Universal Studios Hollywood

It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. Its official marketing headline is "The Entertainment Capital of LA". It was initially created to offer tours of the real Universal Studios sets and is the first of many full-fledged Universal Studios Theme Parks located across the world. Outside the theme park, a new, all-digital facility near the Universal Pictures backlot was built in an effort to merge all of NBCUniversal's West Coast operations into one area. As a result, the current home for KNBC, KVEA and NBC News with Noticias Telemundo Los Angeles Bureaus with new digital facility is on the Universal lot formerly occupied by Technicolor SA. Universal City includes hotels Universal Hilton & Towers, the Sheraton Universal Hotel, and Universal CityWalk, which offers a collection of shops, restaurants, an 18-screen Universal Cinema and a seven-story IMAX theater. 

Studio history

The first studio tour
From the beginning, Universal had offered tours of its studio. After Carl Laemmle opened Universal City on March 14, 1915, he later invited the general public to see all the action for an admission fee of just five cents, which also included a boxed lunch with chicken. There was also a chance to buy fresh produce, since then-rural Universal City was still in part a working farm. This original tour was discontinued around 1930, due to the advent of sound films and the stages being not sufficiently soundproofed.

Backlot fires
Universal Studios Hollywood's backlot has been damaged by fire nine times throughout its history.[4] The first was in 1932 when embers from a nearby brush fire were blown toward the back lot causing four movie sets to be destroyed and resulting in over $100,000 damage.[5] Seventeen years later, in 1949, another brush fire caused the complete destruction of one building and damage to two others.[6] In 1957, the New York street film studio set was destroyed by an arson fire causing half a million dollars in damage.[7] Ten years later, in 1967, twice as much damage was done when the Little Europe area and part of Spartacus Square was destroyed. It also destroyed the European, Denver and Laramie street sets.[8] In 1987, the remaining portion of Spartacus Square was destroyed along with street sets and other buildings. As with the 1957 fire, this was suspected to be the result of an arsonist.[9] Just three years later, another deliberate fire was started in the back lot. The New York Street set, the Ben Hur set and the majority of Courthouse Square were destroyed.[10] In 1997, the seventh fire occurred at the back lot.[4] A portion of the Courthouse Square was again destroyed, though most survived.

Address: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608, United States
Opened: July 15, 1964
Slogan: The Entertainment Capital of LA
Themes: Amusement park, Universal Pictures, Entertainment
Owners: NBCUniversal, Entertainment