Yesterday morning we had a very fun studio tour at Warner Brothers in Burbank. We stayed at the Best Western Plus on Riverside Drive in Burbank which was only a five minute drive away. We booked the Deluxe Studio Plus tour which includes two hours with a guide and two hours on our own at the museums plus lunch. It started at their lounge where we had it all to ourselves to enjoy some snacks before we met up with our guide Ken. He used to be a camera operator but had become a tour guide about seven years ago. He took us around the various backlot sets which have been used for so many movies and television shows. He would point to a street corner and tell us that is where Chevy Chase drove his car during Christmas Vacation. Or this is where Peter Parker kissed Mary Jane upside down. He was also a very big fan of Gremlins, using that movie more than any others as he would point out where things had been filmed.
The most interesting part of the tour for me was the prop warehouse. It's four floors of what you first describe as a Hoarder House!! But there is an organization to the suspected chaos. Every item is carefully barcoded and tagged. Each area is generally one theme or style of props. Such as one area having a lot of Egyptian statues or art. One area having everything you'd need for the West Wing or any other White House show.
A whole section of any type of phone imaginable. And many famous props such as the leg lamp from Christmas Story or a couch from Casablanca. Some props, including that lamp and the couch, are designated to never be used again. Sort of like museum pieces. Although they are just sitting out, collecting dust. The leather from the Casablanca sofa was thick with dust and cracking. I thought they'd be more preserved. They also have an electronic inventory system where you could search for nearly anything and up will pop a list of what is available and where it's located. The productions will rent out the props for the number of days they feel they'll need it. And the warehouse isn't just for productions filmed at Warner. We saw trucks for other studios pulling up for their pickups.
The studio also has several replica sets of Friends and Big Bang Theory where you can get your picture taken on those iconic coaches. And there is also the famous Friends fountain. Not being a fan of either show, that moment was lost on me. But if you are a fan, you'd really enjoy it. There was also another museum that has interactive sections about sound and sound editing. Plus an impressive collection of some costumes from Batman and Wonder Woman.
We checked into the Conrad Hotel downtown. Loved it. We took their included car service to Union Station to ride the free bus to the Dodgers' game. Another ballpark off the list. It was a beautiful night for baseball.
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