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Images of America: California
Early Universal City
Known as much today for its theme park, Universal City is also the largest and the longest continuously operating movie studio in "Hollywood." The Universal Film Manufacturing Company was formed by a dozen independent producers in 1912, and Universal City was designed to provide a single facility in which to make their films. Since its official opening on March 15, 1915, Universal City has served as a training ground for great directors such as John Ford, William Wyler, and James Whale and as home to stars like Hoot Gibson, Deanna Durbin, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Sr. and Jr., and Tom Mix. This evocative volume explores the studio that brought The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Dracula (1930), Frankenstein (1931), and 100 Men and a Girl (1936) to the screen.
128 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2009
About the author
Robert S. Birchard
8 books54 followersRobert S. Birchard is an award-winning film editor who brings an insider’s perspective and a great affection for the people who work in the picture business to his chronicles of the movies. He is the author of Cecil B. DeMille’s Hollywood, Early Universal City, Silent-era Filmmaking in Santa Barbara, and King Cowboy: Tom Mix and the Movies and a contributing writer to the omnibus volumes M-G-M When the Lion Roars, Don Miller’s Hollywood Corral, The Encyclopedia of Early Film and Hollywood: The Movie Factory. His articles on Hollywood filmmakers have appeared in American Cinematographer, Statement, Film History, The Moving Image, Griffithiana, Daily Variety and Los Angeles Times Calendar. He is a past president and current board member of the preservation organization Hollywood Heritage, Inc. and is current president of the Cinecon Classic Film Festival which presents the annual Cinecon Classic Film Festival and contributes to film preservation projects.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 3, 2020
FASCINATING HISTORY OF EARLY UNIVERSAL.
These Arcadia Images of America don't look anything very special at first glance but they are always full of fascinating information about different aspects of American life.
Because I am an avid film book and Americana collector, this book seemed perfect for me and I wasn't disappointed. 127 pages chock full of historical information about the beginning of Universal City from the silent years until the end of the Laemmle family involvement circa 1936.
About 200 wonderful and relevant photos with excellent description by film expert Robert S. Birchard. Praise and thanks to Mr. Birchard for fully identifying all those historical pictures with names of actors, directors, writers, etc. No small feat! And from what I can ascertain, all the information contained is not only entertaining reading but also historically accurate.
This is an excellent primer for students of Universal and its films. For further study, I recommend Bernard F. Dick's CITY OF DREAMS: the Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures (U Press of Kentucky, 1997.)
These Arcadia Images of America don't look anything very special at first glance but they are always full of fascinating information about different aspects of American life.
Because I am an avid film book and Americana collector, this book seemed perfect for me and I wasn't disappointed. 127 pages chock full of historical information about the beginning of Universal City from the silent years until the end of the Laemmle family involvement circa 1936.
About 200 wonderful and relevant photos with excellent description by film expert Robert S. Birchard. Praise and thanks to Mr. Birchard for fully identifying all those historical pictures with names of actors, directors, writers, etc. No small feat! And from what I can ascertain, all the information contained is not only entertaining reading but also historically accurate.
This is an excellent primer for students of Universal and its films. For further study, I recommend Bernard F. Dick's CITY OF DREAMS: the Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures (U Press of Kentucky, 1997.)
June 4, 2013
Maybe it's more a "goodlook" than a "goodread". Still, it's another quality, informative work from Arcadia Publishing.
June 3, 2016
Another in this popular picture book series, this has great photos of early Universal as well as Bob's usual terrifically researched text. I refer to it often.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews