The Muppet Movie (1979) - Hollywood and CBS Studio Center

This is the second of two posts on The Muppet Movie (1979) film locations. For part one, click here.

In The Muppet Movie, Kermit the Frog leaves the quiet swamps to make it as a successful rich-and-famous frog in Hollywood. During his road trip to Hollywood Kermit acquires many Muppet friends who join him on his trip, including Gonzo, Camilla, and Fozzie Bear. This post highlights some of the locations that appear when Kermit and gang arrive in "Hollywood."

This first location is "World Wide Studios," the film studio where the Muppets show up and Orson Welles, the studio mogul, requests a "standard rich-and-famous contract" be prepared. World Wide Studios is really what is today CBS Studio Center, a film and television studio located at 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, California. The World Wide Studios entrance is a fake entrance constructed between a sound stage and another building on the lot. I didn't have a contemporary photo showing this area of the lot, so below is a screenshot from an episode of Bob Vila touring CBS Studio Center showing how the location looks without the fake World Wide Studios entrance.

Click images to see larger.

World Wide Studios is really the CBS Studio Center lot.

Bob Vila walks the CBS Studio Center lot

When the Muppets arrive in Hollywood they pass in front of the iconic Hollywood sign. The Electric Mayhem bus drives down the Mulholland Highway.

The Muppets pass the Hollywood sign.

The Hollywood sign seen from Mulholland Highway.

The Muppets then drive down Hollywood Boulevard heading west and crossing Vine Street. The landmark Capital Records building can be seen in the background as they pass.

The Electric Mayhem bus crosses Hollywood and Vine.

Looking up Vine Street from Hollywood Boulevard.

A second view of Hollywood and Vine showing the Howard Johnson.

Hollywood & Vine. The Howard Johnson building is long gone.

As the Muppets continue down Hollywood Boulevard they pass the Chinese Theatre.

The Muppets pass the Chinese Theatre.

A contemporary view of the Chinese Theatre.

Trivia: According to Imdb.com one of the old Hollywood cameo appearances in The Muppet Movie is Edgar Bergen and his wooden puppet, Charlie McCarthy. Bergen died shortly after his scene was filmed in 1978. Having Bergen and McCarthy appear in the film was important to Henson as Bergen was a major reason why Henson got into puppetry.

Of the many cameos in The Muppet Movie, which one is your favorite?

The Muppet Movie (1979) - Milton Berle's Mad Man Mooney Used Car Lot

Fozzie, Kermit, Camilla, and Gonzo want to buy a used car.

One of my favorite films as a kid was The Muppet Movie (1979), so I was delighted while watching this movie recently, to see my young daughter already getting into the film. She was especially interested in the music, like the songs Rainbow Connection and Movin' Right Along. As soon as the songs would start she would stand up in front of the TV and do a little dance while watching the Muppets sing.

I have a feeling it was this film along with the Muppet television show that developed my early fascination with old Hollywood. Both the film and TV show featured many cameo appearances by many classic Hollywood stars. In The Muppet Movie alone there are scenes with Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Bob Hope, Edgar Bergen, Orson Welles and many other stars. I hope this film might be a gateway film to interest my daughter into some older classics.

One thing I spotted while watching the film this time is the location for Mad Man Mooney, the used car lot where Milton Berle tries to sell Kermit and gang a beat up Volkswagen bug. A few years ago I got lost in this location as it is an area I rarely would have reason to go, but the location stayed in my mind. The used car lot is located on the corner of San Fernando Road and Kelowna Street in Pacoima, California. Below are comparisons showing the location in the film with images of the same area today. 

Click the images to see larger.

The Muppets drive past 10265 San Fernando Rd, Pacoima, Ca

Looking towards 10265 San Fernando Rd.

In the first comparison the area has changed quite a bit. The small square body shop building is now gone and has been replaced by a larger body shop building.

Casey's Cycle Repair, San Fernando Rd.

10249 San Fernando Road, Pacoima. Casey's Cycles

In the next comparison we can see that the Casey's Cycle Repair shop located at 10249 San Fernando Road is still standing and still in business!

Looking down Kelowna Street from San Fernando.

Looking down Kelowna St. from San Fernando.

The Muppets make a right from San Fernando Road on to Kelowna Street and then turn into the driveway of Mad Man Mooney Used Cars, presently the site of JR's Used Cars. I think it is amazing that years later the little used car lot building is still painted in the all American colors of red, white and blue.

