(...click to return to part 2 of the tour)

Across the wide street and on the south side of the midwestern town area were several facades, including one whose upper portion pre-dated the Gone With The Wind era.

At the east end of these facades was a small exterior set which was seen in the The Andy Griffith Show only as a backdrop, and whose only production use discovered so far was as the "Reprisal Bar & Grill" in the 1966 film, "Ride Beyond Vengeance."

view southeast across town square, featuring the eastern-most facade on the south side of the 40 Acres main street (from The Andy Griffith Show)

a view of the same facade seen in the previous image, dressed here as the "Reprisal Bar" in the 1966 film, "Ride Beyond Vengeance." In the distance is visible a real Culver City building. (with thanks to Larry James)

virtual view of the eastern-most facade on the south side of the main street (ray-traced rendering from 3D model)

In the late 1960's, the recessed area between the "Reprisal Bar" and the facade to its right was eliminated, and a new facade was constructed to fill the void (from Mayberry R.F.D.)

a view slightly to the right of that in the previous image, in which we can now also see the side of the double-porched "hotel" facade (from The Andy Griffith Show)

West of the "Reprisal Bar & Grill" was a large set with a double-porched facade facing east (facing the church), and an adjacent wall facing north, including an entrance protected by a solid canopy. This set appeared as the "Travelers Hotel" in the 1947 "The Long Night," and it appeared as a backdrop in a number of other productions, including The Adventures of Superman and The Andy Griffith Show. In the Griffith show, the north-facing facade was occasionally dressed as a Post Office.

virtual view of double-porched "hotel" facade (ray-traced rendering from 3D model)

view of double-porched "hotel" facade, as seen from the courthouse (from The Andy Griffith Show)

a scene in front of the double-porched hotel facade, a somewhat rare filming location for The Andy Griffith Show

the same set, as the "Travelers Hotel" in the 1947 film, The Long Night.

virtual view of "Travelers Hotel" (ray-traced rendering)

the north side of the double-porched hotel served as the Mayberry post office in The Andy Griffith Show

another view of the Mayberry post office (from Mayberry R.F.D.)

onlookers admire the Batmobile, parked in front of the "Mayberry" post office

the same facade from the previous photo can be seen in the background in this Star Trek frame, as viewed from the alley between the 4-story building and the row of north-side storefronts.

West of the "Travelers Hotel" set was a two-story facade which extended to the 4-way intersection, and which was one of the oldest sets on the 40 Acres backlot. Situated between the Travelers Hotel and this facade was a small, one-story facade which fronted the gap/alley between the two sets. This smaller set in later years bore a large sign advertising magazines.

view east of shops on south side of midwestern town area (from The Adventures of Superman) (click here for expanded virtual matching view)

a view similar to that of the previous image, with the 40 Acres midwestern town dressed as "Coldiron, Texas" for the 1966 film, "Ride Beyond Vengeance."

view southwest toward 4-way intersection. The upper portion of the two-story facade seen here (left of center) remained virtually unchanged from its construction as one of the original street sets of the backlot. Its lower portion was modified for Gone With The Wind, and further modified over the next few decades (from The Andy Griffith Show)

virtual view of south-side facades (ray-traced rendering)

view from alley between theater building & 4-story building of same facades visible in previous image (from Star Trek) (click here for virtual matching view)

Continuing west on foot in an imaginary walking tour, the midwestern town pavement tapers to a normal two-lane city street width, and one finds themselves at a four-way intersection. To the left and right of this intersection runs a facade-lined cross-street, with additional facades at each end, facing the intersection. A notable feature of the cross street is a trolley track running essentially its entire length.

view west from midwestern town area, through 4-way intersection. Visible in the distance is the roof of the railroad station from Gone With the Wind.

a more elevated view from the same location, from Star Trek episode Miri

aerial view of 40 Acres "downtown" and 4-way intersection, early summer 1958 (from Desilu/Westinghouse sponsor film). Running roughly left to right in this image is the cross street, from south to north respectively.

view of northwest corner of 4-way intersection, from Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever." Note the streetcar tracks, a permanent fixture of the relatively short cross-street which ran north and south of the main street.

