Welcome to MiceShots, MiceChat’s photo-centric look at your favorite theme parks. Today, we head to a historic location in the Hollywood Hills. For over a century, Universal Studios has been an iconic name in entertainment, but it was the Studio Backlot Tour that cemented its place as a Southern California landmark and international destination. In 1964, Universal Studios invited guests aboard the gleaming red Glamour Trams to experience the magic of moviemaking firsthand. This groundbreaking tour not only set the stage for what would become the Hollywood theme park but also inspired the creation of Universal parks around the globe that we enjoy today.
With the Studio Tour’s 60th anniversary celebration in progress, I thought it would be a great opportunity to shoot some vintage cameras from that era and perhaps invoke some nostalgia for the glamour of the mid-1960s. The photos for today’s MiceShots were taken on two popular rangefinder cameras from the 1960s, the Minolta Hi-Matic 11 and Canon 7.
For all the young readers out there too young to have shot analog photos, film comes with analog-specific quirks— like this photo’s light leak. Those are included for extra nostalgia (and because each frame costs about 42¢). Yes, this was a very expensive article for us to produce for you. But we hope you enjoy the extra effort.
60 years ago, technology was quite archaic compared to the luxuries we enjoy today. For example, both cameras require some level of manual adjustment, including manual focusing— simply point the yellow patch in the viewfinder at something and turn the focusing wheel until the parallax images are aligned— at least that’s what I told one of our MiceChat contributors, Jonathan Beer, after handing him the Minolta.
After fumbling with it, he snapped this blurry picture of me and remarked, “How did people in the 60s even take photos?”
Still, Jonathan was using the Minolta, which sets the exposure settings automatically; the Canon 7 is fully manual, and its selenium light meter (which would tell me which settings to use) has long since ceased operating. The interesting dichotomy between the two gives some context to what kind of technology was available (not to mention new) at the time of the Backlot Tour’s opening and, therefore, just how awe-inspiring the filmmaking demonstrations would have been. Taking a tour on the backlot must’ve felt a bit like a magician revealing their tricks; it’s impressive that we’re still so fascinated by the process today.
Like a little Easter Egg hunt, Universal has sprinkled 60th Anniversary references all over the park! These clothes are easy to miss near the Central Plaza with all the action going on between the actors…
… the characters…
… and entertainment to be found here.
The performing “janitors” are a joy to happen upon. Their “banana boat” trash liner is even a jukebox!
The Upper Lot’s streets have changed significantly over the years yet still retain a classic backlot look.
Heading down into the famed Universal Studios Backlot, several additions were recently made for the 60th Anniversary. We have an entire article detailing everything if you’ve missed it:
Universal’s Studios Tram Tour Gets Sexy for Sixty – NEW PHOTOS!
Ted is now in on the celebration, offering cheers to everyone on the tram. The tour guides are quick to remind guests of the new Ted TV show on Peacock— have you watched it?
Doc Brown is a highlight of the 60th additions, greeting tram riders with his Delorean time machine in front of the legendary City Hall facade from Back to the Future.
The long abandoned Runaway Train and Collapsing Bridge are on display during the celebration, even though they still aren’t in actual operation.
The backlot has changed significantly over the years. The original 1968 Flash Flood sequence looked much different than what’s there today. An addition in the most recent remodel added a sign with a top arrow that reads “Isla Nublada.” Do any of you dear readers know if this is referencing Jurassic Park’s “Isla Nublar?” My Spanish is rusty, but “Nublada” is an adjective and technically correct versus the verb “Nublar.”
During the 60th anniversary, the tram route was subtly changed, and now, it goes through 2005’s War of the World set backward. This alternate route gives a (likely unintentional) impression that the downed Boeing 747 destroyed an entire neighborhood but left the Psycho house untouched. Eerie.
Of course, the true highlight of the 60th Anniversary rendition of the Backlot Tour is something that guests on board the original version of the tour in 1964 were treated to— a walking section. Guests disembark right in the middle of the Bates Motel from the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock classic, Psycho.
Note that both cameras were using (essentially) the same film but the different lenses and lighting conditions change the way the images come out. These quirks are why these photos look “vintage” in comparison to modern digital cameras. Have you figured out which photos are from which camera yet?
In fact, many movies today still use modified lenses from this era and are often shot right here on the Universal Backlot. Cinematographer Greig Fraser (Dune 1&2, The Creator, The Batman) is well known for using Soviet lenses similar to the Industar 55mm f/2.8 that was mounted on my Canon 7 for this article. Long after the fall of the Soviet Union, it still takes sharp, beautifully vintage-feeling photos with lots of charm. Perhaps I should shoot an article with my regular full-frame digital camera using only adapted vintage lenses?
