Psycho House & Bates Motel Timeline

I'll try and keep it up to date as much as possible, with time permitting.

Upon completion of filming Psycho, Universal Studios, wasted no time putting the standing exterior sets to good use. In fact, Hitchcock, himself, used his house and motel facade in his own TV series. Using the former PsychoHouse group at yahoo and countless emails from eagle-eyed viewers we have managed to locate some obscure appearances.

1959 The Psycho House is constructed mostly from stock units originally used on Colonial Street. The Bates Motel is also constructed on the backlot in a vacant area off Laramie Street, next to (the then) Singapore Lake (which is now used as 'Jaws' on the tour). Originally the house was constructed with only 2 walls - the left and front facade.

December 1959 Filming commences for Hitchcock's Psycho. The Psycho House and Motel are left as 'standing sets' after filming completes.

1960 The house is used for exteriors in 'Boris Karloff's Thriller' TV program, "The Purple Room" starring Rip Torn, Richard Anderson and Patricia Berry. This is probably one of the first uses after Psycho.

1960 The house is seen in the TV series, The Quest in the episode, Whispering Smith.

1960 The Bates Motel features in the TV series, Thriller, the epsiode, The Big Black Out.

1960 The house features in background shots of the TV series, The Deputy, the epsiode, Palace of Chance.

1961 The house appears in the TV series, Thriller in the episode, The Hungry Glass.

1960 - 1962 The Tall Man was a TV series which ran from 1960 till 1962 that aired on NBC. As it was filmed in Universal's western section of the backlot the Psycho House was a familiar backdrop.

1961 The "Psycho" house was used in the episode, Masquerade, part of the "Boris Karloff's Thriller," Tom Poston and Elizabeth ("Bewitched") Montgomery played a couple whose car breakdown leads them to an old house...

1961 Again the house features in Thriller, the epsiode, An Attractive Family

1961 The house is used in Wagon Train, episode titled, Eleanor Culhane.. Flint McCullough finds his former girlfriend living alone in the house after she has become isolated from the town because they believe her husband has become a murderer. The episode starred Robert Horton and Felicia Farr.

1962 The house features in two episodes of Laramie, titled, The Runt and Hour After Dawn.


1962 The house features in two episdodes of Frontier Circus, titled, Coals of Fire and Mr Grady Regrets.

1963 The Bates Motel features on the show Arrest and Trial in the episode, Who's Little Girl Are You?.

1963 The House appeared in an episode of "Alcoa Premiere" from 1963 called "The Town that Died."

1963 The Motel appeared in an episode of "Kraft Suspense Theatre" in 1963 called "Are There Any More Out There Like You?" with Robert Ryan and Katharine Ross.

1963 A third wall is added to the right hand side of the house during this period. Possibly so the house could be used from the reversed angle for use in Westerns. The house still has no rear wall - and would remain so until the house was "boxed in" in 1982.

1964 The Bates Motel appears in the Ann-Margaret movie, Kitten With A Whip.

1964 Universal Studios open the studio tour on July 15th. One of the key attractions is the Psycho House. The Bates Motel is bypassed and is not seen by the original tour.

1964 The house features in the Yul Brenner western, Invitation To A Gunfighter.

1964 The exterior of the Bates Motel's office appears in the Ronald Regan film, The Killers.

1965 The exterior of the house was featured in the Alfred Hitchcock Hour, "An Unlocked Window." Several nurses are trapped in the house with a psycho on the loose trying to get in. It has a very "Psycho" twist at the end.

1965 The original Bates Motel exterior is used in the Alfred Hitchcock Hour, "Off Season." This was the final Alfred Hitchcock TV show ever made, and starred John Gavin.

1965 The house features in The Virginian, episode,” Farewell To Honesty”.

1966 The house is featured in The Virginian, Men With Guns, guest starring Telly Savalas.

1967 The house features in the western TV series Laredo, "Small Chance Ghost".

1971 "Night Gallery" episode, A Question Of Fear, Leslie Nielsen spends the night in a haunted house on a bet. For this, the Psycho house exterior was used.

1971 The house features in episode 14 of Alias, Smith & Jones, titled, Never Trust an Honest Man.

1972 Emergency! use the house in the episode. Brush Fire. John and Roy rescue an elderly woman and her sister living in the house.

1976 The house features in the television mini-series "The Captains and the Kings." It was for this production a veranda was added making the home appear larger. It remained attached to the house until the house was demolished in 1980.

