(Pinch Hitting This Month for Earl Theisen)
from The International Photographer February 1934 p.12
BIOGRAPH produced pictures in Los Angeles in 1906, it being the first company to do so, but it did not at that time build a studio. This honor goes to William N. Selig, who, in 1909, built the first moving picture studio on the Pacific coast. This was at the northeast corner of Clifford and Allesandro streets (this portion of Allesandro has since become a part of Glendale boulevard) in Edendale. Selig had faith in the future of the film industry and proved it by building a complete studio from the ground up—stucco buildings, a stucco wall around the property and most remarkable of all, a glass enclosed stage.
Closely following Selig came the Bison Company.
Their studio, three blocks south of the Selig lot, was of the type that became the standard locally for many years —flimsy frame buildings and an open air stage with muslin diffusers overhead to soften the rays of the sun. After Thomas H. Ince began producing at Santa Monica, the Edendale plant was left to Mack Sennett and his Keystone Company. Sennett remained there as long as the studio was in use; when he moved out the buildings were torn down, the only one still standing being the original concrete light stage.
The third company to come to Edendale was Pathe; producing westerns exclusively, their lot was a block south of Selig. Production there was discontinued in 1914; no trace of the studio now exists.
The Norbig studio was erected by Norton and Biggy in 1913 on the west side of Allesandro near Aaron street. It is still in use. Maintained as a rental proposition it was at one time used by Hal Roach making the Harold Lloyd “Lonesome Luke” series.
The Essanay Company never attempted to establish a permanent studio in the Los Angeles area. The western Essanay unit headed by G. M.Anderson (Broncho Billy), left Chicago in the summer of 1910, and headed toward the coast. They made a few pictures in Colorado, near Denver, then came on to Los Angeles. They made one picture at Santa Monica and one or two in Hollywood, working in a temporary setup on the site afterward used by Kalem. The town of Niles, near San Francisco, was finally chosen by Anderson as the location for a permanent studio.
In the latter part of 1912, Thanhouser made a few pictures in Los Angeles, a studio being built by them on Fairview street in Boyle Heights. The most notable of their ensuing productions was a highly condensed version of “Carmen.” When Thanhouser moved out about six months later, Majestic moved in and began turning out pictures in considerable quantity. They later moved to the Fine Arts studio, but the Boyle Heights property was always afterward known as the “Old Majestic Studio.”
Tn 1914, the newly formed Metro Company, headed by B. A. Rolfe (now of dance orchestra fame), followed Majestic. Louis Joseph Vance also used the studio for one picture, this being from his novel, “The Spanish Jade.” Still later came Chaplin, making pictures for Essanay and again the studio was used for the filming another version of “Carmen”, this being Chaplin’s famous burlesque version.
After Chaplin, various smaller companies used the studio from time to time ; it was finally destroyed by fire, there being nothing of it remaining now but the brick film vault and concrete stage foundations.
Kinemacolor started their Los Angeles activities in 1912 at the rear of a house at 4500 Sunset boulevard. Kinemacolor needed all the light they could get and for that reason shot all their interior sets by direct sunlight. Theirs was about as rudimentary a studio as ever existed —a house, a scene shed and a board stage floor. However, it was around this primitive beginning that the famous old Fine Arts lot was built up, from which came “The Birth of a Nation”, “Intolerance”, and many another fine production. Fine Arts had a dark stage for using artificial lighting, probably the first one in California. Kalem opened a studio in Glendale in 1910, another one soon afterward in Santa Monica and one in Hollywood. George Melford and Alice Joyce were the leads for the Glendale unit; Ruth Roland
and John Brennan made comedies in Santa Monica, while the Hollywood studio, after making an assortment of comedies under the direction of Marshall Neilan, finally settled down to the famous “Ham and Bud” series, featuring Lloyd Hamilton and Bud Duncan, with Ethel Teare as leading lady. In 1914 the Santa Monica lot was abandoned; two years later the Hollywood studio at 1425 Fleming St. was closed and all work was done at the Glendale studio at the entrance to Sycamore Canyon. The Fleming St. lot was afterward used by Charles Ray.
Vitagraph came to the coast in 1911, and began studio work at the rear of a house on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. At first, instead of an open air stage, the company worked in a tent, a stage with diffusers being used later. After a few years production was begun at their Hollywood studio at the time they discontinued at Santa Monica.
In the latter part of 1914, a studio was built by the Climax Co. at the intersection of Romaine and Lillian Way, in Hollywood. One picture, “The Lone Star Rush” was produced, featuring Robert Frazer, Mae Gaston, and Charles Arling. Jack Holt was a member of the supporting cast. After Climax, the studio was used successively by Kolb and Dill, Chaplin, Metro, and Buster Keaton.
