Thank you for the video. The marker is actually not where the studio was, but just on the other side of the railroad tracks from it. I read something years ago about this and you can see from looking at the aerial view of the studio before it was torn down and from where you were walking along Washington Blvd and crossing under the now elevated tracks, that it is just a few dozen feet from the historic site. I used to drive around the area along Washington Blvd looking for this. I read that Landmark St. now runs through where the studio lot once stood. The studios ran several blocks wide and several blocks long. Before there was parking in front of the offices, in the 1950's picture, there was grass and a fountain as seen in older pictures and at least one of the 1920's silent "Out Gang" comedies. Now there are the shops you were walking by on Washington. Thank you again for the video.
I’m originally from Southern California and when I was a limousine driver, I did a lot of driving around Hollywood in Los Angeles. Thank you for showing this. My twins were in a movie when they were younger. They did some of the filming at the Disney Golden Oak Ranch.
I absolutely love these tours Rick. They are some of my favorites! I live a little over 25 miles east of L.A. and of course have been there many times as well as Hollywood but I don’t recall ever going to Culver City. I think I will make it happen soon. I’d love to go by the old DesiLu studios too. I realize that it’s all changed but being in the same spot as some of these legendary actors would be amazing!
Very emotional video. Great stuff! I may be wrong but I’m thinking maybe that honor stone in front of that amazing tree is a time capsule? The tree would know for sure. As long as it’s been alive, it knows a lot and has seen things. lol. Money, like time, changes everything and it is a shame that not even one small space couldn’t have been preserved for a museum of what once was the great Hal Roach Studios. The idea of that historic landmark now becoming a IYKYK really gets to me as a fan of the classics. Again, outstanding work on many levels and from reflections and shadows, I see what you mean about your camera. It definitely looks like a solid fit for all you do! Looking forward for more of these types of videos in the future! 👍🏻
This is super cool Rick. I've lived in SoCal for over 30 years and knew nothing about this. So much history in our backyard, really appreciate you doing this! Hal Roach and the Little Rascals are timeless!!
I was looking at the marker you showed for Hal Roach Studios and realized I was 8 years old when it was closed or razed. It's not clear on that. Thanks for the trip down memory lane Rick.
I enjoyed the Little Rascals and admired the old Studio System of Hollywood where Stars were nurtured; something special is gone; thank you Rick for the nice warm walk from cold Canada.
This was cool. I remember reading about Hal Roach Studios being a strip mall many many years ago. I have an old book a friend gave me and it talks about it but it was really cool to see this in person so to speak. And I think you are 100% right I bet those buildings are old studio buildings repurposed. Great video Rick!
The north end of the lot was for The Hogan's Heroes exterior prison camp set. The backlot was originally part of Selznick Studios. South of that were the sets for Tara and the Atlanta train station for GWTW. Star Trek also filmed exteriors here for several episodes. A town set was built for The Andy Griffith Show. The giant Gate sequence for King Kong as well as the burning of Atlanta sequence was filmed here. A swampy area by the river was used for Tarzan. The whole area now is an industrial park, mostly production facilities and companies affiliated with the film industry.
Thank you for taking us down memory lane. Too bad and too late that nobody thought of designating some of the studio buildings as historical site. I love those our gangs series and Laurel & Hardy, all products of Hal Roach studios. A little plague next to a tree does not do justice. The Bradbury building on Broadway and Third St. in downtown LA is designated a historical building.
The Bradbury made a great appearance in Blade Runner. The city needs to update their markers with RFD tags or encoded graphics so you can scan your phone and get videos and history on what the site is about.
Every so often on a nice free day I'll take a drive to Elmira and visit Hal Roaches gravesite. Mark Twain's family plot and Ernie Davis are also close by
My father was stationed at Hal Roach Studios in the mid-40s, before joining an Air Force Motion Picture unit and shooting pre- and post-combat aerial footage in Europe. The personnel officer who spared him from the Battle of the Bulge was this actor nicknamed Dutch… the future governor of California and president of the US. While he never voted for Reagan, my father considered him a nice guy who, having kept him out of combat
It’s a shame that the original building was not saved as a historical landmark . 😢 Thanks for sharing I don’t think I’ll ever get to see it in person. Question is there any parts of the studio save any where in LA along with any studio props ? Wasn’t t he Desilu studios the old RKO studios ?
