Sunset Gower Studios is the largest independent studio and is busy with TV and film production on it’s 12 soundstages, at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street in Hollywood.
Official website: https://www.sunsetstudios.com/
Previous websites: http://sgsandsbs.com/ and http://www.sunsetgower.com
Facilities
- Stanley Kramer Theater
TV Shows
- Hazel (1961)
- ‘I Dream of Jeannie (1965)
- The Flying Nun (1967)
- Here Come the Brides (1968)
- Who’s the Boss (1984)
- 227 (1985)
- Good Morning, Miss Bliss (1987)
- Empty Nest (1988)
- Full House
- Blossom (1991)
- Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993)
- Hang Time (1995)
- Moesha (1996)
- USA High (1997)
- The Parkers (1999)
- Six Feet Under (2001)
- Undeclared (2001)
- American Dreams (2002)
- That’s So Raven (2003)
- Deal or No Deal (2005)
- Dexter (2006)
Movies
- The Collector (1965)
- Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
- MacKenna’s Gold (1969)
- Sliver (1993)
- Twilight (1998)
- Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)
- Georgia Rule (2007)
History of Sunset Gower Studios
1911
In 1911, New York City based Nestor Film Company relocates to Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street, making it the first studio established in Hollywood. The area around Sunset & Gower is dubbed ‘Poverty Row’ for the numerous low budget films shot there.
1919
William Horsley builds a film processing laboratory and studio at 6050 and 6040 Sunset Boulevard on the south east corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street.
1922
CBC Productions, a New York company run by Hollywood’s original Cohn Brothers, lease 6070 Sunset Boulevard. The low-budget features produced by CBC between 1922 and 1923 earned them the sobriquet ‘Corned Beef and Cabbage’ films.
1925
The Cohn’s are enjoying success of their own after incorporating as ‘Columbia Studios’ and adopting a new formula of finding and developing un-tapped Hollywood talent. They are able to purchase facilities at 1432 and 1438 Gower Street and an office building at 6070 Sunset Boulevard.
1934
In 1934, Columbia Pictures’ ‘It Happened One Night’ is the first film to win the Academy Award’ ‘Big 5’: Best Picture, Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Actor (Clark Gable), Best Actress (Claudette Colbert), and Best Screenplay (Robert Riskin), establishing Columbia as a serious independent studio.
1942
‘The Jolson Story’ (1946) catapults Columbia into stardom, becoming their highest grossing film of all time. From 1941-1947, stars such as Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, Jean Arthur, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Rosalind Russell, and Cary Grant are boxoffice draws, building upon Columbia’s success in the 1930s.
1948
Columbia establishes a television arm, housed under the revived Screen Gems banner, which makes it one of the first studios to invest in television.
1958
February 27, 1958, Harry Cohn dies while vacationing in Arizona. The memorial service, filling both Stages 12 and 14 at Sunset Gower Studios, is considered the largest memorial service ever attended in Hollywood history.
1972
Columbia Pictures merges with Warner Bros and ceases operations at the Sunset and Gower lot.
Real Estate investor Saul Pick and independent producer Nick Vanoff purchase the Columbia Pictures lot and rename it Sunset Gower Studios, Ltd.
2004
GI Partners purchases Sunset Gower Studios in November 2004. Re-vamping for the 21st Century is a top priority. This includes interior and exterior renovations, construction of a new on-site parking structure, and breaking ground on a state-of-the-art, 6-story office building – the future home of Technicolor’s digital media ventures
2007
Hudson Capital LLC becomes the sole owner of these two history laden plots of land in Hollywood. They bring a new energy and a deep respect for all that has come before.