Strolling Through the (Theme) Park One Day: Paramount Studios Tour!

I have been to the Universal Studios Tour with its tram for years, I really like the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, and visited the Disney and Sony lot, so the last major studio I have not visited was Paramount Studios.  I have driven past Paramount Studios countless times and didn’t know it had a studio tour.  It is in a small building to the left of the main gate on Melrose Boulevard.  After passing a security check-in, you can check your reservation or buy your ticket, and then get your badge and lanyard.  The room next door is for waiting until your tour.  It has a row of costumes; Uhura’s outfit and Spock’s uniform from Star Trek: Beyond (2016), and the green dress of Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt’s suit from Allied (2016).  There are plaques on the wall showing some of the history of Paramount Pictures.  The next room has a wall sized screen showing the movies from the studio. 

Paramount Pictures, studio gate, photo by the author. 

There are three displays; the headress from The Ten Commandments, three props from Star Trek: Beyond, and a mask from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. On the opposite wall is a shelf of Academy Awards; The Godfather and the Braveheart trophy was being cleaned.  This particular day, there was no filming, so I thought this would be a great time to see the studio without any part being blocked off.  The guide takes you to the next room to talk to your group and show the ceiling panel from the Paramount Studios fire.  There was also props from Transformers and Terminator: Gensiys.  Then, you are taken outside to board a cart.  The guide drives you over to the Paramount Studios gate that was in  Sunset Blvd. (1950) and other films.  This is a photo op and also the guide takes you to the screening theater.  The group was shown on the guide’s ipad the scene from Clear and Present Danger that used the interior of the theater as a hotel lobby.  

Uhura costume from Star Trek: Beyond, photo by the author. 

Then, the tour group was taken to the New York street and shown the inside of a building.  Next, the guide took the group on a tour of the Grace and Frankie sets of the Netflix show.  The group was cautioned not to take pictures and there is a security guard that watched over the sets.  There is the house of the men with the backyard and the beachside women’s house which had a faux beach outside and a blue screen.  Next to the beach was rows of costumes.  One stop was by Stage 30 and 31 where the group could take a pic of the Hollywood sign which the guide said Paramount is the only studio where you could see the sign.  The last stop was a building of large props.  There was a large Bumblebee and the Optimus Prime truck from Transformers.  Next to Bumblebee was a throne from Gladiator.  Then, there was the Transporter Room from Star Trek: Beyond.  Behind the Transporter Room was the stone casket of Merlin from Transformers: The Last Knight.  The Paramount Studios Tour is an interesting look at a famous studio.   

Optimus Prime truck from Transformers, photo by the author. 

#ParamountStudiosTour, #StarTrekBeyond, #GraceandFrankie, #Gladiator