else was. So sad!
Saw one story of how someone is painstakingly preserving all the backdrops found rotting in some storage facility, ready to be destroyed. And yet this guy is walking through actual film history and they are going to tear it down like nothing.
Some of my work during🎉 over three decades in the motion picture industry, was working as a location scout. It’s gotten to where more and more things were not shot on location they were shot in backlots. Now the fact that this is being torn down and they will be building soundstages… what that tells me is that they will be doing a lot more green-screen and then they will just use virtual locations. That way they can re-create any city or small town backdrop for a movie or TV show. Simply fill in the foreground with a little bit of set dressing and a bunch of props and a few picture cars and potted trees and they have saved a huge amount of money by not having to go outside to do it. Beyond location scouting I did a lot of work in the camera department, sound, grip & lighting, special effects etc. I always preferred working on location and available time on soundstages. But I could see over the years that more and more things were moving to controlled sets, less problems with sound issues, easier to control the lighting, easier to control the budget by having people basically just show up and work a 10 hour shift like they’re at a factory. A lot of the soul is missing from the process but for most people it’s about the money. For me it was always much more career than it was employment, big difference. I was part of a small group of people who only worked in film production but most of us had a real passion for going to the cinema and we spend a lot of our free time going to film festivals to see a new commercial films, independent films, documentaries etc. it is, indeed hard for me to see so many cinemas closing so many back lots and the shift towards digitally produced backgrounds, and in the end just a cheaper version of the entertainment product. Sadly it’s always much more the business of filmmaking rather than the art of filmmaking. Rather sad actually.
Thank you for your insights because when he said the sets were being replaced with sound stages, I was like “why would they need sound stages?” You explained it and it makes sense.
OK, you well explained why they are gonna mow this down. Bully to you for documenting this before they "Toro-ize" it. I could not imagine the alternative of shooting residential neighborhood scenes "on location" and all that would entail (permits, security, etc.) or even renting backlots from competing studios. I guess their beancounters figured out they could make more $$$ from those new sound stages than turning that old backlot into a tourist attraction, while still using it as a controlled space studio backlot.
In Bewitched, when they're outside in the front yard, the yard looks so large. But when you filmed the Bewitched house/set, the front yard is looking so tiny now.
This is so cool I’ve really enjoyed watching this and it’s brought back so many memories of the good old days when television and movies were great . Thank you for sharing this with us kind Sir .
This is such a shame. The ranch should not be torn down. Too bad they couldn't keep it as a museum. So much Hollywood history! Thanks for taking us along, Adam!
The amount of work and money that would need to be done to make the property usable wouldn’t be worth it,it’s being replaced with newer production facilities
@@thomasschreiber9559 it used to be very usable. But now it can be more usable with new digital sound stages that can create backgrounds that look just as realistic as the real things but changed on a whim. These facades have outlived their usefulness....it's sad but from a money standpoint it doesn't work anymore...
I went to WB on a tour around 2008 or 2009 where they drove tourists around in a mega golf cart. I distinctly recall the WB guide driving us off the main lot and taking us over to the Ranch to point out the famous houses and sets. It’s very sad to see this go. I wonder where they will keep filming scenes that require such structures. Renting actual locations is super expensive. I have to imagine they aren’t really doing it due to the cost of maintenance for these structures (which is likely cheaper than renting locations overall), but because they need more space for modern soundstages. I wish they would certify and sell pieces of these structures for fans to keep and/or let local artists use the raw materials for artistic purposes - like it would be cool to build models of these structures out of the real buildings.
10:36 Utterly fascinating! Christmas Vacation (uncensored version) is my all time Christmas movie. And the Lindsey House. As a side note, Davy Jones of the Monkees was born up the road from me in Manchester, England in a town called Openshaw. He's still well regarded here in Manchester, he still has distant family members dotted around and in the 1980s he'd occasionally come home for a walk around his teenage stomping ground. I met him once, circa 1980 when he turned up at his childhood street and he was absolutely friendly and chatting away. Nice to see the places he worked when making the Monkees. Thanks for doing this video.
Adam, thank you so much for bringing us all on the tour. Really great to see everything. Brings back memories from films. Very good video. Much appreciated.
I know I’m being slightly dramatic, but man some of these houses/facades are part of my history too, not just the suits that are making the decision to get rid of them. Bewitched & Partridge Family…man that was my childhood! And then the Middle!! I loved that show so much! Thank you so much for taking the time to film these places! It was amazing to get a behind the scenes glimpse at things most of us would never be able to see!!
This really hurts. Had a few lumps in my throat watching this. The Bewitched house was my favorite. I grew up wanting to move to 1164 Morning Glory Circle. I had hope they could have maybe removed the Bewitched house (facade) and taken it to a museum. An era now bulldozed and will soon be forgotten. Did you notice if the address numbers were still on the Bewitched house? Thank you so much for doing this video. Means a lot in so many ways. You were extremely fortunate to get to film this video.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT THE BEWITCHED HOUSE T____________________________________T 1164 Morning Glory Circle walked so 2800 Sherwood Drive could run, dude ;__________:
It is so sad they are putting soundstage in place of all this history! I wish I could have had an opportunity to do this. I'm glad you filmed and shared! this is super fascinating.
You didn't over film. This is exactly the kind of content that makes CZcams great 🙏🏼 Never seen your channel this video randomly popped up in my feed. I'm glad it did, it was a treat.
I started working in the industry in the early 2000s and my first gig was an office production assistant for several WB Television shows. Our offices and sound stages were located on the ranch. We filmed several episodes on Blondie Street and also the main lot. We filmed at the Lethal Weapon, Small Soldiers and The Waltons house. We also filmed at the gas station. The food at the grill was actually pretty good. I use to order food from there a lot because it saved time. Our offices were located near the transportation grid. They were the brown buildings in the parking lot area behind the Partridge family house. The pool was also used too film a few scenes of Collateral Damage. I remember because I walked on the set. Granted I was not on this production, but I really wanted to see Arnold. It was awesome. So many wonderful memories on the ranch. It really hurts to see it go.
This is an awesome video. Thanks for sharing, Adam. You mention something about how not everyone is as into movie sets/filming locations- but I'm right there with you and love them. I'm glad this was created by someone like you who truly appreciates it.
As someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s, I recognized⅚ almost every single movie, television show, and building that you featured in this video. I would like to thank you for taking the time to film this and point out all the history. It is very sad to see the place where so many dreams, wonderful childhood memories, and adult nostalgia were created and divined out of the ether and forged into a perceived reality. It gives me mixed feelings to see all these places, that until now were reality in my mind. Now, seeing their true nature in reality and not through the camera's eye puts into perspective the temporary nature of our existence. Seeing this world of illusion as it really is makes me feel proud to have been a part of that time, but it also gives me a feeling of loss, as the illusion of its reality is exposed. Last but not least, it deeply saddens me to learn that this piece of history that represents the unique time that it came from will soon be erased and disposed of like a worn-out old shoe... but as George Harrison said, "All things must pass." Sad, but true. Thank you again for taking the time to document this complex piece of our collective lives and time.
