Twentieth Century Fox: The dream factory in Los Angeles

Fox was founded in 1915 by theater magnate William A. Fox. His studio was located in Ft. Lee, NJ, the original “Hollywood”. In 1917 it relocated to the Edendale area of Los Angeles and later to the corner of Sunset and Western in Hollywood, where it stood until the 1960s.

In 1925, knowing that sound pictures were just around the corner, Fox began buying the assets of several small sound-on-film companies. He also bought the 300 acre ranch of silent cowboy star, Tom Mix. Located just west of Beverly Hills, Fox called the new studio and back lot “Movietone.”

In 1929 Fox lost most of his assets in the stock market crash. In 1935 a merger was engineered between Fox Film Corp. and 20th Century Pictures, creating 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. under the control of Nicholas and Joseph Schenck, and Daryl F. Zannuck. The studio was rechristened with the new company name.