Columbia Ranch

The Columbia Ranch is located in Burbank, California.  Some portion of almost all of Starrett’s Columbia films were shot there, most interiors and Western street stuff.  (See “Corriganville” and “Iverson Ranch” blog entries for other locations.)

Here are some nifty facts about the place:

1934:  Columbia Pictures purchases forty acres for the ranch.

1935: “Party Wire” is the first film shot there.

1949:  The ranch has grown to eighty acres.

1965:  The first sound stage was erected.  The cost: nearly $400,000.

During it’s most productive time, the lot boasted a complete Western Town with two streets, a Colonial era town, a jungle, and a large New York street.

1966-1970:  Much of the ranch is sold.

1971:  Only thirty-eight acres remain.

June 3, 1971: Columbia Pictures moves production onto the Warner Brothers lot.

1974:  Six more acres were sold to create a shopping center.

Today:  The lot is now thirty-two acres.  It serves as an auxillary lot for nearby Warner Bros.  It is surrounded by residential streets, mainly multi-unit apartment buildings and the occasional small house.

Here is a snapshot of what it looks like today.  This is approximately where the Western Street would have been located.

And that’s Briar with her favorite Elephant toy.