WDWMousing - Chapter 8 - Hollywood Studios - Sunset Boulevard - Part 1

Chapter 8 - Hollywood Studios - Sunset Boulevard - Part 1
posted Jan 2021

When Disney-MGM Studios first opened the park in 1989, it consisted of Hollywood Boulevard, Echo Lake, Mickey Avenue, the Streets of America, and the Animation Courtyard. The Sunset Boulevard expansion didn't open for another five years in June 1994.
Set mostly in the 1940s, Sunset Boulevard is meant to represent Hollywood's theater district. Sunset Boulevard is home to many replicas of famous movie theaters.

The Theater of the Stars, which was originally located on Hollywood Boulevard, where the entrance to Sunset Boulevard now is, (see Chapter 3 – Hollywood Boulevard – Part 2), has found its new home near the end of Sunset Boulevard. Besides the Theater of the Stars, the Sunset Ranch Market could also be found on Sunset Boulevard. Along with several shops: Mouse About Town, Once Upon A Time, Sunset Club Couture, and Legends of Hollywood.
A month later in July 1994, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opened on Sunset Boulevard. A week later Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Staring Aerosmith opened to guests
In October 1998, when Fantasmic! opened to guests in the new Hollywood Hills Amphitheater, a 6,900 seat amphitheater, located behind the Theater of the Stars.
Over years. Just as on Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard has seen many changes, and we’ll cover these as we visit each location.

Now to get into the mood for strolling down Sunset Boulevard, we need some background music.

Looking for the up to date map at: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hollywood-studios/maps/

As we’ve done before, we are going to go through Sunset Boulevard on one side of the street first, then the other. Here are the locations we will visit:

Sunset Boulevard – Right Side

Legends of Hollywood - Located at the front end of Sunset Boulevard, this shop sells figurines, Frozen merchandise and Disney apparel.
Planet Hollywood - Planet Hollywood Super Store - True to its name, this store sells a variety of Planet Hollywood merchandise. After almost 25 years, Planet Hollywood Super Store closed permanently on February 2, 2019. The space would become part of Legends of Hollywood, a Disney-run store next door.
Rest room Alley
Sunset Club Couture - This store sells accessories and jewelry. Watches purchased here can be personalized by an in-store artisan.
Mouse About Town - This shop sells clothing, kitchenware and other collectibles
Carthay Circle - Once Upon A Time - Located inside the Castaway Theater, this shop sells housewares and holiday items.

History of Sunset Boulevard
A little history about the Boulevard.

As part of Eisner’s Disney Decade, it was to be a time of expansion that included a new theme park, and new attractions. The area of Disney's Hollywood Studios that is known today as Sunset Boulevard, was initially planned to be a land based on the 1989 Disney film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”. During development the land was going to be known as “Roger Rabbit’s Hollywood Land” or “Maroon Studios”. The new area would feature three new Roger Rabbit attractions: Baby Herman's Runaway Baby Buggy, Toontown Trolley, and a Benny the Cab ride (which eventually opened in Disneyland as Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin).
As plans continued to develop, Imagineers also pitched the idea of creating a replica of Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard, with the Roger Rabbit attractions located at the end of the street (roughly where Rock n Roller Coaster is located today). This layout of Sunset Boulevard would have also included a working Red Car trolley that would transport guests down street. "This will be a kind of Toontown, where - as in the movie - only cartoon characters may live." It would look like the cartoon studio buildings featured in the film with all the cartoon peculiarities like boxes of TNT, grand pianos hanging above the sidewalk and Roger-shaped holes in the walls. There would have been a recreation of the Terminal Bar from the film, transformed into a working eatery.

Despite the fairly elaborate plans that the Disney/MGM Studios Imagineers had for the Roger Rabbit area, problems arose with the film's character rights between Disney and Amblin Entertainment. This caused Disney to change the direction of the Disney/MGM Studios expansion, so instead of a Roger Rabbit land, Disney decided to focus on creating the Sunset Boulevard replica.

Although the east coast Roger Rabbit attractions were never built, Disney did build Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland.

