DAYS OF THEIR LIVES THE PEOPLE AT NBC BURBANK DON'T MIND IF YOU STOP BY, BUT DON'T COME HUNGRY.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

Listen up, all you TV-history buffs, particularly those of you who happen to have friends or relatives coming into town and want to see where the celebs work.

We could tell you that the massive stages 9 and 11 on the NBC Studios lot were built especially for the production of soap operas, and that stage 11 was the temporary ``office'' of Will Smith, whose ``The Fresh Prince of Bel Air'' filmed on the Burbank lot during the program's early years.

Want numbers? The lot became operational in 1952. At the time, NBC was ``landlocked'' at its Hollywood and Vine location. Burbank, with its wide open space, already housed Disney and Warner Bros. studios. NBC bought 44 acres, 30,000 square feet of which was developed for use. In the 50 years that followed, NBC has grown from using 30,000 square feet to using nearly 1.1 million square feet.

We could further regale you - as many an NBC page/tour guide will do - with the story that former ``Tonight Show'' host Johnny Carson tanned every day, hated stage glue, but had a penchant for ``stunt noses'' which he attached using Elmer's glue.

We could even tell you that Carson's former stage now houses ``The Weakest Link.''

But if you're one of the 80,000 to 100,000 people who visit the NBC lot each year either for a tour or as a ``Tonight Show'' audience member, chances are what you really want are the answers to a few key questions:

What time does ``Tonight Show'' host Jay Leno arrive for work every day? (Answer: Usually 9 a.m. sharp.)

Does he take a different car to work every day? And how many does he own? (Hard to pin down. Around 80, with an equal number of motorcycles.)

If I visit NBC, can I grab a sandwich in the studio commissary? (Sorry.)

Oh, and can you expect a star sighting during your 70-minute visit?

You never know. NBC is a working lot, home to, among others, ``Days of Our Lives,'' ``Access Hollywood,'' the various NBC and KNBC news programs and ``The Tonight Show,'' one of the studio's crown jewels. Depending on what time you visit, you might get a glimpse of one of Jay's guests or enter the studio when a major musical act is conducting a sound check.

You won't, however, get to check out the room from which ``NBC Nightly News'' anchorman Tom Brokaw does his special broadcasts when he's on the West Coast. The network news digs, a 24/7 working environment, are off limits to tour visitors.

``Unlike other theme-park attractions that have built in something that's specifically for tourist visitors, we're taking visitors through where we do the work every day: the construction shop, studios and the different things we do,'' said William Connor, director of guest relations and coordinator of the tour program. ``Consequently, the tour can change day to day, depending on what time of day and what day of the week you come.''

Any time is likely to be an activity period for ``Days of Our Lives,'' the lot's other big player. Now in its 37th year, ``Days'' occupies two stages and generally is in production 10 to 12 hours a day, five to six days per week. The program's presence means lots of scene construction and storage demand, as well as staff to prepare hair, makeup and costumes.

``People are working and changing sets every night,'' says Jack O'Neill, vice president of facilities and corporate sourcing. ``It's a tremendously good business for us to be in in terms of our facility. If a soap opera hits, it's forever. It's a gold mine.''

Other shows shot on the lot over the years: ``Rowan & Martin's Laugh- In,'' ``Chico and the Man,'' ``Sanford and Son,'' ``The Midnight Special,'' ``Saved by the Bell'' a flock of game shows and several Bob Hope specials.

Tours, which had been suspended immediately after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, have recently kicked back into gear. Security is tighter - you may notice a metal detector or two - and tour groups are slightly smaller. Even before Sept. 11, the news division was accustomed to threats, according to O'Neill.

``Somebody says something on the news that someone doesn't like and we get the calls and the threats,'' says O'Neill.

NBC Studio tours run continuously from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Interested participants should go to NBC's Guest Relations department at 3000 W. Alameda Blvd. in Burbank. Tickets - $7.50 for adults, $3.75 for children under 12 - are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no advance reservations. Information: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) Jack O'Neill, vice president of facilities and corporate sourcing, manages the NBC Studios in Burbank, as well as creating some of the displays on the tour, like this one with a vintage TV set.

(2) Along the way in the NBC tour is a display of the various network logos adopted over the years.

(3) Silhouetted cutouts of famous buildings from all over the country are pieced together in the backdrop behind Jay Leno on the ``Tonight Show'' set.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer