New cinematic and televisual treasures at Universal Studios Hollywood in April 2014...

As it's approaching that crazy Summer period when tourists flock to Universal Studios Hollywood in their thousands, I thought I'd pop along and check out what new film and TV treasures the archivists have dug out of storage to delight the theme park's visitors this season.

Authentic movie and TV memorabilia on display at 

Universal Studios Hollywood

My last visit to the NBC Universal Experience attraction was in January earlier this year and I'm glad to say almost the entire selection of costumes, models, sketches and props had been refreshed with many new and exciting items from the worlds of comedy, science fiction, drama, animation, romance, history and more besides, both from the big and small screen.

One of the things I love the most about the NBC Universal Experience exhibit is the mix of old and new movies and shows, contemporary and classic pieces on display, like this lovely dress designed by Edith Head for Alfred Hitchcock's muse, Tippi Hedren.

Costume worn by Tippi Hedren as Marnie Edgar in Marnie

 The actress wore this outfit as the titular 'Marnie' opposite Sean Connery in Alfred Hitchcock's 1964 movie about a habitual female thief with serious psychological issues.

Large mandible prop from Jaws

From romantic thrillers to dangers from the deep, and helping to set the scene in 1975's iconic horror movie, Jaws, for Robert Shaw's 'Sam Quint' shark hunter is this large jawbone of a shark prop.

Spirit animal props from Couples Retreat

Speaking of animals, this trio of wooden spirit animals were used in the 2009 comedy, Couples Retreat.

The wolf carving is used by Jon Favreau and Kristin Davis in the movie as they are pack animals, the donkey guide belongs to Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman as they are both stubborn and the rabbit is for Kristen Bell and Jason Bateman's characters because they overcome obstacles in their way.

Universal Studios Tour 50th anniversary exhibit

Also included within the exhibit at the moment is a special display to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Universal's Studio Tour, with a few familiar faces, like this animatronic E.T., along for the ride to showcase some of the iconic rides and attractions from the theme park's storied history.

Costume worn by Ice Cube as James Payton 

and original props from Ride Along

In addition to mementos from the past, the exhibit also had costumes and props from very latest movies, like the recent Ride Along comedy. In the film, security guard 'Ben Barber' played by Kevin Hart wants to impress his girlfriend's cop brother (Ice Cube) and goes on a ride along with him. Here's Ice Cube's police detective costume (designed by Sekinah Brown), plus Ben's Atlanta police academy acceptance letter and game controller featured in the movie.

This is just a selection of what's on offer at Universal Studios Hollywood from their cinematic and televisual vaults, so be sure to stick around for more discoveries, including:

Original film costumes from the Oscar-winning Dallas Buyers Club
Channing Tatum's Roman centurion costume and shield prop from The Eagle
Robotic Cylons from TV's Battlestar Galactica and Caprica
Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly costume and props from the Back to the Future Trilogy
Simon Pegg's film costume from The World's End
Original props featured in TV's Warehouse 13
An animatronic Triceratops and props from the Jurassic Park movies
Costumes worn in TV's Psych by James Roday and Dulé Hill
Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde movie costumes from Endless Love
Clive Owen's costume and film props from Children of Men
Megan Hilty's dazzling Ivy Lynn dress from NBC's musical TV series Smash
Melissa McCarthy's movie costume from Identity Thief
Denzel Washington's movie costume from American Gangster
Stop-motion animation figures, concept sketches, models and more from The Boxtrolls

Original costumes on display including outfits from the

Oscar-winning Dallas Buyers Club

Stay tuned in the days to come for even more photos of these costumes, models and props in more detail for you all to enjoy if you can't make it to the L.A. based theme park in person.

I always think people discount this attraction when they visit, preferring the excitement of the rollercoasters and simulator rides, but when the public does discover this treasure trove of delights it's always interesting to see and hear their reactions when they glimpse something from a favourite film or TV show.

