Universal Studios Hollywood is one of the oldest operating movie studios in the whole world. It is located in Los Angeles County and is well over 100 years old. They were also one of the first studios to offer a backlot studio tour. The whole reason ANY Universal theme park exists today is because of the immense popularity of the Studio Tour.
Carl Laemmle came to Los Angeles in 1914 with the hopes of opening a large movie studio. He acquired a large plot of land from a family for what is now Universal City and decided to build a movie studio there. This was not just going to be any movie studio though, he always wanted to show the public how movies were made. In 1915, he sent out a press release and invited 20,000 people and media members to the opening of what is now Universal Studios and took them on a tour of the backlot of his new studio.
The original Studio Tour opened in 1915 and had no trams at all. It had bleacher seating and guests would pay 25 cents to learn about the history of movie-making and see it in action. This was during the silent movie era and guests were encouraged to cheer and boo for their favorite heroes and villains. When walkie-talkies were introduced and sound was added to movies, guests were no longer allowed to be on the movie sets. Guests would also get to tour what an actor’s dressing room looked like and It was not until 49 years later in 1964, that the first set of trams were introduced.
The only reason Universal Studios Hollywood became a theme park is because the Studio Tour was so popular, Universal wanted to add things to do while guests waited for their turn on the tour. This led to the development of stunt shows and eventually attractions. The development of the theme park continued in a somewhat piecemeal fashion until recently when in 2013, Comcast submitted the NBC Evolution Plan to guide theme park and studio development in a more organized fashion.
The popularity of Universal Studios Hollywood gave confidence to the company to scoop up land in Florida for what would eventually become Universal Orlando Resort.
The Studio Tour has evolved numerous times since its inception, including where it starts and ends. Guests used to depart from what is now the Lower Lot and go into the backlot. On July 15th, 1964, the modern Studio Tour was born. That was also the birth of Universal Studios Hollywood becoming a theme park. In 1965, the tour entrance was moved to what is now the Upper Lot.
In 1968, the tour had to dramatically change its program. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) enacted a new rule prohibiting guests from visiting soundstages. Production was ramping up in the backlot as well meaning the tours could not disturb the movie-making.
In response to these obstructions, Universal decided to add experiences along the tour that doubled as attractions. Sets that are still around today that were added include the Flash Flood segment, the Psycho House, The Bates Motel, The War of the Worlds set, Earthquake, and JAWS. The tour also goes through massive facades called the Metro Sets. These have been used in many movies from Universal and even other studios such as Disney. In 2008, a massive fire on the backlot burned down the Metro Sets and the former King Kong attraction. Two years later, Universal rebuilt the Metro Sets and updated the King Kong attraction to what it is now known as today, King Kong 360 3D.
Not all original attractions have survived the tour though. The Parting of the Red Sea and the collapsing bridge have been removed or just stopped working with no repairs. As a child, the collapsing bridge scared the life out of me. Other former attractions of the tour included Avalanche Tunnel, Rockslide, Runaway Train, Battlestar Galactica, Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, Fast and Furious: Extreme Close-Up, and the Whoville sets.
New attractions and sets have been added to the tour in recent years. The sets from the movie NOPE were added in 2022 and the much-maligned Fast and Furious: Supercharged was added in 2015. Luckily with a new Fast and Furious coaster on the way, Supercharged can be reimagined.
Even with the theme park rapidly expanding, the Studio Tour is not going anywhere. It is a headliner attraction, extremely unique for any theme park, and is the backbone of the beginnings of Universal starting its theme park journey around the world. In fact, more investments are being made into the Studio Tour. Earthquake is under a year and a half refurbishment expected to reopen in Spring 2024. All the trams are now electric and rumors point to the Studio Tour entrance being moved back to where it started, down in the Lower Lot.
I am very curious about what attractions may stay or go on the tour. I am confident Supercharged will be going away and the NOPE sets, but how about some of the more classic stuff? Will Amity Island ever get swapped out? Universal is not shy about taking out attractions if they need the space, so I feel that any attraction on the tour is up for grabs to go away.
I also wonder if the tour will get shorter. With more land being devoted to attractions, I wonder if the tour will go back to its roots and be half a walk-through and half on the tram. If Universal did that route, they could claim valuable backlot space for their ever-expanding theme park operations.
Did you know the history of the Studio Tour before reading this article? What were you most fascinated by? Let us know down below and subscribe to the Boardwalk Times newsletter for plenty of great information.
Be sure to continue to follow Boardwalk Times for more coverage of Univeral Parks & Resorts.
Support Boardwalk Times on Ko-Fi.
Support Boardwalk Times by visiting Boardwalk Store:
If you like this article. Subscribe to our free newsletter Boardwalk Times: Stories from the Seashore, a monthly dose of Disney, its businesses, and the wider themed entertainment industry including Universal Parks & Resorts.
Ethan Becker is a columnist for the Boardwalk Times
