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I took the tour again recently, because I had been told that it had improved since my last visit. The result? Yes, it is improved. They addressed all of my earlier complaints about the tour guides:
And unless I'm
imagining it, the studio lot itself (or at least its southern edge,
around the Paseo) seems to look better, more gentrified, than on my
previous trips - almost resembling a college campus in spots. All in all, those are
some nice improvements, and make for a much better tour than what I
experienced in my earlier visits to the studio. However, what they couldn't fix are the problems inherent to the Paramount lot itself. Don't get me wrong,
Paramount Studios is one of the most historic studio lots in town (and
in fact, the only major studio still officially inside the Hollywood
borders). They made the very first movie to win an Academy Award
("Wings"), and on this lot they have shot such classics as "The
Godfather", "Forrest Gump", "Titanic", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Going My Way", "Sunset Blvd", "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "King Kong", "Braveheart", "Grease" and the "Star Trek" series, to name just a few. But what it lacks is
a traditional big back lot, full of permanent standing outdoor
sets. This was a staple of the major studios back in the Golden
Age, filled with faux residential neighborhoods, jungles, mock
railroads, Western towns, and Paris streets. These big back lots
were always the most colorful and interesting aspects of any movie
studio, at least from the standpoint of a visitor. MGM had a huge
back lot, before they tore it down in the '70s. Warner Bros. still
has theirs. As does Universal, of course.
And while that's a
great set (one you see appear often in both movies and TV), the vast
majority of the lot (and of the tour) is made up of sound stages -
which are basically just large, empty warehouses that afford interior
space where they can create temporary sets for filming. And sound
stages usually don't make for exciting tours. To the average tour
guest, all sound stages look more or less the same: distinguished only
by the large numbers painted on their sides. When they're in use,
they are usually off-limits to tours. When they are not in use, they are
usually empty or filled with folded flats and lighting equipment.
So the guides are mostly limited to driving past these faceless barns,
and telling us the history of each one, with tour guests catching an
occasional glimpse of their dark, mostly empty interiors through the occasional open door. (
I noticed that they
have added plaques to the outside of each sound stage, listing the
notable movies & TV shows made inside. That's great, except
that the tour tram usually doesn't get close enough, or stop long
enough for
guests to read them. )
I realize that they
can't, in practical terms, let the guests watch while movies are being
made. But they could (and should) show us more of the
behind-the-scenes process. Guests need to see things like the
costume department, the prop houses, the recording studios, the
dressing rooms, the mini-factories where they build the sets - and it
sure wouldn't hurt to show guests at least one movie camera somewhere
along the tour. In short, they keep
guests on the outside far too often, looking at exterior walls passing by, and
listening to the guide's spiel. Granted, the general buzz of the studio
(its streets cluttered with white production trailers, and buzzing with
the bikes and golf carts used to get around the lot) can be interesting
in its own right, but a little of that goes a long way. During my most recent
tour, we only went inside twice: once to step into a tiny, empty,
corner space in the New York set (that was once used for filming a
scene from "Breakfast at Tiffany's"), and a second time to visit the
empty set of "The Doctors" (a daytime TV talk show that I honestly
never heard of). Still, the tour is
indeed better than it used to be, and I have to give them high marks for
making an effort. And it remains superior to the Sony studio tour, which is just downright boring. However, it still doesn't measure up to the Warner Bros. tour, with its huge back lot and more comprehensive tour. But there are legitimate reasons why someone might opt for the Paramount tour. It costs a little less (currently $48, compared to Warners' $52), As the photo
on the left shows, Paramount is the only major studio where you have a
view of the Hollywood Sign from inside the lot. The Paramount tour takes a full two hours,
and barely scratches the surface of the numerous buildings and sound stages
that make up the 65-acre studio.
When he does, your first stop will be the Paramount gift shop, where they will give you some time to wander around the small store (where they no doubt hope you will spend your money on one of their t-shirts or coffee mugs, all bearing the familiar Paramount mountain logo). You can also get a cup of coffee here, and relax for a moment under an umbrella at a patio table just outside. In a few minutes,
your tour guide will round you up, distribute the headsets (they clip
to your belt, and an earpiece fits over your ear), and you'll get aboard
the small trams (more or less golf cars). These cars only hold
six people, including the guide. The carts' small size make it
easy for them to scoot around the active studio lot, and to squeeze
between barriers. They
will then head east
along the south edge of the studio lot, along the Paseo, the tiled
walkway that runs parallel to Melrose, inside the studio. On the
right
(south) edge of this broad walkway is a small strip of lawn, called
Marathon Park, that is often also used for filming (due to its
convenient location and relatively low cost), and the guide will tell
you about a few of those productions. Then it is on to the iconic
Bronson gate (the one featured in "Sunset Blvd", "The Artist", and many
other films), where you'll be given the chance to pose for photos near
that famous arch. (It is indeed a very photogenic spot.)
