New theater honors filmmaking legend

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Malibu resident Louis Gossett Jr. with Karen Kramer at Sunset Gower Studios' dedication of theater named for legendary producer Stanley Kramer.

An enthusiastic crowd of Hollywood celebrities, VIPs and government officials attended Sunset Gower Studios’ special dedication and reception of its new state-of-the-art Stanley Kramer Theater. The event was hosted by Howard Stern, managing partner of Hudson Capital, new owner of the studio.

Among those in attendance were Armand Assante, Beau Bridges, Faye Dunaway, Marsha Hunt, Gerald McRaney, Ed Begley, Jr., Louis Gossett, Jr., Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President Leron Gubler and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

Kramer’s career began on the Sunset Gower lot, where he worked as a production assistant for Columbia Pictures. A number of Stanley’s celebrated films were later produced on the lot, including “Ship of Fools,” “The Wild One,” “The Member of the Wedding,” “The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”

The new screening room, originally constructed in 1921 as part of Columbia Pictures’ lot, has undergone a complete wall-to-wall transformation, outfitted with new technical equipment, the latest in production and sound apparatus and 71 ergonomically designed seats.