In 1913, the Zodiac Film Co. was formed, and were scheduled to begin the production of pictures on the property on the southwest corner of Hill and Council streets, over the Hill street tunnel. The Zodiac Co. had a rather brief existence, and Hobart Bosworth moved in, making his first production after leaving Selig to become an independent star. Beginning with “The Sea Wolf”, he filmed several Jack London stories. In the years that followed, the studio was used by various companies—Rolin, headed by Hal Roach, with Harold Lloyd and Bebe Daniels; Chaplin, finishing out his Essanay contract, Mary Pickford, making her first version of “Tess of the Storm Country”, and a number of smaller independent organizations. At the present time the lot is used as an auto park.
Lubin had a studio in 1913 at 4550 Pasadena Ave., which was later used by J. P. MacGowan’s Signal Film Co. for the production of a series of railroad dramas featuring Helen Holmes.
In the period around 1914-15, studios were started and abandoned so rapidly that it was difficult to keep track of them. The Crown City Film Co. had a fairly large one in Pasadena, there was one in Alhambra, the Navajo Co. had one in Edendale where the Mixville market now stands, Jess Robbins had another out on Central Ave., Dave Horsley built a big one at Washington and Main on the old Chutes-Luna Park site, Milton H. Fahrney and George Ovey made MinA (“Made in America”) comedies at Culver City, the Oz studio got under way at
the northwest corner of Santa Monica and Gower—and there were still others.
When Dave Horsley brought his Nestor Co. to the coast in October 1911, he built Hollywood’s first studio. This was at the northwest corner of Sunset and Gower. Ford Sterling occupied it later, after leaving Keystone to become a Universal star. It was afterward used for years by the Christie Comedy Co.
Carl Laemmle started production by the newly formed Universal Co. in Hollywood, July 12, 1912, taking over the Nestor property and also half a block across the street on Sunset boulevard. With the opening of Universal City on March 15, 1915, the Hollywood Universal studio was left to the Stern brothers, producing L-Ko comedies. All buildings on the lot were destroyed several years ago by fire.
Wm. H. Clune built a studio in 1915, on Melrose avenue across from the present Paramount lot. Clune produced “Ramona,” with Monroe Salisbury and Adda Gleason playing leads. Donald Crisp directed. The property has since been used by various directors and stars, one of whom was Douglas Fairbanks.
The first Ince Culver City studio was built in 1915. After Ince moved out it passed into the hands of the Triangle Co., who passed it on to Sam Goldwyn. It is now occupied by M-G-M.
Ince built his second Culver City plant in 1917. After his death, it was taken over by C. B. DeMille. It was afterward bought by Pathe, who in turn sold it to RKO, who now own it.
The original Lasky studio at the intersection of Selma and Vine, in Hollywood, was built in 1913. Most of the early studios started by buying a frame house and building a stage back of it, using the house as office and dressings rooms. The beginnings of the Lasky lot were even more humble ; they started with a barn ! A glass stage was added in 1914, this being the second one on the coast.
Thomas Dixon—author of “The Clansmen”—built a studio on Western Avenue in 1915 for the production of a war picture, “The Fall of a Nation.” The property was later bought by the Fox Company who still hold it.
The studio at the corner of Council and Occidental streets was built in 1914 for Hobart Bosworth. Oliver Morosco had it for a while, after which it was used by Paramount for their Realart productions. It is now occupied by the Cinecolor laboratories.
The Balboa studio on Sixth street in Long Beach was started in 1913 by the Horkheimer brothers. During 1915 this was one of the busiest lots in the industry. In 1917 Balboa went out of business, and Fatty Arbuckle took over the plant, making most of his two reel Paramount comedies there.
Biograph built their first Los Angeles studio in 1910, at the corner of Washington and Grand. This was only a temporary structure, used for one season. In 1911 the studio at the corner of Georgia and Girard was built; during the next five years it was used as Biograph’s winter headquarters. In the early part of 1917 it was occupied by ‘Thomas H. Ince, pending construction of his second Culver City plant. The studio was last used in 1923 by Katherine MacDonald.
Other studios not thus far mentioned were those of the Quality Co. on Gordon street, E and R Jungle Film on Alhambra Ave., Selig, and L. B. Mayer on Mission Road, Herman studio at Santa Monica, which was afterward used as the Douglas aircraft factory—the round-the-world
plane in the Los Angeles County museum was constructed there—the Mena studio on Fountain Ave., Superior studio in the Knickerbocker building on Olive St., Pacific studio on Santa Monica Blvd., and Henry Lehrmann and Irvin Willat at Culver City.
It is interesting to note that while most of the studios we have covered have disappeared completely, the original Selig plant in Edendale is still in use, being occupied by the Fanchon Royer productions.