The Muppets pull in at Mad Man Mooney's Used Cars.

JR's Used Cars is the site of Mad Man Mooney's.

Milton Berle tries to sell the Muppets on a piece of junk.

The Muppets trade in their Studebaker.

Mad Man Mooney's Used Car lot.

Another thing I think is incredible is that the used car lot is still hanging the same red, white and blue triangle banners 34 years later.

Sweetums runs down Kelowna Street after the Muppets.

Looking down Kelowna Street from the used car lot.

The last comparison shows Kelowna Street as seen from San Fernando Road. The entrance to the used car lot is on the right. In the screenshot we see the muppet Sweetums running out of the car lot and down Kelowna after Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and Camilla.

The Muppet Movie (1979) is available on DVD and is currently available for streaming on Netflix. "The nearly 35th Anniversary" edition will be released on August 13, 2013 on Blu-Ray.

To see more The Muppet Movie (1979) film locations click here.

The Natalie Wood Record Booth From The Film Inside Daisy Clover (1965)

The Record Booth from Inside Daisy Clover (1965)

One of the things I've enjoyed about posting on Dear Old Hollywood the past few years has been learning new tidbits about Hollywood and classic films through readers of the blog. I love it when you guys come up with great information that adds to the old Hollywood discussion. Just recently, reader Bill Bollman, a collector of vintage record booths wrote me with information regarding the record booth that Natalie Wood uses to record an album in the film Inside Daisy Clover (1965). In the film the record booth was inside the carousal building located on the Santa Monica pier. Bollman has acquired this record booth and was nice enough to share some pictures and to provide some background on this piece of Hollywood cinema history. Here's what Bollman had to say:

I am a Patent Attorney by trade, but as a hobby I collect vintage coinop machines.  In that vein, I have acquired a 1940s wooden Record Booth that I am told was operated at the Graumans Chinese Theatre in the 40s and 50s, but low and behold it is the very booth used in the opening scene of “INSIDE DAISY CLOVER”.    The original keys for the booth came with a label that would appear to be a Warner Brothers inventory control tag, but I’m in the process right now of researching that.

Natalie Wood approaches the Record Booth.

Over the past 10 years I’ve become somewhat of an expert on the Voice-O-Graph booth, recently acquiring a similar 1940s model wood Record Booth for Jack White of Third Man Records in Nashville.  I have been tracking just about all surviving models (only about 100 were ever made, and just a very small handful survive today.)  Of all the known wooden Voice-O-Graph Record Booths (and vintage photos of booths), none but this one have windows.  And this booth is quite unique in that it is actually an operating machine, but operated at 35c.  The external graphics have been changed FROM 35c TO 25c (quite unusual).  Presumably the producer of Inside Daisy Clover felt the 25c was more appropriate for the 1930s period in which the movie is set.

Natalie Wood inside the record booth.

Beside the uniqueness of this configuration of the Record Booth with side windows (never seen before) and general rarity of the booth itself – proof certain that this booth is in fact the very booth used in this Warner Brothers movie is that the scratch in the wood seen in the movie to the left of the window . . .

. . . is still seen in the booth today!

It is believed that this Record Booth was originally located and operated at Graumans Chinese Theatre.  That was its oral history when acquired in 2002, but I’ve also discovered the following scratching on an inside wall: “HO 48111” is the old phone number of Graumans Chinese Theatre!

But perhaps most interestingly of all (and fascinating for any Rebel Without A Cause fans), the booth includes two scratchings inside, this one in hand-scratching with much similarity to known handwriting of James Dean:

And then this one, apparently reading “J.D. + B.g.” in a doodled heart, evoking the possibility that this refers to James Dean and Barbara Glenn:

This is a beautiful, WORKING Record Booth (I’m fine tuning it now).  Research is currently ongoing – any information anyone may have (photos of the Record Booth at Graumans between 1946 and the late 1950s would be fantastic) would be greatly appreciated! 

So that’s it’s story so far!  

Thank you very much, and best regards,
Bill Bollman

Now how cool is that! If anyone may have more information on this Record Booth you can contact Bollman at RecordBooth@gmail.com.

I've previously done a post on some of the filming locations for Inside Daisy Clover which you can see here. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the film overall and was probably a bit too honest when I wrote the film locations post; but what I really like about Inside Daisy Clover are the locations and look of the film. Those two things alone make the film worth watching.

Thanks again Bill for the pictures and backstory!

Your thoughts?