TV and movie treasures on display at Universal Studios Hollywood in July 2013...

This week I ventured to Universal Studios Hollywood once more to see what new screen-used delights they had on display from their extensive TV and movie archives. Once again I wasn't disappointed as there were costumes, props and models from the worlds of sci-fi, fantasy, sports, period drama, comedy, crime, horror, musicals and more besides.

Original costumes, props and models from NBC Universal's vaults on display

Included in the NBC Universal Exhibit in the amusement park's Lower Lot (next to the new Transformers 3D ride in case you want to visit) on July 30, 2013, was one of the signature suits worn by Telly Savalas as the New York City Police Department 'Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak' in the 1970's television crime series, Kojak. The dapper detective was famous for his bald head and love of lollipops.

Original suit worn by Telly Savalas as Kojak

On display beside his outfit were some film props (including some grisly teeth forensic evidence) from the 2002 crime thriller, Red Dragon.

Original movie props from Red Dragon

It's no surprise that NBC Universal would want to remind their visitors about 'Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter' as they currently have a TV spin-off based on the characters in Thomas Harris' Red Dragon novel, simply called Hannibal, which has been renewed for a second season.

I'm very fortunate to live in West Hollywood and have an annual pass to the theme park, so I stop by on a regular basis to check out the ever-changing exhibits.

Jaws movie exhibit

On my most recent visit in May 2013 they had Roy Scheider's Amity Police Chief uniform from Jaws on display, plus a variety of concept sketches and schematics, but this time they also had this fantastic miniature shark cage used in the production of the underwater scenes of the 1975 horror movie.

Donna's guitar prop from Mamma Mia: The Movie

On a lighter note, this time they also had this cool sticker-laden guitar prop from Mamma Mia: The Movie, which belonged to Meryl Streep's 'Donna' and was bought for her by Colin Firth's 'Harry' (which cost him £10 and his Johnny Rotten T-shirt).

If you're a fan of the big-screen 2008 musical, be sure to also check out these original costumes and props from Mamma Mia: The Movie on display.

Props from TV's Eureka

In amongst this eclectic mix of TV and movie memorabilia, they also had these scientific looking props (a memory lattice, plus data disc reader and analyzer) from SyFy's Eureka television series, which was a show about a small town with a big secret, and ran for five seasons from 2006 to 2012.

If you're a fan of the sci-fi series, be sure to check out these other costumes and props from Eureka on display from my previous visits.

TV costumes from Friday Night Lights and Crossing Jordan

Also on display were the signature outfit worn by Michael B. Jordan as 'Vince Howard' in American Football TV drama Friday Night Lights (more on that at a later date), plus this purple dress worn by Jill Hennessey as crime-solving forensic pathologist 'Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh' in Crossing Jordan. 

Debra McGuire was series costume designer on the crime drama that aired from 2001 to 2007, and if you're a fan of the show, you can also check out more props from Crossing Jordan here at Hollywood Movie Costumes and Props.

Kenneth Ellen Parcel tombstone prop from 30 Rock

Finally, there was this slightly macabre grave headstone from the 100th episode of sitcom, 30 Rock, for character 'Kenneth Parcel', played by Jack McBrayer.

If you like this collection of screen-used costumes and props, be sure to stick around in the days to come for more original items including:

Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway's Oscar-nominated costumes from Les Misérables
Tom Cruise's futuristic costume and bomb prop from Oblivion
Original costumes from the Fast & Furious movies
Mary Steenburgen's Western costume from Back to the Future Part III
Actual nurse costume and props from Atonement
Elizabeth Taylor's costume from The Flintstones movie
Tobey Maguire's costume from horse-racing movie Seabiscuit
Siege tower miniature model from Masada
Maureen O'Hara's classic costume from 1955's Lady Godiva of Coventry 
Rachael Leigh Cook's Josie and the Pussycats film costume
An actual picture car from 2007's Transformers movie

I hope you'll enjoy this new assortment of goodies from Universal Studios Hollywood, and Whovians don't despair, I've also still got loads of Doctor Who costumes and props to share with you all in the future too.

