Monday, June 2, 2008 – Gower Gulch

Gower Gulch – the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Gower in Hollywood – in the days of silent film the home to a few movie studios, churning out westerns.  It is said that actual cowboys would come to Hollywood hoping to find work, and hang out at this corner.  Sunset Gower Studios is here – since 1921 and still humming long.  But the neighborhood is now filled with postproduction houses and support services – the stuff that keeps Hollywood going, critical stuff no one thinks about. This is what makes Hollywood work.

Hollywood Newsreel Syndicate Inc. 1622 North Gower - archives, stock footage – when you see a montage of old movie clips on Oscar Night all that comes from here.

Cinesonic Recording Studios, 6059 Carlton Way – in the same building –

Technicolor’s Hollywood postproduction complex - Complete Post, 6087 Sunset (at Gower) – soon to be replaced by a big glass building across the street –

Siren Studios, 6063 Sunset – site of many a fashion shoot – Google it and you'll see – Paris Hilton and such are often in and out of here –

Hollywood Film and Video, 6060 Sunset Boulevard –

Note:

We are a full-service motion picture lab providing processing and printing of both 16mm and 35mm color negative film. Also available is processing and printing of 16mm black and white negative, reversal, color reversal film, liquid gate answer prints and intermediates utilizing Schmitzer and Petersen liquid gate printers. Our company prides itself in having the best chemical and printer control in the industry, which is why we are the lab of choice for digital and optical effects.

History:

David Horsley's Nestor Company was making pictures in New Jersey with Will Horsley handling the laboratory. In October, 1911, the two decided it would pay to move west, so on the train they learned of a place called Hollywood and almost upon arriving, purchased the Blondeau Tavern on the northwest corner of Sunset and Gower, moving their "Nestor Company" in and started making short westerns and comedies. This was the first movie studio to be established in the area known as Hollywood.

By 1916, Sunset and Gower was a major movie studio and laboratory center, with many directors, cameramen, film-cutters, technicians, employed by the many small "Gower Gulch" companies. William then bought the Southeast corner and built his own lab and studio in 1919 and included offices for small production companies. It became the home of independants. For thirty years, actors, cowboys, cameramen and the like would wait every morning in front of his building, hoping for work in the now very profitable motion picture industry.

The Blondeau Tavern on the northwest corner of Sunset and Gower is long gone.  Miles Davis is now there. In the background you see the corporate offices of The House of Blues.

On the southeast corner of Sunset and Gower, Belisarius Productions Paramount, at the famous Sunset Gower Studios 1438 North Gower – they produce television shows –

And to fully counter any of that Romance of Hollywood nonsense, next to Hollywood Newsreel Syndicate Inc. – Carlton Liquor –

If you wish to use any of these photos for commercial purposes I assume you'll discuss that with me. And should you choose to download any of these images and use them invoking the "fair use" provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976, please provide credit, and, on the web, a link back this site. 

Technical Note:

Photographs after March 3, 2008, were taken with a Nikon D200 – or a Nikon D70 when noted. All previous photographs were taken with the D70. The lenses used are (1) AF-S Nikkor 18-70 mm 1:35-4.5G ED, or (2) AF Nikkor 70-300 mm telephoto, or (3) AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200 mm f/4-5.6G ED. Photography here is modified for web posting using Adobe Photoshop 7.0.  The earliest photography in the archives was done with a Sony Mavica digital still camera (MVC-FD-88) with built-in digital zoom.

All text and photos, unless otherwise noted, Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - Alan M. Pavlik