I was so sad when I saw on the news the other day about the fire that burned down and damaged many sets at the Universal Studios Hollywood. I was there vin 1997 and the backlot tour was one of my favorite things there. I got to see the famous New York Street, as well as Courthouse Square, which played a prominent role in "Back to the Future," "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Inherit the Wind." The flames even burned down the 30-foot animatronic King Kong, one of the most famous rides of the theme park.Fire is nothing new to the studio. Seven significant blazes have hit the lot along the Cahuenga Pass in the Hollywood Hills since 1932. New York Street, in particular, burned to the ground in 1957 and 1990. Filmed in the area were the TV shows "Crossing Jordan," "Monk," "Seinfeld," "NYPD Blue," "Kojak" and the movies "Dragnet," "Bruce Almighty," "The Sting" and the "The Blues Brothers." The only television production affected by the weekens'a fire was CBS' "Ghost Whisperer," but a CBS Paramount spokeswoman said the damage to exterior sets would not delay the fourth season's premiere. Despite initial rumors, a rep for ABC's Desperate Housewives said that there is no damage to the Wisteria Lane set, which is also housed on the property.
