I thought you might like a little map of Hollywood published in Motion Picture Magazine in 1926. The magazine was read nationally and so much of this geography would not be familiar to its audience (though they would know the streets intimately from the location shoots in and around the area).
Interestingly enough, the map is drawn to emulate an older style, so this is doubly retro! Also, tongue-in-cheek because some of these locations are a bit (whistles) red hot! Which studio would you visit first if you found yourself in 1926? I’d head over to the DeMille Studio, methinks.
Movies Silently 
Cute but several things are off in the direction and location of where they are placed. Chaplin’s studio was above Sunset and not below, and the HOllywood Hotel is on the wrong side of Cafe Montmartre. Somewhat resembles the style of Harold Grieve.
I don’t think they meant it to be used as a proper means of navigation, more of a little gag.
That “penguin” looks like a pelican to me!
On a more serious note, I wonder if Laurel Canyon had a special reputation for petting parties…
Sneaky penguin!
Well, this is fun- thanks for posting! An “impression” map to be sure, with much tongue-in-cheek.
Let’s see…I’d head first to Sennett’s, then Universal City (always wanted to walk those streets during the silent era), then round it up at, where else, the Lot of Fun over at Roach. Phew, that’s a lot of traveling around on one day in 1926; hope my old Ford can make it!
If not, you can always see if Buster Keaton will lend his cow for riding. 😉
Oh geez, good suggestion, but maybe a little too slow (no offense, Brown Eyes). I’d rather leave the Ford on the Universal lot (know a good spot, if it was there in 1926) and hop the Electric Car to downtown L.A., then change west to Roach 😀
What a great map! My father was living in Hollywood at that time and he left me a narrative description of the Hollywood Blvd. area where he was living. I also have photos of a swimming pool party near the area indicated on the map. Now I have a nifty map to illustrate his narrative. Thanks!
Me, the first thing I’d look for is the flying penguin.
bonnie in provence
I’d be checking out those bungalow parties. Prohibition, eh?
I love Rin-Tin-Tin’s castle-shaped kennel! I, too, would like to take a drive back to that time and place, relying on one of Nell Shipman’s sturdy Maxwells!
I would drop in to see Mary and Douglas for a cup of tea at the Pickford Fairbanks studio. Then I would pop over to Hal Roach’s studio to see Laurel and Hardy. Oh to dream…….. Can I ask if you know if there is anything left of the Pickfair Fairbanks studio? Do you know if anyone does a Silent film era tour of the area and locations? On a lot of films old Hollywood looks so rural and undeveloped. Thanks for the map, enjoyed looking at it.
On a trip to California in the early 90s, I found a quirky little book: ‘Ken Schessler’s This is Hollywood – An Unusual Movieland Guide.’
A lot of information and some photos of former studio and movie locations, stars’ homes and burial sites, maps, scandals, etc. If you can find it, the Pickford-Fairbanks studio is highlighted on page 10 (of the 9th edition.) It became part of Goldwyn Studios.
Hi Shari, thanks very much for the information. That sounds like an interesting book. I’ll see if I can get hold of a copy.
Here are some of my father’s recollections of what is was like in the Hollywood area when the map was published (note, his brother was the “Tom” mentioned in his narrative):
“Tom and I had made friends while living at La Perla Courts (Hollywood) and joined the Boy Scouts (“Troop 57, Heinz Best”). We Scouts met on Hollywood Blvd. in the St. Thomas Episcopal Church and had a lot of fun. After meetings we often stole loquats and oranges from the small orchards then in existence on Hollywood Blvd. Our new friends were Clinton and Sheldon Ellsworth; their mother managed the La Perla Bungalow Courts, Gerard Cloutman (his sister, Barbara Kent, was Miss Hollywood of 1927 and a fairly well known actress) …
Tom and I hitched rides on the P&E (Pacific Electric Railway) trains over Cahuenga Pass, jumped off at Universal City and walked through Lasky Ranch where the old Westerns were made and hiked clear across to Griffith Park where Tom distinguished himself by teasing the bears in their pens. We did another freight car hop down Santa Monica Blvd. to the Santa Monica Pier. Did you ever notice that between the pilings under the pier there are plank walkways? We discovered that if we walked these we could come up under the floors of the various fun houses and other entertainment places “for free”. We swam in the surf and I was amazed to find that the ocean was colder in California than in Vancouver, B.C. The Japanese current did not set in at Santa Monica like it did in B.C. (they had moved to Hollywood from Canada).
We also sneaked into Bernheimer’s Gardens in Hollywood. Graumann’s Chinese was almost completed, and the Egyptian was the classy movie theater at that time (1927?). Father and I went camping almost every weekend and found a wonderful place called Emerald Bay south of Laguna. It is now a millionaire-type resort, but in those days we paid 50 cents and pitched our camp tent. There were the remains of many old movie sets there and when later we took William and mother there, we took pictures of father kneeling to my mother on the old set of “The Black Pirate” which starred Doug Fairbanks.”