Hollywood Boulevard

Once through Disney Studio 1, the Hollywood set continues in a much more realistic fashion, with Hollywood Boulevard on the studio lot. Between the two is a small park, at the center of which stands a copy of "Partners," the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse crafted by Blaine Gibson. You'll also find a copy of the dedication of Walt Disney Studios Park, opened by then-CEO Michael Eisner on March 12, 2002:

To all who enter this studio of dreams... welcome.
Walt Disney Studios is dedicated to our timeless fascination and affection for cinema and television. Here we celebrate the art and the artistry of storytellers from Europe and around the world who create the magic. May this special place stir our own memories of the past, and our dreams of the future.

The Hollywood Boulevard sets use an illusion of forced perspective to give the impression the buildings are taller and the street longer than they are. Seen from the point of view of Disney Studio 1, Hollywood Blvd. seems to go on for miles, all the way to the famous Hollywood sign. In reality, it's merely a handful of carefully-placed facades.

Each facade, though, is a work of art unto itself, dressed out with props and exterior details that complete the illusion. Whether it's the Deluxe Talent Agency (where hopeful starlets might go to get discovered) or Gower Books & Music (which takes its name from Gower Street in Hollywood), these look like real businesses you can step right into.

Ready for your close-up? Be sure to visit DeMille Studio for professional headshots! (Cecil B. DeMille was not only one of the greatest directors in old Hollywood, but also the subject of Norma Desmond's famous line in the film Sunset Boulevard: "Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

There's the well-traveled intersection of Hollywood and Vine, and nearby... Hollywood & Lime, a refreshing drink and snack station sponsored by Perrier. Typical of what would be found on a real movie studio lot, much of the food service at Walt Disney Studios Park is handled by food trucks and carts like this, all in the guise of Studio Catering.

The entire Hollywood Blvd. area of Walt Disney Studios was added to the park in 2007, both as a placemaking enhancement and to support the addition of the park's newest attraction, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

A near duplicate of the Tower of Terror attraction built at Disney California Adventure, Guests in the Paris park are taken beyond the old Hollywood sets and placed right in the middle of the action in their very own episode of "The Twilight Zone."

Immerse Yourself at the Hollywood Tower Hotel

As guests turn the corner from Hollywood Pictures Backlot, they step into an old section of Hollywood itself, where stands the abandoned Hollywood Tower Hotel. The story of the hotel's past and what happened when its guests crossed over into The Twilight Zone are the stuff of legend (and of this previous blog article from the Disney's Hollywood Studios version of the attraction).

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney California Adventure tells the same tale, but in a somewhat different setting. Although the approach to the attraction here was different than in the Florida original, the attention to detail in bringing the story to life was just as strong. Every inch of the place, from the Pueblo Deco facade to the dusty props in the lobby and the hulking machinery of the boiler room, works together to envelope us in a world frozen in a flash of lightning "one stormy night long ago."

Sounds & Sights Along the Way

In the early years of Walt Disney World, that trip up World Drive to the Magic Kingdom offered little to see but trees and the occasional sign. Even the Auto Plaza was fairly nondescript. The fancy pink and purple Welcome statement that's there today only dates back to the 20th anniversary in 1991 (Interesting side fact: the arch across the top that holds the words "Magic Kingdom" was once part of the marquee for the Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot).

Keeping Guests entertained and informed during the drive was a limited-range radio station (broadcast from a space inside Cinderella Castle that's now part of the Castle Suite). One of the first signs encountered on Disney property invited you to tune your AM dial to the station, where you could hear information on park hours, show times and special events, along with a selection of popular Disney tunes. Until it was discontinued in the mid-90s, the Walt Disney World radio station was a key element in creating that sense of "arrival."

While the '90s silenced the radio station, other forms of Disney promotion found their voice. With rare exception, Walt Disney World never used to directly advertise itself, opting instead to rely on word of mouth and the "free advertising" that resulted from regular press events. Today, those are still key to Disney's marketing strategy, but the company has also entered into television and outdoor advertising in a big way.

Billboards touting Disney Parks and attractions have become part of the landscape along Interstate 4, International Drive and other Central Florida roadways, but the most special examples are found within the borders of the actual resort. The entire entrance to Disney's Hollywood Studios is a giant Streamline Moderne and film strip statement, promoting some of the newest and most popular elements of the park.

Nearby, a billboard for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror looms over World Drive, bringing the excitement of the attraction to life with animation and lighting effects. This particular billboard, one of the first to land on Disney property, has been in place for nearly fifteen years. It debuted shortly after the Tower of Terror's 1994 opening and has even been altered slightly over the years with the introduction of each variation to the attraction.

Elsewhere, dimensional billboards promote Disney Vacation Club, Mission: Space at Epcot (with glowing rocket flare) and "It's Tough to be a Bug" at Disney's Animal Kingdom (complete with a smoke effect emanating from the rear of stinkbug Claire de Room).

On-property advertising has certainly come a long way from that quaint little AM station, and it just goes to show that even when it comes to something as everyday as highway billboards, nobody does it quite like Disney.

Sunset Hills Estates

No one may have checked in at the Hollywood Tower Hotel in some time, but that doesn't mean this part of town is completely deserted. As big a draw as the hotel was in its heyday, it attracted plenty of development in the area, from businesses to residential subdivisions. Among the most sought after lots were those in the Sunset Hills Estates.

Established in 1928 (a popular date for Imagineering references, considering it was the year Mickey Mouse made his debut), Sunset Hills Estates was sold as "The Movie Colony's Most Prestigious Address."