Reminisce of Roger Rabbit Land in Hollywood Studios

Even though Roger Rabbit Land came to fruition, there are still examples of what as plan throughout Hollywood Studios.
On opening day at the Disney-MGM Studios, a costumed Roger Rabbit put his hands and footprints into a square of concrete that was placed almost directly in front of the entrance of The Great Movie Ride. It reads "PL-L-L-LEESE. Roger Rabbit. May 1, 1989." (see Chapter 5 Great Movie Ride - Part 1)
At one time, the Dip Machine model and the bullet case used by Eddie were on display in the queue for the Great Movie Ride.
For opening day, the huge Maroon Studios billboard was posted in the Echo Lake area.
Over the Hollywood and Vine Restaurant, according to the backstory, the rooms were rented to individuals or businesses. One window features a small sign stating "No Actors" because at the time, actors were considered immoral, likely to have wild parties and probably skip out on paying the rent.

Originally, at the lower-left corner, was a sign that read "No Toons" to parody the previous "No Actors" sign, as well as an insider joke since, during this time period, Valiant disliked toons because one had killed his brother.
On Sunset Boulevard in front of the Sunset Farm Market is a merchandise stand that resembles the Red Car Trolleys that were used in the movie.
On the side of the Disney Feature Animation Florida building was a painted black silhouette of Roger, the same size and the same pose as the one from the window.
Bridgitte Hartley, who worked as an animator on Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Roller Coaster Rabbit at the Disney MGM Studios, passed away 1990s. Around the corner from the silhouette of Roger on the Feature Animation building was a small garden in her memory simply called "Bridgitte's Garden," created by Max Howard, who was in charge of the animation department.

At the end of the Backlot Tram Tour, where guests could view Jessica's blue car as well as a Red Car from the film in the Boneyard, a pathway of Roger Rabbit large footprints on the ground would lead guests into the Acme Warehouse, more specifically the section known as the "Loony Bin" or the Acme Gagworks.
There were some interactive props (later incorporated into Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland) like boxes that would make noises when you tried to open them. Things hung from the ceiling like a net filled with Acme's Ton of Bricks (that still hangs there today).
There was also a standee of Jessica Rabbit for photo opportunities. Behind her, the wall had an open air silhouette outline of Roger Rabbit who had apparently run through the wall.
Across from this location was a photo shop where guests could don Eddie Valiant's trenchcoat and be superimposed into a scene with a more realistic 3-D version of Jessica or Benny the Cab.
Judge Doom's Dip Mobile from the movie had also crashed through the wall and guests could take photos posing beneath its huge front roller. The Dip Mobile moved around to different locations over the years, including the front of the Backlot Tram Tour (where a red tram now resides) as well as in the Boneyard on the tour but is now gone from the park.
An overabundance of merchandise, especially themed to Jessica, was available for sale in the area.

A towering Roger Rabbit stands dangerously on top of a barrel of turpentine that could instantly dissolve him in the 1980s section of Disney's Pop Century Resort, which opened in 2003.

Unfortunately, over the years the wanting return of Roger Rabbit has whined, and the newer generation of guests, have questioned to often "Who Is Roger Rabbit?"

Resources:

A little farther down is a window that originally stated (unfortunately some of the lettering has chipped off) "Eddie Valiant. Private Investigations. All Crime. Surveillance. Missing Person." There is also a symbol of a magnifying glass with an eye in it, a reference to "private eyes."
Valiant, of course, was the detective in the film played by Bob Hoskins.
Next to Valiant's window is another window with the silhouette outline of Roger Rabbit bursting through the blinds and the window, just like in a famous scene in the original movie.
If a guest can extrapolate the angle and the direction of Roger's outline, it goes in a direct line to the backstage building that once housed Disney Feature Animation Florida, which made two Roger Rabbit theatrical shorts, Roller Coaster Rabbit and Trail Mix-Up, and were preparing for more when trouble arose.

In the outdoor paint area of the Backlot Express restaurant was the actual Toon Patrol black paddy wagon vehicle that the weasels drove to do the evil bidding of Judge Doom. It is a real 1937 Dodge Humpback panel truck. (Inside the restaurant in the indoor office of the Paint Supervisor, on the bulletin board, are some color photos of the vehicle with some standee weasels.) Photo
Shoehorned into a little corner of the Stunt Men's area of the Backlot Express restaurant was the original working skeletal frame of Benny the Cab from the movie. In the film, actor Bob Hoskins sat in the driver's seat, holding a rubber steering wheel. Behind him, and lower, was stunt driver Charlie Croughwell completely covered in a black jumpsuit and wearing a black hood (thin enough to see through) who actually drove the vehicle. When the live-action filming was complete, a colored cel of Benny would be placed over the vehicle obscuring any live action reference. On the nearby walls are faded photos of how this magic was accomplished.

