Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/13146
Then and now: Hollywood Center Studios, built in 1919, was the site of “I Love Lucy” (far left) and today’s Disney show, “The Suite Life on Deck” (left). Large photo: Rooftop view of the busy Hollywood Center Studios facility. “The Jazz Singer” - the first “talkie” - was filmed in 1927 at the Warner Bros. Studio, now Sunset Gower Studios. number of films and TV shows, including “Sliver”, “Dexter,” and “Heroes.” Both Sunset Bronson and Sunset Gower properties were purchased by Hudson Capital in 2007. Christopher Barton, executive vice presi- dent of Hudson Capital, acknowledged the studios have faced difficul- ties in the past few years due to the uncertainty facing its entertainment industry tenants - production companies, casting agencies, special ef- fects companies, etc. Since the purchase of the studios, Hudson Capital has invested in changes to the property including completing the construction of the Technicolor Building in 2008. “Tere are a lot of benefits to a place people find charming and in- teresting, and I think it promotes the sense of community and creates a synergy among all these different types of entertainment companies that are based here,” Barton said. A bit further west, Formosa Avenue is home to “Te Lot,” known early on as the Pickford-Fairbanks Studio, and later expanded by Samuel Goldwyn and Joseph Schenck. Goldwyn and Mary Pickford had a bitter dispute over the property that ended when Goldwyn outbid Pickford at auction in 1955. Until 1980, the lot was known as Te Samuel Goldwyn Studio, and classics such as “Some Like It Hot” and “West Side Story” were filmed there. From 1980 to 1999, Warner Bros. owned the studio, but it now is owned and leased by BA Studios. Recent projects brought to life at “Te Lot” include the second season of HBO’s “True Blood,” “Miss Congeniality 2”, “Te Majestic”, and “Te Green Mile”. Te Charlie Chaplin Studio on La Brea Avenue was built in 1917, the site of the actor’s independent productions, in- cluding “Te Kid” (1921), “Te Gold Rush” (1925), “City Lights” (1931) and “Te Great Dictator” (1940). His last film shot there was “Limelight” (1952). He sold the studio in 1953 and such shows as the George Reeves “Te Adventures of Su- perman” series, “Te Red Skelton Show”, and the original “Perry Mason” were produced there. In 1966 it became the home of A&M Records and Tijuana Brass Enterprises, Inc. Te Jim Henson Company took up residence there in February 2000. Charlie Chaplin's concrete footprints can still be found in front of Sound Stage #3. Tose in the Hollywood production business know that movie and television production occurs anywhere and everywhere, from Griffith Park, neighborhoods, and sound stages and various venues large and small. While opportunities for making big-budget movies at these historical properties may have waned, Hollywood studios have adapted to accommodate a growing creative clientele and an ever-changing technological frontier, ensuring Hollywood’s future in the entertain- ment industry universe. DH SUMMER 2010 / DISCOVER HOLLYWOOD 19