Charlie Chaplin Studios / Jim Henson Company

Located on N. La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, California you'll find the former studio of actor, director, and all around film legend, Charlie Chaplin. It was constructed in 1917 and amazingly has survived all these years. The studio is currently home to A&M Records and the Jim Henson Company - hence Kermit the Frog in Chaplin's tramp costume above the front gate. 

Many of Chaplin's classic films were shot at this location, including The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940). Next to the front gate you can see Chaplin's signature and footprints in the cement - dated Jan. 21, 1918, which marked the official opening of the studio. 

Chaplin sold the property in 1953 after permanently leaving the United States in 1952. He only returned once after that to accept his honorary Academy Award in 1972. While in Los Angeles the elderly Chaplin briefly visited his former studio one last time. 

My fascination with Chaplin actually stems back to when I was a teenager. I read biographies about him, and during film school I went out of my way to see his all of his films and early reels. When I learned that his studio was still standing in Hollywood after my last visit to Los Angeles, I added it to my to-do list. It took a few years to get back, but seeing it in person - and subsequently reading up on all of the history surrounding it - was a really inspiring experience.

The fact that it's now home to the Jim Henson Company seems equally fitting. It's like a combination of my childhood and film school selves all merged into one location. Or, another way of looking at it, a real life depiction of what much of the walls in my film school dorms were plastered with - classic films, kitschy childhood nostalgia, and Hollywood themed ambitions. 
   

Charlie Chaplin's signature at the front gate.

Above is one of Chaplin's early reels from 1918 that shows a brief time lapse of the construction of his studio on La Brea Avenue. The following sequence shows Chaplin get out of his car and walk into his office in the corner building - among other antics around his studio. The reel is actually a great historical document of the location.

Chaplin at the corner of his studio. The same spot today seen below.

Charlie Chaplin Studios ca. 1920s

This is N. La Brea Avenue today. Like the rest of L.A. it's full of traffic.

Chaplin's signature with his footprints on the steps.

7 Springs Inn & Suites in Palm Springs

Planning to do 12 hours of photo journaling and video shooting each day, I was keen to have a comfortable place to call home for my week in Southern California. I found the 7 Springs Inn & Suites in Palm Springs, and if I'm honest, it was the mid-century style of the hotel that drew me in. The open walkways, towering palms, pool, and courtyard all lent themselves to that vision I had in my head of what my California road trip hub should look like.

Naturally, I enjoyed myself. During the week the place was pretty quiet, and after a long day I'd grab a Slurpee and cigar and chill out by the pool and catch up on my messages. Hence, I never saw much of the place during the day as I was always leaving just as the sun was rising and getting back several hours after it had set. Those short winter daylight hours were a challenge, but the evening ambiance of the 7 Springs made for a pleasant escape in the desert.

Slurpee and cigar by the pool.

Salvation Mountain, Searching Salvation

Located just outside of Niland, California, less than an hour away from the Mexican border, Salvation Mountain is a work of art unlike any other. Built by Leonard Knight, the mountain was constructed out of straw, wood, adobe, and gallons and gallons of paint. There's no denying that it was a labour of love that Leonard dedicated years of his life to while living at the site. 

Leonard passed away in February 2014, however my friend Dave and I spoke to him in 2009 on our road trip across the Western USA. Being back here was a surreal moment on my return visit this past December. Dave died unexpectedly in 2011, so without him or Leonard to share with, I feel like I'm the only one left holding on to the memory. 

Nothing stays the same forever. Salvation Mountain has crumbled a bit since my last visit. I noticed that the paint has started to crack without the regular maintenance it was used to. Similarly, I felt my emotions crack a bit as well as I brought everything back to the surface. It wasn't what I prepared myself for, but it was serendipitous nonetheless to tour the site again. This was what my pilgrimage to the desert was all about.

Standing at the top of Salvation Mountain. 2009 meets 2014.

Carrying a photograph of Dave and myself that I snapped while standing on top of the mountain in 2009, my goal was to photo journal the location, shoot footage for my Searching Salvation video, and leave the image behind as a memorial. I accomplished all of these things by driving out to Salvation Mountain on two separate occasions during my time in the area.

I'm not a religious person, but in my eyes Salvation Mountain really isn't as fanatical as it may look on the surface. Hearing Leonard speak about it those years ago and from touring the site in detail, the take away for me is just to love - spread it, share it, create it.

Leonard's passion was infectious, and I began to view this location as a symbol of my friendship with Dave following his death because just being there was an uplifting experience. For me it was enlightening; a realization that some of the greatest things that can happen to you aren't because you planned them perfectly. Sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time and everything unfolds better than you could have scripted it.

When we left Salvation Mountain on that day back in 2009, Dave and I were in a state of euphoria that was fueled by Leonard's excitement in sharing this place with us. If you're familiar with the scene from Into the Wild (see below) it was like he recreated that moment for us (as I'm sure he did with countless others). It was a pure, natural high and I got to share it with one of my best friends. That's something that I never want to forget.

I left my photograph in here with the other notes and messages.