100 Universal City Plaza
Universal Studios, CA. 91608
General Phone Number:
818.508.9600
http://www.universalstudios.com/
Map link: Universal Studios
A German immigrant named Carl Laemmle founded Universal in 1912; he built the studio on a giant hilltop in 1915, which was the site of a chicken farm. Universal was the studio that was most responsible for the monster movies. The classic horror film were Frankenstein (1931), Dracula (1931) and The Wolf Man (1941).
In 1969, Universal signed up a young man named Steven Spielberg. He started out with a made for TV movie called Duel and then started to produce in 1975 blockbusters that included: Jaws, and two of the highest grossing movies of its time, ET and Jurassic Park. Schindler's list was the last movie produced solely by Universal. Steven Spielberg created Amblin production, which offices are still on the Universal lot.
In 1995 Universal was purchased by MCA (Music Corporation of American), Inc. The founder of MCA was Jules Stein. In 1924, MCA was a Chicago based agency that booked bands into clubs and dance halls. The company was expanded when Lew Wasserman joined the team in 1936 and soon became President in 1946. MCA became a leading talent agency in the global market in the world of entertainment.
In 1991, Matsushita Electrical Industrial C., Ltd. acquired MCA. In June of 1995, the next owner would be The Seagram Company. Then in June 2000, Seagram was purchased by France's Vivendi for $33.7 Billion. Most recently, Universal was again bought by NBC whose parent company is GE.
Universal Studios is also know for it Studio tour. Over 20,000 people a day visit the tour in the summer time. It is a 2-hour tram tour. At the conclusion of the tour, the tram will drop you off for you to visits shows, shops and exhibits. If you do not want to eat in the park, next door is Universal CityWalk. There you can also visit great shops, restaurants and there is even a movie theater. For more information about the tour and how to get tickets: Universal Studios Tour Information, Universal CityWalk Information