The History of Republic Pictures

Marc Wanamaker and Film Fans Celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the Famous Studio City Motion Picture Company

 Studio City Library and the Gracious Folks at the Studio City Neighborhood Council Sponsored Historic Lecture.

The Studio City Neighborhood Council, an advisory group to the Los Angeles City Council, teamed up with the Studio City Library to sponsor film historian Marc Wanamaker to give a fantastic presentation on the history of the beginnings of Studio City and the motion picture company Republic Studios that was so important in the early part of the 20th century here in the valley.  The Library provided the meeting hall, screen and projector, the Neighborhood Council brought a picnic style luncheon for attendees, and Marc Wanamaker brought his wonderful collection of photos to share with the audience.

Film Historian Marc Wanamaker

Mr. Wanamaker is a renowned historian, archivist, and lecturer in film history. In 1971, he founded Bison Archives in Los Angeles, a leading repository of research and photographs of motion picture history. He assisted in forming the American Film Institute facilities in Beverly Hills in 1969 and was an AFI staff member for seven years. His extensive list of publications includes over a dozen books as well as articles in the Los Angeles Times and interviews in numerous documentaries related to motion picture history.Wanamaker is a founder of the Los Angeles International Film Exposition and assisted in forming The American Cinematheque. His vast experience co-producing film festivals and expositions led to an appointment as a program consultant with the Pordenone Silent Film Conference in Italy. He has tapped into his vast collection in Bison Archives to produce several historical film festivals, conferences, and programs.  His lively talk on the history of the beloved Republic Pictures gave us new insights on how the studio came to settle in at Ventura Blvd. and Radford Avenue.  It was built on the cultural and business foundation  of earlier studios who were active in Hollywood in the days of the silent movies.

If you were not able to attend the presentation, no problem, just click on the box below and watch the video of the entire event, filmed for WhatUpHollywood.com by Big Fun Video:

To view the website of the Studio City Neighborhood Council click here.

To view the website of the Studio City Branch Library click here

To view the website of Bison Archives click here