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The former Mack Sennett Studio -- where the magic used to happen, believe it or not -- behind a Jack-in-the-Box.
Echo Park - One of the most historic film studios in Los Angeles - in America, really - is behind a Jack-in-the-Box on Glendale Boulevard. And you've probably never noticed it because it's completely integrated into a Public Storage campus.
This was Keystone Studios - later, Mack Sennett Comedies Corporation. Founded in 1912, it is believed to have been the first permanent motion picture studio complex in Los Angeles, according to Historic Places LA. It was the first permanent concrete reinforced movie sound stage built on the West Coast, according to the L.A. Times.
Most of all, it's where Mack Sennett would become synonymous with silent slapstick comedy. Though Silver Lake has another place called "Mack Sennett Studios" (which historically had more to do with comic actress and director Mabel Normand), this Echo Park location is where Sennett really did his work.
Through those doors passed Charlie Chaplin, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Normand, Marie Dressler, Harold Lloyd, Gloria Swanson, Ben Turpin, and Harry Langdon.
After Sennett set up another location in Studio City, the Echo Park location went downhill. By 1985, it was, at best, a fixer-upper when “Soul Train” producer Don Cornelius bought it. Even Cornelius gave up on renovation within two years, and sold it to Public Storage in 1987.
The storage company planned to tear the building down. But two years later, they came to an agreement with the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission.
And so, like a lot of others who've had big show business careers, Mack Sennett's former studio now works in the warehouse business.
Barry Lank has worked for newspapers on the East and West Coasts, and earned an MS in journalism from Columbia University. He formerly produced "National Lampoon Presents: The Final Edition." A native of San Gabriel Valley, he now lives in East Hollywood.
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Gee, there is so much more that should be said. Such short shrift given in this article.
I note, for one thing, that is not the entire original operation, it is merely the last remaining of the buildings.
Way back, there used to be a pool in front of that building.
And while it was a sound stage, they did not limit their filming to indoors, that studio affected the surrounding neighborhoods too. And it was not the only studio along that stripe of Glendale Blvd.
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Gee, there is so much more that should be said. Such short shrift given in this article.
I note, for one thing, that is not the entire original operation, it is merely the last remaining of the buildings.
Way back, there used to be a pool in front of that building.
And while it was a sound stage, they did not limit their filming to indoors, that studio affected the surrounding neighborhoods too. And it was not the only studio along that stripe of Glendale Blvd.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.