Hooray for Hollywood (Part 4): Shakes, Shops, and Shutterbugs


In the last three parts of our Hooray for Hollywood series, we walked the entire right side of the street, exploring the facades and learning about their real-life Hollywood inspirations. We’re now turning around for Part 4, making our way back toward the front of the park.

We’ll start with the first three buildings you’ll encounter: Mel’s Drive-In, Williams of Hollywood, and The Darkroom. Each location has its own unique ties to California’s history, with some fun details that we cannot wait to share with you! 

Mel's Drive-In


If there’s one place on Hollywood Boulevard that feels like it rolled straight out of the golden age of car culture, it’s Mel’s Drive-In.

The first Mel’s was opened in San Francisco in 1947 by Mel Weiss and Harold Dobbs. With neon lights, carhops on roller skates, and a menu of burgers, fries, and milkshakes, Mel’s quickly became a symbol of West Coast car culture in the 1950s and ’60s.

By 1972, the chain was sold to the Foster’s family restaurant group. A year later, Mel’s was catapulted into pop culture history as the filming location for George Lucas’s American Graffiti (1973). But after the film’s release, the company faced bankruptcy, and the original Van Ness Avenue location was demolished in 1976.

The story didn’t end there. In 1985, Mel’s son Steven Weiss partnered with Donald Wagstaff to revive the chain. They opened a new “Next Generation Mel’s” on Lombard Street in San Francisco, which led to additional locations throughout California—including a new diner on Van Ness Avenue, just steps from the original site.

Today, Mel’s is franchised with nine locations, 8 of which are in California: four in San Francisco, two in Hollywood, and one each in Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks. There is one location out in Nashville, TN, according to the official Mel’s Diner website.

The first Mel’s location at a theme park opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1988, followed by Orlando in 1990. Since then, Mel’s has become a staple of the “Hollywood Boulevard” sections at Universal Studios Japan, Singapore, and Beijing.

An interesting detail? The Universal versions don’t all agree on the name. Some feature the apostrophe—“Mel’s”—like Orlando, Beijing, Singapore, and Japan. Others drop it entirely, like Universal Studios Hollywood, where the restaurant is styled simply as “Mels Diner.” This is also why you will not find cars parked out front of the restaurant in Hollywood – it is a “diner”, and not a “drive-in” like the others. The locations outside of the parks are also inconsistent with the apostrophe, where the neon signs omit it, even though it appears in the company’s official trademark and website.

No matter the spelling, Mel’s at Universal captures the same retro charm as the originals, with checkerboard floors, chrome finishes, neon lights, and jukeboxes galore. In Orlando, especially, it anchors the corner of Hollywood Boulevard as a nostalgic throwback to the 1950s and an enduring symbol of California car culture.

Williams of Hollywood


Right next to Mel’s is the storefront Williams of Hollywood, a name that may sound like it has deep Hollywood roots, but in this case, as far as we could tell, it’s more of an in-name-only tribute.

The “Williams” here is a nod to Tom Williams, longtime Chairman and CEO of Universal Parks and Resorts. Tom began his career in hospitality at Yosemite National Park in California before moving to Orlando, Florida, in 1987, where he played a pivotal role in the development and opening of Universal Studios Florida. He became park president in 1990, later rising to Chairman and CEO in 1999, before retiring in March 2022. Both Tom and his successor, Mark Woodbury, are honored with stars on the “Walk of Fame” along Universal Orlando’s Hollywood Boulevard.

The exterior of Williams of Hollywood ties directly back to California. At the base of the archway in front of the door, you’ll find a plaque that reads:

Williams of Hollywood
Robert V. Derrah
Architect
1936

The design was inspired by the Crossroads of the World complex on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Built in 1936 and designed by architect Robert V. Derrah, Crossroads of the World has been called one of the first outdoor shopping centers in the country by the Los Angeles Conservancy.

There are two plaques within this complex that we wanted to highlight. The first reads:

Cross Roads of the World, 1936
Robert V. Derrah, Architect
A blend of modern & 
Old world architecture
Declared
Historic-Cultural Monument No. 134
By the
Cultural Heritage Commission 
Cultural Affairs Department
City of Los Angeles

There is a smaller, newer plaque above it that reads:

Windsor Square – Hancock Park Historical Society
Crossroads of the World
Built 1936
Robert V. Derrah, Architect / Contractor
2012 Landmark Award #107

This building’s architecture features smooth curved lines and archways on the first floor that lead to squared-off angles with rectangular windows above—a style echoed perfectly at Universal.