That same Jessica merchandise, along with so much more, was also available at a Jessica Rabbit-themed story on Pleasure Island from 1990 to 1992.
The most memorable thing was the exterior with a giant 32-foot high two-sided neon sign of a full figure of Jessica in her sequined gown sitting down with legs crossed and lazily swinging her left foot back and forth.

The below website is dedicated to bring you Jessica Rabbit News:

ImNotBad.com - A Jessica Rabbit Site

Back in the early 1990s, another part of the expansion plans were to be an entire new land based on Jim Henson's Muppets, dubbed The Muppet Studios. This would include the Muppet*Vision 3-D movie theater, a stage show and a parade. The star attraction would have been The Great Muppet Movie Ride. This would effectively be a parody of the existing Great Movie Ride, one of the park's original E-Ticket attractions.

The planned Muppet Studios expansion was cancelled. Disney was keen to buy the Muppets outright from Jim Henson, but following his sudden death in May 1990 the plans fell through. Only the Muppet Vision 3D movie theater and Muppet Court were completed.

Reference:

Dick Tracy’s Crimestoppers

There were also plans to introduce the legendary comic strip hero Dick Tray into the park, with an exciting new attraction called Dick Tracy’s Crimestoppers.
The attraction was going to be set up in its own little Chicago miniland with the crux of the area being Dick Tracy’s Crime-Stoppers.
It was set to use the same types of vehicles that are in use today for Dinosaur.
The attraction was to take guests on a high-speed chase through Chicago, featuring the latest advancements in Audio-Animatronics, special effects, and more. Plus, guests were going to be given the chance to get more involved, each guest would have a gun in front of them that they could use to shoot at bad guys throughout the attraction.

Today, this technology has been introduced in the Buzz Lightyear as well as Toy Story Mania.

Dick Tracy Crime-Stoppers sounded like a fun attraction. Disney had invested heavily in the live action feature Dick Tracy (1990). On May 21st, 1990, nearly three weeks before the movie’s release, in Hollywood Studios, Dick Tracy Starring in Diamond Double-Cross opened at Disney-MGM Studios in the Theater of the Stars.

But the movie underperformed at the box office, so Disney could not justify creating such an expensive attraction for a movie that would not produce a sequel and didn’t do too hot to begin with. (More about Dick Tracey’s Diamond Double Cross in Chapter 3 Hollywood Boulevard – Theater of the Stars)

Reference:

https://www.laughingplace.com/w/blogs/disney-extinct-attractions/2018/04/13/disney-extinct-attractions-dick-tracys-crime-stoppers-dick-tracy-starring-diamond-double-cross/

Despite all of the elaborate plans that the Eisner and Disney/MGM Studios Imagineers had for this area. Disney changed the direction of the Disney/MGM Studios expansion, so instead of a Roger Rabbit land, Muppet’s Studios, or Dick Tracey Crimestoppers, Disney decided to focus on creating the Sunset Boulevard replica.

Sunset Boulevard in Movieland’s Most Prestigious Address

Disney's replica of Sunset Boulevard can be complicated by the fact or fiction presented by the billboards, window dressings, and advertisements in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

We know Disney is a real company and that Maroon Cartoons doesn’t really exist, but what about J.J. Tapps’ Dance Studio? As for Sunset Hills, it really is a home to the stars.

Situated in West Hollywood, with Laurel Canyon, Sunset Plaza Drive, and Sunset Boulevard serving as its borders, the billboard offers one misleading bit of advertising when it comes to Sunset Hills… the price. Lots may have, at one time, been available for nine thousand dollars, but today, the average house in the area is worth well over three million dollars. Living in this small community would include neighbors such as Jeff Goldblum, Sandra Bullock, and Cameron Diaz and homes that were built by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Perhaps one of the most notable, and longstanding, citizen of Sunset Hills is the Chateau Marmont Hotel. Built in the 1920s by Fred Horowitz, the hotel is modeled after the Château d'Amboise in France's Loire Valley. The Hotel’s guest list includes the elite Who’s Who of Hollywood itself. The Chateau Marmont has hosted Greta Garbo, Led Zepplin, Natalie Wood, Humphrey Bogart, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Belushi and Harry Cohn, founder of Columbia Pictures, to name a few.

