GLITZ & GLAMOUR
JOIN US FOR A JAUNT, "dahling"
Get ready to experience the ultimate Hollywood adventure and join our 100-year celebration of sensational stars, iconic motion pictures, and groundbreaking film technologies on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2025 in the Heart of Screenland.
Thanks to the wizardry of Culver City film historians and a cast of Hollywood's greatest stars, you can follow the yellow brick road to Glitz, Glamour, Glory, and Gold, as you bask in the glitz of the roaring 20s silent movies and talkies, and indulge in the '30s and '40s glamour of MGM's golden age. March to the glory of heroic battles and Westerns, and race into television's golden post-war era. Beware the paparazzi as you walk on the red carpet, flash your finisher's medal, and enjoy the Oscar party munchies, awards presentations, and the health and fitness expo before tuning in to the 97th annual Academy Awards!
GLITZ
Culver City's roaring and risqué '20s to the unregulated precode era of the mid '30s.
Shows: Broadway Melody, The Kiss, Greatest Show on Earth, The Divorce, Jazz Singer, Big Parade, Flesh and Devil, The Wind
Celebrities: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Al Jolson, Norma Shearer, Lilian Gish, Ramon Navarro, King Video, Lon Chaney, Cecil B. DeMille
GLAMOUR
Style, elegance, and silk stockings of MGM's Golden Era in the late '30s and '40s. Culver City resident George Hurrell was the MGM glamour photographer.
Shows: Grand Hotel, Cabin in the Sky (first all-black movie), Bathing Beauty, On the Town, Singing in the Rain. Easter Parade, Silk Stockings, Melody, Dream Factory, Father of the Bride, High Society, Gigi, American in Paris
Celebrities: Esther Williams, Irving Thalberg, Joan Crawford, Billie Burke, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, John & Lionel Barrymore, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, James Stewart, Dorothy Lamour, Clark Gable, Charles Laughton, David O Selznick.
GLORY
Action and heroes of war time shows and westerns.
Shows: Mutiny on the Bounty, Goodbye Mr. Chips, How the West was Won, Dr. Zhivago, Anchors Away, Hit the Deck, Pride of the Yankees, Jewel in the Sun, Ice Station Zebra and Typhoon.
Celebrities: Charlton Heston, Robert Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Jane Powell, Tony Martin, Debbie Reynolds, Walter Pidgeon, Ann Miller, Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck, John Wayne
GOLD
Motion picture Americana and TV's golden era in the '50s - '70s.
Shows: Andy Griffith Show, Hogan’s Heroes, Baywatch, Combat, The Adventures of Superman, Gomer Pyle, Lassie, The Untouchables, Peyton Place, That Girl, The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, Abbott and Costello, Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver, Donna Reed, The Amos N Andy Show, Your Show of Shows, The Honeymooners, The Jack Benny Program, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, I Love Lucy, The Phil Silvers Show, Topper, Sgt. Bilko, Car 55 Where Are You?, Dick Van Dyke Show, My Little Margie, Topper, People’s Choice, Life Of Riley, Make Room For Daddy, Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis, December Bride, Mr. Ed, My Favorite Martian, Beverly Hillbillies.
Experience 100 points of glitz and glamour
2025: Celebrating Glitz, Glamour, Glory & Gold
2024: Iconic Motion Picture Magic
2017: Centennial Celebration Historical Lore
STREETS COME ALIVE
Many of the "greatest stories ever told" in the past century were told right here in Culver City, and Screenland 5K Creative Director Lori Escalera and film historian Chris Bungo help tell them with motion picture glitz, glamour, glory, and gold.
Bungo photographed locations of storied movie and TV scenes along the race course without the aid of a film crew to block the streets for him.
"I would run to the middle of the street to get the shot and dash back to the sidewalk to avoid oncoming traffic. The fun part of the job was to overlay my photo onto the original film frame,” said Bungo.
Bungo started his budding film career by documenting Hal Roach Studio productions. “I loved doing the research,” said Bungo.
Escalera has identified 100 years of Culver City cinema, depicting themes of the city's centennial celebration (2017), under-represented talent in Iconic Motion Picture Magic (2024) and a century of Glitz, Glamour, Glory & Gold (2025).
She especially enjoyed featuring the silent movies in this year's list of iconic local cinema.
"I used to hate silent films, but now that I have cultivated the appreciation I find talking movies 'foreign,'” said Escalera.
"Silent movies is about “nonverbal” communication, in other words, “body language” and using other parts of your brain for communicating story telling."
Guests will encounter tales in visual and performing art as they follow the yellow brick road celebrating a century of iconic Culver City movies and television shows. Local artists have designed, drawn, and painted artwork that will be placed on the route near where the shows were filmed.
