Dates: 1974 – 2012
A rickety wooden structure up the hill from the New York Street sets was formerly one of the early animations on the Studio Tour, and was in regular use by Trams until 2008.
1974 – 2008 The tour guide tries to take the tram around the bridge rather than going over it, but suddenly the tram driver takes the tram towards the bridge. Will it hold out? Nope – just as the tram reaches the mid point of the bridge, it creaks and massive timbers fall away causing the bridge to “drop” the tram a foot or so under the weight of the tram. The tram drives on, everyone survives, and visitors drive past the bridge as it rebuilds itself for the next tram.
2008 – 2012 The tour guide spots a red ‘Hot Set’ light, and asks the driver to bypass the bridge. But it’s too late. We can hear through crackling walkie-talkies that the Pyro is ready, and the exploding bridge is ready to shoot – everyone should stay clear. As the tram drives onto the bridge, there’s a burst of smoke, followed by an explosion as the bridge collapses underneath us. The tram drops, but manages to make it off the bridge and back to safety.
Photo Gallery
- Added to the tour in 1974.
- According to the tour guide, featured in the movie Descent, directed by Alan Smithee, and constructed from a special type of wood called…. Hollywood.
Alan Smithee is the name used when directors ask for their name to be removed from the credits of a movie, either due to professional embarrassment, or due to disagreements within the creative team.
Films that the director was perfectly happy with in theatres were often ruthlessly cut for TV, resulting in the director credit being changed to Alan Smithee to signal the director’s unhappiness with the end product.
A quick search on the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) reveals no less than 54 movie or TV projects have the Smithee name attached to them as director. It also turns out he wrote, produced, composed, production designed and edited. It turns out the name is an anagram of “The alias men”.
Hydraulic systems are used to move the bridge and various collapsing elements, under the control of a computer system (originally made by Anitech).
The bridge was out of action for a couple of years (between 2006 and 2008) but was repaired and brought back to life after Studio Tour guides were asked for suggestions to add interest to the tour while the New York sets were rebuilt following the June 1 2008 Fire.
Until 2021 it was occasionally used by Trams, especially when there were delays or other elements of the Studio Tour were out of action. Since 2022, the former Runaway Train has been parked on the Bridge, making it fully inaccessible to Trams.
Seen on Screen: Universal Studios Hollywood [Collapsing]
| Title | Released | Director | IMDB |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Six Million Dollar Man [TV Series] | 1974-1978 |  | |
| New York Street, Stage 06, Stage 30, Ice Tunnel (Studio Tour) | |||
| Big Brother episode shot on Brownstone Street (1976) | |||
| Season 5, Episode 10 (1977) Target Steve Austin. While the Collapsing Bridge remains level, some of the boards break loose causing an RV to get stuck. Steve Austin has to climb down to the base of the bridge to shore it up and free the RV. | |||
| The Bionic Woman [TV Series] | 1976-1978 | Kenneth Johnson | |
| Stage 30, Collapsing Bridge [season 1 ep 14 The Ghost Hunter - Jaime Sommers (The Bionic Woman) makes her way gingerly across the scary bridge on the way to a haunted house.] | |||
| Voyagers! [TV Series] | 1982-1983 | James D. Parriott | |
| Colonial Street, Denver Street, Little Europe, Train Station, Mediterranean Square, Old Mexico, Square of Warriors, Collapsing Bridge (pilot) | |||
| Quantum Leap [TV Series] | 1989-1993 | Donald P. Bellisario | |
| Brownstone Street, New York Street, Collapsing Bridge (Studio Tour) | |||
| Nintendo DS [Commercial] | 2005 | ||
| The Collapsing Bridge featured (not collapsing at all) in a UK Nintendo DS advert, December 2005 (the advert also used Courthouse Square and Brownstone Street) | |||
On Screen