Sunset Hills is a home to celebrities and a playground for the stars. A view here is to gaze down upon the real world of make believe.

The billboard on Hollywood Studios’ Sunset Blvd. serves as a reminder of that bygone day of the 1920’s and 30’s. Which is another part of the theming to create a replica of the Hollywood that “Never was, and always has been”. (Michel Eisner in his Opening Day speech – see Chapter 1 - Hollywood/MGM Studios Opening Day)

Source:

Classic Hollywood is present throughout Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards at Hollywood Studios. From the neon to the references to the incredible detail, these two streets are the highlight of the Studios theming. These streets helped set the tone for what the park originally was intended to represent, the Hollywood of the 1930’s and 40’s.

Before we head down Sunset Boulevard, let take a quick look at a few overlooked gems on the Boulevard.

Mortimer Mouse

At the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard near Hollywood Junction, guests can find an imprint in the concrete that reads "Mortimer & Co. Contractors, 1928".
This is a reference to Mortimer Mouse, the name Walt Disney originally considered for Mickey Mouse, and 1928 is a reference to the year in which Mickey Mouse made his debut in "Steamboat Willie."

Resource:

https://www.disney-secrets.com/single-post/2014/05/02/Mortimer-Mouse-Secret

Walt Disney’s Car?
Rumor has it that one of the things Walt always wanted was to buy himself a nice car. While he had cars in his adult life, he always promised himself that once he had the money, he would buy himself a real nice car. So sitting just behind the Trolley Car Cafe, was a first really nice car similar to the one Walt bought for himself.
However, it’s not a fact. The car is a 1941 Fleetwood Series 75 Touring Imperial was a hand-crafted limousine built in the Cadillac tradition. (Shaun L. Read from Facebook noted) But Walt never owned a Cadillac.
The car on Sunset Boulevard was used to support the 1930’s and 40’s theming of Sunset Boulevard as well as a merchandise kiosk. Large sections of it were modified into slide-outs (almost like an RV) which held racks of merchandise. (Fred Sherman on Facebook informed us)

Walt Disney’s first car was a 1926 Moon roadster, it was the very automobile he used to court Lilly.
Walt had to sell the Roadster in order to help finance the sound recording for Mickey’s “Steamboat Willie,”

1926 Moon Roadster

Walt’s daughters Diane and Sharon admiring dad’s 1948 Oldsmobile 98 Deluxe Convertible Coupe

Resources:

Later on, Walt owned a blue 1942 Packard Custom Convertible Coupe which he gave up for a 1948 Oldsmobile 98 Deluxe Convertible Coupe.

1942 Packard Custom Convertible Coupe

Walt’s last car was a 1964 Mercedes SL230, which was used in the Disney movie “That Darn Cat!” (1965).

1964 Mercedes SL230

Legends of Hollywood

In January 1991 Legends of Hollywood opened briefly as a gift shop on Hollywood Boulevard in the building that is currently the Starbuck Trolley Café, but then closed two months later.

In June 1994, Legends of Hollywood as part of the park’s 1994 Sunset Boulevard expansion, opened right next door to L.A. Cinema Storage. (see Chapter 3 – Hollywood Boulevard – Part 2)

Legends of Hollywood shop sold Hollywood glam and souvenirs from popular films. It was themed as a movie theater and even had a classic car outside. (see above)
This shop has served as the place to get select Disney merchandise. Early on it was a shop that featured Winnie the Pooh merchandise and then became home to lots of Tinkerbell merchandise and in later years had been home to Hannah Montana, Camp Rock and now Marvel merchandise.

Over the side door of the Legends of Hollywood is the address for the building on Sunset Boulevard -Ninety-Four. This refers to the year that the Sunset Boulevard expansion was opened 1994.

Architecture

Academy Theater

Resource:

Water and Power Associates

Legends of Hollywood, as many of the buildings on Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards, have an architecture based on a iconic Los Angeles landmarks.

Legends of Hollywood was inspired by the Academy Theater, located in Inglewood, California, which was built by architect S. Charles Lee. The Academy Theatre opened on November 7, 1939. it was originally designed to house the Academy Awards, but never did. The Academy Theater never host the Oscars, but it was often the location of film premieres and served as a major suburban theater for the Fox West Coast Theatres chain.