I enjoy your videos. Especially your field trips. On this particular one I don't believe some of the buildings you think might have been sound stages or related to the old Studios were actually part of those studios. The exteriors of the building, especially the windows, are too modern. In all likelihood the old structures were torn down and new construction completed. But keep up the good work. I do enjoy hearing your take on these field trips.
Can you please tour the old Desilu studio, that you mentioned. That would be amazing! Love these type of videos. Greetings from Wendy in Australia 🇦🇺🐨💐
Thanks Rick for another great tour. What a thrill to think you walked down the same street that the entire casts of my favorite show, "Hogan's Heroes" drove to everyday for work. I also wish that they could have saved some of the historic buildings and sets from these wonderful shows of the past.
I am so excited that I happened upon your channel, these type of documentaries are so interesting and historical. Our younger generation would have no idea about many of these historical people and places that you bring to life. I am 64 and can vividly remember these shows being in syndication during the 70's. If not for you and a handful of others that do this type of research and work our past would fade away slowly. Money is the root of many things disappearing in todays world and its such a shame that this studio is reduced to a small headstone looking remnant and a beautiful tree. Thank you for what you do and I am now a loyal follower and subscriber to your channel. Keep bringing the interesting contents and the before and after photos when possible.... Ed D. 🥸
The old studio was at where Landmark St is at, the new parking structure, the new shops, the school and the warehouses down Landmark St. Prior to the new shops and parking structure, Car lots were at that location in the nineties and aughts.
Based on the photo of the marker dedication with Hal Roach, it looks like from around 1981 to 1985 from the hair and clothing styles. Hal's sport coat looks more like the mid 1970's.
Thank you for the video. I was always fascinated with "Our Gang" and the filming locations and Hal Roach Studios and had driven around the area looking for where the studio was, knowing that it had been demolished the year I was born. I read years ago about the plaque / marker of the former studio site and I remember the author of the story saying "Don't be fooled by the marker. The actual site is on the other side of the railroad tracks." And by looking at the pictures and where you were walking, I can see that he is correct. The shops you were walking by used to be the parking lot in front of the offices of the studio around 1960 or late'50's. In older pictures and in at least one silent "Our Gang" comedy, there was grass and a fountain in front of the offices. The aerial photo from the mid to late 1950's or 1960 shows looking south east with Washington Blvd in the foreground and the railroad tracks on the left. The marker is just on the other side to the left of the tracks, which was probably the only space available to put it since the land the studio had occupied had already been developed by then. Even though it wasn't on the actual site, I'm glad it is right next to it and honors the studio that made some of my favorite films. Thank you again for taking us up close to this location.
For all the good attributes that Americans have, one way we (I am an American) are lacking is in preserving history. If there is a structure of historical interest, Americans are apt to say, "Wo what? We need a parking lot there, or a new store, or a new whatever." I am sure that the corporate offices for Hal Roach Studios were probably opulent, but we have no way of knowing. Thanks for a very interesting tour.
When I lived in LA in the 80's there were quite a few more buildings left over from the 20's and 30's in "old Hollywood". I was in that industry, selling video and film equipment, so I often visited many of those locations that were still in operation. I loved it. Culver City is too valuable West Side real estate to let those old buildings crumble away, so being Los Angeles, anything old gets torn down and rebuilt or repurposed. You will find many more "leftover" buildings etc; in actual Hollywood, Sunset and Vine, Seward St, the Paramount lot on Melrose. I had an office and editing suite in the Television Center for a while. I always thought it funny to think when I was using the restroom how many famous people from the golden area must have pissed there!
We found the old railroad tracks directly below the elevated gold line when repaved Washington Blvd as part of the new construction of the new shops and parking garage.
