Art Fusco
  • Home
  • Scribe's Journal
    • NuTrek articles
    • Kevin Smith
    • Frank Kimball
    • Before First Contact
    • NCPD History
    • Local Newspaper Clippings
  • Store

History of Courthouse Square, Universal Studios Hollywood

7/30/2020

1 Comment

 
Everything has a history. This is the history of Courthouse Square, which sits in the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood. In order to help orientate you, I will post this 1955 Hill Valley version made from a  model of the Square and compare it with still frames from the films. Up is north. 
Picture
Much of this version of Courthouse Square had survived since it was first built in 1948, but would later be the victim of other fires. The Courthouse is the only facade that seems to have survived all the fires.
Picture
The northern side of the facade had been standing since at least 1941.
​In 1948, a movie was made called "An Act of Murder". In the movie there are some scenes that take place outside of a courthouse. Rather than film outside an actual courthouse, it was decided that a type of town center would be built. In the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood, a town square was constructed out of facades, including an imposing looking court house. 
Picture
An Act or Murder (1948)
Picture
Picture
An Act of Murder (1948)
Picture
Once the film was done, the square was preserved to be the setting for future films. Parts of the square were featured in films such as It Came From Outer Space (1953) and Tarantula (1955). It was also featured on shows like Leave it to Beaver and The Twilight Zone. Then in 1957, an arsonist set fire to nearby New York Street, destroying the facades in that street and damaging buildings in Courthouse Square. It's unknown the extent of the damage though. 
Picture
The square was soon repaired and returned to regular filming. It got its first hint of notoriety when it was featured in the film To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). 
Picture
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
Picture
Picture
To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
Picture
The Following year, Life Magazine was able to take some truly unique pictures of the courthouse facade which captured people's imaginations. The seemingly imposing Courthouse was simply a front. Due to the success of To Kill A Mockingbird, the square was renamed "Mockingbird Square". ​
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
In the 1970s, the square was featured in the TV show The Incredible Hulk. In the 1980s, it was featured in Psycho II (1983) and Gremlins (1984). 
Picture
Gremlins (1984)
Picture
Picture
Gremlins (1984)
Picture
The square reached fame in 1985 when Back to the Future was released. Unlike past films where the parts of the square were shot as needed, Back to the Future utilized the entirety of Mockingbird Square as the town center of a fictional town called Hill Valley for two time periods (Ultimately three): 1955 and 1985. For the climax set in 1955, Doc Brown is shown at the top of the Courthouse, trying to plug the last connections to send his pal, Marty McFly back to 1985.
​Eventually Mockingbird Square was renamed Courthouse Square. When Back to the Future Part II (1989) was released, it featured a 2015 version of Hill Valley as well as an alternative dystopian 1985 version. Because Back to the Future Part III (1990) took place in an 1885 version of Hill Valley, they decided to forgo the square and set up a square and courthouse under construction on a ranch in Sonora, California. 

Then in 1990, a fire was started in the backlot, blamed on improper storage of hazardous matierials. It destroyed the north side of the square, but luckily the courthouse itself survived. The northern portion that burned down was rebuilt exactly as it was. The square would continue to be used in features and television shows such as Weird Science, The Nutty Professor (1996), Jingle All the Way (1996) and Batman & Robin (1997).

In 1997, tragedy struck once again. 
1 Comment
Toutflou link
11/9/2022 01:59:31 am

Hello !
I really enjoyed reading your article and the use you made of my Hill Valley model ;)
Keep up the good work

Patrick

Reply



Leave a Reply.

      Do you see this?

    Submit

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2022
    April 2022
    October 2021
    July 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    September 2013

Proudly powered by Weebly