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| Blondie Street, Burbank, CA. Maybe the bus gives it away. Photo courtesy of C'mon, Get Happy! |
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| The Sears Glen Falls from 1926. |
The home stood on “Blondie Street,” a residential backlot set at the Warner Bros. Ranch (originally the Columbia Ranch) in Burbank, California. Built as part of a studio backlot neighborhood, the house became one of the most recognizable TV homes of its era.
According to The Unofficial Columbia Ranch Site, The Partridge Family house was built in 1953 and intentionally modeled after the Sears Glen Falls.
The house originally had the columns on the front right side, but they were removed in the late 1950's when the porch was enclosed. The front gable was originally pointed, just like the Glen Falls, but was rebuilt with a tapered peak after a fire in 1970.
The house was featured in many TV shows and movies, including Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, and The Last Hurrah.
Like many backlot structures, the house's look was modified repeatedly over the decades, and today it is unrecognizable as a Sears house. Currently it is being used as Meemaw's house in Young Sheldon.
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| The Partridge Family, owners of the "Glen Falls" in Burbank. |
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| Another shot of the house. Photo courtesy of RetroWeb. |
The house originally had the columns on the front right side, but they were removed in the late 1950's when the porch was enclosed. The front gable was originally pointed, just like the Glen Falls, but was rebuilt with a tapered peak after a fire in 1970.
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| Danny promotes the house in the "For Sale by Owner" episode (1972). |
Another interesting fact: like many backlot homes, the structure had no finished interior. Exterior shots were filmed on the ranch, but interior scenes for shows like The Partridge Family were filmed on soundstages elsewhere.
The house was featured in many TV shows and movies, including Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, and The Last Hurrah.
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| There's the house in the background of The Last Hurrah (1958) and it has the original pointed front gable. You might recognize the fountain as the one used in the opening credits of Friends. |
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| The house in Dennis the Menace (1962). |
Like many backlot structures, the house's look was modified repeatedly over the decades, and today it is unrecognizable as a Sears house. Currently it is being used as Meemaw's house in Young Sheldon.
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| Meemaw's house. |
Update! The End of the Backlot
In 2023, the Partridge house and the rest of the iconic neighborhood were demolished as part of a major redevelopment project to build new soundstages and production facilities. A few historic elements were saved, including the famous Friends fountain, which was relocated to the Warner Bros. studio tour lot.
An era of television and film history disappeared overnight.
During the Depression, Warner Bros. and Sears joined forces for a promotional contest that changed one Pittsburgh boy’s life. His story is a delight—read it here!
1 comment:
That is very cool info!
Judith
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