For the WITP team, we live about 40 miles from the Crossroads of the World, so in researching this episode, we went to see the complex for ourselves. Let me tell you, seeing the original building was a true “I know WITP!” moment—it’s nearly identical, except for the color (the one at Crossroads of the World is a white building with a blue-shingled roof, whereas the one at Universal is more of a tan building with brown shingles). Keen-eyed explorers might also recognize the same design at Schmoozies in Disney California Adventure. Crossroads of the World has other buildings in the complex that are heavily influenced at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so we will come back to this location in a future episode.

Okay – so back to Williams of Hollywood. In November 2015, it was transformed into the Prop Shop, where guests could actually purchase authentic props from retired attractions, shows, and Halloween Horror Nights. One day, you might spot a piece of JAWS, another time a sign from Twister, or an HHN scare zone. The inventory changed constantly, making every visit a treasure hunt. For fans, it was one of the most authentic ways to connect with Universal’s legacy.

Sadly, the shop inside Williams of Hollywood closed in June 2022. But the doors didn’t stay shut—it now serves as the exit to the Tribute Store just a few steps away. Even if the props aren’t for sale anymore, they still hold fun nods to classic movie references, keeping their Hollywood spirit alive.

The Darkroom


Next to Williams of Hollywood is The Darkroom. The original Darkroom camera shop opened at 5370 Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles in 1938 and quickly became famous—not just for selling film supplies, but for its unforgettable design: a nine-foot-tall replica of a black Argus camera framing the entrance. The large neon sign above read:

The Darkroom
Cameras Photographic Supplies
World Famous Photo Finishing

This oversized facade made it one of the most photographed storefronts in Hollywood and is considered a prime example of programmatic architecture, where a building’s physical design reflects its purpose. The giant camera wasn’t just decorative—short films were projected through the “lens” for passersby to enjoy.

Universal Studios Florida created a replica of this shop, complete with the oversized camera facade. For years, guests could step inside to take novelty photos against green-screen backdrops. It was a clever tribute to the Hollywood original, letting visitors literally put themselves into a picture.

Just to the right of the facade at Universal, you’ll notice a silver plaque that reads:

The Darkroom
Marcus P. Miller
Architect
1938

Marcus Phillips Miller was born in Illinois in 1892, but moved to Los Angeles in the 1920s. He became head of the Specifications and Contracts Department for Curlett & Beelman Architects before founding his own firm with William Vincent Kernan. The partnership produced several notable projects, including the Montecito Apartments in Hollywood. By 1938, Miller was practicing under his own name, and The Darkroom would become the final project noted in his résumé.

Over the decades, the Hollywood location housed a variety of businesses, including the El Toro Cantina Bar & Grill and the Spare Tire Kitchen and Tavern. Its iconic neon sign eventually entered a private collection before finding a new home at the Museum of Neon Art. Most recently, in 2023, the Vancouver-based Onni Group purchased the building and began a historic preservation project to restore The Darkroom to its former glory.
Though the actual Darkroom is being refurbished, and Universal’s version closed in 2022, the facades still remain, standing as a faithful reminder of one of Hollywood’s most iconic storefronts.

So as we begin our walk down the other side of Hollywood Boulevard at Universal Studios Florida, these first three buildings highlight how the park blends real Hollywood history with immersive guest experiences:
•    Mel’s Drive-In anchors the corner as a nostalgic diner with deep California roots.
•    Williams of Hollywood connects to both the Crossroads of the World in Los Angeles and Universal’s own legacy through the Prop Shop.
•    The Darkroom faithfully recreates one of Hollywood’s most iconic camera-themed facades.


Together, they remind us that Hollywood Boulevard at Universal is more than just a themed street—it’s a love letter to the golden age of Hollywood itself.

Join us in the next part of our series as we continue making our way down this side of the street, uncovering even more buildings with ties to the real Hollywood. Until then, thanks for joining us on this stroll, and remember—there’s always more to discover when you know where in the park to look. Until next time, we’ll see you somewhere in the park.

✨Articles referenced in this blog ✨

Mel's Drive-In

Williams of Hollywood

The Darkroom

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.

Discover More Details

View all
1 3
View all