The big fire this weekend on the Universal backlot has been in the news. At first it seemed like the media was blowing the seriousness of it out of proportion (according to my sister anyway) but the more reports come in, the more we can see how much damage there has actually been. Not just monetary damage but historical damage as well.
Here’s a rundown of sets, buildings, and footage that went up in smoke:
- The courtyard set from Back to the Future - you know, the clock tower struck by lightning that sends Marty McFly back to 1985? (1.21 JIGOWATTS!)
- A streetscape used in numerous films and TV shows such as Seinfeld, Bruce Almighty, Monk, The Sting, NYPD Blue, and Crossing Jordan.
- The cheesy but nostalgically popular King Kong exhibit:
- 40,000 to 50,000 videos and reels in a video storage vault which includes footage from I Love Lucy and Miami Vice - but don’t worry, Universal says it has duplicates of all of them, so PHEW! I’d hate to think of a world without multi-colored rolled up suit jackets and loafers with no socks.
- Key exterior sets for the show Ghost Whisperer were destroyed
Damages are going to be high, but according to the LA Times: “Fire is nothing new to the studio. Seven significant blazes have hit the lot along the Cahuenga Pass in the Hollywood Hills since 1932. New York Street, in particular, burned to the ground in 1957 and 1990.”
Leave a Reply