The Bates Motel is full of photo ops! My favorite is Norman Bates’ car placed with the Psycho house in the back.
Norman himself attends to the needs of the Bates Motel visitors, popping in and out of the rooms to freshen up the sheets.
Look close, and you may catch a glimpse of the darkness hiding behind those eyes.
Norman also makes for an unsettling portrait partner.
The newest addition to the Universal Studios Backlot Tour is the Jupiter’s Claim set from Jordan Peele’s Nope. Despite being newer, the classic Western theme lends itself well to a 60-year-old tour (and just as well to a 60-year-old camera).
While the backlot celebrates 60 years of behind-the-scenes work, let’s continue today’s article with some snippets of what that historic tour has spawned in the last 60 years.
During one of my visits, the limited-run “The Fall Guy Stuntacular Pre-Show” was playing before Waterworld. Inspired by the Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt film “The Fall Guy,” the pre-show showcased and celebrated the importance of stunt performers in filmmaking. Unfortunately, the run ended on May 19th, but it was an entertaining spectacle before the main show.
Surprisingly, despite good reviews, The Fall Guy performed poorly at the box office. Did you see the Gosling-Blunt action comedy? I thought it was a great time at the movies.
Waterworld is close to half the age of the Backlot Tour but is still packing in crowds for the explosive sea war spectacular.
The pre-show provided a little perspective into the lives of the stunt actors who do crazy stuff like light themselves on fire and jump off a three-story tower several times a day:
There’s something classic about seaside amusement parks and Universal has two of them.
If a classic amusement park isn’t your taste, how about sci-fi? Come to think of it, there really are a lot of theme parks within the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. Theme parkception?
Despite being dressed up for the modern Jurassic World franchise, this area still retains a lot of its classic Jurassic Park look and charm.
Let’s end our nostalgic trip around Universal Studios Hollywood with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Hogsmeade. All of the original Harry Potter motion pictures were actually shot on 35mm film (most were edited digitally…semantics).
By design, the Hogsmeade village looks very true to the movies that inspired the land. Step into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and it feels like you entered the set of a Harry Potter movie. Shoot it with the same medium as the movie and it looks that much closer to the real deal.
A fun fact for all you Potterheads: electronics don’t work at Hogwarts. They’re “muggle substitutes for magic,” and that’s why there are no computers despite it being the 1990s in the story. Yet, some machines can be used with magic. Magical moving photographs are all over the wizarding world— there’s a prominent one of Sirius Black just outside the Three Broomsticks.
Indeed, cameras do work with a little magic, but you’ll find that all the ones used in the Harry Potter films are very old, as they don’t rely on electronics. For example, Harry’s biggest fan, Colin Creevey, takes Harry’s picture with an Argus C3 Matchmatic, first introduced in 1958. Additionally, in researching this article, I found that the actor who played Creevey is actually a nature photographer in real life!
So, while walking around with a 63-year-old camera that’s over twice my own age may look silly elsewhere, it actually fits in at Hogsmeade. In actuality, it’s everyone else who looks out of place with their new-fangled camera phones, right? Right?!
Hogsmeade is one place where you want to just take pictures of everything. Apparently, even the same picture over and over:
(You tend to forget which pictures you took in between rolls…)
The Hogwarts Express conductors are always a welcoming sight entering Hogsmeade.
Hogwarts Castle is unceasingly photogenic.
Have you tried the Butter Beer ice cream inside of Honeydukes yet? It was recently added here.
While many theme park lands are marketed as “immersive” or a place to “create your own adventure,” the Harry Potter lands still seem to capture that magic—literally and figuratively, as each corner is brimming with dynamic detail. It’ll be interesting to see how this continues when The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic opens next year in Orlando.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this marriage of two of my interests: theme park history and photography. The film and development for this article weren’t cheap, but I shoot analog because it’s fun! If you enjoyed the photos and need a photographer in Southern California, feel free to contact me.
Here’s to 60 years of Universal Studios Hollywood and the Backlot Tour! We can’t wait to see what the future brings to this little park. If you’re just popping in, we’ve got a whole article dedicated to recent news about what’s happening and what’s coming to the park:
Universal Studios Hollywood News: Fast & Furious Coaster and Fall Guy!
Let’s hear from you? What are your favorite Universal Studios memories from the past 60 years? Did you visit the original backlot tour back in the day? Have I included far too much detail about a dying medium in this article? Let us know in the comments down below.
