RKO Forty Acres was a film studio backlot in the United States , owned by RKO Pictures (and later Desilu Productions ), located in Culver City, California . Best known as Forty Acres and "the back forty," it was also called "Desilu Culver," the "RKO backlot," and "Pathé 40 Acre Ranch," depending on which studio owned the property at the time. For nearly 50 years it was known for its outdoor full-scale sets , such as Western Street, Atlanta Street, and Main Street and was used in many films (including King Kong (1933) and Gone with the Wind (1939)) and television series (such as Bonanza and Star Trek ).
37-405: The property was a triangular parcel of 28.5 acres (11.5 ha ), a few blocks from RKO-Pathe (later Selznick, Desilu-Culver, now "The Culver Studios ") which was situated to the west. It was bounded by Higuera Street to the north, West Jefferson Boulevard, Ballona Creek and Culver City Park to the south, and Lucerne Avenue to the west. In 1976 it was razed for redevelopment. Today it is known as
74-521: A Trappist monastery at el Lagarnine in Tunis in Northern Africa, a visitor, Captain de Trevignac, tastes the liqueur for which the monastery is famous. The liqueur is made from a secret formula by Brother Antoine, who has just fled the monastery, taking the secret with him. En route to the city of Beni Mora, Algeria , Domini meets Antoine on a train, but he is silent. Later, in a cafe, Antoine
111-679: A dash ; for example, 1-21-00.26 ha would mean 1 hectare, 21 ares, and 0.26 centiares (12,100.26 m ). The metric system of measurement was first given a legal basis in 1795 by the French Revolutionary government. The law of 18 Germinal, Year III (7 April 1795) defined five units of measure: In 1960, when the metric system was updated as the International System of Units (SI), the are did not receive international recognition. The International Committee for Weights and Measures ( CIPM ) makes no mention of
148-404: A double prefix is non-standard. The decimilliare is (100 mm) or roughly a four-inch-by-four-inch square. The centiare is one square metre. The deciare (rarely used) is ten square metres. The are ( / ɑːr / or / ɛər / ) is a unit of area, equal to 100 square metres ( 10 m × 10 m ), used for measuring land area. It was defined by older forms of the metric system , but
185-527: A New York style street, a town square and a residential area to the east, was situated in the center of the property and used on shows like Adventures of Superman , Ozzie and Harriet , Batman , The Green Hornet , and Mission: Impossible . The town square was also used on Star Trek in three episodes titled " Miri ," " Return of the Archons " and " City on the Edge of Forever ," while another area of
222-474: A bottle of the Lagarnine liqueur, de Trevignac remembers who Boris is and leaves the table in anger. Domini, confused, pleads with Boris to tell her the truth, but he refuses. At dawn, Domini asks de Trevignac to tell her what happened between him and Boris, but he merely crosses himself and walks away. De Trevignac and his men depart, but he tells Anteoni where the caravan is camped. At dinner, Anteoni tells
259-439: A few other units including the are (and implicitly the hectare ) whose use was limited to the measurement of land. The names centiare , deciare , decare and hectare are derived by adding the standard metric prefixes to the original base unit of area, the are . The decimilliare (dma, sometimes seen in cadastre area evaluation of real estate plots) is 1 ⁄ 10,000 are or one square decimetre. Such usage of
296-550: A measure of land area. The names of the older land measures of similar size are usually used, redefined as exactly one decare: The most commonly used units are in bold . One hectare is also equivalent to: The Unicode character U+33CA ㏊ SQUARE HA , in the CJK Compatibility block, is intended for compatibility with pre-existing East Asian character codes. It is not intended for use in alphabetic contexts. U+3336 ㌶ SQUARE HEKUTAARU
333-508: A sloping rise at the north western corner of the property, was razed in 1959 to become the Jerusalem set for The Greatest Story Ever Told . By 1965 the site was occupied by the Stalag 13 set for Hogan's Heroes . Most of the sets, which included Camp Henderson on Gomer Pyle , were situated primarily in the center, south and west end of the property. The narrower east end was the site of
370-546: A special Oscar for advances in color cinematography. The filming locations were in Buttercup, California and Yuma, Arizona . After the death of her invalid father, wealthy Domini Enfilden returns to Le Couvent de Ste. Cecile, where she was reared, to seek counsel from Mother Josephine about her loneliness. The Mother Superior tells her that in the solitude of the Sahara Desert , she might find herself. Meanwhile, at
407-669: A unit of SI, is the only named unit of area that is accepted for use with SI units . The name was coined in French, from the Latin ārea . In practice the hectare is fully derived from the SI, being equivalent to a square hectometre. It is widely used throughout the world for the measurement of large areas of land, and it is the legal unit of measure in domains concerned with land ownership, planning, and management , including law ( land deeds ), agriculture, forestry , and town planning throughout
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#1732791192725444-468: A western town set at one time, and was later home to an unusual, narrow alley set lined by two long facades facing each other. The alley set was constructed for the Robert Wise film Star! (1968) with Julie Andrews in the lead role, and it also later made a brief appearance in the film Switchblade Sisters (1975), as did the streets and buildings of the central town area. Overall, the property