Hello Rick. First, thanks very much for remembering the Hal Roach Studios. To see someone other than a 50+ year old interested in this kind of stuff is very inspiring. A few corrections that you may want to use in an "supplement" to this video: The marker is NOT on the former property of the studio. Take a look at the aerial photos you featured in the video and you will see that the marker is on one side of the railroad tracks right-of-way and the studio is on the other side. Bob Satterfield and the Laurel and Hardy Way Out West Tent (that's the name of the Laurel and Hardy fan club chapter in the LA area) tried to get the marker placed on the actual property, but since the property was privately owned, they couldn't as the owner had no interest. Thus, we have you (and likely thousands of others) under the impression that the marker is on the site. But it is not. Prior to "Platform" being built on the site, I tried to get the City to have as a condition for construction that the marker be placed there but... they weren't interested in pursuing that. When the studio was demolished in late 1963, the entire property was leveled (much like what they did recently at the old Columbia / Warner Brothers Ranch in Burbank). They even ripped out all the utility lines and water/sewer pipes. So, in short, NOTHING remains of the old Hal Roach Studio. One last thing - the dress shop used to be a car dealership. That was the first building that was put up on the former Hal Roach Studios property. I thought for sure it was going to be demolished when the present "Platform" development was put up a few years ago, but apparently somebody thought the building was OK "as is." I've done extensive research and documentary work on the good old Hal Roach Studios. I've got a RUclips channel and a website. If you're interested, it's listed in my RUclips profile. And, if you are in the area and have nothing to do on April 22nd, 2025, come over to the Culver City Historical Society meeting that evening. I'll be there and would love to chat with you! Thanks again for taking the time to remember this very special studio.
I did drive around the area and some of the locations or at least looked for some of them when I lived there. I found the hill they used looking down before the race of the fire engines in "Hi-Neighbor!", (Our Gang). But I didn't know where they actually filmed the race, which wasn't as steep and had houses. Fargo hill in Echo Park between Alvarado Street and Allesandro Street is super steep and actually has houses now on both sides!! Yikes!! Sheryl Crowe filmed some of the shots of her "Steve McQueen" video a block away on Baxter Street. The church where Wheezer goes to pray for the return of Pete's puppies in "Pups is Pups", and Spanky and Dickie and their father and Lillian Rich go to at the end of "Birthday Blues", is still there. It's at 3rd and Van Ness; St. Brendan's Catholic Church. I found the Laurel and Hardy "Music Box" steps from information I found on a website and had to go there with my phone camera. It's a block from Sunset and is on Vendome. The garages are still there, but there are houses going up to hill on both sides all the way up to the street above. And there is a hand railing, which is a good thing!
Great tour Rick, thanks. To bad some of LA’s political or private big wigs didn’t have the foresight to take one of the buildings from each studio that was sold and destroyed along with many of their artifacts and move them to a town outside LA and make it Old Hollywood so folks could walk through movie and television from yesterday.
That’s a shame. All that’s left is a rusty old plaque and a nice looking tree. You would have thought that their would be at least a statue or something. The memories will never go, though. Thanks for the video.
Another great video my friend. Love L&H & the little rascals. As of today 12/16/24 The ONLY Our Gang member that i know of that's still with us is Sidney Kibrick who played Woim in the series 😊 he's 96 yrs old ❤
I attempted to do a phone interview with Hal Roach in 1982. He answered the phone ( my mother called information and they gave her his phone number!!), for a project I had in high school, but he had trouble hearing me and had to hang up. I called him later that year when I was in Los Angeles and told him how much I liked the movies he had made. He appreciated that but had to go because he had a meeting to attend. He was 90 years old at the time and still doing business. I believe that he was one of the pioneers of film colorization of black and white films. His films were the first to be colorized with computers, if I'm not mistaken.
this is definitely interesting. I know I watched some other channel point out old Laurel and Hardy filming locations, including grainy aerial shots showing the Hal Roach studio lot.
New sub.Very informarive. Passed it many times going to MGM/Sony and Selznick studios down the street. Did not know about the marker. Suggestion,can you do a vid on RKO's Encino Ranch? Bedford Falls, snow street scene in It's A Wonderful Life was shot there on a hot summer night in August. Snow was a newly developed special effect, for the time.Don't forget Herb Yate's Republic Studios, in Studio City!Almost forgot, Columbia's ranch in Burbank.
