Larchmont’s forgotten film colony: Paramount Studios – Film studio transformed Larchmont Village
DEVELOPER Julius LaBonte began subdividing the area’s agricultural land in 1921, but it was Paramount’s gravitational pull that gave the area its character.
When Paramount Pictures raised its iconic water tower at 5555 Melrose Ave. in 1926, few could have predicted how profoundly the studio would shape the character of neighboring Larchmont Village. As one of Hollywood’s “Big Five” studios during the Golden Age, Paramount wasn’t just producing films—it was quietly transforming an entire Los Angeles neighborhood into an extension of the movie industry itself.
Paramount’s own story began in 1912 when Adolph Zukor founded Famous Players Film Company in New York. After merging with Jesse L. Lasky’s Feature Play Company, the studio relocated operations to California, eventually consolidating at its current Melrose location. The Mediterranean-style Bronson Gate, which has appeared in countless films and television shows, became the studio’s recognizable face — standing just blocks from Larchmont’s northern boundary.
During Paramount’s formative years under production head B.P. Schulberg, the studio pioneered the star system, launching careers of icons like Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow. As the studio workforce grew to accommodate ambitious production schedules, Larchmont became the natural residential overflow for those associated with Paramount.
The distinctive village-like commercial district along Larchmont Boulevard developed in tandem with the studio’s expansion. Developer Julius LaBonte had begun subdividing the former agricultural land in 1921, but it was Paramount’s gravitational pull that gave the area its unique character.
PARAMOUNT ENTRANCE is also called the Bronson Gate, from which Charles Bronson took his stage name
While Cecil B. DeMille (who directed dozens of Paramount’s most successful epics) maintained his estate elsewhere, Larchmont became home to the army of skilled professionals who executed his grand visions. Production designers, cameramen, costume department staff and countless other technical specialists found the neighborhood’s location irresistible.
With production schedules that might begin before dawn and end after midnight, living within walking distance of your soundstage wasn’t a luxury—it was a necessity.
The Boulevard Café, which occupied an end spot where Peet’s Coffee now stands, became known for its all-day breakfast service catering to Paramount crew members working across all three shifts. Film editors would gather there to discuss cuts over coffee, sometimes making critical creative decisions away from executive oversight.
LARCHMONT PHARMACY, CIRCA 1960, was a popular meeting spot.
Larchmont Pharmacy’s lunch counter (which was located where Burger Lounge currently resides) served as an impromptu meeting place where Paramount screenwriters would pitch ideas to associate producers. The long-gone Larchmont Tea Room became a regular afternoon spot for costume department staff, who would bring fabric swatches and design sketches to review in the natural light of the café’s large windows.
As Paramount produced lavish films like “Wings” (winner of the first Academy Award for Best Picture) and DeMille’s biblical epics, the aesthetic influence spilled directly into Larchmont’s architectural development. Set designers and art directors from the studio moonlighted on residential projects, bringing Hollywood magic to everyday homes.
Several houses on North Lucerne and South Windsor boulevards showcase architectural details remarkably similar to sets from major Paramount productions. After “The Ten Commandments” (1923) popularized Egyptian motifs, these elements appeared in neighborhood home designs. Similarly, the Spanish Colonial Revival style popular in many Paramount romantic comedies of the period found expression in residential architecture throughout Larchmont.
During the 1930s, as Paramount weathered the Depression under the leadership of executives like Barney Balaban, the studio focused on sophisticated comedies from directors like Ernst Lubitsch and socially conscious dramas that reflected American struggles. Many of these films were written in Larchmont living rooms and local cafés by screenwriters who called the neighborhood home.
The symbiotic relationship between Paramount and Larchmont reached its zenith during the 1940s, when the studio’s wartime productions brought unprecedented activity to the lot. Paramount’s famous slogan — “If it’s a Paramount picture, it’s the best show in town” — could easily have been adapted to describe the neighborhood whose fortunes rose alongside the studio’s success.
Today, as visitors stroll down Larchmont Boulevard, traces of this shared history remain visible in architectural details and the village’s creative atmosphere. That distinctive Spanish Colonial façade or Art Deco flourish might be more than just attractive design—it could be an echo of a long-forgotten Paramount picture, preserved not on celluloid but in brick and mortar, a tangible reminder of when this charming village and a legendary studio grew up together.
By Philip Alberstat
Category: Entertainment
