Early Universal City (Images of America) Paperback – August 26, 2009 by Robert S. Birchard (Author) Known as much today for its theme park, Universal City is also the largest and the longest continuously operating movie studio in "Hollywood." The Universal Film Manufacturing Company was formed by a dozen independent producers in 1912, and Universal City was designed to provide a single facility in which to make their films. Since its official opening on March 15, 1915, Universal City has served as a training ground for great directors such as John Ford, William Wyler, and James Whale and as home to stars like Hoot Gibson, Deanna Durbin, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Sr. and Jr., and Tom Mix. This evocative volume explores the studio that brought The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Dracula (1930), Frankenstein (1931), and 100 Men and a Girl (1936) to the screen.About the Author Author Robert S. Birchard is an award-winning film and video editor and noted film historian whose books include Cecil B. De Mille's Hollywood, King Cowboy--Tom Mix and the Movies, and Silent-Era Filmmaking in Santa Barbara. Birchard has appeared on television's History Detectives and in the documentaries Cecil B. De Mille: American Epic and The Woman With the Hungry Eyes--The Life and Films of Theda Bara.Product detailsPublisher : Arcadia Publishing; Illustrated edition (August 26, 2009)Language : EnglishPaperback : 128 pagesISBN-10 : 0738570230ISBN-13 : 978-0738570235Item Weight : 11.2 ouncesDimensions : 6.5 x 0.31 x 9.25 inches