I always wanted to know where RKO and Colombia Pictures Studios were located. Thank you!!! I understand that Screen Gems was Columbia Pictures previously and that it became the Warner Ranch but was recently torn down. I used to be a movie extra and got to work at Warner Brothers in Burbank and Hollywood and Paramount and Universal and a bunch of others. But I never got to see the Warner Ranch except for some videos before it was torn down. I wanted to explore the facades of the I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched and the Partridge Family houses which were close to each other on the lot. I drove around for months looking for the Brady Bunch house and got lucky one day. I took my friends to see it when they visited me out there.
Love your tours! LOVE old Hollywood studios. I don't have the time or money presently to travel to LA myself. Have not been there since 2009, the last time I visited with Ray Bradbury at his home in Cheviot Hills. Rick, can you show us the site of the old Hannah-Barbera Studio? I saw that back in 1990, but I imagine it's ALL GONE now.
Thank You for this history. I'm 72 and still watch all the old stuff.
Thank you for the video. The marker is actually not where the studio was, but just on the other side of the railroad tracks from it. I read something years ago about this and you can see from looking at the aerial view of the studio before it was torn down and from where you were walking along Washington Blvd and crossing under the now elevated tracks, that it is just a few dozen feet from the historic site.
I used to drive around the area along Washington Blvd looking for this. I read that Landmark St. now runs through where the studio lot once stood. The studios ran several blocks wide and several blocks long.
Before there was parking in front of the offices, in the 1950's picture, there was grass and a fountain as seen in older pictures and at least one of the 1920's silent "Out Gang" comedies. Now there are the shops you were walking by on Washington.
Thank you again for the video.
Thank you for taking us for the tour.
I am 60. When I was 6 and 7 years old, I was obsessed with The Little Rascals, so thank you for this.
Great video. I liked how you show old photography of the old studios and toured the present day site
Thanks, Rick!! I’ve always enjoyed those old Hal Roach movies and shorts.
Well done. Please do more on the old studios and what happened to them.
What happened seems to be everything needed to be destroyed to make way for the limited access freeways.
@@MarlinWilliams-ts5ul that's not what Susan meant. Be nice.
Gaaaah! Youre AWESOME for doing this! Im obsessed with L&H and Hal Roach! Thank you!
Hal Roach lived to be 100 and outlived a lot of his Little Rascals.
I’m originally from Southern California and when I was a limousine driver, I did a lot of driving around Hollywood in Los Angeles. Thank you for showing this. My twins were in a movie when they were younger. They did some of the filming at the Disney Golden Oak Ranch.
I absolutely love these tours Rick. They are some of my favorites! I live a little over 25 miles east of L.A. and of course have been there many times as well as Hollywood but I don’t recall ever going to Culver City. I think I will make it happen soon. I’d love to go by the old DesiLu studios too. I realize that it’s all changed but being in the same spot as some of these legendary actors would be amazing!
I think you'd be impressed with DesiLu!
Very emotional video. Great stuff! I may be wrong but I’m thinking maybe that honor stone in front of that amazing tree is a time capsule? The tree would know for sure. As long as it’s been alive, it knows a lot and has seen things. lol.
Money, like time, changes everything and it is a shame that not even one small space couldn’t have been preserved for a museum of what once was the great Hal Roach Studios. The idea of that historic landmark now becoming a IYKYK really gets to me as a fan of the classics.
Again, outstanding work on many levels and from reflections and shadows, I see what you mean about your camera. It definitely looks like a solid fit for all you do! Looking forward for more of these types of videos in the future! 👍🏻
So cool! Thank you so much for doing this. God bless and stay safe.
Babes in Toyland/March of the Wooden Soldiers, Laurel and Hardy movies, and Our Gang/Little Rascals that studio will never be forgotten.
Awesome what great history. Ashamed that it is being forgotten but you are doing a great job with remembering! Thank you.
I am doing my best to keep it alive but I appreciate it so much!
I love these travel vlogs!
This is super cool Rick. I've lived in SoCal for over 30 years and knew nothing about this. So much history in our backyard, really appreciate you doing this! Hal Roach and the Little Rascals are timeless!!
Thanks!
