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Imagine my surprise when I found out that our little movie featured in "The Secret of the Sinister Specter" is among the latest releases from the Warner Archive, a great arm of Warner Bros Home Video committed to releasing classic films from Hollywood's Golden Age. I thought I would post this announcement along with the video below that details the release and a few more fun images as well as history of the film.
A good portion of The Secret of the Sinister Specter takes place on the magical backlot of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. In 1938, there were only two developed lots at the studio. The main lot, or Lot 1 included the studio's administration buildings and soundstages, and Lot 2 was where the various exterior sets were built to be used in the films. It was considered more cost-effective to film on the backlot rather than trying to film on real locations. Because there was less control outside of the studios Lot 2 was used to represent many different locales and places. An astute viewer of MGM movies of the 1930s and 40s will see the same sets used over and over again. The sets on Lot 2 were well taken care of, and at the disposal of the many producers. I want to give credit to a book that I used often during my writing of The Secret of the Sinister Specter . MGM: Hollywood's Greatest Backlot by Steven Bingen, Stephen X. Sylvester, and Michael Troyan is an incredible reference book which is full of maps, anecdotes as well as what films were filmed where. For those interested you can purchase it here: Amazon Link The detailed map below shows you where all the novel's action takes place. The map is from Bingen, Sylvester, and Troyan's book.