Warner Bros. Studios, one of the foremost motion picture and television production and post production facilities in the world, is the site on which hundreds of unforgettable films and television shows have been created and filmed. The historic 110-acre facility is home to 29 sound stages plus a 20-acre backlot that can double as almost anywhere, be it a bustling metropolitan city, a jungle in the rainforest or Main Street, USA. With its world class post production facilities and complete range of production-related services,including costume, property/set dressing, set design and construction, scenic art, set lighting, grip, transportation and photo lab,the Studio has continually been updated, remaining true to the world-class standards of creativity and technology pioneered by the Warner Brothers,Harry, Sam, Albert and Jack.
The Studio was originally built on a plot of farmland in 1926 by First National Pictures, which Warner Bros. acquired in 1928 following the financial success of ,"The Jazz Singer,," the historic first ,"talking picture.," Two of the facility," oldest and most-used exterior sets, Brownstone Street, renamed Ashley Boulevard in 2002, and the adjacent New York Street, were built soon thereafter. With the new facility, the Warner Brothers were soon turning out movies at a feverish pace,including some 86 features in 1929 alone.
In the early 1930s, with films such as "Little Caesar" and "The Public Enemy" the era of the classic Warner gangster dramas was in full flower as well as the start of the Studio," long tradition of producing socially conscious films such as ,"I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang," and ,"They Won't Forget.," The company employed Darryl F. Zanuck as production chief under Jack Warner as well as ,"contract players," who became some of the greatest stars of all time: Bette Davis, James Cagney, Paul Muni, Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and Errol Flynn, among others.
By the late 1930s, business was booming, and Warner Bros. Studios had constructed nine new soundstages, all of which are still in use today. Additionally, the company was developing its own zany brand of animation at a Hollywood annex affectionately known as ,"Termite Terrace" From the drawing boards of Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng and Bob McKimson sprang the enduring characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester and Tweety who became part of the now-classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.
Two principal structures on the lot, Stage 16 and the Mill Building, and one exterior set, Midwest Street, were also built during this decade. Stage 16, the largest sound stage at Warner Bros. and one of the tallest in the world, was completed in 1935. That same year, the entire structure was raised 30 feet,using hand jacks and a lot of labor,to accommodate an elephantine musical, ,"Cain and Mabel.," Since then, in addition to housing some of the grandest sets in Studio history, it has been fitted with a tank that holds over two million gallons of water. The Mill Building, with its myriad crafts departments from the metal shop to scenic art, was constructed in 1937 and still houses these same departments today. A popular outdoor set, Midwest Street, with its store fronts, grass lawns, church and central gazebo, is perhaps most recognizable as River City in ,"The Music Man"
With production in full swing in the 1940s, Warner Bros. added three more soundstages to its studio lot and produced such classic films as ,"Casablanca" ,"Yankee Doodle Dandy" and ,"The Maltese Falcon" In 1941, an exterior residential set was constructed adjacent to Midwest Street for the Ronald Reagan film ,"King," Row.," The street has been in continual use ever since that time, its sets serving home to James Dean in ,"East of Eden", Robert Preston in "The Music Man", and John Wayne in "The Shootist"
The 1950s brought such film successes as "A Streetcar Named Desire" ,"A Star is Born" and ,"The Searchers" as well as the three films which made James Dean a legend: ,"East of Eden" ,"Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant" Additionally, in 1955 the Studio made a bold move into the new arena of television. Warner Bros. Television was born with the debut of the western adventure "Cheyenne". Also launched that decade were now-classic series "Maverick" ,"77 Sunset Strip" ,"Colt .45" and "Hawaiian Eye" many of which were filmed on the Studios's former Western backlot, Laramie Street.
The Studio Jungle set constructed in 1956 for the movie "Santiago" with Alan Ladd is designed to simulate any wooded area and is complemented by a lagoon that holds over 250,000 gallons of water.
The 1960's was an era of great activity and reorganization at the Studio. Warner Bros. produced such memorable and critically acclaimed films as the Academy Award winning "My Fair Lady" ,"Bonnie and Clyde" ,"Splendor in the Grass" ,"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" ,"Cool Hand Luke" ,"Camelot" and ,"The Wild Bunch" as well as television shows ,"F Troop," and ,"The FBI" In 1967, an aging Jack Warner sold the Studio to Elliot and Ken Hyman, who renamed it Warner Bros.- Seven Arts. It wasn't too long before, in 1969, Warner Bros.- Seven Arts was purchased by Steve Ross and his Kinney Corporation, and the company became Warner Communications, Inc. DC Comics, which Ross had purchased along with its characters in 1968, was folded into the WCI family.