Was just there recently, it feels sad. I pass it often. To think , this is all that’s left of of this legendary studio
I was looking at the marker you showed for Hal Roach Studios and realized I was 8 years old when it was closed or razed. It's not clear on that. Thanks for the trip down memory lane Rick.
Wow amazing!!
Hey Rick ! Love your channel and watch regularly... subbed, like all of your vids man... keep up the awesome work !
This was very interesting. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks for the tour of a former studio which put out huge amounts of cinema.
Very cool.👍
Excellent video. So much history and culture. Your videos keep it alive and give it context to your viewers thank you.
Thank you love your videos
Thank you Rick. Your field trips are always very interesting.
I enjoyed the Little Rascals and admired the old Studio System of Hollywood where Stars were nurtured; something special is gone; thank you Rick for the nice warm walk from cold Canada.
Thanks, Rick!! Love your urban archelogy. Keep em commin!!
Thank you for the historical tour of Hal Roach studios. The 1980 photo of Hal.Roach showed Hal.accepting that his time though powerful.had passed.
This was cool. I remember reading about Hal Roach Studios being a strip mall many many years ago. I have an old book a friend gave me and it talks about it but it was really cool to see this in person so to speak. And I think you are 100% right I bet those buildings are old studio buildings repurposed. Great video Rick!
This was a phenomenal tour 🎉
More field trips like this, please. There’s so much old Hollywood hiding out there. Nice work, Rick.
You’re right, so much history is still out there waiting to be found
Thanks. I grew up in Culver City and love your tours of some of the sites. If you haven’t already, please post a video about the Culver Hotel.
It’s on my list to do, been wanting to tour it for years
That would be really cool to see whatever is left of the Hogan’s Heroes filming set/area/landmarks, in real life like this video.
The north end of the lot was for The Hogan's Heroes exterior prison camp set. The backlot was originally part of Selznick Studios. South of that were the sets for Tara and the Atlanta train station for GWTW. Star Trek also filmed exteriors here for several episodes. A town set was built for The Andy Griffith Show. The giant Gate sequence for King Kong as well as the burning of Atlanta sequence was filmed here. A swampy area by the river was used for Tarzan. The whole area now is an industrial park, mostly production facilities and companies affiliated with the film industry.
This is amazing. I love these on location videos you do Rick, keep up the great work and have a great day. Take care!
So glad you are enjoying them Jared! I’m having fun filming them.
Interesting! I enjoyed the tour.
On tour with Rick 😃 I'm enjoying these. Thank you 😊
Thank you for taking us down memory lane. Too bad and too late that nobody thought of designating some of the studio buildings as historical site. I love those our gangs series and Laurel & Hardy, all products of Hal Roach studios. A little plague next to a tree does not do justice. The Bradbury building on Broadway and Third St. in downtown LA is designated a historical building.
The Bradbury made a great appearance in Blade Runner. The city needs to update their markers with RFD tags or encoded graphics so you can scan your phone and get videos and history on what the site is about.
I'm 59 & grew up seeing Hal Roach's name in the credits. So many laughs. A statue would be nice beside the marker.
Every so often on a nice free day I'll take a drive to Elmira and visit Hal Roaches gravesite. Mark Twain's family plot and Ernie Davis are also close by
Thank you Rick
Please do more of these...
Thanks for taking us on a great adventure!
You are most welcome!
Rick, nice to finally see your face.
My father was stationed at Hal Roach Studios in the mid-40s, before joining an Air Force Motion Picture unit and shooting pre- and post-combat aerial footage in Europe. The personnel officer who spared him from the Battle of the Bulge was this actor nicknamed Dutch… the future governor of California and president of the US. While he never voted for Reagan, my father considered him a nice guy who, having kept him out of combat
saved his life and essentially made mine possible.
Very interesting video! Thanks!
LOVE ❤YOUR ❤CHANNEL 😊 AWSOME WORK!!
Back in the 60s, my summer camp got a tour of the studio while it was still there. Saw th esites of all the different scenes.
Great tour brother thank you!
A lot of memories from those guys !!!🙏🏼❤️
It’s a shame that the original building was not saved as a historical landmark . 😢
Thanks for sharing I don’t think I’ll ever get to see it in person.
Question is there any parts of the studio save any where in LA along with any studio props ?