In 1975, the building was sold to a church, which still uses the building and keeps it in excellent condition.

The yellow façade that is a side entrance into Legends of Hollywood, with the “Ninety-Four” address was modeled after a 1940 Streamline Moderne style commercial building designed by architect Douglas Lee at 507 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica, California.

Photo Credit: Yesterland.com

507 Wilshire Blvd.

Although 507 Wilshire Blvd. was designated as a City Landmark in 2003, that didn’t prevent most of it from being demolished a few years later. The historic façade survived to dress up a new five-story building. When the Imagineers designed the park’s Sunset Blvd., the building was still the original two-story structure.
Iobella, which bills itself as “an innovative body-shaping spa exclusively for women” is now the ground-floor tenant of 507 Wilshire Blvd.

Note: Douglas Lee was also the architect who designed the Chateau Marmont Hotel of Sunset Hills. (see section above)

Reference:

Legends of Hollywood Transformed

In mid-2019 Legends of Hollywood and the former Planet Hollywood store on Sunset Boulevard had been transformed from a Planet Hollywood souvenir shop into new look and feel, paying tribute to the glitz and glamour of the elegant golden age of the 1930’s Hollywood.

The shop now offers a wide range of unique and exciting merchandise, including unique handbags and accessories, Citizen watches, and a full Pandora shop with an expanded assortment and dedicated Pandora experts, ready to help you find the perfect Disney-inspired piece.

It’s also now a stylish locale to find ensembles for Dapper Day.

Note: Dapper Day is an organization that celebrates refined style from yesterday and today by organizing outings and social events with various locations including Disney Parks.
Check out their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/DapperDay/

In the Pandora shop, the glamourous chandelier that hangs from the ceiling and décor make a fabulous statement.

Sources:

Disney Posters around Legends of Hollywood

Ticket Booth at Legends of Hollywood

Let take a step back and look at the…….

Planet Hollywood Super Store

2003	Planet Hollywood Super Store at Disney-MGM Studios opened in June 1994. After almost 25 years, Planet Hollywood Super Store closed permanently in February 2019 and the space was taken over by the expansion of Legends of Hollywood. 2020 – after the Legends of Hollywood expansion

Planet Hollywood Super Store on Sunset Boulevard was next to Legends of Hollywood was not a restaurant, but in the shop guests could find Planet Hollywood logo merchandise and apparel from the famous restaurant, plus other gifts.

This shop was also filled with great movie memorabilia.

Power Ranger

Actual prop used in the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

The Planet Hollywood Superstore is decorated with artifacts like a gremlin from Gremlins 2, the power raners, and photos of celebrities decorating the walls. It was almost a Hollywood Museum.

Actual bladed glove worn by “Freddy Krueger” in the movie Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Gremlin from Gremlins 2

One of the things guests would note on the wall as they entered is a photo of four familiar movie stars.
Movie stars with Planet Hollywood at Disney Springs behind them are Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwarzenegger the public face of Planet Hollywood.

During Legends of Hollywood expansion some of artifices moved over to Planet Hollywood Observatory in Disney Springs.

Source:

Architecture

Since most of the shop fronts on Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards were themed and modeled after actual Los Angeles and Hollywood buildings from the 1930’s and 40’s, we do have to explain the connections.

LA Reina Theater

The Planet Hollywood façade was modeled after the La Reina Theater in Sherman Oaks, California, a Streamline Moderne masterpiece built in 1937. But all that’s left of the real theater is its façade, marquee, ticket booth, and terrazzo sidewalk. Its auditorium was demolished in 1987 and replaced by retail space. Its sign tower was a victim of the 1995 Northridge earthquake. The La Reina front is still around, but now it’s a spa.

The LA Reina Theater Designed by S. Charles Lee in 1937 for the Fox West Coast Theatres chain, it was one of the nicer medium-sized movie houses in Los Angeles. It opened in 1938 and all seating was on a single floor. Later, it was operated by National General Theatres and finally purchased by the Mann Theatres chain, who continued to show first run movies at the theatre and in the early-1980’s it was equipped with 70mm projectors. It closed around April 1984 with a special screening of “There’s No Business Like Show Business” starring Ethel Merman.

