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Sony Pictures Studios

The Sony Pictures Studios is an American television and film studio complex located in Culver City, California at 10202 West Washington Boulevard and bounded by Culver Boulevard (south), Washington Boulevard (north), Overland Avenue (west) and Madison Avenue (east). Founded in 1912, the facility is currently owned by Sony Pictures and houses the division's film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, and Screen Gems. The complex was the original home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1924 to 1986 and Lorimar-Telepictures from 1986 to 1988.

Sony Pictures Studios
Motor Gate entrance to Sony Pictures Studios
Sony Pictures Studios is located in Western Los Angeles
Sony Pictures Studios
Location within Western Los Angeles
LocationCulver City, California, U.S.
Address10202 West Washington Boulevard
Coordinates34°01′02″N 118°24′06″W / 34.017222°N 118.401667°W / 34.017222; -118.401667
Opening date1912; 112 years ago (1912) (as Inceville Studios)
DeveloperThomas H. Ince
OwnerSony Pictures (Sony)
No. of tenants15

In addition to films shot at the facility, several television shows have been broadcast live or taped there. The lot, which is open to the public for daily studio tours, currently houses a total of sixteen separate sound stages.

History

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Early years (1912–1924)

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Photograph of original colonnade of Triangle Film Corporation. c. 1916

Director Thomas H. Ince built his pioneering Inceville studios in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles in 1912. While Ince was filming at Ballona Creek in 1915, Harry Culver, the founding father of Culver City, persuaded Ince to move Inceville to Culver City. During that time, Ince co-founded Triangle Film Corporation and the Triangle Studios was opened in the form of a Greek colonnade – the entrance to the studios. The colonnade still stands fronting Washington Boulevard and is a Culver City historical landmark.

Ince added a few stages and an Administration Building before selling out to his partners D. W. Griffith and Mack Sennett. Ince relocated down the street and built the Culver Studios at that location. In 1918, Triangle Studios was sold to film producer Samuel Goldwyn. Goldwyn also added a few sound stages before selling his shares in Goldwyn Studios.

MGM Studios/Lorimar-Telepictures Studios/Lorimar Studios (1924–1990)

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Aerial shot of Goldwyn Studios c. 1922
Main article: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

In 1924, Loew's President Marcus Loew organized the mergers and acquisitions of three film companies – The Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and occupying the Goldwyn production facilities. [citation needed]

In the Classic Hollywood cinema, MGM Studios was responsible for shooting 52 films a year, from screen epic films such as Ben-Hur, and Mutiny on the Bounty, to drawing-room dramas such as Grand Hotel, Dinner at Eight, and Anna Karenina. But it was the Technicolor musical films, including The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain and Gigi that MGM was best known for. MGM's success led to six working studio complexes, more than 180 acres (0.73 km2) including twenty-eight soundstages – Stage 15 is the second largest sound stage in the world, and Stage 27 served as "Munchkinland" in the production of The Wizard of Oz.[citation needed]

In addition to the main production building, MGM added two large backlot facilities – Lot 2 located opposite the main studio across Overland Avenue. Lot 3 entered the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Overland Avenue and was MGM's largest backlot. The administration building was inaugurated in 1938 and was named for Thalberg.[citation needed]

However, the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. antitrust case of 1948 severed MGM's connection with Loews Theaters, and it struggled through its affairs.

On August 10, 1965, a massive fire destroyed Vault #7 in Lot 3, resulting in the loss of hundreds of silent-era films, among them Lon Chaney's 1927 film London After Midnight, though the majority of MGM's silent film stock survived the fire. In 1969, millionaire Kirk Kerkorian bought MGM and proceeded to dismantle the studio. MGM's film memorabilia was sold through an 18-day auction, and 38 acres (150,000 m2) of the studio's backlots were sold. Lot 3 was razed while Lot 2 was sold to housing developments. Kerkorian used the money to construct his MGM Resorts hotel chain.[citation needed]

In 1981, Kerkorian's Tracinda acquired United Artists and merged it with MGM to become MGM/UA Entertainment Co. He then sold MUEC to Ted Turner in 1986, who after 74 days, sold MGM/UA back to Kerkorian while retaining the pre-1986 MGM film library. In 1986, the studio lot was sold to Lorimar-Telepictures. During that time, the MGM logo was removed from the studios and moved across the street to the Filmland Building (now known as Sony Pictures Plaza) before their 1992 and 2003 moves to Santa Monica and Century City and finally settling in Beverly Hills from 2011 onwards.[1]

Columbia Studios/Sony Pictures Studios (1990–present)

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Water tower in the center of the Sony Pictures studio complex

In 1988, Warner Communications acquired Lorimar-Telepictures two years before merging with Time Inc. to become Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery). The following year, Sony hired producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber to run the company's newly acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment unit, even though they had a contract with Warner Bros. To resolve this issue, Warner sold their Lorimar lot to Columbia, among other deals. Columbia Pictures had been sharing with Warner Bros. their studio lot in Burbank, California in a partnership called The Burbank Studios starting in 1972. Sony sold its interest in The Burbank Studios as a result of the Guber-Peters issue.[2]

Sony acquired the property, first renamed Columbia Studios, in poor condition and thereafter invested $100 million to renovate the studio complex. The property underwent a three-year comprehensive plan as it transitioned to the 45 acres (0.18 km2) Sony Pictures Studios complex. The buildings, many of which still bore the names of MGM film actors such as Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth and Burt Lancaster, were painted and upgraded. New walls were erected around the lot and the ironwork gates were restored. Nostalgic art deco and false fronts on Main Street were added, as well as hand-painted murals of Columbia film posters. The MGM logo was removed from the Filmland Building in late 1992.[1]

The long-running game shows Jeopardy! (Studio 10, renamed "The Alex Trebek Stage" in July 2021) and Wheel of Fortune (Studio 11), along with their spin-offs, have been taped at Sony Pictures Studios since the mid-1990s.

Taped programs

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Dramas

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Game shows

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Reality

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Sitcoms

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Talk shows

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References

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  1. ^ a b Brennan, Judy (November 16, 1992). "MGM out, Sony in at Filmland". Variety. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  2. ^ Warner, Sony settle suit over producers (November 17, 1989). Los Angeles: Associated Press.
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34°1′2″N 118°24′6″W / 34.01722°N 118.40167°W / 34.01722; -118.40167

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