1976 The house features on an episode of the Six Million Dollar Man called “A Bionic Christmas Carol.”

1977 Universal Studios airs a 25 minute TV Special about the Universal Studio Tour, called, Catch Hollywood In The Act. Hosted by Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman on the Six Million Dollar Man) it features footage of the backlot including the Psycho House, Jaws, Airport 77 Theatre, Runaway Train, Collapsing Bridge, Doomed Glacier, Parting of the Red Sea, makeup demonstrations, special effects stages and interior sets from the Bionic Woman.

1977- 1979 The Psycho House features in 3 episodes of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. The Mystery of the Haunted House, The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom and The House on Possessed Hill.

1980 The house features in the Get Smart Movie, The Nude Bomb. (Maxwell Smart becomes a tour guide at Universal Studios.)

1980 The house features in the TV show, The Misadventures of Sherrif Lobo, in the episode, The Haunting of Orly Manor.

1980 The original Psycho House is dismantled around December 22nd 1980 with the Motel following shortly after.

1982 Jamie Lee Curtis hosts a movie, Coming Soon. The Psycho House is seen at the Universal Studios Mill before being moved to it's new location on the backlot. Interestingly the house is in mid-production with half the roof missing.

1982 It's decided to move the Psycho House to a new location on the backlot. Psycho II director Richard Franklin said at the time, "they built a tour around it, so we had to move it to a remote location". The house was rebuilt and placed opposite where the log cabin sits today. Only thirty feet of motel was built. The rest was done as a matte painting.

1983 A TV special, Australian Movies To The World, features a brief segment hosted by Psycho II director, Richard Franklin - he tours the inside shell of the Bates House and talks of directing Psycho II.

1983 The house is featured in the movie, D.C. Cab.

1984 Knight Rider episode titled, Halloween Knight which has a Psychoesque storyline.

1984 A two part episode of TV comedy, Diff'rent Strokes, Hooray for Hollywood, features the Psycho House with Arnold getting lost on the Universal Studios backlot and who opens the Psycho house door? Frankenstein of course!

1985 The Jan Michael-Vincent series, Airwolf, features the house in episode 15, Santini's Millions on 2nd February.

1985 The Psycho House is moved to it's current location on the backlot. The Motel is fully rebuilt for Psycho III.

1986 The House and Motel feature in an episode of Amazing Stories, Welcome To My Nightmare (filming must have coincided with Psycho III as Cabin one is fully dressed).

1987 With the Bates Motel TV Pilot in production, the Motel now has BATES MOTEL painted in white letters along the roof and the Motel is transformed with a more modern appearance. A cement rendered wall is placed around the Motel.

1988 Universal builds a new Psycho House and Motel in Florida for Psycho IV.

1990 A Bud Light beer commercial uses the house in a promotion.

1991 Murder She Wrote films an episode directly involving the House and Motel titled, Incident on Lot 7.

1995 The cement rendered wall surrounding the Bates Motel (from the TV Pilot) is removed.

1995 Janet Leigh hosts a segment titled, Celebrity Homes for E! Featured is the exterior and interior of the Psycho House.

1995 Universal Studios commissioned a parody of 1950s corporate/industrial films for Seagrams using the talents of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Angela Lansbury is seen painting the Psycho House.

1997 The house features in a few episodes of the TV soap Bold and the Beautiful.

1997 Filming commences for the Gus Van Sant Remake. During the filming of Psycho 98, the original house is masked with a new house used in the movie.

1999 Universal Studios, Florida, dismantle the house and motel built for Psycho IV The Beginning, to build an extension to a children's play area.

2000 Janet Leigh returns (along with journalists) to the Bates Motel for Psycho's 40th anniversary.

2000 Whoville from The Grinch That Stole Christmas is filmed partly behind the Psycho House. After filming is complete the Whoville Houses are moved behind the Bates Motel.

2000 The Bates Motel is seen in the movie, Big Momma's House, where it's portrayed as the Cactus Motel.

2001 The Backlot Murders (filmed on the Universal Backlot) uses the Psycho set as part of the movie.

2001 The red letters (Motel) that sat on the Bates Motel roof in the 1998 remake are removed.

2001 The house appears in a black & white television commercial for DiGiorno Pizza.

2001 The House is briefly featured in the Frankie Muniz comedy, Big Fat Liar

2002 The House featured in the Psycho 98 remake is removed.

2004 The house has a refurbishment.

2004 During 2004 the church seen in the original Psycho is demolished by the Universal backlot department - a restructure of Circle Drive necessitates changes to the backlot and it’s decided the church isn't worth saving.

2005 With the Region 1 DVD re-release of Psycho II and Psycho III, the Bates Motel is refurbished. A number of set pieces make a familiar return, the icebox from Psycho III, Marion Crane's car (complete with body in the trunk), a suitcase, mop and bucket sitting on the Motel's veranda and a cardboard cut-out of Norman Bates stares from the window of Cabin 1.

2005 The Motel and house are filmed as part of the TV series, Fear Factor.

2008 Puddle of Mudd feature inside the Psycho House for their single, Psycho.

2008 Universal Studios host Halloween Horror Nights and offers guests a rare night view and a chance to walk past the Psycho House and Bates Motel.

2008 The Universal Studios Tour now features a Norman Bates look-a-like stepping out of Cabin One, carrying a body to the trunk of the car, noticing the tram, he raises his knife and walks slowly towards it. If Norman is not at the motel a cardboard cutout of Anthony Perkins stands looking out the window of the Motel Office.

2010 Jonas LA film a segment of the show on the Universal Lot using the Psycho House and steps as a background.
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google earth

I'll admit it. I'm an armchair traveller. It's cheap, and I can go anywhere in the click of a mouse thanks to Google Earth. I'm addicted to it. It's fun cruising down a street and checking out the world that's outside my door.

But how recent are the street views I'm looking at? When I was in in LA in 2005 (Sunset Blvd to be precise), I saw a billboard for a show called The Triangle. It sounded good so as not to forget the title I snapped a photo. So this morning I noticed the same billboard in 2009. It got me wondering how often it updates. At the same token it was thrilling, if only for a second to see the same billboard.

vintage games

There was something simple about the old board games of the 1960’s. They didn't require electricity or plugging in to the TV, you didn't need super human co-ordination. You simply had a dice or a spinner (if the game was slightly deluxe.) You'd roll the dice and move your plastic marker across the board. Fun huh!?

Games got slightly more sophisticated as time progressed. You'd place a balloon under a box and start to hammer nails in. Sounds stupid but it made an enormous amount of money. Imagine building a mouse trap as the game goes along and in the end catching a plastic mouse! Oh the frivolity.

Games were manufactured by Ideal, Milton Bradley, John Sands to name a few. Those companies ruled when we were kids. The box graphics are what grab me today. The art on KerPlunk and Poppin Hoppies are fantastic. Christmas morning was always special when you spied a big box under the tree. You knew Santa had delivered another fun high class game to your home. I got the games alright but with mother cooking the Christmas lunch, father working in the shed - a game requiring 2 or more players, the games got pushed aside. Maybe I would have been better off with a computer game?

Lucy and the Double Dose

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Later this year we see a double DVD dose of Lucy. Both her series, The Lucy Show (1962-1968) and the follow up, Here's Lucy (1968-1974) are coming to DVD in first season sets.

I grew up with Lucy. I most probably remember her from daily re-runs, I don't recall ever having to wait a whole week to see a new episode. I personally love, The Lucy Show. Her days in Danfield were great fun. Lucy was joined by Vivian Vance in the first three years and their madcap adventures were still a riot to witness. Vivian grew tired of the series and departed only to appear in occasional guest spots. Lucy carried on and relocated to Hollywood. Gale Gordon stayed with the series till the end. Mary Jane Croft was added as Lucy's new partner in crime.

Following the sale of her studio to Paramount, The Lucy Show had to end (as per the contract of the sale.) Lucy had to change locals again and also change her surname. She went from Lucy Carmichael to Lucy Carter. Her two real life children joined the cast - keeping Gale Gordon as her new brother-in-law, Harry.

I’m looking forward to these new season sets. The release dates are pending.

cartoon treasures

Finally, we are being treated to some classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons for the first time on dvd! Two separate volumes; Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960's & Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970's.

Content includes; Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960's Volume 1 features a collection of 14 episodes taken from 12 rare and popular cartoon series on two discs. Disc one includes Top Cat, The Atom Ant Show, The Peter Potamus Show, The Secret Squirrel Show, The Flintstones, The Porky Pig Show and The Quick Draw McGraw Show. Disc two includes The Jetsons, Marine Boy, Space Ghost & Dino Boy, Herculoids, Frankenstein Jr. & the Impossibles, The Magilla Gorilla Show and The Quick Draw McGraw Show. This collection will also include newly created enhanced content featuring Quick Draw McGraw, Herculoids, and Frankenstein Jr. & the Impossibles.

Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970's Volume 1 includes a collection of 12 episodes from 12 different cartoons on two discs. Disc one features The Jetsons, The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour, Hong Kong Phooey, Goober and the Ghost Chasers, Speed Buggy and Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch. Disc two features Yogi's Gang, Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Roman Holidays, Josie and the Pussycats, The New Scooby-Doo Movies and Funky Phantom. This collection will also include newly created enhanced content featuring Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan and Funky Phantom. Release date is May 19th.

it's about time

From the creator of Gilligan’s Island comes, It’s About Time. Yes, pure comedy at it’s best!