"This will be a unique challenge for performers and artists because walkers and runners will enjoy their work for only a few seconds as they proceed along the racecourse!" said Lori Escalera, Screenland 5K Creative Director.
Artworks by Culver City High School students will complement the interpretive cinematic art, while musicians and other performers will engage guests and reenact scenes of glitz, glamour, glory and gold.
"We'll be honoring many cultures and identities, and there will be something for everyone," Escalera said.
BATMAN SOARS, LASSIE COMES HOME
While you’re running the Screenland 5K, you might imagine Adam “Batman” West giving you an autograph after his chase, Fred “Hunter” Dryer fighting criminals by City Hall and Erik “CHiPs” Estrada ticketing you for running a red light? Along with locations from other former popular TV shows such as Charlie’s Angels, Twilight Zone, Cougar Town, Bones, Perry Mason and Wonder Years, runners this year will pass spots where Aunt Bea and Andy Griffith dropped off Opie, Buster Keaton became “The Cameraman,” King Kong grabbed Fay Wray, Janet Gaynor eyed Fredric March, Ingrid Bergman protected Gregory Peck, Kevin Hart conspired with his buddies, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin got into mischief, Lucille Ball evoked laughter and love, Hardy scorned Laurel, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe escaped from gangsters, Lassie came home, Tron became a freedom fighter in cyberspace, and ET flew.
The slide show below features a few of the almost 100 motion picture standees along your journey into glitz, glamour, glory and gold.
LAUGHTER AT THE START
The Screenland 5K starts and finishes at Ivy Station just opposite the "Laugh Factory to the World," the Shuttered Hal Roach Studios, famed for producing the Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy comedies. Across the street was Sebastian's Cotton Club, where the celebrated Jazz musician Louis Armstrong often played. The studio later produced training films featuring actors Ronald Reagan and Alan Ladd for the WWII aircraft industry. To the east of the race's starting point lies The East Culver City Arts District, along with the historic Helms Bakery, the official supplier for the 1932 Olympic Games and the previous site of the Helms Olympic Athletic Foundation.
The slide show below features studio, site and Stooges photos.
SPIDEY AND THE SMURFS
Follow the yellow brick road west on Washington Boulevard, known as "Wagon Pass." It was notorious for its nightclubs, gambling, and bootlegging, and transformed into the city's economic with industries and car dealerships. Stroll by the gates of Sony Pictures Animation, the creative abode of Spiderman, The Smurfs, and Hotel Transylvania.
MAKING TRACKS
Traveling north on Ince, you'll encounter the Ivy Substation, home to the "Actors' Gang" theater, directed by Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins. This site has been featured in train scenes from Hal Roach's classic films.
The slide show below features motion picture scenes from Ivy Subtation.
MAINLY SHORT
Stride along the nation's smallest main street in hip and historic downtown Culver City, once the hub of half of America's film production in the 1940s, providing affordable entertainment throughout the wartime era.
The slide show below features motion picture scenes on Main Street.
LEGENDARY GUESTS
Jog past the wedge-shaped century-old Culver Hotel, known for its legendary ownership and notable guests from the realms of film and politics. Further along your route, you'll encounter the Center Theater Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre, once named the Culver Theater.
The slide show below features scenes from the hotel and theater.
POT OF GOLD
Passing by the storied gates of Sony Pictures Studios, formerly the century-old Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, you can see "The Rainbow," an installation inspired by "The Wizard of Oz," soaring within. Soon you'll stroll by The Backstage, the famous movie studio watering hole, where you can feel the vibrant energy that thrived during the filming of classics such as Wizard of Oz, A Star is Born, and Gone with the Wind in the 1930s.
The slide show below features motion picture scenes from Sony Pictures Studios.
LANDMARK HAVEN
Skirt near the marker and plaque at Veterans Auditorium, commemorating the start and finish line of the Western Hemisphere Marathon. This marathon was the oldest consecutively run marathon west of the Mississippi and the first to allow women to compete. Returning east, you will pass landmarks such as the historic post office, the façade of City Hall, and Fire Station Number One. Additionally, you will encounter the location of Olympian Esther Williams' extravagant swimming pool film sequences and the contemporary Culver Steps, a backdrop for numerous movie scenes throughout the century.
The slide show below features motion picture scenes from City Hall and the fire station.
PAPARAZZI AWAIT
Jog past the historic Culver Studios, where Bette Davis, Robert Mitchum, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers rose to fame. Music icons Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson rehearsed there. Silent film pioneer Thomas Ince, legendary director Cecil B. DeMille, business magnate Howard Hughes, and the comedic pair Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball took turns with ownership. Now, Amazon Pictures, which owns the century-old MGM film library, produces shows on the refurbished sound stages.
As you run up Washington Blvd. towards the finish line at Ivy Station, keep an eye out for the paparazzi.
The slide show below features scenes from Culver Studios and its environs along Washington Bl.