Wasn’t t he Desilu studios the old RKO studios ?
Yes, Desilu in Culver City used to be RKO, and before that was Pathe and before that DeMille.
I followed along your walk on google maps. Thanks for “taking” us someplace new…er…old(?) I enjoyed the trip!
Thank you so very much for sharing this with us.
I enjoy your videos. Especially your field trips.
On this particular one I don't believe some of the buildings you think might have been sound stages or related to the old Studios were actually part of those studios. The exteriors of the building, especially the windows, are too modern. In all likelihood the old structures were torn down and new construction completed.
But keep up the good work. I do enjoy hearing your take on these field trips.
Can you please tour the old Desilu studio, that you mentioned. That would be amazing! Love these type of videos. Greetings from Wendy in Australia 🇦🇺🐨💐
Will do!
great video keep up the great work
I appreciate that, I'm having a blast making them!
Cool Vid Rick.
Thanks Rick. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!
People forget. I highly doubt the Kardashians and their like give a shit.
You're a good man to keep the history.
We fans appreciate your appreciation and decidation.
They film a lot of Gameshows in Culver City now. Weel of Fortune, Jeopardy are filmed at Sony Studios that is located in Culver City!
Yea, that’s just down the street a mile or so westbound
Must be an exclusive neighborhood. No bums.
No laurels or hardys...or little rascals running around. Lol
@@pl5624I was expecting to see at least one tramp with a heart of gold.
Wow - Interesting - Thank You from Australia !
Very interesting tour. Thanks for doing it.
Had I been there and if I knew where to go, I would have done what you did !
Thanks Rick for another great tour. What a thrill to think you walked down the same street that the entire casts of my favorite show, "Hogan's Heroes" drove to everyday for work. I also wish that they could have saved some of the historic buildings and sets from these wonderful shows of the past.
It was an honor to explore these studios and get a taste of their history.
If Hal Roach returned for a visit today, he'd be lost. 😬
I loved this. Good work.
Hi, Love your videos. Which camera are you using and are you using a separate mic for audio? It looks and sound good ;^)
Nice vid
I am so excited that I happened upon your channel, these type of documentaries are so interesting and historical. Our younger generation would have no idea about many of these historical people and places that you bring to life. I am 64 and can vividly remember these shows being in syndication during the 70's. If not for you and a handful of others that do this type of research and work our past would fade away slowly. Money is the root of many things disappearing in todays world and its such a shame that this studio is reduced to a small headstone looking remnant and a beautiful tree. Thank you for what you do and I am now a loyal follower and subscriber to your channel. Keep bringing the interesting contents and the before and after photos when possible.... Ed D. 🥸
The old studio was at where Landmark St is at, the new parking structure, the new shops, the school and the warehouses down Landmark St. Prior to the new shops and parking structure, Car lots were at that location in the nineties and aughts.
Nothing lasts forever. Not even us 😢
I went looking for the studio some years ago. No wonder I never found anything!
I like your tours especially around Culver City since my dad is from there.
More to come!
Based on the photo of the marker dedication with Hal Roach, it looks like from around 1981 to 1985 from the hair and clothing styles. Hal's sport coat looks more like the mid 1970's.
You’re correct! 1982 is my guess
1980
Thank you for the video. I was always fascinated with "Our Gang" and the filming locations and Hal Roach Studios and had driven around the area looking for where the studio was, knowing that it had been demolished the year I was born.
I read years ago about the plaque / marker of the former studio site and I remember the author of the story saying "Don't be fooled by the marker. The actual site is on the other side of the railroad tracks." And by looking at the pictures and where you were walking, I can see that he is correct. The shops you were walking by used to be the parking lot in front of the offices of the studio around 1960 or late'50's. In older pictures and in at least one silent "Our Gang" comedy, there was grass and a fountain in front of the offices.
The aerial photo from the mid to late 1950's or 1960 shows looking south east with Washington Blvd in the foreground and the railroad tracks on the left. The marker is just on the other side to the left of the tracks, which was probably the only space available to put it since the land the studio had occupied had already been developed by then. Even though it wasn't on the actual site, I'm glad it is right next to it and honors the studio that made some of my favorite films.