In 1972, Warner Communications and Columbia Pictures joined forces to create a single production facility called The Burbank Studios. Serving two of Hollywood's entertainment giants, the studio resembled more than ever before a small city with its own fire department, mail services, bank, restaurant and bicycle shop. Also at this time, The Burbank Studios acquired what is now the Warner Bros. Ranch. Adjacent to the Main lot, the 32-acre facility houses five sound stages and exterior sets, including Park Boulevard and Blondie Street, a circle of residential houses which have hosted such beloved television classics as "Bewitched" ,"The Partridge Family" ,"Dennis the Menace" and "I Dream of Jeannie"
Meanwhile, in filmed entertainment, the studio enjoyed such landmark films as "A Clockwork Orange" ,"Klute" ,"Dirty Harry" ,"The Exorcist" ,"Blazing Saddles" ,"All the President's Men" and ,"Superman" and television shows ,"Kung Fu" ,"Alice" ,"Chico and the Man" ,"Wonder Woman" ,"Welcome Back, Kotter" and ,"The Dukes of Hazzard". The 70's also saw rise to a new genre of television programming,the mini-series,in which the Studio established an almost unequaled record of excellence from the start with its exclusive agreement with producer David L. Wolper, who went on to produce some of televisions most-watched and honored productions, including ,"Roots" ,"The Thorn Birds" and ,"North & South"
The company continued producing award-winning and lucrative films in the 1980s such as ,"Chariots of Fire" (which received a Best Picture Oscar), "The Right Stuff" ,"The Color Purple" ,"Dangerous Liaisons" the Police Academy films, the National Lampoon Vacation movies, "Full Metal Jacket", the first two installments in the "Lethal Weapon" series ,"Batman" and "Driving Miss Daisy" which also garnered a Best Picture Oscar. On the television side, Warner Bros. Television launched such acclaimed and popular shows as "Murphy Brown" ,"Life Goes On" ,"China Beach" ,"Growing Pains" and ,"Spenser: For Hire" many of which were shot on the Studio lot.
On the lot, exterior set Tenement Street was renamed Hennesy Street after art director Dale Hennesy, who redesigned the set for the film ,"Annie". The area is characterized by its Lower-East-Side-themed alleys with fire escapes and storefront windows and has since been used for such features as ,"Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" and the Batman films.
In 1989, Warner Communications, Inc. acquired entertainment powerhouse Lorimar Telepictures, bringing the rich Lorimar library as well as its quality and creative television production arm under the Warner umbrella.
The 1990s were a seminal decade for the Studio, starting with the 1990 merger of Warner Communications, Inc. and Time Inc. to form Time Warner, Inc., one of the world's largest communications and entertainment companies. In June of that year, the company acquired the entire studio lot and celebrated its rededication as Warner Bros. Studios with a star-studded extravaganza entitled "The Celebration of Tradition." Also during this decade, Warner Bros. Television and Lorimar consolidated to form one of the most prolific and successful television production companies of all time, featuring such international mega-hits as ,"ER" ,"Friends" ,"The Drew Carey Show," as well as launching the country," fifth broadcast network, The WB, in 1995.
At the box office, Warner Bros. Pictures continued to break records and earn critical acclaim with such films as ,"GoodFellas" ,"JFK" ,"The Fugitive" ,"The Bodyguard" ,"The Matrix" and ,"Unforgiven" which garnered four Oscars, including Best Picture.
The new millennium has brought many changes and history-making events. In 2001, Warner Bros., parent company Time Warner Inc. merged with America Online, Inc. to form the world's foremost media and communications company, with industry-leading businesses including cable networks, cable systems, interactive services, music, publishing and filmed entertainment.
On the feature film side, Warner Bros. Pictures introduced the world to the Harry Potter series, which shattered several box office and industry records and launched a cultural phenomenon. Other successes at the box office have included the three installments in the ,"Ocean's" series, "The Matrix Reloaded," and "The Matrix Revolutions" ,"Troy" ,"The Polar Express" ,"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" ,"Superman Returns" ,"Batman Begins" ,"300" and three Academy Award-winning films: "Million Dollar Baby" ,"The Departed" and "Happy Feet"
In television, Warner Bros. Television has continued to maintain its position as an industry-leading supplier of programming to the six broadcast networks with hits including ,"Gilmore Girls" ,"Two and a Half Men" ,"Cold Case" and ,"Without a Trace". In 2006, The WB Network was replaced with The CW Network, a joint venture with CBS Corporation.
Two new exterior sets were also constructed on the backlot. Replacing Laramie Street was Warner Village, which debuted in 2004. Behind the street, 11 New England-style homes lies approximately 42,000 square feet of office space. Park Place was finished in July 2007 and offers four-story commercial and residential exteriors with brick and stone finishes, paved sidewalks and a single lane street, all circling a grassy park.
Today, Warner Bros. Studios continues to embody the traditions and lore of the classic films and television shows of the past while setting the standard for excellence in production facilities.