view west through 4-way intersection from Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., with the same prominent corner facade as seen in the previous image. this corner facade appeared in The Andy Griffith Show as "Weaver's Department Store."

view north through 4-way-intersection, from The Andy Griffith Show episode, "Man in the Hurry."

a view north through the 4-way intersection (from the Star Trek episode "Return of the Archons")

earlier view north through intersection, prior to construction of north-end facades, and with original "Atlanta" east- and west-facing facades still standing. (from The Untouchables)

view north through the four-way intersection, after construction of new facades on the north end (from The Untouchables)

looking northeast through 4-way intersection...former "Grand" theater facade in b.g., along with 4-story building (partially obscured). corner bldg. in foreground appeared in the Griffith show as the Mayberry bank (from filming of the Star Trek episode "Return of the Archons") (with thanks to Tom Redlaw, and also to Curt McAloney of startrekhistory.com) (click here to see an episode frame from this scene)

view of northeast corner of 4-way intersection, from the "Ghost Town" episode of Land of the Giants

van crashes into facade at northeast corner of 4-way intersection (1 of 3, from Mission Impossible)

van crashes into facade at northeast corner of 4-way intersection (2 of 3, from Mission Impossible)

van crashes into facade at northeast corner of 4-way intersection (3 of 3, from Mission Impossible)

a nighttime view of the 4-way intersection, looking south, from the Star Trek episode "Return of the Archons" (an unused shot from the episode, scanned from an original 35mm half-frame)

a view south through the 4-way intersection. in the distance is seen the large facade at the south end of the cross-street, and Culver City's Baldwin Hills (from the Star Trek episode "Return of the Archons")

view of southwest corner of 4-way intersection (from The Untouchables) (click here for virtual matching view)

view southeast through 4-way intersection (from The Andy Griffith Show)

view southwest from southeast corner of 4-way intersection (from Mayberry R.F.D.)

high-angle view of southeast corner of 4-way intersection (from Hogan's Heroes)

4-way intersection, view east back toward midwestern town area (from Land of the Giants)

By the early 1960's, the north cross street was lined with all-new facades, facades which would serve as frequent background settings extending The Andy Griffith Show's "Mayberry" beyond the more frequently seen midwestern town area. These facades would also later appear in Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., That Girl and other TV series.

a high-angle view of the north cross street west side facades (from Mission Impossible)

Ronnie Howard as "Opie Taylor" strolls along a sidewalk on the west side of the north end of the cross-street.

around the corner and to the northwest from the location seen in the previous photo was a dirt road paralleling Culver City's Higuera St. located just over the hill in the background (from The Andy Griffith Show)

The Batmobile on the north cross street

east side of north cross-street, dressed as China-town (from Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.)

east side of north cross-street, as seen in the short-lived TV series Window on Main Street (with thanks to Mark J. Cuccia)

view of northeast corner of 4-way intersection and north cross street sidewalk from Star Trek

The southern portion of the cross street ran downhill, ending at a large, long facade constructed sometime in the 1940's. The east side of the south cross street featured facades constructed circa 1959. At least some of the west side facades, however, dated to "Gone With The Wind," and only saw minor changes in the decades that followed. A stairway set of the style associated with Chicago's L train system was constructed circa 1959 adjacent to the lower west side facade on the south cross street.

Batman and Robin arrive at the east side facades on the lower end of the south cross street

The southernmost facade on the east side of the 40 Acres cross street, as it appeared in November, 1961 (a RetroWeb Archives image)

The same facade from the previous image, from a scene cut from the final print of the Star Trek episode "Miri." (with thanks to Curt McAloney, startrekhistory.com)

the large north-facing facade at the south end of the cross-street, dressed as a Nazi headquarters in Hogan's Heroes

a closeup of the large facade at the south end of the cross-street, from the Star Trek episode "Return of the Archons"

upper south cross street west side facades, from The Untouchables

south cross street west side facades as seen in "Gone With The Wind." The facade on the left actually pre-dated those constructed for the film, and was one of the longest-standing town facades on the lot.

lower south cross street west side facades (from Star Trek). This facade pre-dated those constructed for Gone With The Wind, and was constructed in 1927 as one of the lot's original town facades. The facade ultimately became one of the longest standing facades on the lot.

