Hollywood's Lost Backlot: 40 Acres of Glamour and Mystery

by Steven Bingen

Hollywood is a transitory place. Stars and studios rise and fall. Genres and careers wax and wane. Movies and movie moguls and movie makers and movie palaces are acclaimed and patronized and loved and beloved, and then forgotten. And yet…
And yet one place in Southern California, built in the 1920s by (allegedly murdered) producer Thomas Ince, acquired by Cecil B. DeMille, now occupied by Amazon.com, has been the home for hundreds of the most iconic and legendary films and television shows in the world for a remarkable and star-studded fifty years. This bizarre, magical place was the location for Tara in Gone with The Wind, the home of King Kong and Superman, of Tarzan and Batman, of the Green Hornet, of Elliot Ness, of Barney Fife, of Tarzan, of Rebecca, of Citizen Kane, of Hogan’s Heroes and Gomer Pyle, of Lasse, of A Star is Born and Star Trek, and at least twice, of Jesus Christ. For decades, every conceivable star in Hollywood, from Clark Gable to Warren Beatty, worked and loved and gave indelible performances on the site.
And yet, today, it is completely forgotten.
Pretty much anyone alive today, from college professors to longshoremen, have probably heard of Paramount and of MGM, of Warner Bros. and of Universal, and of Disney and Fox and Columbia, but the place where many of these studio’s beloved classics were minted is today as mysterious and unknowable as the sphinx.
Hollywood’s Lost 40 Acres of Glamour and Mystery will, for the first time ever, unwind the colorful and convoluted threads that make for the tale of one of the most influential and photographed places in the world. A place which most have visited, at least on screen, and which has contributed significantly and unexpectedly to the world’s popular culture, and yet which few people today, paradoxically, have ever heard of.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2018

About the author

Steven Bingen is an author, archivist, lecturer and Hollywood insider who has contributed to dozens of books, articles, and documentaries regarding film history and in particular Hollywood's physical past, including recent successes MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot, Warner Bros.: Hollywood's Ultimate Backlot, and Paramount: City of Dreams.

Reviews

[Rama Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filming in the iconic Culver City Studio backlots called 40 Acres

Movie studios are magical locales where films, stories, legends, and matinee idols are created. Although some movie studios offer tours, few guests from outside the Hollywood community have ever witnessed the artistry and the production skills that go into making successful movies and television shows. Backlot trips at the Universal, Warner Brothers and Paramount Studios show a glimpse what goes into creating carefully orchestrated scenes visible during the studio trips. In this book, Hollywood historian Steven Bingen opens the forgotten gates of 40 acres backlot, as it was known in its heydays in Culver City, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. This book has stunning behind-the-scenes photos, maps, and a revealing backstory. It is your ticket to a previously veiled Hollywood paradise. Built in the 1920s by producer Thomas Ince, this was the home for many iconic films and television shows that included numerous stars. This magical place was the location for Tara, a neighborhood in the legendary film Gone with The Wind, and several locations that is supposed to be in Atlanta, GA., scenes from King Kong, Superman, and Cecil DeMille’s 1927 classic King of Kings. This backlot was leased to Cecil B. DeMille’s production of The King of Kings on which he constructed historical Jerusalem at a colossal cost. But that structure remained for the RKO production of King Kong in 1933.

TV shows like Andy Griffith Show, Hogan’s Heroes, Gomer Pyle, Bonanza, and Star Trek were also made on this backlot. Stars like Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Fay Wray, H.B. Warner, and Warren Beatty worked here. Legendary producers like David O Selznick and Cecil DeMille, and TV stars like Andy Griffith, Ron Howard, Don Knotts, and many others dazzled in this little area called 40 acres backlot. This backlot, unfortunately is no longer here and has been razed to make new construction amid rapidly grown Culver City, CA. The RKO Pictures originally owned Forty Acres Backlot and later by several other owners including RKO-Pathé Studios, and Desilu Productions of Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball.

This book narrates the tale of one of the most influential and photographed places that were seen on the screen. There are numerous pictures, many in color, of the scenes from Gone with the Wind, King Kong, King of Kings and Andy Griffith Show. This volume makes a great coffee table book. Highly recommended to readers interested in the history of Hollywood.

[Russell Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steven Bingen’s Hollywood’s Lost Backlot: 40 Acres of Glamor and Mystery is fascinating—if you are a movie buff. Anyone who has only a passing interest in Hollywood history will likely not find the book fun. There are no scandals, no intrigue related here. There really aren’t a whole lot of juicy La-La Land tales. What we do find is a meticulous examination of a movie studio with a long and storied past. This is a place where much of Gone With the Wind was filmed, a place that was Mayberry with its Sheriff Andy Taylor, a place where Christ was crucified in two versions of King of Kings and The Greatest Story Ever Told, and a place where King Kong and Tarzan ruled over the jungle natives. Bingen lovingly tells of each nook and cranny of these 40 acres, throwing in some anecdotes, telling us how certain set pieces were re-purposed for various films and TV episodes, and examining its place in Hollywood history. Unlike the fabled backlot of Universal, which became a theme park, unlike the backlot of MGM, which was sold and demolished, unlike the Warner Brothers backlot that is still in use for filming and can be toured, 40 Acres, its common name but later known by various names and owners—among them Desilu, the production company of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz—was used until the mid-1970s, and then was virtually destroyed as if it had no history at all. So yes, this is a fascinating book for movie buffs, indeed.

[GlenK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at the studio backlot known as 40 Acres. Associated with a still existing studio space, this backlot began in 1919 and through the years was owned or leased by Thomas Ince, C.B.DeMille, David Selznick, RKO, and Desilu, with it's most famous production shooting being that for Gone With the Wind. The eventual decay and destruction of the lot is sad but not unsurprising. A good read from the author of books on other Hollywood backlots, specifically MGM, Warner Bros, and Paramount.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good look at yet another lost piece of Hollywood history. Though not as well known as MGMs or Warner Brothers’ backlots, the Culver City 40 Acres has an impressive perigee that dates back to the beginnings of California as the bastion of movie making and includes such landmark films as “Gone With the Wind” and “All Quiet On the Western Front” and such tv stalwarts as “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Hogan’s Heroes”.

[morgan ☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book I had no idea that so many of my favorite tv shows and movies were filmed at 40 acres. I liked learning about all the behind the scenes secrets and ghost stories of the lot. I would love to read a book just about the ghost stories of various Hollywood studios. It's so heartbreaking seeing how all of these pieces of movie history were treated, and how few relics from these films have survived.

[Malcolm Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of excellent photos of a back lot which was home to many of the greatest films ever produced in Hollywood's golden age.However the place fell into disrepair when sets were no longer used and so there is little surprise that it was eventually bulldozed for and industrial park.

[Jim and Pollee Gough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unusual Hollywood history...

Wonderful book for those that are interested in Hollywood history. Excellent research and many surprises about the art of movie making.

[Tambra · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Interesting Loved it. Great info about the backlot i learned so much.

[Erich Eilenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very thoroughly-researched book. The focus is less on people and narrative history and more on the physical space itself.