"Welcome to Universal Studios , Hollywood!" These were the opening words from cowboy Brad Taylor, stunt coordinator for the Wild Wild West Show, sitting astride his magnificent white horse. This is a zany 12-minute comedy show with all the stunt actors wearing radio microphones whilst performing seemingly impossible feats, and is one of the many attractions which draw thousands of visitors daily to sample Universal Studios Tour. Situated at the northern end of Los Angeles about a one hour coach ride from Sunset Boulevard, Universal have their own Hilton and Sheraton hotels right on their doorstep. Entrance is around $50 including transport, and you can book your ticket direct from your hotel lobby.
Forget the back lot at Pinewood or Shepperton, this is a specially designed extension to the working part of Universal Studios and covers 420 acres. The site is on two levels, the high level at the entrance containing the Entertainment Center with attractions like the Wild Wild West Show, Lassie's Animal Stage, The Flintstones (of course), and Spielberg's Back To The Future ride - not for those of a nervous disposition or with a back complaint. A new attraction in 1996 was Jurassic Park, also designed by Spielberg. Surrounding these entertainments are over 20 eating places including Moulin Rouge Cafe, Mel's Diner, Ristorante Italia, and the Hollywood Cantina. My wife and I chose to eat at Victoria Station, a genuine replica of the old Southern Railway terminus complete with the original train destination board and other railway artifacts.
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Two long escalators descend to the lower level for the Studio Center and the Tram Ride. There are plenty of four-coach trams, but also plenty of people, and staff are very adept at a quick turnaround. The tram tours the back lot, in and out of all the standing sets for New York, London, Texas, Cabot Cove, ancient Rome, and a street in old Mexico. An interesting point made by our guide is that these sets can be covered over with huge tarpaulins so that night scenes can be filmed during the day. En route one encounters a whole series of special effects such as a flash flood which almost swamps the tram, an avalanche, and a realistic earthquake in a subway station. The roof caves in and derails a train, a helicopter crashes down in flames, and even King Kong puts in an appearance, tilting the tram in an effort to overturn it. There is also a collapsing bridge to traverse and an encounter with Jaws before being deposited back at the Studio Center.
Here more attractions are housed in some of the stages not being used for filming, such as Backdraught after the film of the same name (feel the heat as a fire storm explodes), and ET flying home to save his planet. The Cinemagic stage contains some photographic effects, and a crash course in recording sound effects and ADR with audience participation. This is strictly for amusement only and not to be taken seriously. Yet another stage traces the career of Lucille ball of the I Love Lucy TV series. Normal film production carries on unhindered throughout the rest of the studio but visitors are not taken through this section.
However on a separate occasion I was invited to visit the Universal sound department just after they had opened their new rerecording room called the Hitchcock Theatre, which is about the same size as Pinewood's Theatre 7 and is resplendent with the latest three man console and continuous coffee making apparatus in the foyer.
Ancillary facilities to the tour include a videocam hire shop, wheelchair rental, a diaper changing room, and a children lost and found centre. This tour is really too much to digest in just one visit, although upon exiting you can have your hand stamped for same day re-admission. You can also invest in an annual pass!
If your holiday destination is Florida you are in luck because there is an even bigger Universal Studios theme park just outside Orlando covering 800 acres alongside nine shooting stages. All the attractions are the same as you will find in Los Angeles, including an even bigger Jurassic Park. But the most popular attraction is the newly installed Terminator 2, an interactive three-dimensional show with Arnold Schwartznegger.
Universal Florida is 50% owned by the Rank Organisation and 50% by Universal, and is still expanding. Eight million visitors are expected in 1997, and currently under construction are two multi-story car parks with a total capacity for 20,000 vehicles. In 1998 another 12 acre entertainment zone will open complete with restaurants, night clubs and bars, the largest Hard Rock cafe in the world, and a 2,200 seat live concert venue together with a 16 screen cinema complex. An on-site 750 room hotel opens in 1999 called the Portofino Bay Resort, consisting of low rise buildings around a man made harbour resembling the famous Italian resort. There will also be a new high speed roller coaster which spins to create a feeling of weightlessness (not for the feint hearted).
Meanwhile if you are contemplating a holiday in Japan, Rank and Universal recently agreed to build a third theme park at Osaka to coincide with the next Millennium. See you there!