With Gilligan receiving massive ratings during it’s final year, CBS asked, Mr Schwartz for another show. The premise? Two clunky astronauts travel back in time to the Stone Age. Whop-Ding – perfect idea! This live-action show filmed in color and lasted one season back in 1966/67. It’s About Time, filmed at the same studio as Gilligan’s Island. They filmed on a separate stage to Gilligan but, on occasion, would wander over to the Gilligan set and film there. It’s About Time borrowed music cues from Gilligan as well. But to be fair, Gilligan borrowed the Space Capsule for an episode and for an episode called, The Secret of Gilligan’s Island, they even had a caveman dream sequence filming on the It’s About Time set.

Besides the Gilligan’s Island lagoon making the occasional cameo (albeit slightly re-dressed) another Gilligan icon makes a cameo. Remember the large black Morning Spider that frightened the inhabitants of the Island? He returns for a scene stealing bit of action high up on the berm (also seen on the occasional Gilligan episodes.)

To save the flagging ratings the show switched premise half way through the season (always a sure fire sign the show is going to tank) and took the astronauts (along with the stone age stowaways) back to the 20^th century. Yes, more priceless comedy as the stone age dwellers have to deal with modern day (make that late 1960's) living. It’s hard to pick which premise worked better. Both had merits, but I guess the ‘modern day’ would suit more classic sitcom writing using the ‘fish out of water approach’.

The show was last seen on Australian TV back in 1978. Mr Schwartz has evidently made it clear he wants everyone to forget about this show. Well, sorry, I can’t. Sadly, the show will never see light of day with an official DVD release (if Sherwood has his way). Which is a shame, Imogene Coca (Shad) is hysterical. I was thrilled to see all 26 episodes again – I just wish the world had a chance to laugh (and on occasion, groan along, as well.)

the parade turns 40

For more information on Disney On Parade:

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/rememberingdisneyonparade/

Anyone remember Disney On Parade? Long before Disney On Ice was a touring mega-hit we (the older generation) had the privilege of watching Disney On Parade. Disney On Parade received it’s first preview on December 16^th 1969 in Long Beach, California, before it’s official opening in Chicago on December 24^th 1969. It was an instant success. Walt Disney Enterprises joined forces with TV’s NBC and formed a company called Nawal Productions to oversee the production. The show itself was a major breakthrough in family entertainment, combining screen performances of Disney classics before characters would flood the stage in song and dance. Over the years four separate units were produced each featuring different aspects of the Disney legacy.

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Each Disney on Parade would be slightly different to the previous. Naturally, the main focus remained, the Disney movie legacy. The final three units all featured a similar finale, It’s A Small World, but all slightly different. Alice In Wonderland, Jungle Book and Cinderella & Dumbo were the main attractions in the first unit. Pinocchio featured in the 2^nd unit , while Fantasia and Snow White took a sizeable chunk of the 2^nd act. Sleeping Beauty and the Three Caballeros were major players in the third. Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks were the popular choice for the final unit.

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Australia was lucky enough to receive the first two units, Alice and Snow White productions. The Alice unit performing in 1971/ 1972 and the Snow White unit performing through 1975/1976. Australia was the first country to receive the shows outside of the United States and Canada. Mr Brian Treasure, then general manager of TVW-7 in Perth, started negotiations with Nawal Productions to bring the show to Australia. Nawal Productions joined forces with TVW-7 and Michael Edgely International Pty Ltd and Bullen Bros to present the show to the audiences ‘Down Under’. Department Store, Myer was the official Disney On Parade “headquarters” offering official, “fashions, toys and accessories” – advance characters were sent out for in store appearances, Snow White, Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Pluto helped advertise the show to the young audience.

While the show toured arenas in the United States, Australia (at that time) had no such venues – the largest circus tent ever seen in Australia – was imported. Seating was divided into four different sections – Mickey Mouse Seating or Donald Duck Seating (each side of the stage) or Goofy Seating or Pluto Seating (directly in front of stage). The stage measured 140 feet by 56 feet, the tent covered 2 acres and supported over 8 tons of canvas. In Adelaide, a gust of wind ripped a hole in the canvas during the Alice In Wonderland production number causing a flying rig to crash to the ground injuring a number of performers. As they say, the show must go on.

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Today, Disney On Parade seems to be a forgotten part of the Disney legacy. The concept of taking the characters "out of the park" was obviously a huge success, Disney On Ice is still giving children of today the same kind of thrill I had when I was young. The final word comes from some Disney On Parade publicity: "Although it is all very bippity-boppity-boo and cynics may scoff at those giant cartoon characters bobbing about on the enormous stage, the kids love it. So do most of the parents".

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If your interested in Dosney on Parade, I started a separate blog at http://disneyonparade.blogspot.com/