Jim Henson Company Lot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jim Henson Company Lot |
|
|---|---|
Main Gates, 2006
|
|
| Location | 1416 N. La Brea Avenue Hollywood, Los Angeles, California |
| Area | 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2) |
| Built | 1917 |
| Governing body | Private |
| Owner | The Jim Henson Company |
| Designated | 1969 |
| Reference no. | 58 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Jim Henson Company Lot is a famous studio in Hollywood, California. It's known for being the home of The Jim Henson Company, which created the Muppets. Before that, it was called A&M Studios and was originally built by the silent film star Charlie Chaplin in 1917.
This special place has changed hands many times. It has been a studio for TV shows like Adventures of Superman and Perry Mason. It was also the main office for A&M Records, a big music company. In 1969, it was recognized as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, meaning it's an important historical site.
Contents
History of the Studio Lot
How the Studio Was Built
In October 1917, Charlie Chaplin decided to build his own film studio. He wanted a place to make his movies after finishing a contract. He bought land in Hollywood that had a house and many fruit trees. Chaplin wrote that they built a "perfect unit," with everything needed for making films. This included a developing plant, cutting rooms, and offices.
The land Chaplin bought was quite large. It had 300 feet (91 m) facing Sunset Boulevard and 600 feet (180 m) facing La Brea Avenue. Chaplin planned to live in the house on the northern part of the land. He wanted to build his movie studio on the southern part.
Chaplin planned to build six buildings that looked like an "English village street." These plans were shared in the Los Angeles Times newspaper in 1917. The buildings were designed to look like "fairy-tale cottages." The total cost was expected to be around $100,000.
At first, some neighbors didn't want the studio built because it was close to Hollywood High School. But the city council approved Chaplin's plan. He built his "English cottage-style studio" very quickly, in just three months. It reportedly cost only $35,000. Chaplin even showed the studio's construction in his 1918 film How to Make Movies, using time-lapse photography.
The studio was mostly finished by 1919. Chaplin kept the large house on the property, but he never actually lived there. Other people who worked for him, like his brother Sydney Chaplin, lived in the house. The "English cottages" along La Brea Avenue were actually offices, a screening room, and a film lab. The studio also had stables, a swimming pool, and tennis courts. The middle part of the property, which used to be an orchard, became the backlot. This is where large outdoor movie sets were built. Two big open-air stages were built for filming. There were also dressing rooms, a garage, a carpenter's shed, and a film vault.
Charlie Chaplin's Era (1919–1952)
Many of Chaplin's most famous movies were filmed at these studios. Some of them include The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), The Great Dictator (1940), Monsieur Verdoux (1947), and Limelight (1952).
Chaplin also welcomed many famous visitors to his studios. These included Winston Churchill, Helen Keller, and Harry Lauder.
Over the years, the studios changed a bit. The two open-air stages were closed off and turned into soundstages in the mid-1930s. This happened before Modern Times was filmed. A smaller stage was also built over the studio's swimming pool. One of the stages was damaged by a fire in 1927 while Chaplin was making The Circus. Also, in 1928–29, La Brea Avenue was made wider. This meant the buildings next to the street had to be moved back 15 feet (4.6 m).
In 1942, Chaplin sold the northern part of his property. This section included the house, tennis courts, and part of his backlot. A shopping center was built there instead.
In 1943, Chaplin's studios were used by another film company for the first time. Columbia Pictures filmed Once Upon a Time there. The Los Angeles Times noted that Chaplin's studio was usually "sacrosanct," meaning outsiders almost never worked there. However, the studio manager said this wouldn't become a regular thing.
In 1949, the famous actress Greta Garbo reportedly did her last screen test at the studios.
The Studio Becomes a TV Set (1953–1966)
Chaplin left the United States in October 1952. The next year, he sold the studio to Webb and Knapp for $650,000. The new owner planned to tear it down. But a TV company quickly leased it, and it became known as Kling Studios. In 1955, it was used to film the Adventures of Superman TV series, starring George Reeves.
