Psycho House - "Chicken Bldg." reference

[retronaut]

I have a theory about the "Chicken Building" referenced on the 11-19-59 blueprints discussed in another thread here. I suspect that this is an original reference, unrelated to the later Don Knotts film, but I also suspect that the set in question is the Bates Motel and not the Psycho House. Consider that the "Revamp of Chicken Bldg. and Fence" reference accompanies the blueprints for "Ext. Bates Motel and Home" (not merely the house set).

Here is a correlation that may have relevance. This first photo is a cropping of a photo circa 1923 of the buildings on the backlot that were part of the chicken ranch on the property. Note the portion of the building in the foreground here (not the larger one in the b.g.):



The second photo is a cropping of a 1951 photo, zeroing in on what Marc Wanamaker identified as a caretaker bungalow:



Notice the similarity in the features of these two structures...particularly the chimney placement, and also the protruding roofline on the back side. Not only that, but both buildings are oriented identically (south side facing the camera in each photo), and both appear to be in relatively the same location on the lot based on geographic features in the larger photos.

The other aspect of this is that the "bungalow" from the second photo, which was located southeast of the courthouse facade, is gone by 1963...replaced by the easternmost portion of the To Kill A Mockingbird street.

Perhaps it is a leap, but is this structure perhaps the "Chicken Building," named because it dates to the original chicken ranch on the backlot, and were components of this structure perhaps used in the construction of the Bates Motel?

Are there any ground level views of this structure out there?

[retronaut]

Another take on "REVAMP OF: Chicken Bldg. and Fence" is that this may have nothing to do with the former chicken ranch structures, and it may refer merely to changes to the Laramie Street sets that were necessary to accommodate the Bates Motel, especially the far end of the Bates Motel, whose back side also had to serve as a Laramie Street facade. What did this section of Laramie Street look like prior to the construction of the Bates Motel? I know nothing about the history of the Laramie Street sets other than that Laramie was a new series at the time of Psycho's production, and would itself have only been in production for a few months at that point.

[retronaut]

Apologies for obsessing on this, but that's what happens when a subject strikes my fancy. I have been studying the full blueprint of the Bates Home posted here a while back, and I remain convinced that the "REVAMP OF" notation is unrelated to the Bates home itself. The full blueprint sheet is sheet 4 of a set of 10 blueprints of both the home and the motel, and the "REVAMP OF" notation is in the captioning that applies to both sets...not merely to sheet 4. Also, there is nothing in the diagrams on sheet 4 to explain either the "Chicken Bldg." reference or the "Fence," and also, the Bates home is not a revamp as much as it is a brand new set composed of stock units and new construction...all detailed on sheet 4. What we don't see are the details of the other nine sheets in the set, which would include the Bates Motel, and which I believe would likely provide an explanation for the "Chicken Bldg. and Fence" revamp caption.

My question (for Dennis or anyone else here) is, are all ten sheets from these drawings available anywhere, and is sheet 4 of the Bates home available in higher resolution?

It would be great to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Thank you!

[universalstonecutter]

[quote="retronaut"] referenced on the 11-19-59 blueprints discussed in another thread here.
Yes I remember starting this thread - I suggested the blueprint was altered during the production of the " Ghost With Mr. Chicken"
Why? as i have no proof - only experience with how all the other blueprint in my collection have been altered.
Thus I am am open to exploring any new idea.
I would like to comment and explore geographic features and areas of the Backlot. Namely, the History of The Laramie - Psycho Hill area.
Based ed on Images from the Bison Archives collections and the Life Magazine collection

======= Time Area references ===
1949 appears to to be time "Laramie and Psycho area became part of the backlot. First movie called "Canyon Passage".
[ #1]
== The saddle House building shown in your posting were constructed in 1914. a series of images from the Bison Archives show the progress and
geographic features of the back Ranch 1914 to 1949.
[ # 2]
== The Chicken Ranch on the Back Ranch was built east and south of the Saddle House. alternate description - Chickens ranch area - west of the standing set from Foolish Wives. Today's western street was built at the beginning of sound western, based on Bison Archives images. They show the first western street on today location of stage 12.
[ # 3]
Today's Western street became six points Texas after 1949. The Chicken ranch area now area now contains a small park - Today's park is the former location Six Points Texas Square. constructed about 1949.
[ # 4]
=== The Laramie and Psycho area is south/ east of the western street and old chicken ranch area. -
[ # 5] © Like Revue studio about 1959

