Peek "Behind the Scenes" on the Universal Studios Tour
It's so much fun to see actual sets where favorite films and TV shows have been made! (Imagine--your favorite stars were RIGHT HERE!)When you see this sign (shown in the photo at left), you're headed in the right the direction to board your tour tram to the make-believe world of the silver screen. To make your journey even MORE fun, the Universal Studios Tour folks have added fun & astounding special effects demonstrations along the way!
Practical info? Well, the Universal Studios tours are given regularly throughout the day. Not long after one tram leaves, another comes back to the depot to unload its passengers and take on a new group.
Have a non-English-speaking guest? Tours are available in Spanish as well as in English.
Want to know the history of the Universal Studios tours? Well, the tours began long before the theme park was ever imagined. The Universal Studios tours began in the 1960's as a way to add a bit more revenue for the Universal film company. The tours were a "hit" from the very start, and became so popular that they blossomed into the theme park you see today.
Of course, the Universal Studios Tours are just as popular today as they ever were. Why? Because guests love the Universal Studios Tour! Repeat visitors tend to take the tour time and again...and that's because regular updates are made to the tour. Filming sites from current productions are always being added.
Along the Universal Studios tour route, you'll see various sets that have become iconic---well-known to the public because the productions in which they were used were immensely popular.
Here on your right, you see the familiar, scary-just-to-look-at-it house used in the Hitchcock thriller, "Psycho." Nearby, you'll also see the infamous Bates Motel (from "Psycho" as well), where the nightmare-inducing shower-stabbing scene took place.
Other (more tranquil!) famous homes you'll pass are those that "housed" the Cleavers in "Leave it to Beaver," the Taylors in "The Andy Griffeth Show," "The Munsters," and the Stevens family in "Bewitched."
Another famous building you'll see on the Universal Studios tour is this court house. It was featured prominently in the movie, "Back to the Future." Actually, on the tour they'll tell you the names of a whole SLEW of other productions filmed here, as well...but I can't remember what they are! Sorry! The list of films, TV show and ads filmed in this spot was so long that a person would need to write them down to remember them all
No--Mother Nature hasn't ravaged this town---the Universal Studios tour people caused this to happen!
One of the most exciting parts of the Universal Studios tours happens to be the various "live demonstrations" that take place here & there along the trip. This flood is just ONE of them. My first time through the Universal Studios Tour, it really surprised me just what extravagant lengths that film studios can go to in order to trick the public into believing that the fiction they portray is "real!"
In another truly fascinating demo along the Universal Studios tour route, a mock earthquake occurs. Buildings tumble and vehicles collide...and things begin to catch fire! I found out quickly how hot that fire is for the actors to work around---just a "small" flame like this can be felt from the tour tram.
On the Universal Studios tour, you'll see buildings and sets from different places around the world and different periods of time. These sets are available for TV and movie-makers to use in shooting their scenes. (Directors do film "on location" as well, but the advantage of using these sets is the ability to have "complete control" over every aspect of the scene-filming procedure. And, of course, less expensive to film in Hollywood than to drag a cast and film crew overseas.)
This, of course, is an old-west themed movie set. Different signs and props are added when making each film to individualize the set for that particular picture. Sometimes, the sets at Universal Studios California are "individualized" so much that it becomes very difficult to even realize that it's a set
On your left, you see a special exhibit of actual props used in the making of the hit film, "The Bourne Identity."
And, on your right, you see a close-up of the car actually used in those hair-raising street-chase scenes in the movie.
You know, if you really enjoy your Universal Studios Tour, you just might be the kind of person who'd love to take the Universal Studios VIP Tour. For the true movie buff, this tour gives you the complete story of film making at Universal Studios. You'll get to go onto real sets, into the prop and wardrobe rooms...and all sorts of "behind the scenes" places that "regular" tourists never get to go. Use the link (below) to the Universal Studios Discount Tickets page of this website for pricing info for the Universal Studios VIP tour. (Yes, it's expensive...but to the movie enthusiast, the cost will seem worth the price.) 
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Are you a variety lover? Plan a vacation to Southern California! You can take a studio tour one day, swim at the beach the next, then whirl all day on roller coasters the third. It's "Variety Central!"