Thank you again for taking us up close to this location.
For all the good attributes that Americans have, one way we (I am an American) are lacking is in preserving history. If there is a structure of historical interest, Americans are apt to say, "Wo what? We need a parking lot there, or a new store, or a new whatever." I am sure that the corporate offices for Hal Roach Studios were probably opulent, but we have no way of knowing. Thanks for a very interesting tour.
Lots of photos online - google is your friend. 🙂
I was born in Culver City in the mid 60 my dad would take us to see the studio.
When I lived in LA in the 80's there were quite a few more buildings left over from the 20's and 30's in "old Hollywood". I was in that industry, selling video and film equipment, so I often visited many of those locations that were still in operation. I loved it. Culver City is too valuable West Side real estate to let those old buildings crumble away, so being Los Angeles, anything old gets torn down and rebuilt or repurposed. You will find many more "leftover" buildings etc; in actual Hollywood, Sunset and Vine, Seward St, the Paramount lot on Melrose. I had an office and editing suite in the Television Center for a while. I always thought it funny to think when I was using the restroom how many famous people from the golden area must have pissed there!
I like these tours , I’m a history buff
We found the old railroad tracks directly below the elevated gold line when repaved Washington Blvd as part of the new construction of the new shops and parking garage.
That’s so so cool! I’m assuming you worked on it. Did you all just dig them out?
I miss the films and traditionsl music culture from 1970s and early 1980s. After 1990s everything went down hill, music, movies, culture, sad
Hello Rick. First, thanks very much for remembering the Hal Roach Studios. To see someone other than a 50+ year old interested in this kind of stuff is very inspiring. A few corrections that you may want to use in an "supplement" to this video:
The marker is NOT on the former property of the studio. Take a look at the aerial photos you featured in the video and you will see that the marker is on one side of the railroad tracks right-of-way and the studio is on the other side. Bob Satterfield and the Laurel and Hardy Way Out West Tent (that's the name of the Laurel and Hardy fan club chapter in the LA area) tried to get the marker placed on the actual property, but since the property was privately owned, they couldn't as the owner had no interest. Thus, we have you (and likely thousands of others) under the impression that the marker is on the site. But it is not. Prior to "Platform" being built on the site, I tried to get the City to have as a condition for construction that the marker be placed there but... they weren't interested in pursuing that.
When the studio was demolished in late 1963, the entire property was leveled (much like what they did recently at the old Columbia / Warner Brothers Ranch in Burbank). They even ripped out all the utility lines and water/sewer pipes.
So, in short, NOTHING remains of the old Hal Roach Studio.
One last thing - the dress shop used to be a car dealership. That was the first building that was put up on the former Hal Roach Studios property. I thought for sure it was going to be demolished when the present "Platform" development was put up a few years ago, but apparently somebody thought the building was OK "as is."
I've done extensive research and documentary work on the good old Hal Roach Studios. I've got a RUclips channel and a website. If you're interested, it's listed in my RUclips profile. And, if you are in the area and have nothing to do on April 22nd, 2025, come over to the Culver City Historical Society meeting that evening. I'll be there and would love to chat with you!
Thanks again for taking the time to remember this very special studio.
It's strange, but when I lived in Los Angeles I never used to do things like this, but now that I'm off in the middle of nowhere I rather enjoy it.
I can totally understand that feeling
I did drive around the area and some of the locations or at least looked for some of them when I lived there.
I found the hill they used looking down before the race of the fire engines in "Hi-Neighbor!", (Our Gang). But I didn't know where they actually filmed the race, which wasn't as steep and had houses. Fargo hill in Echo Park between Alvarado Street and Allesandro Street is super steep and actually has houses now on both sides!! Yikes!!
Sheryl Crowe filmed some of the shots of her "Steve McQueen" video a block away on Baxter Street.
The church where Wheezer goes to pray for the return of Pete's puppies in "Pups is Pups", and Spanky and Dickie and their father and Lillian Rich go to at the end of "Birthday Blues", is still there. It's at 3rd and Van Ness;
St. Brendan's Catholic Church.