Ah yes. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and I watched the shows there that were filmed in the 50s and 60s. Thanks to a little old thing called cable TV. Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network channels played all the classic shows. It's so sad that they just don't fix the studio neighborhood and make it a museum. I'd fly to California and take a tour 💯 %.
I grew up in the 50s, 60s, 70s and am glad I got to see this before they're gone. I loved Hazel and Gidget and Bewitched and Partridge Family (wish I saw the house before they started tearing it down) and The Flying Nun - still have my Flying Nun bubble gum cards and my Monkeys cards too. All the TV shows and movies. Loved seeing where the toilet in Lethal Weapon exploded. Loved seeing where the Gidget Beach scenes were. Batman and Wild Wild West and Waltons and Gremlins and Griswalds and the animation studios, all so special. Some of todays movies and TV shows I'm not familiar with, so I can't relate to them, but all the ones from the 80s and before I lknow of, not so much after that. Friends in the 90s I know. So sad that they aren't keeping all this history. They could even gives tours, like the other studios. It would mean so much to so many people. It's nostalgia, a very important part of our American entertainment history. Should be preserved.
@@c.m.169I would watch the Monkees every single day since I was watching it as a rerun but I was obsessed and I was obsessed with Davy. My mom and dad that are both gone now would make fun of me even when the songs would come on the radio later in life.
Thank you Adam for returning to this location. The Warner Ranch is the holy grail of locations for a lot of people and I'm glad you got in there and "overfilmed" as you called it. All the raw footage of this place, the nails holding it together, it's all a part of history. Thank you very much for visiting it and recording for us.😊
Oh man!!...I knew this day was coming. I had the pleasure to work at this location for years as Warner Bros. Animation was located on the WB Ranch for a number of years. Gonna miss all the History that was the heritage of this particular location. Lot's of fond memories. Thank you so much for this amazing video!!
I have always had a fascination with old Hollywood, the studio's, everything that goes into making a scene and the eventual movie. There is such history there. Terrible to see it go. It was so quiet but as you walked through I could hear the past. The people, the imagination .....the history. It gave movies character. Sad to think it will be sound stages now and more computer tech. Thank you for capturing a last look and preserving it.
This hurts my heart. I’m so glad you were granted another visit and able to share with us Adam. I just watched this vlog twice back to back and I’m just so sad that this is all going to be gone soon.😢
This hurts me too. So many TV shows, films..filmed at this lot. History means nothing to these owners. I only hope that the artifacts were saved somehow. I really hate this is happening. Why more soundstages??? Hollywood film industry is losing money.😒🙄
Adam, Thanks so much for this video! I went to Warner Ranch once as a kid for an event for Betty White's Actors and Other for animals, an organization which is still in operation. I also worked for the IT department at Warner Bros. about 15 years ago and went to the ranch a couple times to install computers in the offices there. Really appreciate you documenting this history!
Thank you for this documentation of what we are all collectively losing of our heritage. I recall the MGM auctions and how much of that stuff should now be in a museum. Kinda sad seeing this.
The Heck House location originally had a church. It was removed and the current house built in its place. They then built the church you went into. That same area used to have the Convent Santanco from The Flying Nun. The large area behind the Partridge / Jeannie houses held two parallel western streets where they shot High Noon. The beach area was actually farther back where the neighboring shopping center is now. That same spot was where the Shangri-La set for Lost Horizon. Where you parked used to have several New York streets. The Waltons/Animal Kingdom house had sets for Here Come the Brides, Apple's Way and a copy of the Arbortorium building used in Fantasy Island. With so much Hollywood history already gone, it's so sad to see more fall under the bulldozers. Thanks Adam!
thank you Adam for giving us the behind the scenes tour of some of the most iconic houses ever in movies. i will miss the christmas vacation house the most . it has been in my life for 32 years . will be greatly missed ...
I am glad you are documenting this - I hope there are more being done! It is absolutely criminal that this only with history is being destroyed. I realize of course it’s a huge amount of land to leave undeveloped, but it still drives me crazy.
It would make a great interactive museum. Considering their present-day movies aren't doing so well maybe they can look for money in a different way, like investing in a massive museum.
@@baylorsailorMovies these days are crap. So many remakes that aren’t even close to being as good as the original. TV series are mostly garbage also. I watch the old movies and TV series. Even Disney has gone to crap.
That’s a shame they are getting rid of all of that instead of fixing it up and re-using it. So much history being knocked down. I really loved seeing the Bewitched house. Thanks for showing that. I always thought someday I’d go there and see it in person but I know that will never happen now. Thank you for the great video.
Very interesting! You can tell you're younger (than me) as you highlight some of the movies that were filmed at the houses, but lots of TV history even older than those movies. For example the house to the right of the Griswold house was also the house where Hazel and Gidget were filmed (exterior) and the house to the right of the Patridge house was the house not only for the original Blondie movies, but also the house for Father Knows Best, Mr. Wilson i nDennis the Menace and where Jeanie lived in I Dream of Jeanie. To the right of it was where Dennis the Menace lived. Lots of changes since the 60's when those TV shows were filmed as many of the homes you identified from movies didn't even exist on that street in the 60's, i.e. The Griswold house. Again, very interesting. Sad it's all going away.
Having worked in the set construction part of movie making for twenty years, I worked on a lot of the sound stages and at the Warner back lot that you just filmed. It was sort of nostalgic, but I'm very glad I'm retired now! People don't realize how much work it takes to make a movie!
Well done, so glad you documented this before it is flattened. Wasn't even aware of the facility, but watched many of the movies/shows filmed there when I was younger. It was a strangely emotional experience to see all the sites together, and right before they are about to be torn down. Great video, its the first of yours I've watched, I'll certainly be checking out some of your others, best wishes
My Uncle was a security guard for Warner Brothers. My Mom and Dad went on a date there and were shown the production while it was shooting for it's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World.
When I was working on various crews in the '80's and '90's, I had the pleasure of working on that location for several shoots. We shot the pilot for the kid's show "Eerie Indiana" for a week, and was on Blondie street most of the time. I toured all of those houses back then when we were in between takes. Such a blast to work there since it was a close location for most of us who lived in the area. Thank for posting this. Great memories.
Thank you for showing the places before they are gone. Christmas Vacation, Bewitched, the Monkees, I Dream of Jeannie. Four of my favorites. I remember the Waltons too. My parents and my grandmother loved that show. We went and meet most of the cast and Earl Hammer, Jr. for the opening of the Waltons Museum in Schuyler, Va. back in the early 90s (I think it was). Sad to see all of this movie and TV history destroyed.
