Laemmle Led a Hollywood Migration to the Valley

When Carl Laemmle flung open the gates to Universal’s new studios off Lankershim Boulevard, he ushered in not only 10,000 eager movie fans but a new era for the San Fernando Valley.

It was March 15, 1915, and a crowd of men in waistcoats and women in bonnets jostled to catch a glimpse of the new stages, buffalo and other animals, and the movie stars and movie cameras Laemmle had brought to the dusty ranch just outside Hollywood.

“See how slapstick comedies are made. See your favorite screen stars do their work. See how we make the people laugh or cry or sit on the edge of their chairs the world over!” a poster touting Universal’s opening read. “C’mon out! Aw, c’mon!”

Laemmle, a German immigrant who founded Universal Film Manufacturing Co., was the first studio baron to leave Hollywood for the San Fernando Valley, planting the seed for a Valley movie industry that would one day eclipse Hollywood proper.

Universal and other companies had been filming in the Valley since 1912, when Universal shot the western “At Old Fort Deerborn” at the Oak Crest Ranch off Lankershim Boulevard. In 1913, the 300 or so movie hands who lived on the ranch founded Universal City, a community dedicated to churning out silent films.

The success of Universal City encouraged other filmmakers to relocate from Hollywood to the Valley. Land was cheaper here, and the mountain landscapes formed a perfect backdrop for the popular westerns of the day.

In 1927, Mack Sennett Studios--at a towering two stories, among the tallest buildings in the Valley--became the anchor for newly emerging Studio City. Eight years later CBS took over the studios, situated at Ventura and Laurel Canyon boulevards.

Two other big events occurred in 1927. The fledging town of Lankershim, population about 5,000, decided to put its stock in the movie business and changed its name to North Hollywood. And Warner Bros. released the first talkie, “The Jazz Singer,” and less than a year later relocated from Hollywood to Burbank.

The next big move was in 1940 when the Walt Disney Co. built its first sound stages in Burbank.

Since then, many industry giants have moved to the Valley area and neighboring Ventura County, including Panavision (Woodland Hills), DreamWorks SKG (Glendale and Universal City), Technicolor (Camarillo) and NBC’s West Coast headquarters (Burbank). And that’s not counting the hundreds of editing suites, prop shops, animation studios and casting agents that list themselves under 818 phone numbers.

Today, more than 90,000 people work in the Valley’s $5.52-billion entertainment industry, more than any other single area in Los Angeles, according to the San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center at Cal State Northridge.

Looks like “Uncle Carl,” as Laemmle was known in his day, was on to something when he decided to shoot over the hill.