481-472: Is a combination of ヘクタール ( hekutāru ), the Japanese translation of "hectare". The Garden of Allah (1936 film) The Garden of Allah is a 1936 American adventure drama romance film directed by Richard Boleslawski , produced by David O. Selznick , and starring Marlene Dietrich and Charles Boyer . The screenplay was written by William P. Lipscomb and Lynn Riggs , who based it on
518-514: Is entranced by an exotic dancer named Irena. When Irena pulls a knife on her lover, Hadj, who will not marry her, Antoine helps Domini flee, and introduces himself as Boris Androvsky. The next day, they ride to the Oasis of the city Azur, where they meet Count Ferdinand Anteoni, who tells Domini to wait to venture into the desert until the urge is very strong. When native girls admire the crucifix around Boris' neck, he gives it to them by casting it in
555-456: Is now outside the modern International System of Units (SI). It is still commonly used in speech to measure real estate, in particular in Indonesia, India, and in various European countries. In Russian and some other languages of the former Soviet Union , the are is called sotka (Russian: сотка : 'a hundred', i.e. 100 m or 1 ⁄ 100 hectare). It is used to describe
592-411: Is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is about 0.405 hectares and one hectare contains about 2.47 acres. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as 100 square metres , or one square decametre , and the hectare (" hecto- " + "are") was thus 100 ares or 1 ⁄ 100 km (10,000 square metres). When
629-1151: The European Union , New Zealand and Australia (since 1970). However, the United Kingdom, the United States, Myanmar (Burma), and to some extent Canada, use the acre instead of the hectare for measuring surface or land area. Some countries that underwent a general conversion from traditional measurements to metric measurements (e.g. Canada) required a resurvey when units of measure in legal descriptions relating to land were converted to metric units. Others, such as South Africa, published conversion factors which were to be used particularly "when preparing consolidation diagrams by compilation". In many countries, metrification redefined or clarified existing measures in terms of metric units. The following legacy units of area have been redefined as being equal to one hectare: In Mexico, land area measurements are commonly given as combinations of hectares, ares, and centiares. These are commonly written separated by
666-593: The are in the 2019 edition of the SI brochure, but classifies the hectare as a "Non-SI unit accepted for use with the International System of Units". In 1972, the European Economic Community (EEC) passed directive 71/354/EEC, which catalogued the units of measure that might be used within the Community. The units that were catalogued replicated the recommendations of the CGPM, supplemented by
703-590: The 1904 novel of the same title by Robert S. Hichens . Hichens's novel had been filmed twice before, as silent films made in 1916 and 1927 . The supporting cast of the sound version features Basil Rathbone , C. Aubrey Smith , Joseph Schildkraut , John Carradine , Alan Marshal , and Lucile Watson . The music score is by Max Steiner . It was the third feature film to be photographed in Three-strip Technicolor , and (uncredited) cinematographers W. Howard Greene and Harold Rosson received
740-736: The Atlanta buildings became permanent fixtures on the property until its final days, while the set of Tara was sold in 1959 to investors who planned to open a theme park in the Atlanta area (see Tara (plantation) ). From 1943 to 1958, a separate part of the 28.5 acres (11.5 ha) known as the African jungle set, located on the opposite side of Ballona Creek , was used extensively for the Tarzan series by RKO, and later for The Adventures of Jim Bowie television series by Desilu . Following years of turnover by several owners, including Howard Hughes ,
777-578: The Atlanta/Mayberry set were Atlanta or Main Street , which ran east/west and opened at one point onto a town square , and North Street , a cross street that bisected it at the four corners just west of the square. Hectare The hectare ( / ˈ h ɛ k t ɛər , - t ɑːr / ; SI symbol: ha ) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm ), that is, 10,000 square metres (10,000 m ), and
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#1732791192725814-599: The RKO production of King Kong (1933). By then it was known as Forty Acres and owned by RKO Pictures. In 1935, David O. Selznick leased the property from RKO for his new studio, Selznick International Pictures . For his production of Gone with the Wind (1939), the plantation Tara , the Atlanta Depot (based on Atlanta 's 1853 Union Station ), and other Atlanta buildings were constructed there. The depot and many of
851-524: The backlot was practically deserted and cinematic productions declined. It was purchased in 1957 by Desilu with the intention of filming for the burgeoning television industry. Forty Acres is best remembered for providing the backdrop for the fictional town of Mayberry on the television series The Andy Griffith Show . Many of the street scenes and buildings on the backlot were seen regularly on television screens across America and became quite familiar to viewers. The original Town of Atlanta set, comprising
888-508: The backlot was the most permanent and thus the most recognizable, existing from 1939 until 1976. Other structures like the Jerusalem set, which was torched to make room for the Atlanta set, or Tara, which was replaced with the Hogan's Heroes , did not survive as long. The western/European set at the east end of the backlot disappeared in the late sixties. The two main arteries that traversed