Thanks to you Adam, I've discovered a passion i didnt know I had. My wife and I have done all sorts of movie studio and backlot tours. It's been so much fun, to see things related to the movies, I know and love. We tipped a private tour driver a good amount and were able to really get to see what was left of Hill Valley, and that was something off my bucket list. Great video as always Adam.
When I moved to LA in 2002, I got work on all these studio lots. Universal, Warner Bros, Paramount, Sony. I was always excited to be working on these lots with so much history. Those days are gone now. It will all be torn down and the history will fade away with time. I'm glad I got to experience it though.
Thank you for the tour! I worked as an extra on a bunch of films and shows in the 1980s and found myself in sound stages and “back lots” at Paramount and Universal and a couple others I can’t remember. It was a wonderful, if grueling time. They say “hurry up and wait” is an army thing. Hurry up and wait is also film and tv saying!
What a great look into WB history! I particularly enjoyed seeing Miss Mamie and Miss Emily Baldwin's house from The Waltons. They really got the historical Virginia architecture right on that! Thanks for taking us on a tour of this iconic place!
So happy you got to go back to the ranch! Your previous visit was quite memorable! It's great that you got to do a complete documentation of the area! 🙂
Thanks for documenting Adam! As a fan of all of the 80's flicks filmed on the lot it was one of the few things on my bucket list to witness in person. At least it will live in infamy on video
My place of employment has been used for several location shoots for movie & TV shows. It's fascinating to see our interior change when the crews build their sets. At the end of the shoot the temporary sets are dismantled and we get a new paint job from the production companies.
I hate how so many big corporations don't care about preserving history and will just erase it like that.
It’s alll about money.
Land in L.A. is so precious now. The only backlots left now are in the northwest valley. The Walt Disney backlot is still there.
It was built to be used and discarded.. it's literally fulfilling its destiny.
I agree with you ATalkingBadger, So much of history is being lost to money.
3:36 3:59
Business, nothing more or less.
I lived in Burbank and have been working in film for 30+ years. Thank you for doing this. I moved just before they announced the ranch was being leveled. Thank you for documenting the final moments of what should have been designated a cultural and historic landmark. I’m crying watching this. So many memories are now just memories.
It’s sad to see the progress that isn’t really progress take away not only our memories but also the incredible quality work that used to be put into the film and television industry. Those of us who are older know that CGI can’t replace actual facades that resemble real buildings or real people so soon will only be watching classic films and television series.
What made them decide to level it
Yeah landmark. What are they putting there now?
I loved the movie about going to White Castle in New Jersey. South Jersey more specific and there is mountains all around. And Honey it’s all flat ground around here. Part of the name of the movie was “” “” and kumar go to White Castle” cult movie. Had to laugh seeing the mountains 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣❤❤❤
Sad are they going to donate fixtures cupboards lots of stuff can be repurposed
The fact that the Griswold house is being torn down drives homes the sadness of this demolition for me. Christmas Vacation is one of my favorite films and I picture that house in my head like it's somewhere I grew up. Thanks for the last look, Adam.
It's now all just a memory...nothing but dirt fills the spots...RIP..
It's a real shame, though judging by the condition of the roof it would cost an absolute fortune to fix it and make it at all usable (if you wanted to move it, past tense of course)
the "house" was sets that were demolished or recycled long before the movie even came out.
@@alex0589 interior shots, yes..the exterior house is in the video..what makes you think it's not the house in the video?????
@@alex0589 The exterior still played a big role in the movie, like when Clark was decorating the house.
I hate the loss of history. It's happening everywhere it seems. Thanks for one of the last looks.
It's all gone now....RIP
you are SO right!!!!!! It seems that this happens all over the world. They want to destroy the past
I used to work as a security officer for Warner Bros and had many great experiences on the Warner Ranch and main studio lot. If they are indeed tearing this all down, it’s a tragic loss of film and television history. Thanks for posting this video and bringing back some great memories!
That is so cool! The swimming pool still looks good > probably some of the crew are using it ;-)
I'm sure they'll save certain memory item's, but a lot of those building's are falling apart, etc.,
and it would be awesome if they also built high tech movie building's! I think I saw a shadow in one
of the window's, too!? a bit spooky...
@@SunLightFawn I wouldn’t be surprised if the pool gets some “extracurricular” use. When I worked there, it always looked clean and camera-ready. I agree, the place definitely could use some updated facilities. It was looking a little worse for wear, even back during my time there. No doubt, they’ll keep some special items in the archives. As for potential ghost sightings? The place does have some stories! I’ve got a couple of my own I could tell! Maybe in a future podcast one day! 😉
I've heard that WB lot and soundstages have a massive vermon problem?? How true is that?
@@sandrasanders706 back in the early days of the studio, most definitely. The only issue I ever noticed was with raccoons on the backlot. There were plenty of feral studio cats (descendants of those demanded by James Cagney) to keep the smaller pests at bay.
@@IncredibleMrWrite Thanks for that comment about James Cagney. I'm a huge fan and have read his autobiography but never heard that little tidbit. I just looked it up and found the rescue group Cats at the Studios who have been taking care of those cats and many more over the years. Really interesting history.
Funny how we become emotionally attached to what we watched on TV and in the movies. For most of us it represents a time in our lives when we felt happiness and comfort. I know it does for me. Thank you for this. Good memories flowing through 😊
It's called mind control. ;)
I’ve been an employee of Warner Brothers for 12 years, thank you documenting the Ranch. I have many great memories from working there. I thought they would move the facades and preserve movie history. But I guess that’s not going to happen. It’s sad 😢
What about the old houses from 1800 ? Big companies destroyed them in 1950
Everything that represents tradition, is being erased.
Things like this really bring home the fact that we're witnessing the ending of all the things that made up the 20th century. In this case, it's the the way entertainment was once filmed, and it brings to mind the things that happened every day on sets like this, and the life that filled its streets. The stories that were told here, and the memories that brought us all together. If whatever follows turns out to be better, most of us will never know, but as these memories recede it's hard to see any improvements appearing on the horizon.
NOTHING that "follows" will be better. The horizon only has remakes and redos of the Greatness that once was-in all aspects of art (and most of Life).
@@leonardothefabulous3490how do you know? Every generation seems to thinks theirs is the best. What a narrow way of thinking.
@@gottasay4766 How's it narrow if, "every generation" does it? That seems pretty "wide"???
Including humanity
I did some work in Hollywood for a Post Production studio in the 80s, they did Playboy at Night there, the first state of the art green screen synced to the cameras , it's gone way beyond that and now everything is the stupid reality tv style, people are really brain dead now
It’s amazing how these back lots are used over and over in different films, but I have never noticed, all the streets see unique in each film.
The book case in the fake burdens basement scene has been used in other fake scenes.
