Studio City is one of 24 named communities in the San Fernando Valley,
which are part of the incorporated City of Los Angeles. Only 12 miles
northwest of the Los Angeles Civic Center, Studio City is nestled in
the foothills of the north slope of the Santa Monica mountains, a prime
location for easy access to employment centers in Hollywood, Downtown,
the Valley and Beverly Hills. The Ventura Freeway from Los Angeles and
the San Diego Freeway from the coastal cities gives easy access to all
of Southern California. Studio City is ideally situated for living,
working or relaxing in Southern California.
Studio City received its name as a result of the filming activities
of Mack Sennett during the silent film era in the 1920's. The sound
stages Sennett built have been in continuous use by CBS Television.
Until then, Studio City was a large parcel of rural land. Ventura
Boulevard was only a country road and the Studio City Business District
consisted of nothing more than a drug store, a grocery store, a small
bank, a couple of hamburger stands and a few businesses.
On June 21, 1927, the Lankershim Press broke the news that the
Central Motion Picture District, a corporation set up to develop movie
company sites, had arranged for the construction of a $20 million film
center named Studio City. The development was planned for the NE corner
of Ventura Highway and Prospect Street ( now Laurel Canyon Boulevard).
The first phase of the project was the construction of the 200-acre
Mack Sennett Studio. The mission-style administration building was two
stories, one of the tallest structures in the Valley. In 1935 it became
Republic Pictures Studio and later CBS Studio Center.
The name Studio City would become official in 1928, when the Mack
Sennett Studios began shooting a two reeler, "The Keystone Cops" and
the "Oh-You-Kid Bathing Beauties" along the hillsides of this beautiful
area. At the time, the city considered building an airfield in the east
Valley to serve Los Angeles. A private field was established at Ventura
Boulevard and Fulton Avenue, and the city took control of Ventura
Boulevard from the state of California. The first traffic signal in the
Valley was placed at Ventura and Lankershim Boulevards. Thus, both the
first airstrip and the first traffic light were built in Studio City.
Many famous movie stars got their start in the "Republic Days"
including, President Ronald Regan, James Stewart, Bette Davis, Jack
Benny, Tony Curtis, Jack Webb, Joan Fontaine, Jane Wyman, Peter
Lawford, Ray Milland, Alfred Hitchcock, Roy Rogers, and John Wayne.
Republic made a score of great and memorable pictures. Among them,
Flying Tigers, Fighting Seabees, The Red Pony, Wake of the Red Witch,
Sands of Iwo Jima, The quiet Man, Jubilee Trail, Johnny Guitar, Lisbon
and many others.
And it's no wonder that after working for Republic, many stars, and
movie industry employees made this charming and conveniently located
community of Studio City their home.
Famous names that have worked at these studios over the years
include the following: D.W. Griffith, Mabel Norman, Ben Turpin, Charlie
Chaplin, Slim Summerville, Harry Langdon, Edward Everett Horton, W.C.
Fields, Gloria Swanson, Marie Prevost, Carole Lombard, Gene Autry,
Vaughn Monroe, Barbara Stanwyck, Rory Calhoun, Ward Bond, and Joan
Crawford.
Studio City was created by the movie industry. In 1935, 400
employees drew their paychecks each week at Republic Studios. Today,
thousands are employed at the various studios and entertainment-related
businesses that operate in Studio City. Ventura Boulevard contains
miles of thriving mom-and-pop businesses, boutiques, restaurants,
banks, and offices.
Growing up the area in the late 1940's and the early 1950's, Studio
City was a magical place. In addition to movies being made right in
Studio City, actors such as Errol Flynn walked the streets along with
countless others, especially the Hollywood Cowboys. Indeed, a large
number of the residents kept their own horses, and there was still room
in the Santa Monica Mountains in which to ride. It was and still is, an
area where people go for walks at night. It was a safe, healthy place
to raise children and was considered by many to be the "Jewel of the
Valley". Studio City was destined to become the Valley's closest
approximation of a "bohemian" neighborhood, an area that attracted
musicians, writers, movie-hopefuls, and other artists.
By the 1980's, Studio City contained about 25,000 people, and the
only studio was the CBS Studio Center, a hundred feet or so north of
Ventura Boulevard.
In January of 1985, a CBS/MTM Studios sign went up at the main
gate. Since that time, some of the shows produced at the Studio
include: Newhart, Thirtysomething, Dinosaurs, Roseanne, A Different
World, My Two Dads, Evening Shade, Twilight Zone, and full-length
features including, Father of the Bride and The Addams Family.
In 1992, CBS acquired MTM's interest in the studio, and once again
the sign CBS Studio Center went up at the main gate. Since that time,
the Studio has been home to several series: Grace Under Fire, Roseanne,
Men Behaving Badly, Dave's World, Love and War, Double Rush, Hearts
Afire, The Larry Sanders Show, Cybill, Seinfeld, Unhappily Ever After,
American Gladiators, A.J.'s Time Travelers, Round House, Adventures in
Wonderland, and the feature films Addams Family Values, I Love Trouble,
Mr. Wrong, Boys on the Side, House Arrest, Desperate Measures, and Dr.
Doolittle.
Throughout the 1990's, Studio City has continued to be the "Jewel
of the Valley" with a Strong partnership between the commercial and
residential community. Studio City represents a destination place for
thousands of people, and as we are in the year 2000, Studio City
remains THE place to be!