925-470: The desert, but also gives her a grave warning. As the weeks pass, Domini and Boris fall in love, and Boris still keeps his past a secret. While out riding, they come to a church, as the seer foretold. There, Father J. Roubier, who promised Mother Superior he would look out for Domini, notices Boris' fear and anger toward the church. Although the priest warns Domini not to make friends with Boris, after Boris threatens to leave, he and Domini swear their love, and
962-493: The lot, the "Arab village," was used in " Errand of Mercy " and the first pilot, " The Cage ." Sharp-eyed television viewers could note many visual cues that crossed over from one series to the next, including the structures themselves or signs on doors and windows. For example, in Star Trek's "The City on the Edge of Forever," a crossover from The Andy Griffith Show can be seen by a sign for "Floyd's Barber Shop." Forty Acres
999-584: The metric system was further rationalised in 1960, resulting in the International System of Units ( SI ), the are was not included as a recognised unit. The hectare, however, remains as a non-SI unit accepted for use with the SI and whose use is "expected to continue indefinitely". Though the dekare/decare daa (1,000 m ) and are (100 m ) are not officially "accepted for use", they are still used in some contexts. The hectare ( / ˈ h ɛ k t ɛər , - t ɑː r / ), although not
1036-405: The priest agrees to marry them the next day. Following the wedding, Boris and Domini take a caravan into the desert with Domini's guide, Batouch, and Hadj. One night, Domini lights a torch to guide Boris back to the camp, and inadvertently saves a patrol that has been lost for three days. Among the men is de Trevignac. Boris returns and de Trevignac is sure they have met before. After Batouch serves
1073-595: The size of suburban dacha or allotment garden plots or small city parks where the hectare would be too large. Many Russian dachas are 6 ares in size (in Russian, шесть соток ). The decare or dekare ( / ˈ d ɛ k ɑːr , - ɛər / ) is derived from deca and are , and is equal to 10 ares or 1000 square metres. It is used in Norway and in the former Ottoman areas of the Middle East and Bulgaria as
1110-462: The size of the loss the film recorded. Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene gave the film a neutral review, saying it showed the Catholic church as "so superhumanly pious, so intensely dramatic" whereas he preferred the left-wing New Statesman magazine's view of the church as "shabby priests counting pesetas on their fingers in dingy cafés before blessing tanks". Greene praised
1147-555: The southern expansion of the Hayden Industrial Tract. A number of the buildings in the industrial park have been converted to television studios. One of the shows produced at the park is Hell's Kitchen . On 22 March 1926, Cecil B. DeMille leased the 28 1/2 acre property, on which the backlot was located, from Achille Casserini, a Swiss immigrant, for his production of the film The King of Kings (1927). On it he constructed historical Jerusalem, which remained for
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1184-451: The story of the Lagarnine liqueur, which will never again be manufactured as the monk who knew the secret of the liqueur disappeared after taking his final vows. Domini is horrified by the story, but Boris asserts that the man had a right to love, then cries at the realization of what he has done. After Anteoni leaves, Boris falls on his knees in the sand and tells Domini about his life at the monastery, where he had lived since childhood under
1221-554: The surrealism of the film as "really magnificent", and noted that the dialogue had a distinctly apocalyptic tone closely matched by Dietrich's delivery of her lines. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Score and Best Assistant Director , and W. Howard Greene and Harold Rosson received an Academy Honorary Award for the color cinematography. Following the success of the movie in Brazilian cinemas, in Rio de Janeiro
1258-501: The vow of silence, and spoke with people for the first time when, as an adult he was put in charge of the monastery's hotel. Believing that no one who loves will be punished by God, Domini agrees to let Boris return to the monastery and make reparations, promising that they will be together forever. At the gates of the monastery, Boris and Domini embrace for the last time. The film was originally budgeted at $ 1.6 million but this went over by an estimated $ 370,000, which ended up being roughly
1295-476: The water. Although Boris attracts Domini, he shocks her by his violent antipathy to religion. Count Anteoni warns Domini, "a man who fears to acknowledge his God is unwise to set foot in the desert," while making reference Boris, and tells them that the Arabs have a saying that "the desert is the garden of Allah". Later, a sand diviner tells Domini that something glorious is in store for her during her pilgrimage into
1332-537: Was also the backdrop for an episode of My Three Sons entitled "The Horseless Saddle" (1961), and five episodes of the TV series Bonanza where the backlot's Western Street, next to the Garden of Allah (1936) set, served as a trail town. An added feature was the fact that some portions of the backlot were occupied by fields and scrub and provided the ideal conditions for filming a western . The Tara set, which sat on
1369-472: Was an undulating plateau with a southern slope (by the town square) that led to Ballona Creek. Trees screened the northern and southern perimeter of the property. Core structures that stood for decades and appeared in many productions are listed here, most of which were constructed to represent, in Gone with the Wind , the antebellum Town of Atlanta , and later used for the fictional Mayberry . This portion of
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