Lights. Camera. Action. Sunset Las Palmas Studios has been at the heart of Hollywood magic for over a century. Founded in 1919 by John Jasper, a former associate of Charlie Chaplin, it started as Hollywood Studios Inc. Jasper built three production stages plus exterior sets. These included an Americana street and a New York street.
The Sunset Las Palmas Studios quickly became a hub. Comedian Harold Lloyd was among the first tenants. He produced some of his most successful films here. The studio lot changed hands and names several times.
In 1926 Metropolitan Studios began building one of the industry’s first sound stages right here at Sunset Las Palmas Studios. Howard Hughes later used the lot to shoot “Hell’s Angels” in 1930. This World War I epic featured innovative sound and the screen debut of Jean Harlow.
During the 1930s and 1940s Sunset Las Palmas Studios was buzzing. Dozens of films were produced here. Mae West vehicles such as “Klondike Annie” and “Go West, Young Man” were filmed here. The Hopalong Cassidy series, Bing Crosby’s “Pennies from Heaven”, and the Marx Brothers’ “A Night in Casablanca” all came to life here. Stars like Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Cary Grant graced this very lot. James Cagney even made several films here while his brother William was a part owner.
Television changed everything for Sunset Las Palmas Studios. In 1951 Stage 2 became home to “I Love Lucy”. This was the first prime-time comedy shot on film before a live audience originating from the West Coast.
From 1951 to 1953 Desilu Productions owned by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz called Sunset Las Palmas Studios home. Eve Arden’s “Our Miss Brooks” produced its first season here. Both stages shared a common entrance and were known as the Desilu Playhouse.
The floodgates opened. Sunset Las Palmas Studios became the center of television’s Golden Age. In the 1950s George Burns’s McCadden Corporation produced shows like “The Burns and Allen Show”. Ozzie Nelson’s Stage Five Productions created “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” here. Classic CBS comedies including “Petticoat Junction”, “Green Acres”, and “The Beverly Hillbillies” were filmed here. “The Lone Ranger”, “Perry Mason”, “Mr. Ed”, “The Addams Family”, and “Get Smart” were also produced on this very lot. George Burns even kept his office here until he died.
In 1980 Francis Ford Coppola purchased the lot. He named it Zoetrope Studios. Coppola transformed the entire lot into a giant set for the movie musical “One from the Heart”. It included a replica of part of Las Vegas’ McCarran Airport. Mel Brooks’s Brooksfilms also rented a stage to film “Frances”, starring Jessica Lange.
Financial difficulties led to another sale. Canadian real estate developers, the Singer Family, bought Sunset Las Palmas Studios.
The Singers modernized the lot. This sparked a revival and attracted a new generation of filmmakers. They also brought television production back. Shows like “Jeopardy!”, “Star Search”, “Soul Train”, “The Man Show”, and “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” were filmed here.
In May 2017 Hudson Pacific Properties Inc. purchased Hollywood Center Studios from the Singer family for $200 million. They renamed it Sunset Las Palmas Studios.
Today Sunset Las Palmas Studios boasts 12 sound stages ranging from 500 to 19000 square feet. It remains a vital resource for television productions. Disney, NBC, Comedy Central, and MTV all produce shows here. Sunset Las Palmas Studios is more than just a studio. It’s a living piece of Hollywood history. Its walls echo with laughter, drama, and the countless stories that have come to life within them.