I worked for years on the WB ranch filming Living Single, The Wayans Bros., & various feature films & commercials. It breaks my heart that they're tearing all this history down. It's just like when MGM tore down Lot 2 & sold it off to build crappy houses. I grew up across the street from MGM & used to play on Lot 2 with my friends, mainly 'hide & seek' from security. Just a damn shame.
If you really worked there for years you should understand why they need to come down now....
Love that memory! Kind of reminds me of a book or something.
That was also as the park Samantha walked Tabitha.
It was used on Bewitched too. The pool.
Doves
Thanks so much for this video. I worked on that block for the movie "Pleasantville" in 1997. I was the paint Gang boss and was charge of anything shot on that block. I had the best time on that show. If things got too crazy, Id head over to the Bewitched house, sit on the front porch and say" Sam, get me a drink. Is your mother here?...make it a double"
This brings back memories. My father was a carpenter/prop maker there in the '60s, before going to work at Universal. In '68 when I was 5 I was there for the yearly Columbia picnic for family members of employees. Elizabeth Montgomery and Sally Field were there mixing with us and signing autographs. Still have the home movis and pics my dad took that day. I have hazy memories of being there.
Sally Field seems super down to earth. Cool that you got to meet her.
wow! That's amazing! You should share the home movies of that. Incredible history!
I would have had a hard time not hitting on Elizabeth Montgomery (insert wolf whistle here!)
Although, in 1968 I was only 9 years old, LOL!
Truly breaks my heart to hear that the WB Ranch Backlot (old Columbia) will be gone. TV shows like "Father Knows Best", "Hazel", "The Donna Reed Show" and others....I can still visualize the houses used in these shows. Another piece of my childhood gone with the wind. Great video.
Used to come home from school, turn on the B&W TV and watch Hazel and The beav
I loved how Hazel leaves her house in Mr B's car, and as she gets in, you can see the Bewitched house next door. Then off Hazel goes to the hospital, and she's driving, and gets pulled over by the cops as she was speeding, I think, and you can see the Bewitched house again. LOL. Even though she's 'heading to the hospital', you can see she just drove around the park.
Well done, Adam, for doing this and your previous visit to the Warner Bros. Burbank Ranch. Like you I am a location fanatic (mostly westerns), but English living in England.
This is another kick in the gut. Laramie Street on the Warner Studio backlot was torn down in 2003, the Western Street destroyed by fire, 1983. Paramount Studios backlot Western Street bulldozed 1979, their Ranch, fire 2018. And now this. Although as far as I’m concerned, is really the second and final stage of destruction. Columbia purchased the land in 1934. There were 2 Western Streets over by Pass Avenue that lasted until 1993. Small section maybe, but that was the heart taken out of it. So think Charles Starrett and ‘High Noon’. Great crane shot of Cooper - with Warner stages in the background.
Visiting Southern California for a week in 1995, I did get a lot in. Mostly gleaned from books as this was before the internet proper. Iverson, Lone Ranger rock, Chatsworth etc., but no studio visits. Lone Pine, Vasquez and best of all Melody Ranch, Newhall. Impromptu visit, but the Veluzat brothers very kindly showed me round. No photos, though. I could have been a spy. Hooray for them and Uncle Carl of Universal. He loved his westerns - and the street's still there. Managed a reasonable shot of the Disney Ranch western town from the road. Now also gone. Watching so many westerns as a kid, it felt like I grew up around here.
Oh, and Old Tuscon burned down a few months before my visit.
Also love your back roads, small towns and ghost towns videos.
All the very best. 🤠
A heartbreaking tragic loss....as a kid I was glued to the TV watching The Partridge family and Bewitched...in the later 70s it was Fridays and The Dukes of Hazzard which I didn't see anything that looked familiar from that show.
Over filming a soon to be demo site...not a chance...thanks so very much for doing this!!
It really is a shame some of those huge old trees can't be worked into their new vision.
I bet they could sell some parts of the sets to fans of the various productions too if they wanted.
Sad to see historical places demolished.Adam is a great tour guide with his knowledge of what was filmed where.Great job!
not really, he's pretty misinformed actually. A lot of what he's saying is incorrect
@@gerrydooley951 like what? I’m curious
He was reading it off a map!
@@retrounderground1 Which was helpful to me. What was incorrect? I was left wishing for a more comprehensive list of show per building, howevererer.
Like the green house lookd like the 1st house used in Leave it to Beaver, but dunno if that was filmed @ WB.
@@gerrydooley951 Yeah like what? He knew a helluva lot more than I do about it all, that's for sure.
the amount of age and natural decay the sets had make them feel like an actual real neighborhood. they aged just like real houses were because they were built the same as a real house even though it was only a prop house. the attention to detail in road planning and street layout was also right on the money - it was one of the most well-built live sets of human history let alone movie history.
I’m so glad you filmed this. They should really keep this as a tourist attraction. LA seems to be losing its appeal as it is and it’s only going to go down without these historic places that embody movie/tv magic from the past. The younger generation seems to be even more fascinated by relics of the past and have a real appreciation for it. They’ve grown up in modern suburbia where literally everything looks identical and the landscape is nothing but boring and complete lack of stimulation in your surroundings drains dopamine & serotonin. People become desperate for things such as this as a “fix”. The older generation has no idea what they’re wasting! Of course they’re prioritizing money over nostalgia. That’s what they’ve been raised & trained to do. What they’re not understanding is that there’s going to be a lot of money in nostalgia. There already is. And it’s only going to steadily move more in that direction when there’s so few relics of the past left to explore and experience. I get that they figure the land has more value utilizing it for new sound stages. I know little to nothing about real estate, but maybe buy up a “neighborhood” full of some crappy, hideous new build homes early 2000 era no one will buy because the only way to update them is for them to be fully gutted not to mention they start to fall apart immediately after being thrown up as quickly and cheaply as possible and after five years to a decade they’re ready to be condemned. Lol, yet it’s actually true. I mean, who in their right mind thought the garage should jut out hideously as a focal point for curb appeal!? Zero privacy homes. Only two to four feet away from each other. Basically town houses that cost more because they’re not literally attached? Lol. Your windows look directly into your neighbour’s identical house or pathetic yard likely smaller than your bedroom. So kids live their entire lives mostly inside. Sorry, I just despise these houses going up everywhere. With a passion. Anyway maybe build the sound stages there? Over top of those hideous monstrosities no one wants anymore as it is. And turn this historic site into a tourist attraction park, as well as an occasional filming site when they want an authentic look and feel for the past in a show/movie. Because CGI just doesn’t do it. It really doesn’t. I thought it creatively fitting that you ended this little blast from the past with a shot of your car mirror and that warning “objects in mirror are closer than they appear” which is so familiar to most of us who were kids before that completely disappeared from mirrors eventually. That in itself caught a moment of nostalgia. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity to explore WB ranch with you before it’s destroyed.
