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A sentimental journey across town for the legendary NBC studios in Burbank, California.
This weekend, they shut down and the whole operation moves in with the rest of the company
in Universal Studios. It has made us all sentimental about the amount of television history that
was made on the old NBC lot. "The following program is brought to you in living color on NBC."
"From the backroom of Benny's Beanery and Firework Factory in beautiful downtown Burbank."
The great Gary Owens. While it was technically always Los Angeles County, Burbank is a city
all its own and to us non-Californian's, the name just sounded funny. "Laugh-In" made fun
of the name mercilessly, so did Johnny Carson. And countless visitors on the NBC tour would
just try to catch a glimpse of Johnny's parking space, in this case, Johnny himself, who encountered
a young reporter named, Maria Shriver. The list of shows and stars from NBC Burbank is
extensive. From Jack Benny, to Jay Leno, to Flip Wilson, Bob Hope, "The Midnight Special,"
and "Hollywood Squares." And if you want to know the real history of the place, just ask
our friend, veteran video engineer, Chuck Cline. "Well if you dug up Studio 4, you'd
find Esther Williams' swimming pool. Back where they did her specials - her water ballet.
You go underneath Studio 1, you'll find a bowling alley. Danny Kaye used to bowl underneath
Studio 1. That's why to this day it's still referred to as the bowling alley." As for
us, when we're in LA, this shot will look different. That newsroom will be gone as of
this weekend, as NBC Los Angeles moves into new digs.