Culver City

Part Mayberry and part Peyton Place, Culver City has provided the backdrop for Gone with the Wind, Citizen Kane, The Wizard of Oz, Men In Black, Jerry Maguire, "The Andy Griffith Show," "Batman," "Lassie," and the films of Laurel & Hardy. Gwen Verdon grew up here, and so did The Little Rascals. Gene Kelly sang in the rain. Harrison Ford commanded Air Force One. But before glitz and glamour set up shop, the open fields of Culver City were peacefully inhabited by the Gabrielino Indians. Spanish grazing grants of 1819 set the stage for development, and in 1913, Harry Culver announced his ambition to found a city. Two years later, Thomas Ince broke ground on Culver City's first major studio. A star was born. Images of America: Culver City guides you on a VIP back lot tour of a movie town's pioneering moments.

Author Julie Lugo Cerra, the honorary city historian for Culver City, is a sixth-generation Californian with family ties dating back to the founding of the pueblo of Los Angeles. Her previous book, Culver City: Heart of Screenland, is in its second printing.