I just cannot see it doing enough business for visitors. They would have been better making movies with it.
1164 Morning Glory Circle (the Bewitched house) was like a second home to me. I know it was just a façade, but still heartbreaking to see all this entertainment history be wiped away. Thanks Adam, for returning to Warner Bros Ranch again and giving us one last look at our favorite place from the movies and TV. I'm grateful to have the full Bewitched series on DVD so I can still go "home" whenever I want, but still hard to imagine all those wonderful old buildings just being destroyed. ☹
I am sad because I wanted to see it ,feel bad when I flew to Cal to see Johnny Carson and his show was cancelled . The Bewitched House is reverse copy of a home in L.A. ,so if it's any consolation , you can still see the original .
I remember in one episode of Bewitched Daren went running outside for some reason. In that scene you get a great overview of the lot with that mountain in the background. Unmistakable.
@@terryw7683 , the realistic mountains of New York. In another scene, Darrin’s parents are driving in a convertible and you can see palm trees behind them. LOL.
You are not alone in your fascination with film houses, sets, props, cars and locations! Film is bigger than life! It preserves a scene , a line of dialogue, an actor for generations.
The wow factor is definitely not lost on me, for one, Adam! As long as you have the ability and means, keep them coming! We appreciate you!
Bigger than life???? Great thing but bigger than life? No NOT bigger than life
The art of film includes locations. Thus, are not the locations art? .... (I check out the flood of deals in Malibu before setting in the bulldozers for more over priced housing, if I were the studio and it isn't too late.) ... LA can always use more things to occupy tourists and locals babysitting their tourists.
You keep talking about Wandavision. I have no idea what that is.
I remember a post on the Warner Brothers studios The brick was made of Styrofoam, chicken wire and plaster The reason they didn't use real brick was because it would be too heavy to build and if they had to tear it down They also painted from the left for a light source usually on scenic backdrops with buildings Thanks for this terriffic post Adam So sad these classic shells are being razed
When watching shows like Adam-12 as a kid ? I used to crack up noticing the extremely CLEAR deliniation between the on-location shots & the studio lot (Universal ?) shot scenes.
They were truly obvious- enough to make an 8 year old even tell the difference.....
Welp, thanks for taking us along & for the memories, chief !!
🚬😎👍
I can really appreciate this kind of thing because I really miss the old hollywood and really think its such a shame when places like this go away.The MGM Backlot comes to mind so places like this,it is just fantastic that you can document what it looks like for future generations.
The Partridge family house is the grandma’s house in Young Sheldon. In the season finale, there was a tornado and it destroyed her house. I was able to match up with the house to the left and the trees in the background. 😊 Thank you!
I saw the church in the background.
I'm assuming the dead tree near the remains of Meemaw's house is really still alive and was stripped of its leaves for the tornado aftermath scene of Young Sheldon which recently aired in May 2023. That house was just razed in April 2023 and you saw the back of it was still standing. Adam didn't seem to be aware of any of this.
Also I think it was the first house on Leave it to Beaver , before they moved to The Marcus Welby House .
Thanks for the tour, I worked at Warner Brothers security from 1985 to 1998 and spent many hours at the ranch driving around in the security golf cart bicycles and on foot. Not too much is changed but it was certainly nice seeing it from another person’s viewpoint. I worked there when lethal weapon was films and used to receive calls at 2 o’clock in the morning because the helicopters were flying around for the fight scene at the house. As well as one Christmas vacation was shot there and we got calls from as far as 3 miles away complaining about the bright lights. They were coming off the top of the Griswold house.
Great memory.
Locals complaining about the Griswold house lights means everything to me. 😂
BEST COMMENT EVER!!! Thank you for sharing this with us 😂
I was a Burbank Police Officer who actually wrote the “disturbing the peace” complaint over the Lethal Weapon late night filming! It was surreal as the ground was soaking wet from the staged fire hydrant shooting up in the air, the helicopters flying low with the night sun illuminating everything, actors in cop uniforms, and a soaking wet Gary Busy. It was all resolved when the studios put the night sun on a tall crane instead of using actual helicopters. I do remember the neighbors in the area were pissed!
What a great episode. When I was a young man in the 60's, my uncle was the head of the prop department at Fox. I would spend my summers with him on the lot of many studios. I got to meet so many stars of the time. great memories...
When I worked at Warners in the 1990s, I might have passed the Warner Branch a few times. I never went inside, because it was offlimits to company employees. I am surprised that they are not putting up multi-million dollar homes or condominiums in its place. That is a huge piece of land.
I lived across the street for three years. Very sad, but at least it remains a studio. They need the sound-stages-- they shoot on location now, so these type of sets are not used enough to be viable. I don't know if you're aware, but the shopping center that abuts the studio was all part of the original ranch facility. They sold off part of the land when the studio was having financial trouble. The city would never allow them or any other studio to develop their land for commercial uses today. Universal tried to develop their backlot into thousands of condos and the people who live in Toluca Lake went crazy-- the city was forced to say no. Universal is now developing that part of the backlot off Cahuenga that was used for all of the Frankenstein, Dracula and Werewolf horror films into massive state of the art sound-stages.
Warner Bros administration ought to be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for destroying such an iconic piece of motion picture and television history.
Sad: The American entertainment industry, which is mostly unimaginative these days, destroys such treasures. It's not only sad, it's also tragic. The film fans in Germany mourn with you! 😢😢😢 Thank you very much for this great video!
Sadly, it’s all about appealing to the broadest audience possible, and tiptoeing around people’s “sensitivities”.
This happened in 1960 they destroyed old stuff from 1800
My daughter and family have just returned from touring Ireland and London. They didn't go with a group. She's a great photographer. She posted pictures of 700 year old buildings. She mentioned that Americans think a house built in the 80's is old. She used to work as a realtor.
She is right. But it depends on area. Here in the midwest we have a lot of houses from the wild west and settler days still standing. In the suburbs you see 50s-70s. Newer suburbs 80s. 90s, 00s.
Well done. Reminiscent of a recent trip through many of the old Route 66 “ghost towns” in Missouri Kansas Oklahoma ant Texas. Memories gone.
I think this episode might go down as one of the best on the channel. YEARS from now people will search for this video on youtube to see what the WB ranch once looked like. SO AWESOME that you got to do this.
I hope so . Glad I was able to document it
Believe this IS one of his best. Really enjoyable to watch
@@TheDailyWooThis is an iconic video ..
Your best so far and will be viewed forever..
You videoed history .
It’s the equivalent of the MGM 1972 auction video on yt ..
back lot history
Thanks 🙏
Google Maps also has this archived for street view I would assume.
@@TheDailyWoo Hello, I have read that the Gidget movies were filmed on real beaches, so why would they fill a movie lot with water? Thankyou x
I worked for the Warner Bros. security department many moons ago and spent a number of weekend shifts at the ranch location. It was the graveyard shift, so I had the entire place to myself much of the time (though I worked with one other security officer). The coolest thing--at least for me--was seeing the house used in THE OMEGA MAN. But the place certainly has a fine history. Sad to see it go.
