Where Hollywood Began: Edendale
Before we leave Hollywood, it is important that we make a pit stop. We will head east from Charlie Chaplin’s former home to the town of Edendale which was integral in making him a star.
If you are one of the many people who walk around the Silver Lake Reservoir to get in some exercise, do me a favor, stand there for a moment looking across the water and think about this:
You are standing in the place where the movie industry in California was born.
You may say, “Wait a minute, didn’t the movie industry start in Hollywood?”
The answer is not really.
The movie industry in Los Angeles started as far away as people could get from Thomas Edison’s monopoly on filmmaking. It started in a town that no longer exists, a town called Edendale. Edendale encompassed what is now parts of Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and Echo Park. Although the reason it disappeared from this city’s landscape is a mystery to me, it is hard to erase its impact on movies. Many silent film studios called it home, like Keystone Studios, where Chaplin made his debut. It was also the place where the very first pie-in-face gag happened.
This area had a lot of features that were advantageous to filmmakers. Edendale had access to the lake; it was a short trip to the San Gabriel Mountains and its stairways that were used in quite a few comedy gags–like the Music Box with Laurel and Hardy.
You can still see Edendale in today’s L.A.:
I would like to thank my favorite history show, Drunk History, for teaching me about Edison.
Next up on This Ugly Beautiful City, it is time to say goodbye to Hollywood.