"Are there any ground level views of this " Saddle House" structure out there? Yes - before the chicken operation on the back ranch see the Bison Archives collection

=========== Main Reference Sources Bison Archives Collection
The Saddle House Dickens Collection


[ # 5 ] ===== Psycho House Area 1959 ©Life


===== Saddle House - Chicken Ranch part 2


[]


[]




===== Chicken Ranch - Western Street part3


[] At this time period the Pshyco house area , Laramie and singapore lake areas were outside general Back Ranch area. namely south of the of the the western street shown above.

=== Saddle House time period before the chickens ranch and western street on the back ranch part 4

[]

Universal City Areas 1912 to Western sound movies

[]

[]


[]


[]
== Western Street - 1930's Tom Mix Sound Westerns part 5 (Chickens Ranch area)


from pervious postings
[] Chicken ranch east of western street and north west of Singapore lake






[b]"Saddle House" on the Chicken ranch east of [/b]western street and north west of Singapore lake - Psycho House area east of Singapore lake
Thanks Kipp for you questions

[universalstonecutter]

==== Universal Experience Display
[quote="retronaut"]
My question (for Dennis or anyone else here) is, are all ten sheets from these drawings available anywhere, and is sheet 4 of the Bates home available in higher resolution?

It would be great to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Form Member - Carl Laemmle - would know the most about your questions
check thestudioform membership list for an email address.

If anyone can help. he will know if he has any more blue print sheets of the Psycho house. as to a scan vs poor photos, he may have access to take better images.
He may have time after HHN is over - it may take time for his reply

==== reference House of Horrors display


The closest anyone can get is three to four feet away, glass case - dark area, many reflections on the glass.


can any one on the form get us better images ?

any help is welcome : Regards Dennis Dickens
I will try again on Oct 2 2010 at HHN

[retronaut]

Dennis, thank you for all of this history. One clarification. The view of what you have identified as the Saddle House, in the second image I posted, is from this wider-angle 1951 view. It appears to be the same structure seen in the chicken ranch photos shot twenty-plus years earlier. Is it indeed the same structure (the Saddle House)?, and if so, is it still in its original location?

(Link to 1280x899 image:)
http://www.retroweb.com/bb/univ_1951_view_w_saddle_house.jpg

In any case, to bring us back around to the reason for this thread, this building is related one of my two relatively uneducated theories as to the reason for the "Chicken Building" reference on the Bates Motel and home blueprints. Given that this building actually had nothing to do with the chicken ranch it seems...at least not in its origins...it seems a little less likely that it was used in any manner for construction of the Bates Motel.

My second theory was that this referred to an original set in the location of and pre-dating the Bates Motel. See next message...

[retronaut]

This correlation image clarifies the location of the future Psycho house (see the red line)...seen as open land in your 1957 image, and indicating that no sets were standing in the area of the mansion or Bates Motel until those constructed for Laramie a couple of years later. This leaves the question, did the sets for Laramie which pre-dated the Psycho house include a structure known as the "Chicken Building" which was revamped to create the Bates Motel?

[Psycho]

This correlation image clarifies the location of the future Psycho house (see the red line)...seen as open land in your 1957 image, and indicating that no sets were standing in the area of the mansion or Bates Motel until those constructed for Laramie a couple of years later. This leaves the question, did the sets for Laramie which pre-dated the Psycho house include a structure known as the "Chicken Building" which was revamped to create the Bates Motel?

...mmmm, this post is very interesting...
yes, it's very likely: the reference to Chicken Building on the blueprints is with the Bates Motel, not with the Psycho House.
The Laramie area, before the house and the motel were built, was empty.
Here is an other picture that compares the laramie area in 1957 and in 1963...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/colonialst ... otostream/

Thank to kipp and Dennis for posting their info.

[retronaut]

Marc Wanamaker has some additional Laramie Street photos, and there is a chance that some of these were shot at the outset of Laramie production, prior to the Psycho sets.

The Psycho blueprints revamp note referred to "Chicken Building and Fence," so I will be looking for structures which fit the bill w/ regard to this description...structures which were likely on the very spot where the Bates Motel was constructed.