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These 4 MeTV shows shared the same lot for filming!
Have you ever spotted these familiar storefronts?
The RKO Forty Acres is a numerically misnomered studio lot that has a rich history of entertainment associated with it. A 29-acre lot just outside of Culver City, California, it was the stage for iconic movie moments like Gone With the Wind (1939) and Citizen Kane (1941). Under a variety of owners, the backlot appeared in dozens of films, and by the early 1950s, the lot began to appear in television productions as well.
A handful of the shows you still watch on MeTV carry on the legacy of this stage, and we've been able to pinpoint them for you! We're sure the first one won't surprise you, but just in case you haven't noticed, here are all 4 of the shows that shared the same filming lot.
1. The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968)
Image: Retroweb.com
Many longtime fans are aware that the little town of Mayberry is actually a Hollywood set. Heck, you probably know the facades of Mayberry like the back of your hand! The Andy Griffith Show took over the northeast corner of the lot. Fans of the show will immediately recognize the courthouse – those columns outside of Sheriff Taylor's office are hard to miss. You'll also recognize the marquee of the Grand Theater and the steeple of the town church.
2. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964–69)
Image: Retroweb.com
For Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., the southwest corner of the lot was modeled to look like the barracks that Pyle and his friends spent the majority of their time in. You will recognize the main thoroughfare, where Pyle would have first lined up and met Sergeant Carter. You can see this in the image, the green line denotes the railroad track that runs nearby.
3. Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971)
Image: Retroweb.com
The northwest corner of the lot became devoted to the set of Hogan's Heroes. The POW's needed plenty of spaces to meet and carry out their plans in private, and from the look of this layout, there were plenty of opportunities! If you look carefully, you can even see the water tower that could be spotted in plenty of the wide shots of the show!
4. Bonanza (Episodes 271-275, 1967–68)
Most of the time, Bonanza was perfectly content with keeping the Cartwrights out on the open plains of the Ponderosa. However, when they did make a pitstop in town, it was on RKO Forty Acres. Often times all that was needed was one shot of the dirt-road midwestern, and BAM! There is your pioneer town miles away from the homefront. If you look closely, you can see the fronts of very familiar buildings in the backdrops. The red brick looks awfully like the hotel turret, doesn't it?
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You can pause the video at 1:29 to see the picture in full screen.
Take a tram ride midweek and see the stars