Note: S. Charles Lee was the architect who designed the Academy Theater (see above Architecture – Legends of Hollywood). Another one of his designs was the Max Factor building, the Fashion Spot façade on Hollywood Boulevard was modeled after the Max Factor Building. (See Chapter 2 – Hollywood Boulevard – The Fashion Spot.)

Max Factor Building

The end Building’s façade was modeled after a White Tower Hamburgers restaurant. It’s an example of Streamline Moderne design in the 1930s.

Planet Hollywood Shop in Hollywood Studios

White Tower in Albany, NY built 1937

White Tower Hamburgers was a fast food restaurant chain that was founded in 1926 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – closed in 2004.

The best thing about the Planet Hollywood Super Store might be its neon at night, especially with all the other neon on Sunset Boulevard.

Planet Hollywood Restaurant at Disney Spring

You can still shop for Planet Hollywood merchandise at Disney Spring. It opened in January 2017, as the Planet Hollywood Observatory.

Source:

As guests walk pass Legends of Hollywood and further down Sunset Boulevard, on their right is an alley.
Down the lane is one of Hollywood Studios’ restroom. But typical Disney, Imagineers put details and effort into the exterior design of the restroom.

In May 1991 L.A. Cinema Storage a spacious building of souvenirs, children’s clothing, plush toys, character hats, and princess merchandise opened on Hollywood Boulevard.
L.A. Cinema Storage was themed as a storage warehouse. Cinema Storage remained until 2014.

Overhead on the other side of the alley is a window with the words Desert Hot Springs Ice Co. Which we assume is a reference to the vacation home Walt owned in Desert Springs, Ca.

Reference:

Next to the Legends of Hollywood back exit is a ramp leading pass a Loading dock for L.A. Cinema Storage.

The bench in the alley has an advertisement for American Tourister.
American Tourister is the official luggage of Disney.

If guests look up behind Legends of Hollywood they will notice a Tower
The tower is based on one of the features from Granada Buildings complex, which is located Granada Buildings, 672 S. La Fayette Park Place, Los Angeles.
It was designed by architect Franklin Harper and built in 1927, the block-long complex was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Granada Buildings complex

This billboard was located on top of the Sunset Club Couture Shop in 2017. It seemed to have many people guessing as to what it was referencing to.

Was it a phone number, if so to where or whom? Was it a date, May 12, 1965 or Dec. 5, 1965, but what happened on either of these dates? Or was it just fictional?

We’ve stirred up our friends on Facebook to try to find the answer! We had many responses, but no one was really sure.
So it’s still an open question. If you know, send your answer to

www.wdwmousing@wdwmousing.com

Natural, plant-based home care & cleaning.

In 2013, this 1939 LaSalle Coupe was parked in the Sunset Boulevard alley. It was parked in the alley only a short time, but it matches the 1930’s and 40’s theming of Sunset Boulevard.

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaSalle_(automobile)

Sunset Club Couture

Sunset Club Couture is located on the other side of the restroom alley on Sunset Boulevard.

In Sunset Club Couture guests will find Disney character clothing Dooney & Bourke Disney purses, luggage, adult apparel and jewelry, watches, artwork and more. There are some great personalized souvenir options including personalized watches and Disney character drawings that are created by a Disney artist. The shop itself has magnificent décor.

Sunset Club Couture is open from park open to park close and shares its space with Mouse About Town and Once Upon a Time.

Reference:

https://www.wdwkingdom.com/sunset-club-couture-disneys-hollywood-studios-sunset-boulevard-shopping/

The façade is based on the Oakland Floral Depot, a building in Oakland, California, designed by architect Albert Evers and built in 1931. The Oakland Floral Depot Building is a stunning deep blue terra cotta Art Deco building.

Flora Restaurant

Oakland Floral Depot Building

Although it was formerly occupied by a Floral company, it is currently the site of the Flora restaurant (and adjacent expanding bars, restaurants, etc.). The restaurant name was inspired by the building's history. It’s easy to see why Disney’s Imagineers would want to include it at the park.

Reference:

Mouse About Town

Reference:

https://www.wdwkingdom.com/mouse-about-town-disneys-hollywood-studios-sunset-boulevard-shopping/

Sharing space next to Sunset Club Couture is the Mouse About Town. Inside the Mouse About Town shop guests will find fun Disney themed clothing, hats, home good and more! The apparel that you will find is a mix of traditional Disney character clothing as well as unique wears. If guests are looking for unique Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse items, here’s where they’ll find them. Many are stylish and specific to the seasons. A selection of Minnie and Mickey ears are also here for purchase along with plush toys. The store is open from park open to park close.

