Keystone Studios was an early movie studio founded in Edendale, California in 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. A movie studio (aka film studio) is in the established sense of the term a company that distributes films. Edendale is a historical name for a district in Los Angeles California, northwest of downtown in what is known today as Echo Park and the eastern edge of Silver Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Mack Sennett ( January 17, 1880 &ndash November 5, 1960) was an Academy Award -winning director and was known as the innovator Bauman, owners of the New York Motion Picture Company. The company filmed in and around Glendale and Silver Lake for several years, and was owned by the Mutual Film Corporation between 1912 and 1915[1]. Silver Lake is a district east of Hollywood in the city of Los Angeles California. Mutual Film Corporation was an early American Motion picture conglomerate best remembered today as the producers of some of Charlie Chaplin 's greatest comedies

The studio is perhaps best remembered for the era under Mack Sennett when he created the slapstick antics of the Keystone Cops and for the "Sennett Bathing Beauties. Slapstick is a type of Comedy involving exaggerated physical violence or activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense such as a character being hit in the face with The Keystone Cops was a series of Silent film comedies featuring a totally incompetent group of Policemen produced by Mack Sennett for his " Charlie Chaplin got his start at Keystone when Sennett hired him fresh from his vaudeville career to make silent films. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s Charlie Chaplin at Keystone Studios is a 1993 compilation of some of the most notable films Chaplin made at Keystone, documenting his transition from vaudeville player to true comic film actor to director. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s In 1915 Keystone Studios became an autonomous production unit of the Triangle Film Corporation with D. W. Griffith and Thomas Ince. Triangle Film Corporation (aka Triangle Motion Picture Company) was a major American motion-picture studio founded in the summer of 1915 in Culver City David Llewelyn Wark "D W" Griffith (January 22 1875 &ndash July 23 1948 was a premier pioneering Academy Award -winning American Film director. Thomas Harper Ince ( November 6, 1882 – November 19, 1924) was an American Silent film Actor, director In 1917 Sennett gave up the Keystone trademark and organized his own company.

The "Sennett Bathing Beauties"

Many other important actors also began their careers at Keystone, including Harold Lloyd, Gloria Swanson, Louise Fazenda, Raymond Griffith, Ford Sterling, Fatty Arbuckle, Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand, Ben Turpin, Harry Langdon and Chester Conklin. Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr ( April 20, 1893 &ndash March 8, 1971) was an American Film actor and producer Gloria Swanson (March 27 1899 – April 4 1983 was an Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe -winning American Hollywood Louise Fazenda ( June 17, 1895 - April 17, 1962) was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent Raymond Griffith ( January 23 1895 - November 25 1957) was one of the great Silent movie comedians Ford Sterling ( November 3, 1882 – October 13, 1939) was an American actor Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle ( March 24 1887 &ndash June 29 1933) was an American Silent film Comedian Marie Dressler ( November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was an Academy Award -winning Canadian actress Mabel Normand ( November 9, 1892 - February 23, 1930) was an American Film actress and the most popular Ben Turpin ( September 19, 1869 Vaudeville He worked in Vaudeville, Burlesque Harry L Langdon ( June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American Comedian who appeared in Vaudeville, Chester Cooper Conklin ( 11 January 1886 &ndash 11 October) was an American Comedian and Actor.

Sennett, by then a celebrity, departed the studio in 1917 to produce his own independent films (eventually distributed through Paramount). Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. The business of Keystone Studios decreased after his departure, and was finally dissolved after bankruptcy in 1935.

The name "Keystone Studios" was used later a production label for Cineville and was used as the fictional studio in the Cineville production Swimming With Sharks starring Kevin Spacey. A new legal corporate entity named Keystone Studios began again during 2005. The two owners are Carl Colpaert and Lee Caplin. Keystone obtained its new trademark in 2006.

In July 2007 Independent film company Cineville and DVD distributor Westlake Entertainment are merging into an indie studio called Keystone. Joining the team are Westlake Entertainment principals Larry Cohen and Luke Stefanko

References

Variety. com - Cineville, Westlake create Keystone - [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968802.html?categoryid=18&cs=1 ] official website www. keystonefilmco. com