History
The tour has always been at the heart of Universal. From 1915, when visitors sat on bleachers for 5 cents, to the 1964 introduction of pink and white GlamorTrams, to the current technological sophistication, the behind-the-scenes view of a working movie studio has been a large attraction.
During the early years of the tram tour (1964–1965) all of the attractions at Universal were reached via the tram. The tour originally departed from the front lot comissary. In 1965, the upper lot studio tour center opened.
In 1991, the tram boarding was moved to the lower lot following the construction of the Starway escalator system. In 1996, boarding moved back to the upper lot to make room for Jurassic Park: The Ride.
As the movie studio has continued to evolve, the tour has evolved along with it. In late 1989, CD players finally gave the tour guides a chance to rest their voices. In 2000, the CD players were replaced by DVD players and LCD screens, allowing the tour guides to show scenes from movies filmed at the locations which the tram passes.
Since 2006, some studio tours have bypassed the Collapsing Bridge, due to aging and wearing. However, the bridge has since undergone renovations, and was added back to the tour schedules in August 2008. Since July 2010, the Collapsing Bridge has been used as a representation of the Skull Island city for the new King Kong: 360 3-D attraction.
Read more about this topic: Studio Tour
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“As History stands, it is a sort of Chinese Play, without end and without lesson.”
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—Jonathan Raban (b. 1942)