I found the Laurel and Hardy "Music Box" steps from information I found on a website and had to go there with my phone camera. It's a block from Sunset and is on Vendome. The garages are still there, but there are houses going up to hill on both sides all the way up to the street above. And there is a hand railing, which is a good thing!
Great tour Rick, thanks. To bad some of LA’s political or private big wigs didn’t have the foresight to take one of the buildings from each studio that was sold and destroyed along with many of their artifacts and move them to a town outside LA and make it Old Hollywood so folks could walk through movie and television from yesterday.
Absolutely agree! Ship them to the desert and make some type of movie “theme park” and charge an admission
When I first moved into Culver City in 1997 that property on Washington was two car dealerships. Subaru and Nissan.
You’re right! I still remember them.
That’s a shame. All that’s left is a rusty old plaque and a nice looking tree. You would have thought that their would be at least a statue or something. The memories will never go, though. Thanks for the video.
Little Rascals!!!! Simply the best!
Another great video my friend. Love L&H & the little rascals. As of today 12/16/24 The ONLY Our Gang member that i know of that's still with us is Sidney Kibrick who played Woim in the series 😊 he's 96 yrs old ❤
In June of 2000 i got to meet one of the little rascals Dorothy Deborba who played Echo she also went by her own name Dorothy 🙂
I attempted to do a phone interview with Hal Roach in 1982. He answered the phone ( my mother called information and they gave her his phone number!!), for a project I had in high school, but he had trouble hearing me and had to hang up.
I called him later that year when I was in Los Angeles and told him how much I liked the movies he had made. He appreciated that but had to go because he had a meeting to attend. He was 90 years old at the time and still doing business.
I believe that he was one of the pioneers of film colorization of black and white films. His films were the first to be colorized with computers, if I'm not mistaken.
Walking and talking... Nice.. who says men can't multitask.
Lol. We girls know they can't rub their stomach and foreheads at the same time
@@mrwoodandmrtin - I saw a woman quickly parallel park in heavy traffic. There is a god!
Washington Blvd... sometimes I miss Los Angeles..what kind of car have you got?
this is definitely interesting. I know I watched some other channel point out old Laurel and Hardy filming locations, including grainy aerial shots showing the Hal Roach studio lot.
It’s crazy how much stuff is out there waiting to be found!
They should start producing short videos under the old name... they could call them "Roach Clips"-
cool vid.
New sub.Very informarive. Passed it many times going to MGM/Sony and Selznick studios down the street. Did not know about the marker. Suggestion,can you do a vid on RKO's Encino Ranch? Bedford Falls, snow street scene in It's A Wonderful Life was shot there on a hot summer night in August. Snow was a newly developed special effect, for the time.Don't forget Herb Yate's Republic Studios, in Studio City!Almost forgot, Columbia's ranch in Burbank.
We are so happy to have you on the channel
I always wanted to know where RKO and Colombia Pictures Studios were located. Thank you!!!
I understand that Screen Gems was Columbia Pictures previously and that it became the Warner Ranch but was recently torn down. I used to be a movie extra and got to work at Warner Brothers in Burbank and Hollywood and Paramount and Universal and a bunch of others. But I never got to see the Warner Ranch except for some videos before it was torn down. I wanted to explore the facades of the I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched and the Partridge Family houses which were close to each other on the lot.
I drove around for months looking for the Brady Bunch house and got lucky one day. I took my friends to see it when they visited me out there.
Really enjoyed this although bittersweet …anymore on the original studios of Hollywood?
I have so many more studios to explore, stay tuned!
@ absolutely love your podcasts!!
it's neat that there is an elevated train i wish more cities had them
I wish it was a bit more clean and efficient but it is a cool thing
@@ricknineg i bet they're alot cleaner than the trains[subways] in new york
interesting stuff, wow
Love your tours! LOVE old Hollywood studios. I don't have the time or money presently to travel to LA myself. Have not been there since 2009, the last time I visited with Ray Bradbury at his home in Cheviot Hills. Rick, can you show us the site of the old Hannah-Barbera Studio? I saw that back in 1990, but I imagine it's ALL GONE now.
I’ll put it on my list for you!
@@ricknineg Thanks! I'll try to dig up some photos I took at the time to send to you as digital copies.