FILM HISTORY IN CHATSWORTH
CHATSWORTH GETS TOP RANKING IN HOLLYWOOD FILM HISTORY
The beginning of the 20th century was full of wonderment and awe . It ushered in an era overflowing with inventions of convenience , such as the escalator , radio , vacuum cleaner , windshield wipers and instant coffee , to name a few . It was a time when motor cars were coming of age , and moving pictures were evolving from short films to longer epics . The companies that produced them were also starting to develop from just film houses to having their own distribution and production units . Many were relocating to Los Angeles from the east coast . The beautiful weather , mountain ranges and miles of undeveloped land had motion picture companies looking beyond the studio set .
It was filmed at the Chatsworth Reservoir . Pickford stayed at the Chatsworth Inn on Lassen Street near the intersection of Topanga Canyon Blvd . The hotel was built in 1890 , and was more desirable than traveling between Los Angeles and Chatsworth in this pre-101 Freeway era .
Soon ranchers and farmers in the area were renting out their land to film producers . Chatsworth and its surrounding area included several ranches , including Iverson , Johnson / Brandeis , Bell , Porter and Spahn ranches . The most successful of these ranchers were Augusta and Karl Iverson , who along with their five children lived at Iverson Ranch .
The San Fernando Valley , just northwest of Los Angeles , would soon become a prime location for the studios ’ expanded vision . Of the many towns in the Valley , Chatsworth became a favorite with movie producers and directors . Out of the oddly shaped rock formations , trails and wide open expanse they imagined western towns , farms , alien planets , tropical paradises , stagecoach rides , train chases , farm scenes and the wild west .
One early film shot in Chatsworth circa 1922 was Tess of Storm Country , featuring silent film star Mary Pickford , the “ Meryl Streep ” of that time .
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