Quote:
Originally Posted by HossC
The KCET Studio at 4401 Sunset Boulevard.
The studio is the longest continuously-producing studio in Hollywood, making films since its establishment in 1912.
It looks like all three of the remaining photographs show the 1922 administration building, which was erected by Charles Ray.
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/554365035352995788/
"In 1912 the Lubin Company purchased land for a movie studio on Fleming Street off of Sunset Boulevard.
Charles Ray took over the property in the 1920s after Kalem, Essanay and Jesse Hampton came and went."
Charles Ray (1891-1943) was an extraordinarily popular silent film star.
http://www.goldensilents.com/stars/charlesray.html
His first experience in film came with Thomas Ince's Studio in 1915. He was featured in many short films as a wholesome, simple country boy (he was from Indiana)
The public loved him and clamored for more. He moved on to full-length features in the late teens and early 20s.
After forming his own production company, he placed most of his money into the mega-project,
"The Courtship of Miles Standish" (1923).
-as Miles Standish.
http://silentcinema.com/THE_COURTSHI...hoto_1923.aspx
below: Studio publicity with many superlatives.
Cast photo (but I don't see Charles Ray)
http://estatesalechronicles.blogspot...hollywood.html
"The Courtship of Miles Standish" ended up costing over $1 Million dollars!
Most astoundingly, Mr. Ray built a full size replica of the
Mayflower at his studio in East Hollywood.
The film was a major flop and Mr. Ray lost his fortune.
A blogger at
http://estatesalechronicles.blogspot...hollywood.html
wrote:
"I've never seen a photograph of the ship
in situ. That is until recently"
The blogger found this amazing photograph in a reference book at an estate sale.
http://estatesalechronicles.blogspot...hollywood.html
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The "Mayflower" dwarfs its Southern California neighborhood, 1920s.
After an additional google search or two, I found this blurb in Photoplay (1923)
http://archive.org/stream/photoplayv...402/mode/thumb
But as I mentioned earlier, the film flopped, Mr. Ray's pockets were empty, and the tourist attraction never happened.
Eventually the "Mayflower" burned to the ground. Some critics later commented that the reception of
"The Courtship of Miles Standish"
was so bad, Ray would have been better off keeping the boat and burning the film.
And get this, the film is now lost! No copies of Mr. Ray's epic are known to exist.
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