Sunset Gower Studios, originally constructed in 1921 as part of Columbia Pictures, commemorated the late, legendary filmmaker Stanley Kramer at a star-studded event held in the studio courtyard on January 30, 2008. The new, state-of-the-art facility was named the Stanley Kramer Theatre in honor of the renowned director and producer.

Among many of the celebs who attended the memorable dedication hosted by managing partner of Hudson Capital (new owners of the studio) Howard Stern, were Beau Bridges, Gerald McRaney, and Louis Gossett Jr. Sunset Gower’s VP of sales and marketing, Terri Melkonian and her helpful staff oversaw the event, ensuring that everyone was comfortable and enjoying themselves.

A group of Stanley Kramer enthusiasts, including Tom Brokaw, Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, Harrison Ford, former Vice President Al Gore, and Mr. Kramer’s wife and producer Karen Kramer, collaborated to create a special tribute film that was screened in the recently refurbished theater. The improvements proved to transform into the perfect setting for the event.
Mr. Kramer began his illustrious career as a production assistant on the very lot─now known as Sunset Gower Studios─he was recognized at. Many of his films, such as Ship of Fools, The Wild One, The Member of the Wedding, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, and the ground-breaking love story Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, were filmed there.

As a filmmaker, Kramer many times choose to tackle controversial issues that were on the forefront of society. Steven Spielberg explained in the tribute film that one might be inclined to think that many different people contributed these works, “when in fact they came from one heart, one soul, and one incredibly talented visionary: one of my favorite filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kramer.”  Spielberg also added how Mr. Kramer was behind “some of the most amazing, socially-conscientious pictures ever made by Hollywood.”

In the tribute film, as Harrison Ford presented the Stanley Kramer award to former Vice President Al Gore for An Inconvenient Truth, he commented that Kramer “pledged to use film as a real weapon to fight against discrimination, hatred, prejudice, and excessive power.” He also said that Mr. Kramer was “a fiercely autonomous producer and director, [who] had broken through the Hollywood blacklist to make independent films before it was fashionable to do so. His films often dealt with uncomfortable and serious subjects, and he did so without exploitation or political paranoia.” When former Vice President Al Gore received his award, he added Mr. Kramer “brought powerful social issues to the screen that touched our sense of moral responsibility.”

A great example of a film that tackled a particular social issue is Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, starring an ensemble cast of Sidney Portier, Spencer Tracy, and Katherine Hepburn. The 1967 film included the extremely controversial (at that time) interracial issue and attributed to the launching of Portier’s career. Louis Gossett, Jr. proclaims, “Stanley Kramer was a man way ahead of his time, which is what I think is one of the symbols of outstanding people in this business. He was one of my heroes [and] he was responsible for putting one of my favorite actors on the map: Mr. Sydney Portier. So I will honor him, his movies, and his family forever.”

While Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner helped affect change in society, it also proved to be great entertainment. Mrs. Kramer affirms this by adding, “it is still one of the highest, money-making films in the history of Columbia pictures.” She continues to touch on her late husband’s career by saying, “He used film as a weapon to fight against all the injustices of the world.”

The Stanley Kramer theatre will now be available for dailies, press and private screenings, film festivals, meetings, seminars, and special events. It offers a SIM2 HT5000 HD projector, the most innovative audio and video technology, and 70 ergonomically designed seats for the most comfortable viewing experience.

What better way is there to honor a pioneer, who revolutionized social issues through filmmaking, than to name a cutting edge theatre on a historical Hollywood lot after him?