Thx
FW for finding the images of Coulter's Woolen Mill. Gorgeous.
As for my powers: pfft!
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Still looking into the history of the old Metro Studios and environs, I finally understood that from soon after its inception in 1915, until 1917 when Metro took over, this was the studio that Mutual leased for Charlie Chaplin. The Mutual subsidiary formed to serve Chaplin's productions was called the Lone Star Film Corporation. I knew it was a company, but what I didn't know was it was a
place.
I'm no expert on silent film. I'm sure many of you knew about Lone Star Studios all along. I didn't, but I'm fascinated by the very early studios, so really wanted to know the history of this one.
As usual, there was a ton of info out there, some of it conflicting. I hope I haven't totally garbled this. Corrections welcome.
First, some quotes:
"In April 1916, the month of his 27th birthday, Chaplin changed studios again, signing with the Mutual Film Company. Calling for a dozen two-reel comedies over the course of a year, Chaplin’s new contract stipulated a $670,000 salary, more than ten times the amount he had received at Essanay. The agreement also created Lone Star Studio whose sole purpose was the production of Chaplin’s comedies. The deal cost Mutual a total of $1,530,000, including Chaplin’s pay. An early historian of film Terry Ramsaye correctly called Lone Star 'the biggest operation centered about a single star in the history of the motion picture industry.'
Today, Chaplin’s Mutual series is recognized as one of the most inspired creative bursts in film history."
'Fulfilling the Mutual contract, I suppose, was the happiest period of my career', Chaplin later recalled. 'I was light and unencumbered, twenty-seven years old, with fabulous prospects and a friendly, glamorous world before me. Within a short time I would be a millionaire—it all seemed slightly mad.'”
-
"It's Mutual: Charlie Chaplin Shorts, 1916-1917" by Robert Byrne
"...by 1917 [Triangle Film Corporation] operated as the distributor for four subsidiary studios in California, three of which were in the Los Angeles area and the other in Santa Barbara. They were Signal Film Corporation, Vogue Films, Inc., Lone Star Film Company and American Film Company. Vogue Films, Inc. operated a studio at Santa Monica Boulevard and Gower street in Los Angeles...
During 1916 and 1917, the Lone Star Film Company had Charlie Chaplin working at their studio at 1025 Lillian Way, in Hollywood."
- Mutual Film/Wikipedia
"The Mutual Film Corporation created a subsidiary called The Lone Star Corporation solely to make the Chaplin films...The company provided Chaplin his own studio, named The Lone Star Studio. The facility was formerly the Climax Studios, located at 1025 Lillian Way in Hollywood..."
-
Mutual Chaplin Specials by Jeffrey Vance
When Chaplin left Mutual, owner Climax leased the lot to Metro:
cdnc /Los Angeles Herald, 9 October 1917
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889-1977) in 1916:
wikipedia
"
Easy Street" (1917) was one of Chaplin's Mutual Comedies, filmed at Lone Star. It came up on the thread recently (pg 1572) when
e_r started us looking into the location shots: Olvera Adobe/L.A. City Water Company and Italian Hall/Olvera Street.
IMDB (detail)
I cannot tell you the fun I had rewatching "Easy Street", now that I know where the oh-so-hokey standing and stage sets were. (I used to live in a craftsman bungalow just a few blocks NE of here. It was being hammered together at the same time Lone Star Studios was built):
Chaplin with Eric Campbell:
-"Easy Street"/YouTube
Chaplin in the thug's flat:
-"Easy Street"/YouTube
"Hope Mission" entrance:
-"Easy Street"/YouTube
Maybe the "Hope Mission" exterior was filmed at a back entrance of the building we know from its Metro days? (or maybe not, other bungalows were added to the lot):
water and power (detail)
The bungalow building with the roof sign (AKA "Stage A") is actually an addition to the original, much smaller house/office at 1025 Lillian Way (referenced in quotes near the top of this post as the address of Lone Star Studios). This little, pre-existing building was built near the end of 1914, too late to make the 1914 Baist map (one can just glimpse its roof ridge in the photo above). The addition was connected to the original building, which is obvious from the 1919 Sanborn, but it's hard to tell that from this angle.
The Climax Co, owner and lessor of the lot, built the 21' x 26' addition in 1916 with an entrance facing on Eleanor (Climax was also the contractor). From the permit, it sounds like it started as an open stage which was then walled & roofed over. I. Jay Knapp was the architect. According to the 1919 Sanborn map it was used as an "Office":
ladbs
After 15 years, the building was demolished, along with much else:
ladbs
Three more undated photos of this lot turned up (I'm guessing from Metro's time there). The facility looks so fresh and new, and also remarkably tidy.
A stage:
lapl
The Front Gate, SE corner Romaine and Cole (note the bungalows behind the Administration Building):
seaver center
The Mill:
lapl
The 1921 Baist map reveals that Metro also leased the top of the block, extending south from Willoughby, between Cole and Cahuenga, meaning this studio was on parts of
five blocks. I, at first, thought it was only four:
historic mapworks
And an irresistible aerial (the camera is looking SW, with Lillian Way and Eleanor on the bottom margin, left of center):
silent locations
The block at lower right, with the big trees, was built out as offices and labs by Technicolor, starting in 1938 with their gorgeous main building at 6311 Romaine. It is now Television Center, a rental facility, and remains beautifully maintained.
The block at upper left (Lot #3), looking like it has an icy "Arctic" standing set, is the future home of the extant Red Studios, the only part of the old Metro that's left.
Detail shot of the image above. This shows just the studio's original block (and those paired Administration Buildings). This was Lone Star and later Keaton's part of Metro. That open soundstage got a roof in Oct 1921:
hollywoodphotographs
Thx
e_r for opening this one up and to
Hoss too, for your help. I had a lot of fun:
hathitrust image (altered)
this version previously posted by HossC in a larger size