Roy Scheider's police uniform and concept sketches from Jaws...

As it's been over thirty-five years since the Steven Spielberg's Jaws terrorised the big screen, it was a bit of a thrill to see these concept drawings for the Great White Shark and especially the original Amity Police Chief uniform worn by Roy Scheider on display at Universal Studios Hollywood on May 7, 2013.

Original costume and concept drawings from Jaws

Robert Ellsworth was responsible for the men's wardrobe on this classic movie from 1975 and seeing this costume was really like seeing a little piece of movie history.

Jaws movie poster

I've seen these shark sketches and schematics as part of the NBC Universal exhibit before, but it's nice to see them with an accompanying costume from the movie too.

Original uniform worn by Roy Scheider 

as Police Chief Martin Brody in Jaws

If you're a fan of director Steven Spielberg, be sure to also check out these movie costumes from Lincoln and War Horse, plus props from E.T. on display.

Great White Shark concept drawings from Jaws

Dead fisherman prop from Jaws...

In Steven Spielberg's classic 1975 movie, Jaws, Police Chief 'Martin Brody' (Roy Scheider) and Marine Biologist 'Matt Hooper' (Richard Dreyfuss) investigate a series of shark attacks around Amity Island.

Scouting aboard Hooper's boat they discover the wreckage of a half-sunken boat belonging to local fisherman 'Ben Gardner' (played by Craig Kingsbury), who went out hunting for the killer shark.

Dead fisherman Ben Gardner movie prop from Jaws

Exploring the sunken vessel underwater, they discover a giant shark's tooth and the severed head of the fisherman, which makes Hooper drop the tooth in shock.

This special make-up effect from Jaws was on display at Universal Orlando's Horror Make-Up Show in Florida on September 23, 2010.

Jaws movie poster

Be sure to also check out the mechanical and concept drawings for the Jaws shark that were on display at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Authentic props, masks and more at Universal Orlando's Horror Make-Up Show...

With Halloween seemingly only a heartbeat away, it seems only appropriate to showcase all the original props, costumes, models, masks and make-up effects that I was able to enjoy on my recent visit to Universal Studios Orlando theme park.

Universal Orlando's Horror Make-Up Show

In addition to all the fantastically gruesome props in the lobby, if you stick around for the hilarious live show you'll also see more movie secrets, like informative make-up special effects, animatronic mask examples and a ton of movie clips from Universal's horror vaults.

Original Universal Studios horror and fantasy props on display

Included in the horror showcase were actual props, prosthetic masks, models and more from the following classic and recent movies:

Fantastic masks, props and costumes from Hellboy II: The Golden Army

A scary Chucky animatronic from Child's Play

Masks and models from horror classics like The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein, The Wolfman and more

Props and costumes from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho

A Jurassic Park Velociraptor dinosaur

Gory make-up sculpture from An American Werewolf in London

Michael Myers mask from Halloween

Creature effects from John Carpenter's The Thing

Fantastical Lord of Darkness mask from Ridley Scott's Legend

Original props from The Mummy

Alien design for the Mutant from This Island Earth

Jim Carrey's prosthetic make-up from The Grinch

And in the gift shop as you exit the show, don't miss the original costumes worn in the Terminator 2: 3D movie attraction

Hellboy II: The Golden Army costume, mask and prop exhibit

They also had this creepy clown figure from Universal's special themed Halloween Horror Nights on display.

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Clown

You may be wowed by the exhilarating rides and other attractions at the theme park, but you really shouldn't miss this fun show and interesting exhibit, which really are well worth seeing in person.

Keep it here in the coming days for more photos and details of all the wonderful movie memorabilia photographed on display on September 23, 2010, which will hopefully provide some inspiration for Halloween.