Hollywood Center Studios - History

History

• The studios were originally constructed in 1919.
• In 1928, Howard Hughes used the stages to shoot the silent version of Hell's Angels (it was later entirely reshot and released as a sound film in 1930).
• Monogram Studios took up residence before moving to where KCET is currently located.
• General Service Studios became the tenant in the 1930s and it is here where Laurel and Hardy's "The Flying Deuces" was made.
• The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet filmed almost the entire run of its series here. For its final season, it was forced to relocate to the Desilu-Culver lot. Filmways, already using virtually every other available stage, needed more space, and Green Acres took over use of Stage 5. General Service Studio was also the 'home away from home' for various 'studio brats' like Ricky Nelson, Connie Harkins, and Zane Ashton.

• Pace Records operated out of the studio during the late 1950s. Formed by actor George Skaff and producer Marc Raymond, the label never achieved any notable status, although they did release a large number of rock and roll records. However, they did use a regular group of musicians on their records, including Ray Pohlman, Mel Pollen, Bill Aken, and Earl Palmer. Some historians maintain that this group was the initial beginning of the studio aggregate of renowned musicians that would become known as "The Wrecking Crew."

• The first two seasons of I Love Lucy (1951–1953) were shot in Studio 2 prior to Desilu's moving production of the show to Desilu-Cahuenga Studios, now known as Ren-Mar Studios.
• Francis Ford Coppola purchased the lot for American Zoetrope in 1980 but, following the bankrupting failure of One from the Heart in 1982, was forced to sell the lot in 1983.
• Interiors for the 1982 film Frances starring Jessica Lange were filmed on the lot.