What a great experience that must have been!
What a great movie.
jim ~ Did you ever encounter trouble on your shift? Like people sneaking in to steal pieces of memorabilia or perhaps to vandalize? Or was it nice and quiet most of the time?
@@CPMest81 Oh yes, definitely!
I was a security guard at Universal Studios in the 1980's. I guarded so many sets including, "Psycho II", "Doctor Detroit", and "Scarface". It was an incredible experience for me, a big movie buff.
I am from Redding in Northern California and started in construction. These sets were well built it appears and maintained to stand the test of time. Thanks for the ride.
I was a group of film students who gave tours of the backlot when there was an open house there in the early 70s, later I was one of some 60 managers at Warner's in the 80s in studio operations. Heartbreaking to hear it's all history now. Schade!
Hollywood is the worst in preserving its own history! Just heartbreaking! Thanks from the bottom of Hollywood lovers’ hearts to you, Adam, and other CZcams vloggers who seem to be the only historians interested in documenting this timeless history that will be lost forever! Ironic this is happening after WB’s 100 year anniversary!
That’s true. They have been terrible about preserving their own history. I have a HS friend who’s dad was the local TV news movie reviewer when we were kids. He had an enormous collection of old film reels in his basement (like early 20th century). Idk what happened to them when he passed, but I know he was saving them because nobody else was. So sad!
Saw one story of how someone is painstakingly preserving all the backdrops found rotting in some storage facility, ready to be destroyed.
And yet this guy is walking through actual film history and they are going to tear it down like nothing.
You had me at "Worst"
Hollywood is the worst ( for predictive programming and social engineering.)
@@ltldxy71 probably in the same location as the directions on how to get to the Moon ( Stanley Kubrick)
Isn’t Hollywood’s legacy all preserved in celluloid?
Some of my work during🎉 over three decades in the motion picture industry, was working as a location scout. It’s gotten to where more and more things were not shot on location they were shot in backlots.
Now the fact that this is being torn down and they will be building soundstages…
what that tells me is that they will be doing a lot more green-screen and then they will just use virtual locations. That way they can re-create any city or small town backdrop for a movie or TV show. Simply fill in the foreground with a little bit of set dressing and a bunch of props and a few picture cars and potted trees and they have saved a huge amount of money by not having to go outside to do it. Beyond location scouting I did a lot of work in the camera department, sound, grip & lighting, special effects etc. I always preferred working on location and available time on soundstages. But I could see over the years that more and more things were moving to controlled sets, less problems with sound issues, easier to control the lighting, easier to control the budget by having people basically just show up and work a 10 hour shift like they’re at a factory. A lot of the soul is missing from the process but for most people it’s about the money. For me it was always much more career than it was employment, big difference. I was part of a small group of people who only worked in film production but most of us had a real passion for going to the cinema and we spend a lot of our free time going to film festivals to see a new commercial films, independent films, documentaries etc. it is, indeed hard for me to see so many cinemas closing so many back lots and the shift towards digitally produced backgrounds, and in the end just a cheaper version of the entertainment product. Sadly it’s always much more the business of filmmaking rather than the art of filmmaking. Rather sad actually.
Video killed the radio star and computers killed Films. I'm with you on this brother.
Thank you for your insights because when he said the sets were being replaced with sound stages, I was like “why would they need sound stages?” You explained it and it makes sense.
OK, you well explained why they are gonna mow this down. Bully to you for documenting this before they "Toro-ize" it. I could not imagine the alternative of shooting residential neighborhood scenes "on location" and all that would entail (permits, security, etc.) or even renting backlots from competing studios. I guess their beancounters figured out they could make more $$$ from those new sound stages than turning that old backlot into a tourist attraction, while still using it as a controlled space studio backlot.
And now that extreme and constant shallow depth of field has been normalized it's easier to blur fake backgrounds and look quote unquote pro.
@@jonathansabinvarietyfilms GREAT to hear a younger person aware of that!!
In Bewitched, when they're outside in the front yard, the yard looks so large. But when you filmed the Bewitched house/set, the front yard is looking so tiny now.
This is so cool I’ve really enjoyed watching this and it’s brought back so many memories of the good old days when television and movies were great . Thank you for sharing this with us kind Sir .
This is such a shame. The ranch should not be torn down. Too bad they couldn't keep it as a museum. So much Hollywood history! Thanks for taking us along, Adam!
Seems like they would want to keep using it, proven so useful.
The amount of work and money that would need to be done to make the property usable wouldn’t be worth it,it’s being replaced with newer production facilities
movies will be all CGI and a.i. now so they don't need actual buildings
no history grow up
@@thomasschreiber9559 it used to be very usable. But now it can be more usable with new digital sound stages that can create backgrounds that look just as realistic as the real things but changed on a whim. These facades have outlived their usefulness....it's sad but from a money standpoint it doesn't work anymore...
I wish they could turn this into a tourist tour. So much history. Every board should be put in the Oscar museum!
I went to WB on a tour around 2008 or 2009 where they drove tourists around in a mega golf cart. I distinctly recall the WB guide driving us off the main lot and taking us over to the Ranch to point out the famous houses and sets. It’s very sad to see this go. I wonder where they will keep filming scenes that require such structures. Renting actual locations is super expensive. I have to imagine they aren’t really doing it due to the cost of maintenance for these structures (which is likely cheaper than renting locations overall), but because they need more space for modern soundstages.
I wish they would certify and sell pieces of these structures for fans to keep and/or let local artists use the raw materials for artistic purposes - like it would be cool to build models of these structures out of the real buildings.
All CGI and a.i. from now on lol
Who in god’s name would go to an Oscar museum?
@@MondoMiami Movie fans.
10:36 Utterly fascinating! Christmas Vacation (uncensored version) is my all time Christmas movie. And the Lindsey House. As a side note, Davy Jones of the Monkees was born up the road from me in Manchester, England in a town called Openshaw. He's still well regarded here in Manchester, he still has distant family members dotted around and in the 1980s he'd occasionally come home for a walk around his teenage stomping ground. I met him once, circa 1980 when he turned up at his childhood street and he was absolutely friendly and chatting away. Nice to see the places he worked when making the Monkees. Thanks for doing this video.
Adam, thank you so much for bringing us all on the tour. Really great to see everything. Brings back memories from films. Very good video. Much appreciated.
I know I’m being slightly dramatic, but man some of these houses/facades are part of my history too, not just the suits that are making the decision to get rid of them. Bewitched & Partridge Family…man that was my childhood! And then the Middle!! I loved that show so much!
Thank you so much for taking the time to film these places! It was amazing to get a behind the scenes glimpse at things most of us would never be able to see!!
