Tenement Street/Skid Row
This street was a conglomeration of common tenement type facades representing a poor part of any major American city. Constructed around 1936, it became a major backdrop for many movies and shows needing a lesser upscale look.
Skid Row was used in several films and television shows, sometimes just as a backdrop for the end of the street, as seen in "The Wild One" from 1953 and in "Golden Boy" from 1939, and sometimes featured prodominately, as in 'Bikini Beach' from 1964 and in 'Who's Minding the Mint' from 1967 seen in the captures below.
Skid Row housed shops, tenement buildings, a Synagogue, as well as an alley and other facades that were typically found on this type of street in America in the mid 1930's.
Both Modern Street and Brownstone Street dead ended into Skir Row and during the mid 30's there was an Elevated Train structure, running down the middle of the street. The "L" (Elevated Train structure) is seen in "You Can't Take It With You" from 1938 with "Jean Arthur" & "Jimmy Stewart" and directed by "Frank Capra".
The street is also seen in many of the early serials put out by Columbia Pictures. Following are colages of scenes from "Superman" & "Batman" just to name a couple, and show a panoramic view of the street as it was during the filming of these shows.
It is also seen in "The Three Stooges" from 1940. However the "L" appears to be gone by 1942 in the movie "Talk of the Town" also with "Jean Arthur" but this time with "Cary Grant". "Talk of the Town" has some great shots of the street as two of the main characters walk down the street in one scene.
The street was destroyed along with the others in a fire in Sep of 1974. Eventhough it was slated to be rebuild shortly after the fire, the then Burbank Studios never did. The area was untouched until a new show named 'Code R' came along and a new Berm was created, stretching from the Skeffington house to where the Kirby building used to be. This was done partly to hide the shopping center and to suggest a beach front for the show, which took place on an Island. It was completed with facades strecthing along the 'shore'. The show however did not last, but 'Fantasy Island' soon took over and the area was transformed in to a tropical paradise. A small 'lagoon' was created complete with dock for 'The Plane'.
"Bewitched", "I Dream of Jeannie", "The Monkees" and in "The Partridge Family" made use of the street as well.
A scene from 'Bewitched' 1965
And a scene from 'The Partridge Family' 6 years later
Below, the seldomly seen Synagogue on Skid Row, from 'The Al Jolson Story' 1946. Unlike the rest of the street, the Synagogue was a full structure, but mainly used as a storage facility. The front, left and right sides were finished to resemble an early turn of the century Synagogue.