Nestor Film Company
| File:Nestor-logo-1912.jpg | |
| Industry | Motion picture production company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1909 |
| Defunct | Template:End date and age (Universal Film Manufacturing Company division) Template:End date and age (original entity) |
| Headquarters | Bayonne, New Jersey Hollywood, California |
Key people | David Horsley William Horsley |
The Nestor Film Company, originally known as the Nestor Motion Picture Company, was an American motion picture production company established in 1909 as the West Coast branch of the Centaur Film Company, headquartered in Bayonne, New Jersey. On October 27, 1911, Nestor inaugurated Hollywood’s first permanent film studio, marking the production of the earliest Hollywood movies. On May 20, 1912, the company merged with its distributor, the Universal Film Manufacturing Company. The Nestor label continued under Universal’s umbrella until at least mid-1917.
History
The Horsley brothers, David Horsley and William Horsley, founded Nestor as Centaur Film Company's West Coast division. They launched Hollywood’s inaugural movie studio within the Blondeau Tavern building located at Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. This facility featured Hollywood's first dedicated motion picture stage.
Thanks to California's consistently mild weather supporting year-round filming activities, Nestor maintained three primary production teams overseen by Canadian-born general manager Al Christie. Christie relocated permanently from the East Coast after working with the Horsleys on the successful silent-era Mutt and Jeff comedy shorts.
One production unit, directed by Milton H. Fahrney, focused on releasing a weekly one-reel Western. Another team under director Tom Ricketts specialized in one-reel dramas. Meanwhile, Christie managed the weekly Mutt and Jeff series. The Horsley brothers controlled film processing and distribution operations from their laboratory and offices situated in New Jersey.
Nestor’s pioneering establishment encouraged other filmmakers to set up studios in Hollywood. Subsequently, on May 20, 1912, Nestor merged into Carl Laemmle’s Universal Film Manufacturing Company—a corporation formed earlier that year by consolidating several firms including Laemmle’s Independent Moving Pictures (IMP). The Nestor brand persisted as part of Universal until at least mid-1917.
See also
- History of the San Fernando Valley
- Rancho Providencia
- Providencia Ranch
- Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
External links
- Photograph of Universal City dated Nov. 24, 1913 by Charles Z. Bailey
- Archive collection of the Nestor Film Company – The Silent Film Channel
- Universal image archive on Flickr
- Pages with broken file links
- Mass media companies established in 1909
- Mass media companies disestablished in 1912
- Silent film studios
- Defunct American film studios
- Film production companies of the United States
- Film studios in Southern California
- Defunct organizations based in Hollywood, Los Angeles
- 1909 establishments in California
- 1912 disestablishments in California
- Articles containing video clips