Berman Furs Building

Mouse About Town’s façade is inspired by the Berman Building, 9169 W. Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood. In its early years, this Streamline Moderne style building housed Berman Furs and several talent agencies.

The house was designed by noted architect Paul R Williams in 1936. Williams’ significance in Los Angeles architectural history includes projects like designing the original LA courthouse and residential projects for stars like Lucille Ball and Frank Sinatra.
The house has a storied history with Hollywood legends passing through its doors for the past 80 years. It has seen producers, directors, actors and been home to famous agents including Louis Shurr who represented Bob Hope and discovered Kim Novak and the renowned Paul Koehner.
Most recently it was the offices of Rob Reiner and Castle Rock Entertainment.

Reference:

Located between Mouse About Town and the Carthay Circle Theater is a charming façade and storefront. It has no sign, but it has an address, 77 Sunset.

Based on feedback on Facebook, most felt that 77 Sunset refers to the TV series 77 Sunset Strip.
77 Sunset Strip is private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long and Edd Byrnes. The show ran from 1958 to 1964.

Shopping for Dapper Day (see above)

The doorway goes into the shared retail space of the adjacent stores, Mouse About Town and Carthey Circle Theater.

Cellophane Building

The façade is based on the east part of the Cellophane Building at 132 West Colorado Boulevard in the Old Pasadena section of Pasadena, California.

The Cellophane Building once housed A-Aba Cellophane, a family business that printed and cut cellophane packaging. When the building was restored in 1986 to become retail space, A-Aba Cellophane moved to Azusa after decades in Pasadena.

The building was built in 1914. When the city of Pasadena widened Colorado Boulevard in 1929, the front 14 feet of it and many other buildings around it had to be chopped off. Their original façades (often in the Victorian style) were replaced by snazzy new façades in the current styles of 1929. For 132 W. Colorado Boulevard, the 1929 architect was Leo Bachmann. The Old Pasadena Historic District made it onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. A store of the international apparel chain Zara is now in the Cellophane Building.

Sources:

The building at the end of this side of Sunset Boulevard is named the Carthay Circle, it houses a shop called the "Once Upon A Time Shop".
The shop at the Studios used to sell mainly holiday decorations. Until 2008, the interior of the store originally displayed a large selection of vintage Disney toys. Now the Once Upon A Time Shop, along with the stores adjacent to it, sell mostly clothing for men and women.
Inside Once Upon A Time guests can find Disney themed clothing, jewelry, and headwear.
Since Once Upon A Time Shop is located at the exit of Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage Theater, it has Plush toys, and has a variety of princess themed merchandise. It’s the best shop for shopping for a little princess. This shop is elegant inside and out.

Although the shop is called the Once Upon A Time, the building is named, the Carthay Circle.

If you’re a follower of Disney history, you should recognize the name. The Carthay Circle Theater hosted the official premiere of Walt Disney's first animated feature length film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (in1937) and also Disney's Fantasia (in 1940). For Fantasia an elaborate audio system, called Fantasound, a pioneering stereophonic process, was installed at this Theater. The Theater had shown the early Mickey Mouse cartoons before some of its feature films.
The Theater was an icon from the Golden years of Hollywood.

The Snow White connection was the backstory of this store when it opened in 1994. The outside of the building was an architectural recreation of the famous original Theater.

The display windows around the outside references the movie, from the mining scenes to the distinctive dwarf cottage.

Walt wanted to really put out all the stops and promote the film for the premier, so he brought his personal collection of Disney toys to the premier and displayed them throughout the theater.

The shop interior had a number of classic Disney toys these were to mimic the historic night of the premier of Snow White. When the store was changed in 2008, the toys disappeared and today we have a more art-deco look to match the other stores in the area.

The current interior still has the thematic touches such as the lamps and display cabinets to make the overall appearance fit with the look and feel of the 1930s.

Beyond those background details there are also few references to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In the top sections of several display cases along the walls are old photos and movie poster reproductions
And, if guests listen carefully they may have heard clips of the actual radio broadcast from 1937 that covered the red carpet event and arrival of Walt Disney.