This really hurts. Had a few lumps in my throat watching this. The Bewitched house was my favorite. I grew up wanting to move to 1164 Morning Glory Circle. I had hope they could have maybe removed the Bewitched house (facade) and taken it to a museum. An era now bulldozed and will soon be forgotten. Did you notice if the address numbers were still on the Bewitched house? Thank you so much for doing this video. Means a lot in so many ways. You were extremely fortunate to get to film this video.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NOT THE BEWITCHED HOUSE T____________________________________T
1164 Morning Glory Circle walked so 2800 Sherwood Drive could run, dude ;__________:
It’s not just the Bewitched House. It is also Clark Griswold’s childhood home when he watches old home movies in the attic.😢
It is so sad they are putting soundstage in place of all this history! I wish I could have had an opportunity to do this. I'm glad you filmed and shared! this is super fascinating.
Awesome tour, thanks for sharing. 😊🌻💗
You didn't over film. This is exactly the kind of content that makes CZcams great 🙏🏼
Never seen your channel this video randomly popped up in my feed. I'm glad it did, it was a treat.
OMG! HIS ARCHIVE IS AMAZING!!!
I started working in the industry in the early 2000s and my first gig was an office production assistant for several WB Television shows. Our offices and sound stages were located on the ranch. We filmed several episodes on Blondie Street and also the main lot. We filmed at the Lethal Weapon, Small Soldiers and The Waltons house. We also filmed at the gas station. The food at the grill was actually pretty good. I use to order food from there a lot because it saved time. Our offices were located near the transportation grid. They were the brown buildings in the parking lot area behind the Partridge family house. The pool was also used too film a few scenes of Collateral Damage. I remember because I walked on the set. Granted I was not on this production, but I really wanted to see Arnold. It was awesome. So many wonderful memories on the ranch. It really hurts to see it go.
This is an awesome video. Thanks for sharing, Adam. You mention something about how not everyone is as into movie sets/filming locations- but I'm right there with you and love them. I'm glad this was created by someone like you who truly appreciates it.
Thank you! I love seeing how everything is made and produced. I just found you today and I’m glad I did.🙏🏼❤️
As someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s, I recognized⅚ almost every single movie, television show, and building that you featured in this video. I would like to thank you for taking the time to film this and point out all the history. It is very sad to see the place where so many dreams, wonderful childhood memories, and adult nostalgia were created and divined out of the ether and forged into a perceived reality. It gives me mixed feelings to see all these places, that until now were reality in my mind. Now, seeing their true nature in reality and not through the camera's eye puts into perspective the temporary nature of our existence. Seeing this world of illusion as it really is makes me feel proud to have been a part of that time, but it also gives me a feeling of loss, as the illusion of its reality is exposed. Last but not least, it deeply saddens me to learn that this piece of history that represents the unique time that it came from will soon be erased and disposed of like a worn-out old shoe... but as George Harrison said, "All things must pass."
Sad, but true.
Thank you again for taking the time to document this complex piece of our collective lives and time.
Ah yes. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and I watched the shows there that were filmed in the 50s and 60s. Thanks to a little old thing called cable TV. Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network channels played all the classic shows. It's so sad that they just don't fix the studio neighborhood and make it a museum. I'd fly to California and take a tour 💯 %.
I grew up in the 50s, 60s, 70s and am glad I got to see this before they're gone. I loved Hazel and Gidget and Bewitched and Partridge Family (wish I saw the house before they started tearing it down) and The Flying Nun - still have my Flying Nun bubble gum cards and my Monkeys cards too. All the TV shows and movies. Loved seeing where the toilet in Lethal Weapon exploded. Loved seeing where the Gidget Beach scenes were. Batman and Wild Wild West and Waltons and Gremlins and Griswalds and the animation studios, all so special. Some of todays movies and TV shows I'm not familiar with, so I can't relate to them, but all the ones from the 80s and before I lknow of, not so much after that. Friends in the 90s I know. So sad that they aren't keeping all this history. They could even gives tours, like the other studios. It would mean so much to so many people. It's nostalgia, a very important part of our American entertainment history. Should be preserved.
@@c.m.169I would watch the Monkees every single day since I was watching it as a rerun but I was obsessed and I was obsessed with Davy. My mom and dad that are both gone now would make fun of me even when the songs would come on the radio later in life.
You write beautifully. Which - not incidentally - indicates that you’ve read a great deal. Cheers!
So many uses for these buildings
Thank you Adam for returning to this location. The Warner Ranch is the holy grail of locations for a lot of people and I'm glad you got in there and "overfilmed" as you called it. All the raw footage of this place, the nails holding it together, it's all a part of history. Thank you very much for visiting it and recording for us.😊
Digitizing the whole thing would be best aside from buying and moving the buildings.
Oh man!!...I knew this day was coming. I had the pleasure to work at this location for years as Warner Bros. Animation was located on the WB Ranch for a number of years. Gonna miss all the History that was the heritage of this particular location. Lot's of fond memories. Thank you so much for this amazing video!!
Thanks for your hard work Adam.For this old geezer, a lot of memories. The whole property is for me, truly a surreal backdrop.
I have always had a fascination with old Hollywood, the studio's, everything that goes into making a scene and the eventual movie. There is such history there. Terrible to see it go. It was so quiet but as you walked through I could hear the past. The people, the imagination .....the history. It gave movies character. Sad to think it will be sound stages now and more computer tech. Thank you for capturing a last look and preserving it.
This hurts my heart. I’m so glad you were granted another visit and able to share with us Adam. I just watched this vlog twice back to back and I’m just so sad that this is all going to be gone soon.😢
Also- if you haven’t watched the show Animal Kingdom, it was a fantastic series!
This hurts me too. So many TV shows, films..filmed at this lot. History means nothing to these owners. I only hope that the artifacts were saved somehow. I really hate this is happening. Why more soundstages??? Hollywood film industry is losing money.😒🙄
Adam, Thanks so much for this video! I went to Warner Ranch once as a kid for an event for Betty White's Actors and Other for animals, an organization which is still in operation. I also worked for the IT department at Warner Bros. about 15 years ago and went to the ranch a couple times to install computers in the offices there. Really appreciate you documenting this history!
Thank you for this documentation of what we are all collectively losing of our heritage. I recall the MGM auctions and how much of that stuff should now be in a museum. Kinda sad seeing this.
"Bewitched", was one of my favorite programs as a kid. I LOVED their house and always wanted to live there. So, sad, to know it will be gone.
The Heck House location originally had a church. It was removed and the current house built in its place. They then built the church you went into. That same area used to have the Convent Santanco from The Flying Nun. The large area behind the Partridge / Jeannie houses held two parallel western streets where they shot High Noon.
The beach area was actually farther back where the neighboring shopping center is now. That same spot was where the Shangri-La set for Lost Horizon.
