The Modern Universal Studios Hollywood Tour Launches with Glamor Tram Fleet in 1964 (1964)

On July 15, 1964, two years after Music Corporation of America (MCA) took over Universal Pictures, the modern Universal Studios Hollywood Tour – then called the Universal City Studios Tour – was established to include a series of dressing room walk-throughs, peeks at actual production, and soon after, staged events.

The attraction grew over the years into the full-blown theme park currently in operation as of 2024. The narrated tram tour initially featured a fleet of what were named “Glamor Trams,” and still runs through the studio’s active backlot as of 2024. The staged events, stunt demonstrations and high-tech rides overshadow the motion-picture production that once lured fans to Universal Studios Hollywood.

Some of the pop culture attractions that have been a part of the Universal Studios Hollywood Tour include a roaming troupe of Cylons from the original 1970’s Battlestar Galactica television series, the eerie house from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, the King Kong attraction, a mechanically-parted Red Sea from The Ten Commandments, and, of course, the killer shark from Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.