From Casablanca to Friends: Behind the Scenes at Warner Bros Studio

What do “Casablanca”, “Friends” and “Rebel Without a Cause” have in common? They were all filmed on the Warner Bros Studio backlot. Unless you were an actor, director or in the entertainment industry, the backlot used to be off limits to the general public. Today, the Warner Bros Studio Tour gives film and TV lovers a unique, behind-the-scenes look at where and how some of the most iconic movies and shows were made.

After living in Los Angeles for 15 years, and passing the famed water tower dozens of times, I finally had the chance to experience the Warner Bros Studio Tour. Was it worth the wait? And more importantly, was it worth the price of admission?

About the Warner Bros Studio Tour

Warner Bros Studio (and the Warner Bros Studio Tour) is located in Burbank, California — and right down the street from Universal Studios. There are four Warner Bros Studio Tours to choose from:

Studio Tour — $73 (1 hour guided + 2 hours self-guided)
TCM Classic Film Tour — $95 (1.5 hours guided + 2 hours self-guided)
Studio Tour Plus — $160 (2 hours guided + 2 hours self-guided)
Deluxe Tour — $330 (3 hours guided + 1 hour lunch + 2 hours self-guided)

If you live in Southern California, you can get a discount on tickets. I ended up paying $75 for my ticket. Also, not everyone on your tour has to be from Southern California to get the discount. As long as the ticket purchaser is a resident, you’ll be good. (They didn’t even check my ID to confirm.)

I chose the TCM Classic Film Tour because older movies are my jam. I took this tour on a weekend (Super Bowl Sunday, to be specific), which meant there wouldn’t be any filming taking place. A long time ago I interned at Sony, so I kind of knew what to expect. If you go into this thinking you will see movie stars everywhere, you will be very disappointed. And I don’t think going during the week will increase your chances.

If you want to see celebrities, definitely go to a TV show taping. The best part? They’re free! Or go to the cemetery and see some of the movie stars mentioned on this tour!

Parking Pro Tip: You can find free, unmetered parking on South Cordova St, South Avon St and parts of Warner Blvd, at least on the weekend. As with anywhere in LA, read the street signs for restrictions. Otherwise parking in the Warner Bros Studio Tour structure costs $15.

What You’ll See on the TCM Classic Film Tour

This Warner Bros Studio Tour starts the best way possible: with snacks! I missed that the TCM Classic Film Tour includes complimentary food and drinks, but it was a pleasant surprise. After stocking up on Diet Coke and kettle chips, we watched a brief film before exiting to our royal chariot for 2 hours: a multi-row cart.

Brownstone Street

The first stop on the tour is Brownstone Street. Dating back to the 1920s, It’s the oldest part of the Warner Bros Studio backlot. As you can probably guess, the exteriors look like the iconic brownstone buildings in New York. Our tour guide took us inside one that was used in the 1936 film “Bullets or Ballots” starring Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. (He played the gangster known for saying “Yeah, see.” And yes, I continued to sprinkle that into conversations for the next two days.)

New York Street

This was more of a drive through than a stop. New York Street is Warner Bros’ very own slice of the Big Apple. Scenes from “Blade Runner”, “A Star is Born”, “House of Wax”, “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy” were all filmed on this part of the backlot. And even though it was set in Chicago, the Cook County General Hospital ambulance entrance from “ER” was at the end of New York Street. I’m currently at the beginning of a rewatch, so I was very excited about this. Today it’s “Abbott Elementary.”

The Jungle and Lagoon

Next, our cart drove into the jungle and man-made lagoon. You’ve probably seen it on “ER”, and “True Blood” or in “Million Dollar Baby”, “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” and “The Muppets.” We also saw the steps of “The Waltons” home. The actual house burned down in a 1991 fire. (There were a lot of fires on the Warner Bros backlot.)

Warner Village

This part of the backlot is relatively new, so none of the older movies were filmed here. The houses on this street also serve as production offices for various companies, including Mindy Kaling’s Kaling International.

Midwest Street

Welcome to Any Town USA! Or if you’re a “Gilmore Girls” fan, it’s Stars Hollow. If you’re a James Dean fan, like I am, both “Rebel Without a Cause” and “East of Eden” used this section of the backlot.

Our tour guide escorted us into The Seavers home from “Growing Pains.” They also pointed out Boss Hogg’s house from “Dukes of Hazzard” across the street. My mom said it looked way too nice to be his house.

I wish we had more time to walk around this area. For example, I would have liked to get a picture on the steps of the police station from “Rebel Without a Cause” or the “Full House” facade.

The Friends Stage

Even though “Friends” went off the air over 20 years ago, you can still visit “the room where it happened.” The upcoming Netflix series “Leanne,” starring Leann Morgan, currently occupies Stage 24. Since I took this tour over the weekend, the set was dark. But I still think it’s fun to see the sets.

The Property Department

The prop house was probably my favorite stop on the tour. Some of the props include the resolute desk from “The West Wing,” lights from “Casablanca” and the falcon from “The Maltese Falcon.” (Apparently there’s an entire scandal about this, which was written about in a 2016 Vanity Fair article. In a 2018 Facebook post the studio touts the ones in the prop house are real.) Our tour guide also pointed out Phoebe’s football phone from the episode “The One with the Thumb.” 

There is so much stuff housed in the Warner Bros. prop house, that I could easily spend a day walking through it. What impressed me the most was how organized everything is, especially on the back end. I actually said to my mom, “Could you imagine everything they had to do to create a digital catalog? That would have been so fun.”

Stage 48: Script to Screen

Stage 48 is where the self-guided portion of the Warner Bros Studio Tour starts. From storyboards to casting and sound, the walkthrough breaks down how the film sausage gets made. There are also costumes of films past and present on display, including ones from the Ascot scene in “My Fair Lady.” Warner Bros even recreated the Central Perk Set and Apartment 4A from “The Big Bang Theory.” And yes, you can take pictures on the sets.

DC Super Heroes and Super Villains + Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts

As someone who isn’t a fan of superhero movies or Harry Potter (don’t @ me), the last stop of the tour didn’t interest me at all. (There’s a reason I chose the Warner Bros Studio Tour that focused on classic films.) This part is self-guided and is mostly photo ops. However, I did like seeing all the different batman costumes and masks. And when you walk out, they display more costumes and props from “Casablanca” and “The Music Man” in the Celebration Room.

Is The Warner Bros Studio Tour Worth It?

If I had to give the TCM Classic Movie Tour a rating, I would give it 3.5 stars out of 5. For a tour that’s marketed as “classic Hollywood,” I expected a little more history telling and walking around the sets. (Other tours were walking through Midwest Street, so it must be possible!)

That being said, if you’re into both old Hollywood films and the newer stuff, I think this tour does a good job of balancing both. I wasn’t all that interested in the newer stuff, but all the “Friends” stuff gave me all the nostalgic feels.

If you’re really into filmmaking or movies, or have family visiting from out of town, I think any of the Warner Bros Studio Tours would be interesting and entertaining.

In the words of Porky Pig, “That’s All Folks!”

Have you taken one of the Warner Bros Studio Tours? Share your experience in the comments!