Of course, in the 1940s period in which our story takes place, these luxury homes with incredible views can be had for as little as $9000. Interested? Just call Hollywood Realty at KLondike 5 - 6189 (a personal Disney reference: 6/1/89 was my first day on the job with The Walt Disney Company).

Or perhaps you would prefer to reside amongst the true glitz and glamour. "Dream Homes in Dream Land" are available on what is touted as "The Finest Property in Southern California," Hollywoodland.

Hollywoodland was the name of a real estate development in the Hollywood Hills, started in 1923 (another significant Disney date, as that was the year the Company was founded). The now-famous Hollywood sign actually started as an advertisement for this community, originally reading "HOLLYWOODLAND." The sign became a landmark for the area and was left up even after the development was sold out. In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce set out to refurbish and rebuild the sign, opting to remove the "LAND" in favor of the more commonly recognized "HOLLYWOOD."

Hotel Employees Only

"Before you check in to a deserted hotel on the dark side of Hollywood, be sure you know just what kind of vacancy you're filling, or you may find yourself..." wandering through some employees-only sections of the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

As Guests experiencing The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror leave the Library, they immediately know they've crossed over into "a land of both shadow and substance." The sudden side trip into the boiler room in the basement of the hotel is unnerving. From here on out, who knows what to expect!?

On your way through the boiler room to the service elevators, pause a moment to listen to the sounds coming from the furnace or to admire the details of the maintenance man's workstation. I especially enjoy the radio and authentic period packaging of the products on his shelf.

After the adventure in the service elevator returns you from beyond the fifth dimension, you come face to face with the photographic evidence of your journey. "Picture if you will..." something more than just what's on the screens. This corner of the attraction is rich with detail. Up front, you may notice the shelf stocked with spare or replacement items, such as the two televisions, for rooms in the hotel.

Step closer, and peruse the various items posted on this employee information board:

Just past the counter is a stack of storage shelves containing everything from extra radios, clocks and rugs to vacuum cleaners used by the housekeeping staff. That is, they were used at one time. The thickness of the dust tells us we've definitely returned from The Twilight Zone to the long-abandoned hotel.

Look to the left, and you'll spy a maintenance workshop:

While on the right are the desks of the hotel's reservationist and telephone operator:

Turn the corner, and just as suddenly as you ended up in employee areas, you find yourself once again in the public spaces of the hotel.

"A warm welcome back to those of you who made it..."

Library of the Weird

The Library at the Hollywood Tower Hotel was at one time a popular spot to relax with a good book or engage in an intellectual conversation. Today, like the rest of the hotel, the Library is abandoned. Anyone who may have visited the Library in the 1930s, though, would perhaps notice some differences were they to return today.

Amongst the original collection, mysterious new objects have appeared, as if from another dimension. A dimension of sight. A dimension of sound. A dimension of mind. These objects have crossed over from... The Twilight Zone.

All around the room are props (reproductions actually) from iconic episodes of "The Twilight Zone" television series which formed the inspiration for the Tower of Terror attraction. For example, atop one shelf is the Mystic Seer fortune telling machine from the episode "Nick of Time," starring William Shatner:

Laying down on the edge of the bookcase between these chairs is the alien tome from "To Serve Man," which turned out not to be a guide to benevolent behavior, but rather a cookbook.

The final out-of-place object in the Library is this television. While television sets were commercially available as early at the late-30s (the 1936 Olympics in Berlin were broadcast on TV), they most certainly would not have had screens this large. This set is more representative of the period in which "The Twilight Zone" series aired (1959-1964), but it works for the purpose of allowing our host Rod Serling to address everyone in the room.

"Tonight's story on The Twilight Zone is somewhat unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. This, as you may recognize, is a maintenance service elevator, still in operation, waiting for you. We invite you if you dare to step aboard, because in tonight's episode you are the star, and this elevator travels directly to... The Twilight Zone."

Groundskeeping

Today, the Hollywood Tower Hotel is a mere shadow of its former self. The once grand lady sits at the end of Sunset Boulevard, scarred and broken. Hints of the glory days can still be found, though, particularly in the gardens and grounds surrounding the hotel.

The arbors above a long-forgotten reflecting pool still bloom with bougainvillea:

Marble statues dot the lawns, and sign posts still point the way to the Rose Garden, Arboretum and other horticultural corners of days gone by.

A gardener's shed stands nearby, with tools and a workbench. The pieces are a bit rusty, but don't look entirely unused. Could it be that someone has been keeping up with the grounds surrounding the Hollywood Tower Hotel? Perhaps this old landmark isn't quite as abandoned as she might first appear.

The Golden Age of the Hollywood Tower

In its heyday, the Hollywood Tower Hotel was the premiere destination for the social elite, touting "Fashionable Dining and Modern Accommodations." It's where the stars stayed and where the studios hosted lavish parties.

The grand lobby of the hotel featured dramatic statuary, ornate features and a soaring ceiling that took one's breath away.

From the Steam Baths on the hotel's lower level to the High Society Suite in the penthouse, the Hollywood Tower Hotel had it all. Anthony Fremont and his orchestra often held court at the Tip Top Club for nightly dancing, while the Lounge and Library offered quieter pleasures for those looking to relax.

The Conventions Desk on the lower level is where larger parties would check in for events being held in one of the hotel's many ballrooms, including the Beverly Room and the Fountain Room.

The Sunset Room, only open for supper, featured lavish multi-course menus. In fact, the special menu for October 31, 1939 is still posted just outside the door. It's a delectable spread of gourmet delicacies, topped off with your choice of tea, coffee, liqueurs, cigars and cigarettes.