Starting in 1959, the comedian Red Skelton filmed his TV series at the studio. In April 1960, Skelton bought the studio himself. He joked that he would just "own the joint" and focus on making people laugh. Skelton invested a lot of money, about $3.5 million, to buy new equipment for filming color TV shows. He put a big "Skelton Studios" sign over the main gate.
Skelton also removed a special sidewalk block from the studio grounds. This block had Chaplin's signature and footprints from January 21, 1918. Skelton took it to his home in Palm Springs, California. After Skelton passed away in 1997, the block was given to the Skelton Museum at Vincennes University.
Skelton sold the studio to CBS in 1962. CBS then filmed the Perry Mason TV series there from 1962 to 1966.
A&M Records Takes Over (1967–1999)
In 1966, musicians Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss bought the studio from CBS. They wanted it to be the main office for their music company, A&M Records. A&M Records was growing very fast. Alpert and Moss surprised CBS by paying over $1 million in full with a cashier's check.
A&M changed two of the old soundstages and Chaplin's swimming pool into recording studios. In 1968, a report on Alpert and Moss said they were making the old sound stages into "the most luxurious and pleasant recording studios in the world." Chaplin's cement footprints were one of the few things left from the past.
Chaplin himself briefly visited his old studio in April 1972. This was his only trip back to America to receive an honorary Academy Award. A&M hoped to have a ceremony for him, but he chose to avoid attention. He just drove by the studio gates on a weekend.
Becoming a Historic Landmark
In February 1969, the old Chaplin Studios were officially named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. This means it's a very important historical and cultural site. Carl Dentzel, who was in charge of the Cultural Heritage Board, said it was one of the few places from old Hollywood that still looked like an early movie studio. He also noted that Chaplin's studio was one of the first built in Hollywood.
In April 1989, a group called "Hollywood Heritage" celebrated Chaplin's 100th birthday. They showed Chaplin's 1918 documentary How to Make Movies and his film The Kid at the studio. Chaplin's son, Sydney, received an award honoring his father.
The Jim Henson Company's Home (2000–Present)
In February 2000, Jim Henson's children bought the studio for $12.5 million. They wanted it to be the new home for The Jim Henson Company.
Lisa Henson, Jim Henson's daughter, said the buildings were a "lovable hodge-podge of quirky, unusual spaces." She felt it was perfect for the Muppets. In June 2000, the Henson Company put up a 12-foot (3.7 m) statue of Kermit the Frog above the main gate. Kermit was dressed like Chaplin's famous character, The Tramp. Jim Henson's son, Brian Henson, said that when they heard the Chaplin lot was for sale, they "had to have it." He felt it was the "perfect home for the Muppets."
In 2007, the TV show Ghost Hunters filmed an episode at the studios. They investigated ghost stories that employees had told for years.
The studio lot was also used as the set for the abandoned Muppet Studios in the 2011 movie The Muppets.
Studio Facilities
Henson Recording Studios
Henson Recording Studios is a famous recording studio located on the lot. It used to be called A&M Studios. It has four main recording rooms and a mixing room.
In 1985, the famous song and music video "We Are the World" was recorded in Studio A. Many famous artists were there, including Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen. On February 1, 2010, the song was re-recorded there to help people affected by the Haiti earthquake.
Many other well-known musicians have recorded songs, albums, and videos at these studios. Some of them include Styx, The Carpenters, The Police, The Moody Blues, Oingo Boingo, David Lee Roth, Soundgarden, Take That, Van Morrison, Lindsay Lohan, and Westlife.
In 2011, Van Halen recorded their comeback album, A Different Kind of Truth, in Studio C. On February 1, 2012, they performed live at Henson Studios for a crowd of celebrities.
The punk rock band The Offspring also recorded their album Days Go By (2012) at Henson Recording Studios. Seether recorded their 2014 album Isolate and Medicate there too.
Alice in Chains recorded two albums at the studios: The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here (2013) and Rainier Fog (2018).
Henson Soundstage
The Henson Soundstage is a large stage on the lot used for filming. It was formerly known as the Chaplin Stage.
When A&M Records owned the studio, this soundstage was used to film music videos. These included "Every Breath You Take" by The Police and "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr.. Also, the popular TV show Soul Train was taped there from 1981 to 1985.