You'll get to go inside the theatre,
check out the interior, and sit in the airline-designed seats, while
your guide tells you the history of Paramount, dating back to DeMille's filming of "The Squaw Man" in that famous barn. This brief history lecture
(visually aided by the guide's iPad) seems to replace the short film
about Paramount that used to be shown to tour guests before the start
of the tour. That's a mixed blessing, since its hard for a single
person, no matter how talented, to compete with a professionally-made
documentary film featuring the highlights of the studio's 100-year
history. Back outside on the Paseo,
you'll be shown the original bench from "Forrest Gump", and regaled
with stories about how Tom Hanks showed up one day to sit on the bench
and pass out chocolates to passersby. Then it's back on the tram, and through the Bronson gate into the actual working studio. From here on in, the tours are somewhat played by ear. They will always touch on a
few keystones (such as the blue-sky tank and Lucy Park), but since it
is a busy, working studio, it's a fluid environment and the guides have
to adapt to changing circumstances. A set inside a sound stage
that might be open to visitors one day, may well be closed (or gone)
the next. As an example, on my visit,
the guide ran into an unexpected problem. While taking us to see
the New York set (usually the highlight of the tour), he found his way blocked
by a giant white tent, erected for some special event (you can rent the
New York set for just such events, if you have the $10,000 a day it
costs). As a result, we ended up having to take a roundabout
route and ended up seeing only a small section of the large New York
set (portions of which mimic several East Coast cities).
We got out and were allowed
to step inside the empty shell of a small storefront that our guide
told us was used as the interior for Alex's boutique, called "Xela" on
the TV sitcom "Happy Endings". Since I never watched the show,
that didn't mean much to me.
We were shown clips (via the guide's iPad) of a scene shot there from "Breakfast at Tiffany's". We were also shown a very
small alleyway just outside with fake bricks, and with fake sewers that could
be rigged to emit steam, to add to that east coast ambiance. Back on the tram, the
roadblocks prevented us from seeing much more of the New York set, so
it was back to driving past more faceless sound stages.
Eventually, we stopped outside of one of them, our guide went inside,
and then led us in. We were shown the current set of a daytime
talk show called "The Doctors" (which, frankly, I never even heard of). Along the way, there was a
lot of talk of the current TV shows filming on the lot: "NCIS", "Glee"
"Happy Endings" and "Rizzoli & Isles". There are also a lot
of Nickelodeon kid shows filming at the studio, with names like "Big Time
Rush" and "Marvin Marvin", which didn't ring a bell with most of the
adults on this tour. Tourists always hope to see a celebrity on a tour like this, but that is always a longshot chance.
We also saw a number of
little kids spill out of a bus, and were told they were the cast of an
upcoming Nickelodeon show called "Haunted Hathaways". But since
the show hasn't aired yet, that didn't mean much. Likewise, our guide later
pointed out a tween girl in a colorful dress, and identified her as
Ryan Newman, an up-&-coming star (according to our guide) appearing
with Tony Danza on his latest sitcom, "See Dad Run". But, as expected, the better-known stars of "NCIS", "Glee" or even "Happy Endings" were nowhere in sight. (To be fair, however, I should mention that on my very first tour of Paramount, long ago, we did see
the cast of "Star Trek: Voyager", taking a break outside their sound
stage - so that sort of thing is certainly possible. It's just a
matter of what shows are filming on the lot at the time, and when your
tram happens to drive by.) Finally, we headed to the
southwest corner of the Paramount lot, which used to be RKO Studios,
and later DesiLu (before Paramount absorbed it). Our guide showed us Lucy Park (and an adjacent childcare center built by Lucille Ball for her employees).
(Personally, I think it's more likely that Woody just has an odd sense of humor... But it's a good story.) We took a look at (the
exterior) of Stage 21, where RKO filmed the original "King Kong", and
then it was back to the studio cafe (seen on "Glee" as "Breadsticks"),
where we disembarked and dispersed (after more encouragement to spend
money in the studio gift shop). The bottom line? The
studio tour is better than it used to be, and well worth the time, when
you're in Hollywood. But it could still be better. And the
historic Paramount lot, while it has a lot to offer, isn't the ideal
movie studio for a tour. Parking: Parking is available across the street from the famous Bronson gate, in a paid lot at the corner of Bronson & Melrose. (The cost for parking was a flat $10.00 on my last visit.) Admission Price:
$53 for the two-hour guided tour. (No one under age
10 is allowed on the tour.) (They also offer a special 4 1/2 hour
VIP tour, once per week – on weekday mornings at 9:30 AM, and weekday afternoons at 1 PM. The cost is
$178, and reservations are necessary .) [ Prices are current as of December 2014.] You enter through the new double-arch Paramount gate on Melrose, just west of the older Bronson gate. There is a pedestrian walkway on the right (east) side of this entrance. Stop at the booth there. Hours:
Guided tours of the studio are given every day
(except some holidays), every half hour from 9:30 AM to
2 PM. (Weekend schedule may vary.)
The tours last two hours.
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