Hollywood & the Movies: Lights, Camera, America
From a rented barn in Los Angeles to prairie drive-ins under the stars — the studios, movie palaces, backlots, and hometowns that put America on the silver screen.
15 narrated stories — read them here, or hear them all in the app.
Lasky-DeMille Barn
Where a Barn Helped Invent Hollywood
A rented barn, a gamble, and the start of Hollywood feature filmmaking.
Chaplin Studios
When Chaplin Built His Own Hollywood
How Chaplin’s studio gave him control and rooted his classic films in Los Angeles.
Jacksonville
When Sunshine Made Jacksonville a Movie Capital
A brief era when sunlight turned Jacksonville into a silent-film powerhouse.
Kansas City
Before Hollywood, a Kansas City Partnership
How Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney first built momentum in Kansas City.
TCL Chinese Theatre
Sid Grauman’s Concrete Genius
How one 1927 premiere palace turned wet concrete into Hollywood memory.
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
When the First Oscars Were Over in 15 Minutes
A brief, intimate beginning for Hollywood’s biggest night.
Tampa Theatre
A Night Sky, an Organ, and Downtown Tampa
How a movie palace turned downtown Tampa into a humid dream of glamour.
The Brattle Theatre
How the Brattle Taught Boston to Watch Movies
A Harvard Square theater that turned old films into living events.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
How Navajo Homeland Became the West on Screen
A homeland, a camera, and the making of an American icon.
Walton County
When Seaside Became Seahaven
Peter Weir turned Seaside into the unforgettable world of The Truman Show.
Chicago
How John Hughes Put the North Shore on Screen
A suburban Chicago upbringing became a defining movie world.
Clark Gable Birthplace
Where Clark Gable’s Story Begins
A small Cadiz house anchors the Hollywood legend to Harrison County.
Madison County
From Winterset to John Wayne
A small Iowa beginning behind a giant Hollywood image.
Swan Drive-In Theatre
Where the Car Became the Theater Seat
How Blue Ridge kept a drive-in ritual alive across generations.
Winner Drive-In
Where the Prairie Becomes a Movie Theater
A small-town drive-in turns open land into a summer gathering place.
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