Charlie Chaplin and the Giant Frog
This picture postcard shows us the Charlie Chaplin Studios at 1416 N. La Brea Avenue as they looked in back 1922. Many of Chaplin's memorable films were shot here, including The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), The Great Dictator (1940), Monsieur Verdoux (1947), and Limelight (1952).
This is not, however, where Chaplin created the Little Tramp character. The recognition for piece of film history belongs to the Essannay Studios in Niles, California.
In 1929 the entire frontage you see here was jacked-up and moved back 15 feet to make room for the widening of La Brea Avenue. Fortunately there was empty space behind the buildings to make the move possible. Today the fairy-tale cottages would simply be torn down.
After Chaplin sold the facility in 1953, the studio went through several ownership changes as the Kling Studios, the Red Skelton Studios, the studio location for the Adventures of Superman and Perry Mason TV series, and the headquarters for Herb Alpert's A&M Records.
Today the quaint fairy-tale cottage frontage is owned by the Jim Henson Company and a giant Kermit the Frog mimics Chaplin atop that tower just beyond the gate. Somehow I don't think Charlie would be amused.
Historic photo © Water & Power Associates
Modern image was modified from a photo in the public domain
Text and design © Steve Eitzen
Header & HPO Logo © HPO Productions
Oh, I think Charlie would be good with Kermit - not so much with Herb Alpert when he tried to sing :)
I don't know about that, but he might have approved of Red Skelton.
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