lower south cross street, as seen in My Three Sons

adjacent to the facade in the previous image was a roofed stairway set, including a small one-story facade supported by metal beam stilts. this seldom-seen set was built in the era of "The Untouchables" (in which it appeared several times as a Chicago L Train stairway), and is seen here on November 13, 1961 dressed for the episode "Fall Guy" which aired January 11, 1962. (a RetroWeb Archives image)

the L-train staiway was also a filming location in 1976's Vigilante Force, a trashy film which was very likely the final production to utilize the backlot.

virtual view of south cross street stairway set and adjacent facade (which dated to 1927 as one of the original 40 Acres town facades constructed by Cecil B. DeMille) (ray-traced rendering from 3D model)

the south cross-street stairway set is seen here in a scene from The Untouchables

a closeup of the stairway set and the facade at the top

this scene from The Untouchables takes place under the stairway set.

Continuing west beyond the 4-way intersection, one would walk along what had the appearance of a typical downtown city street, with two and three-story facades to either side. At the end of the street on the southwest corner stood another theater facade, with an alley running to its left. On the northwest corner stood the facade which was constructed as home to"The Atlanta Examiner" in Gone With The Wind.

Immediately across the T intersection to the west was a single-story row of facades facing east and designed to be filmed only from a distance, and just behind these facades sat the large railroad depot set built for Gone With the Wind.

west end of the 40 Acres main street, as seen in Mission Impossible. The Gone With The Wind railroad depot roof is visible just beyond the single-story facades in the background. The film's exterior for the Atlanta Examiner office building was on the corner seen just right of center above. In the background, beyond the depot roof, is visible the water tower at Desilu Studios just west of 40 Acres.

same area, in a more elevated view from The Untouchables, and in which the railroad depot is more visible

the west end of the 40 Acres main street as "Mt. Pilot" in a scene from Mayberry R.F.D.

looking east back toward the midwestern town area from west end of downtown main street (from Mission Impossible)

same area as in previous photo, in one of rare scenes in The Andy Griffith Show filmed in this area of the 40 Acres town.

elevated view east from the west end of the main street (from Batman)

view of facades on south side of west end of the main street (from The Untouchables)

The westernmost facade on the south side of the 40 Acres main street, as it appeared in November, 1961 (a RetroWeb Archives image)

the southwest corner facade as a closed-up theater (from Mission Impossible)

The westernmost facade on the north side of the 40 Acres main street served as "The Atlanta Examiner" building in Gone With The Wind. This photograph of the facade, and of those east of and adjacent to it, was taken on November 13, 1961. (a RetroWeb Archives image)

a view of the main street-level front of the "Atlanta Examiner" facade, from the vantage point of the alley across the street (from Star Trek)

The "Atlanta Examiner" again as a backdrop (from Batman)

view northeast looking back at the western end of the main street. The "Atlanta Examiner" building is just left of center, and the theater building is across the street, in the center of the image (from Batman)

The huge railroad depot set constructed for Gone With The Wind stood for 32 years as the backlot's centerpiece, both figuratively and literally. The depot set was designed to be filmed only from the east, and it had no west roof. Filming from the south end included use of a matte painting to present a curved roof-line consistent with the actual depot. Occasionally over the years, the depot was used as a filming location or backdrop in other productions. The railway depot set was destroyed by fire on the night of December 11, 1971.

aerial view of Gone With The Wind railroad depot, early summer 1958 (from Desilu/Westinghouse sponsor film)

virtual view of the depot, including re-created enhancements which appeared in Gone With The Wind by way of matte paintings. (ray-traced rendering from 3D model)

another appearance of the railroad depot in The Untouchables

In November of 1965, some exterior and interior scenes for The Andy Griffith Show episode "The Legend of Barney Fife" were filmed at the railroad depot, which served as a hideout for an escaped convict.

A scene possibly involving interior filming at the railroad depot (from The Andy Griffith Show)

The Batmobile passes the Gone With The Wind railroad station set. As also revealed in the previous distant view, the station was an eastward-facing set, with mostly supporting framework on the western side, and no covering on the western slope of the roof.

There is still much more of 40 Acres to see. Click below to access the final page of the gallery...

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