Breakfast view, pre tour, and the St. Denis hospital set

I have been absent for the past few weeks while I chased one of my bucket list items. As nearly a life-long fan of the horror genre, a pilgrimage to Universal Studios Hollywood has long been an ambition – to go to the place that literally gave birth to the genre. So as part of a west coast tour, I finally had the opportunity to immerse myself in the wonders of a VIP day at Universal.

First, let me say there is nothing like being a VIP at Universal. Our day started with breakfast in a private, second-floor dining room near the entrance, which provided an amazing view of what was to come. There we met Andrew P., our personal guide for the day. As one would expect, Andrew was a literal encyclopedia of studio history and explained our 8-hour day (including a gourmet lunch stop) would be a combination of “behinds the scenes” tours as well as dips into the theme park side so we could experience the list of rides we gave Andrew in advance.

The great part about that was Andrew would be escorting us “backstage” of the rides to the front of each line, but even more importantly, would allow us to linger in these areas which were air conditioned. This was important because I chose to visit Universal during an unprecedented heat wave, so the day we were there it was 114, and as you could probably guess, I don’t do well in heat and direct sunlight.

We did a lot of lingering in the backstage area of the amusement park side of Universal, but I want to tell you about what I learned and saw on the working studio side.

Left: Hitchcock’s office with Tippi Hedren’s dressing room tucked inside and connected by a door. Right: The house…

Universal Studios is a fully functional film and television production lot, so many of the sets we visited were in use for actual movies and TV shows. For example, St. Denis Medical, a new drama sitcom launching on NBC in November, is currently taking up a lot of backlot real estate. We even glimpsed some of the actors, but Andrew let us know we weren’t allowed to engage with them unless they engaged first.

Totally fine as I didn’t know who they were anyway.

But here is where things get really good.

My first fangirl moment came as we entered a large grouping of bungalows. Andrew explained these were the offices of the producers and directors currently working at the studio as well as dressing rooms for actors. He pulled us up in front of bungalow number 5195, the former office of Alfred Hitchcock. Having read Tippi Hedren’s biography, and watched The Girl multiple times, I’m aware that Hitch was a creeper. But for the purposes of indulging my love of The Birds and Psycho among others, I chose to focus on the films I adore and tried not to think about Hitch’s extracurricular activities. Admittedly this was a bit difficult as Ms. Hedren’s dressing room literally adjoined Hitchcock’s office so this stop was a 2-for-1, even if the emotions were a bit mixed.

The Motel… and Little Europe

Staying on the theme, our little luxury golf cart pulled up to Norman Bate’s house and the Bates Motel. I’m now really having a moment.

When Hitchcock purchased the rights to Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel Psycho, after it was pitched to Hitchcock by Hitch’s secretary Peggy Robinson, Paramount executives balked at Hitchcock’s proposal and refused to provide his usual filming budget. In response, Hitchcock offered to film Psycho quickly and cheaply in black and white, using his Alfred Hitchcock Presents television series crew. Paramount executives initially rejected this cost-conscious approach, but Hitchcock countered that he personally would finance the project and film Psycho at Universal, if Paramount would distribute it. And that is why the set pieces and Hitch’s office are at Universal, even though Psycho is a Paramount picture, and his last for Paramount.

The “Psycho house” was built from a number of Universal’s stock units to save money. Originally, it consisted of just the left wall and the front of the house, but in 1963 to accommodate the house’s use in the TV series Wagon Train, the other side wall was added. In 1983, it was called out of retirement for filming of Psycho II, and the rear of the house was added. The house has been moved three times since it was originally built and came to rest where it currently sits in 1986, fittingly in a position beside the Old Falls Lake, where the swamp scenes were filmed for Psycho, and where Janet Leigh’s car was sunk.

Adjacent to the house is the Bates Motel, which we learned is more than just a façade. Unlike many set buildings, the hotel has actual rooms that have been used for filming various scenes. While the rooms aren’t fully furnished like a real motel, they provide enough structure for interior shots. Like the house, the motel set has been altered over the years for the sequels Psycho II, Psycho III, and Psycho IV: The Beginning.

At this point I’m between bribing and trying out tears to get Andrew to let me get out of our golf cart. I needed to stand on the porch of the house and/or look in the motel windows. Unfortunately, this isn’t something even a VIP can do anymore. Though such interactions used to be allowed, some years back the Hitchcock Foundation took over the preservation of both sets and restricting access. Though they are still available for use on film, having recently gone through a restoration, filmmakers must now seek permission from the Hitchcock Foundation who controls access to the house and motel.

Pictures will have to do.

Left: Stage 44. Right: Remaining set from Jordan Peele’s horror movie Nope

Andrew also drove us through a set called “Little Europe” which looked like a picture postcard, though not country-specific, European town. We learned that this set appeared in The Wolf Man (1941). Later we would visit sound stage 12 which was built in 1928. Though The Voice is filmed here now, it had been used to film scenes from the 1931 monster films Dracula and Frankenstein. I was woozy with the idea that I was actually walking in the footsteps of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Later, Andrew drove us past stage 44 which is the sound stage where all the “studio” shots for The Birds were filmed. Granted, these don’t look like much from the outside, and there were productions going on inside, so we couldn’t enter, but I was lost in the idea that these iconic films happened, right near where I currently was.

Somebody get me the smelling salts…

Speaking of sound stages, we also got to peek into stage 21, which is the oldest on the backlot. In 1973, a 27-year-old Steven Spielberg used stage 21 to test out the three mechanical sharks for what would become the first summer blockbuster (and a Goth Chick fav), Jaws (1975). The mechanical sharks, named Bruce after Spielberg’s attorney, tested well in fresh water, but once they got into the salt water in the Atlantic Ocean, the salt ruined the mechanics and all the sharks stopped working on the first day of shooting. Andrew tells us he has seen Spielberg many times, just walking around the backlot, sometimes eating a sandwich. This aligns with research I did for a Black Gate article where I read about Spielberg hanging around Universal.

The actual Orca boat from the movie Jaws, in the immersive Jaws Experience
at Universal Studios in the late 1970’s. Photo courtesy of thestudiotour.com

The original Jaws boat, the Orca, was shipped back to the studio once filming on Jaws wrapped, and was used as a prop in the Jaws Experience. Spielberg was often seen sitting on the deck of the Orca eating a sandwich. He was apparently heartbroken when the boat fell into disrepair from exposure to the elements and sank into the lagoon.

I could go on about the prop and costume warehouse where I geeked over set pieces from The Mummy and Frankenstein, but where photography wasn’t allowed. Or about the immersive experiences we got to do in our souped-up golf cart, but which are normally experienced by tourists in large trams. I could describe walking through a still-standing “Juniper’s Claim” set from Jordan Peele’s horror film Nope, and though it isn’t horror related, I could tell you how I squee’d over getting to stand on the lawn in front of the clocktower from Back to the Future.

Needless to say, in spite of heat nearly incompatible with human life, this was a magical day end to end.