Where you parked used to have several New York streets.
The Waltons/Animal Kingdom house had sets for Here Come the Brides, Apple's Way and a copy of the Arbortorium building used in Fantasy Island.
With so much Hollywood history already gone, it's so sad to see more fall under the bulldozers.
Thanks Adam!
Great video! Thank you for taking us with you!
Thank you very much for the visit to some of my favorite movies and TV shows.
thank you Adam for giving us the behind the scenes tour of some of the most iconic houses ever in movies. i will miss the christmas vacation house the most . it has been in my life for 32 years .
will be greatly missed ...
Didnt they film the Leave it to Beaver house on this street..........
I am glad you are documenting this - I hope there are more being done! It is absolutely criminal that this only with history is being destroyed. I realize of course it’s a huge amount of land to leave undeveloped, but it still drives me crazy.
It would make a great interactive museum. Considering their present-day movies aren't doing so well maybe they can look for money in a different way, like investing in a massive museum.
America doesn't seem to care about history. Cray really.
@@baylorsailorMovies these days are crap. So many remakes that aren’t even close to being as good as the original. TV series are mostly garbage also. I watch the old movies and TV series. Even Disney has gone to crap.
I'm glad the plants are being shared versus dozed over. And the memories within those walls? Grateful most are saved on film.
Thank you for sharing this with us! This holds so many memories
That’s a shame they are getting rid of all of that instead of fixing it up and re-using it. So much history being knocked down. I really loved seeing the Bewitched house. Thanks for showing that. I always thought someday I’d go there and see it in person but I know that will never happen now. Thank you for the great video.
Very interesting! You can tell you're younger (than me) as you highlight some of the movies that were filmed at the houses, but lots of TV history even older than those movies. For example the house to the right of the Griswold house was also the house where Hazel and Gidget were filmed (exterior) and the house to the right of the Patridge house was the house not only for the original Blondie movies, but also the house for Father Knows Best, Mr. Wilson i nDennis the Menace and where Jeanie lived in I Dream of Jeanie. To the right of it was where Dennis the Menace lived. Lots of changes since the 60's when those TV shows were filmed as many of the homes you identified from movies didn't even exist on that street in the 60's, i.e. The Griswold house. Again, very interesting. Sad it's all going away.
That was just fascinating to watch! I am so glad you were able to film this, and you did a great job--thanks!
It’s definitely sad to know its all going away! Awesome last look at everything there. Thank you!
Having worked in the set construction part of movie making for twenty years, I worked on a lot of the sound stages and at the Warner back lot that you just filmed. It was sort of nostalgic, but I'm very glad I'm retired now! People don't realize how much work it takes to make a movie!
apparently not for long. Just slap up a green screen, remove any humanity and realness. How bleak the future of film will be
I believe you. I work on commercial photography. Lotta fakery.
AI is going to change the industry.
So great that you documented this piece of history before it's gone. Thanks for your work!
Thanks for the tour, I enjoyed seeing where some of my favorite shows were filmed. Such history gone forever.
Well done, so glad you documented this before it is flattened. Wasn't even aware of the facility, but watched many of the movies/shows filmed there when I was younger. It was a strangely emotional experience to see all the sites together, and right before they are about to be torn down. Great video, its the first of yours I've watched, I'll certainly be checking out some of your others, best wishes
My Uncle was a security guard for Warner Brothers. My Mom and Dad went on a date there and were shown the production while it was shooting for it's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World.
One of the best ever
When I was working on various crews in the '80's and '90's, I had the pleasure of working on that location for several shoots. We shot the pilot for the kid's show "Eerie Indiana" for a week, and was on Blondie street most of the time. I toured all of those houses back then when we were in between takes. Such a blast to work there since it was a close location for most of us who lived in the area. Thank for posting this. Great memories.
That's so cool
Your detail and "eye" for catching these locations is amazing.. thank you for sharing
Fascinating!😮 Thank you so much for this! Your walk thru was very educational...I had no idea how often the different places were reused❤
Thank you for showing the places before they are gone. Christmas Vacation, Bewitched, the Monkees, I Dream of Jeannie. Four of my favorites. I remember the Waltons too. My parents and my grandmother loved that show. We went and meet most of the cast and Earl Hammer, Jr. for the opening of the Waltons Museum in Schuyler, Va. back in the early 90s (I think it was). Sad to see all of this movie and TV history destroyed.
He didn't show the I Dream of Jeannie house!🙄
Hard to believe so much time has passed since we watched Jeannie and Bewitched Partridge Family etc. Thanks for the video.
It is disgusting that big money can't be stopped to preserve such a famous and loved location
Such a cool tour. Thanks for taking us with you. Always have been intrigued by the facade houses. 😊
This is so depressing, so many iconic films shot there. I can’t believe it’s coming down.
Thanks to you Adam, I've discovered a passion i didnt know I had. My wife and I have done all sorts of movie studio and backlot tours. It's been so much fun, to see things related to the movies, I know and love. We tipped a private tour driver a good amount and were able to really get to see what was left of Hill Valley, and that was something off my bucket list. Great video as always Adam.
A great video!!! Thanks Adam. One of my favorites.
Thank you for showing us a glimpse of History - before it's gone.
So glad u got to document this. 😎✌️
When I moved to LA in 2002, I got work on all these studio lots. Universal, Warner Bros, Paramount, Sony. I was always excited to be working on these lots with so much history. Those days are gone now. It will all be torn down and the history will fade away with time. I'm glad I got to experience it though.
Thank you for the tour! I worked as an extra on a bunch of films and shows in the 1980s and found myself in sound stages and “back lots” at Paramount and Universal and a couple others I can’t remember. It was a wonderful, if grueling time. They say “hurry up and wait” is an army thing. Hurry up and wait is also film and tv saying!
What a great look into WB history! I particularly enjoyed seeing Miss Mamie and Miss Emily Baldwin's house from The Waltons. They really got the historical Virginia architecture right on that! Thanks for taking us on a tour of this iconic place!
So happy you got to go back to the ranch! Your previous visit was quite memorable! It's great that you got to do a complete documentation of the area! 🙂
Thanks Adam!
Wow, what a wonderful walking tour. We can’t stop the demolition so thank you for this tour.
Thank you! This brought back so many good memories. You did a great job!
Thanks for documenting Adam! As a fan of all of the 80's flicks filmed on the lot it was one of the few things on my bucket list to witness in person. At least it will live in infamy on video
Essential viewing for us movie buffs, I couldn’t take my eyes from the screen. So sad that this iconic piece of Hollywood history is being erased!
A huge thank you for sharing this gem of film history with us before it's gone.
So sad to see tv history being destroyed.
My place of employment has been used for several location shoots for movie & TV shows. It's fascinating to see our interior change when the crews build their sets. At the end of the shoot the temporary sets are dismantled and we get a new paint job from the production companies.