It's a sunny June day, 1949. It's 90 degrees out on a hot summer's
day. You see before you that the trees and ground are covered in
white and there seems to be snow covering the ground
everywhere....WHAT?
Welcome to the town of Bedford Falls from the movie, "It's a
Wonderful LIfe". This area was the site of the RKO ranch. Here the
studio built all the scenery for the town of Bedford Falls for the
movie. It is here, between 1929 and 1953 RKO studios filmed many
outdoor scenes for pictures. RKO built the whole town of Bedford
falls here in two months and at that time was the largest set ever
built for an American movie. It took up 4 acres of the ranch. It
included 75 stores and various buildings, Main Street, a factory
district, and a large residential and slum area. Main Street was
three whole city blocks long. The film was shot in June of 1946
during a heat wave. Next time you see the movie look at the scene
where Clarence saves George on the bridge, You may notice that
Jimmy Stewart is sweating a little. You would be too if you were
working in 90 degree heat with a heavy wool coat on. The original
Hunchback of Notre Dame was also filmed here on a Paris street set.
It also had a western street, a New York street, an airplane
hangar, and the mansion for The Magnificent Ambersons.
The ranch consisted of 110 acres north of Burbank Blvd between
Louise and Balboa. You are actually at the northern end of the
ranch. In 1953 it was sold and razed for the track houses that are
now here. The only part that was not built on is the park at the
end of the street