| The Prospect Studios | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of The Prospect Studios | |
| Former names | The Vitagraph Studio The Warner East Hollywood Annex |
| Alternative names | ABC Television Center [West] |
| General information | |
| Location | 4151 Prospect Avenue,Los Angeles, California,United States |
| Coordinates | 34°06′08″N118°16′58″W / 34.10222°N 118.28278°W /34.10222; -118.28278 |
| Inaugurated | 1913; 112 years ago (1913) |
| Owner | TheWalt Disney Company |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The Prospect Studios (also known asABC Television Center [West]) is a lot containing severaltelevision studios located at 4151 Prospect Avenue in theLos Feliz neighborhood ofLos Angeles, at the corner of Prospect and Talmadge Street (named in honor of silent screen starNorma Talmadge), just east ofHollywood.
For over fifty years, this facility served as the home toABC'sWest Coast headquarters before the network moved its main headquarters toWalt Disney Studios in 1996. After being there since 1949, ABC's Los Angeles stationKABC-TV has moved to a new state-of-the-art facility located on a portion of Disney'sGrand Central Creative Campus (GC3) in nearbyGlendale, California, in December 1999.
Having acquired ABC's parent company in the mid-1990s,The Walt Disney Company continues to own and operate the facility to this day.
In 1911, theVitagraph West Coast studio[1] was established at the beach, at William Rapp'sLos Angeles Beer Garden (1875[2]),[3] at 1438 2nd Street,[4] in Santa Monica, but subjected to persistent fog which made filming so difficult that they moved.[5]
In 1913, theVitagraph Studio at 4151 Prospect Avenue and Talmadge Street opened, replacing the prior Santa Monica site.[6] Originally, the silent film plant included two daylight film stages, support buildings and many exterior film sets. The company added another 10 acres to the lot in 1920. In the 1920s, production was moved from its East Coast studio.[5]
In April 1925, one of Vitagraph's founders, Albert Smith, sold control in the company to theWarner Brothers.[5] In 1927, the facility becameThe Warner East Hollywood Annex and was used for many large-scale films. Here, in 1927, Warner Bros. shot portions ofThe Jazz Singer,[7] the first film with synchronised sound, using theVitaphone process. The "interior" club scenes for the film were shot in Stage 5, still located today in the center of the Studio Lot. In the 1930s and '40s, Warner Bros. continued to shoot on the Lot using large water tanks, ship and backlot sets.
In 1948, the property was sold to the newly formedAmerican Broadcasting Company,[7] and the lot was re-equipped for television as theABC Television Center. ABC proceeded to base their new Los Angeles television station, KECA-TV (nowKABC-TV) in the newly purchased lot, a year later. Construction on the studio lot to bring it to its current form took place in 1957. ABC still uses the Prospect facility as a network retransmission center for its programming. Many memorable television shows, including those produced for ABC, other networks or syndication, have been produced in the studios. The third JFK/Nixon debate was partially held in this studio on October 13, 1960, with Kennedy in a New York studio, while Nixon and the interviewing panel were based at the Prospect lot, albeit in separate studios to insure fairness between the candidates.American Bandstand started recording there in 1964 (moving fromPhiladelphia). ABC's longest running program,General Hospital, now in its 59th year on the air, has been taped at this location since the mid-1980s after relocating from theSunset Gower Studios in Hollywood. Many other classic television shows were also produced there includingThe Lawrence Welk Show,Barney Miller,Fridays,Mr. Belvedere,Welcome Back, Kotter,Benson, andSoap.Barney Miller,Benson andSoap were also shot at Sunset Gower Studios.
Four of the most well-known game shows in television history were recorded at ABC Television Center:Family Feud (1976–85, hosted byRichard Dawson),Let's Make a Deal (1968–76, hosted byMonty Hall),The Dating Game (1965–74, hosted byJim Lange), andThe Newlywed Game (1966–74, hosted byBob Eubanks). Other game shows taped there includedThe Better Sex (1977–78, hosted byBill Anderson andSarah Purcell),Break the Bank (1976–77, hosted byTom Kennedy for the daytime andJack Barry for syndication),Match Game (1990–91, hosted byRoss Shafer),Password andPassword All-Stars (1971–75, both hosted byAllen Ludden).
John Davidson, along withPro Football Hall of Fame quarterbackFran Tarkenton andCathy Lee Crosby co-hostedThat's Incredible!, an ABC show that ran from 1980 to 1984, and considered one of the first true shows of thereality television genre. ABC's long-running show,America's Funniest Home Videos, taped here from 1990 to 1993 during the era ofBob Saget.
The Los Angeles Bureau of ABC News was also located at The Prospect Studios until it was moved to the KABC-TV studios in Glendale in 2011. The facility also served as broadcast headquarters for ABC's coverage of the1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games.
In 1996, ABC became part of The Walt Disney Co. As the television and film industry entered the next millennium, the lot by 2002 was renamedThe Prospect Studios.[7] In 2002, the property underwent a major renovation to position its facilities for the future and new technical innovation.
Current shows besidesGeneral Hospital produced here include ABC's medical dramaGrey's Anatomy.[8]
East Hollywood Annex.