The building façade is an exact replica of the Carthay Circle located at 6316 San Vicente near Carillo Avenue, Los Angeles. Built as a silent picture movie house in 1926, The Carthay Circle Theater had fifteen hundred and eighteen seats, and rivaled Grauman’s Chinese Theater in lavishness. It was considered developer J. Harvey McCarthy's most successful monument. The Spanish Baroque architecture style was the work of architect A. Dwight Gibbs, who also designed the Mesa Theatre and helped design the Pasadena Playhouse.

Carthay Circle Theater Interior

Carthay Circle

Background on J.Harvey McCarthy:

https://www.kcet.org/history-society/pioneers-politics-and-punches-dan-the-miner-carthay-circle-and-dirty-dealings-in-the

The Carthay Circle was the site of numerous premieres. This theater and the Mann’s Chinese Theater (also known as the Grauman Chinese Theater see Chapter 5 – The Great Movie Ride) held more premieres than any theater around. Gone With the Wind held it’s big west coast premiere here.

In 1968, the theater shuttered its doors and drew the curtains down for the last time. The grand theater was torn down and two office buildings, divided by a park, were built in the space in the 1970s.

Sources:

https://www.findingwalt.com/carthay-circle-theater/

The Imagineers who worked on the park demonstrated a special fondness for the Fox Carthay Circle Theater.

Hollywood & Vine Restaurant

Hollywood & Vine Restaurant Mural

In the Hollywood & Vine restaurant an interior mural features the Carthay Circle as its centerpiece.

The studio gate between the Central Plaza and Animation Courtyard also pays tribute to the Carthay Circle Theater. The Carthay Circle tower is in the upper left corner on each bas-relief.

The Legends of Hollywood store also has a mural showing the five theater façades in Hollywood Studios. The Grauman’s Chinese, is in the center of the mural and the Carthay Circle is on the left.

Mural in Legends of Hollywood

Carthay Circle Theater photo (right) in The former Writer’s Stop near Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. (closed in 2016 to make way for Galaxy’s Edge)

In the 1953 season, Basil Rathbone performed in a stage version of Sherlock Holmes, adapted by his wife, Ouida Rathbone in the Fox Carthay Circle Theatre.

If you interested in more history and backstory about the Carthay Circle Theater and Walt Disney the below website is conversation between Werner Weiss and Jim Korkis

https://www.yesterland.com/carthay.html

It’s well known that the Disney Imagineers put a tremendous amount of detail into building Hollywood Studios. Many guests head down Sunset Boulevard in a hurry to get to the Tower of Terror or Rockin’ Roller Coaster miss these details and they have so much to do with the theming of Sunset Boulevard and the meaning of Hollywood Studios, “a Hollywood that never was - and always will be."

In the next Chapter, we'll tour the other side of Sunset Boulevard.

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Afterword:
WDWMousing.com is designed to be a tour of Walt Disney World through photos. We have been to Walt Disney World countless times over the past 25 years and accumulated a magnitude of photos in that time. This website is an intention to combine two of our favorite pastimes, Walt Disney World and photography, and provide an insightful pictorial tour.
While doing so, we've done an extensive research of the internet and literary sources for background information on each area and atrraction. The information is available, but most bits and pieces are scattered all over. WDWMousing doesn't intend to rewrite the stories, legends or data, but to try and collect it into one location with reference and links to the original articles and authors. And giving rightful credit. We've stumbled through quite a bit of mis-information, most of which came to life by fans because the origins were lost, forgotten or no one seems to remember. Over the past 25 years we've also lost most of the great Imagineers that helped develop, design and build the original concepts of Walt Disney World. So we believe it's extremely important to make sure that their efforts, intentions, details and creativity in making this Happiest Place on Earth isn't lost.
So we ask for feedback, insights, and suggestions.

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WDWMousing

Chapter 8 - Hollywood Studios - Sunset Boulevard - Part 1 posted Jan 2021

We would definitely like to hear from you.Let us know what your thoughts, suggestions, ideas, and absolutely, if we've missed anything.

Chapter 8 - Hollywood Studios - Sunset Boulevard - Part 1
posted Jan 2021

We would definitely like to hear from you.
Let us know what your thoughts, suggestions, ideas, and absolutely, if we've missed anything.