78-517: The Sony Pictures Studios is an American television and film studio complex located in Culver City, California at 10202 West Washington Boulevard and bounded by Culver Boulevard (south), Washington Boulevard (north), Overland Avenue (west) and Madison Avenue (east). Founded in 1912, the facility is currently owned by Sony Pictures and houses the division's film studios, such as Columbia Pictures , TriStar Pictures , and Screen Gems . The complex
156-505: A Cessna . He worked as a general aviation pilot and made his first visit to Las Vegas in 1944. After spending much time in Las ;Vegas during the 1940s, Kerkorian quit gambling and in 1947 paid $ 60,000 for Trans International Airlines , which was a small air-charter service that flew gamblers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. He then bid on some war surplus bombers, using money on loan from Seagram's . Gasoline, and especially airplane fuel,
234-540: A Pontiac Firebird , Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Ford Taurus . Kerkorian died in Beverly Hills, California , on June 15, 2015, nine days after his 98th birthday. He is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California , near Los Angeles. Kerkorian was married four times, first to Hilda Schmidt from 1942 to 1952. His next marriage, to Jean Maree Hardy, lasted from 1954 to 1984. The two had met at
312-458: A massive fire destroyed Vault #7 in Lot 3, resulting in the loss of hundreds of silent-era films, among them Lon Chaney 's 1927 film London After Midnight , though the majority of MGM's silent film stock survived the fire. In 1969, millionaire Kirk Kerkorian bought MGM and proceeded to dismantle the studio. MGM's film memorabilia was sold through an 18-day auction, and 38 acres (150,000 m) of
390-493: A Ford Taurus and Jeep Cherokee. Kerkorian once owned 9.9 percent of General Motors (GM). According to press accounts from June 30, 2006, Kerkorian suggested that Renault acquired a 20 percent stake in GM to rescue GM from itself. A letter from Tracinda to Rick Wagoner was released to the public, to pressure GM's executive hierarchy, but talks failed. On November 22, 2006, Kerkorian sold 14 million shares of his GM stake (it
468-478: A combination of slavery, disease, relocation, forced labor, imprisonment, broken treaties and a genocidal war of extermination, including paid bounties for dead "Indians". The Spanish and Mexican governments offered concessions and land grants from 1785 to 1846 forming the Ranchos of California . Culver City was founded on the lands of the former Rancho La Ballona and Rancho Rincon de los Bueyes . When Culver City
546-531: A few stages and an Administration Building before selling out to his partners D. W. Griffith and Mack Sennett . Ince relocated down the street and built the Culver Studios at that location. In 1918, Triangle Studios was sold to film producer Samuel Goldwyn . Goldwyn also added a few sound stages before selling his shares in Goldwyn Studios. In 1924, Loew's President Marcus Loew organized
624-580: A five-member city council. In Los Angeles County , Culver City is in the 2nd Supervisorial District, represented by Holly Mitchell . In the California State Legislature , Culver City is in the 28th Senate District , represented by Democrat Lola Smallwood-Cuevas , and in the 55th Assembly District , represented by Democrat Isaac Bryan . In the United States House of Representatives , Culver City
702-543: A flexible feed chute for faster loading of machine guns on B-17 bombers, and manufactured electric booster drives for machine guns. Hughes produced more ammunition belts than any other American manufacturer, and built 5,576 wings and 6,370 rear fuselage sections for Vultee BT-13 trainers. Hughes grew after the war, and in 1953 Howard Hughes donated all his stock in the company to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute . After he died in 1976,
780-576: A result of the Guber-Peters issue. Sony acquired the property, first renamed Columbia Studios, in poor condition and thereafter invested $ 100 million to renovate the studio complex. The property underwent a three-year comprehensive plan as it transitioned to the 45 acres (0.18 km) Sony Pictures Studios complex. The buildings, many of which still bore the names of MGM film actors such as Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth and Burt Lancaster, were painted and upgraded. New walls were erected around
858-675: A short-term downtown circulator shuttle. The Culver City Transit Center in the Westfield Culver City parking serves as a bus depot for three Culver CityBus lines and two Metro bus lines. The Washington Fairfax Hub, just across the border of the City of Los Angeles under the I-10 freeway , connects residents to seven bus lines, two operated by Culver CityBus and five operated by Metro. The Baldwin Hills Parklands Link
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#1732787902559936-665: A site for architectural experimentation, particularly for the projects of Eric Owen Moss at the Hayden Tract. The architecture office of Morphosis headquartered here. Styles represented include Mission Revival and Colonial Revival from the city's early days, to the PWA Moderne of the 1930s, to modern, postmodern, and deconstructivist styles from the past few decades. Notable architectural landmarks include: The City of Culver City Parks and Recreation department operates 14 outdoor parks within city limits. Culver City has
1014-407: A tactical advantage in the divorce proceedings, an allegation that was later proven true. Pellicano also took a strand of Bing's used dental floss (surreptitiously acquired from rubbish) and used it to prove that it was Bing and not Kerkorian who fathered Bonder's daughter. Attorney Terry Christensen was subsequently convicted of racketeering for hiring Pellicano to tap Bonder's phone, and received
1092-549: A three-year prison sentence that was confirmed on appeal. Kerkorian's short-lived fourth marriage (2014) was to Una Davis, born in 1966. The marriage lasted only 57 days and divorce proceedings were underway when Kerkorian died on June 15, 2015. Kerkorian was active in philanthropy through his charitable foundation, The Lincy Foundation, named after his daughters, Linda and Tracy. The foundation reportedly donated more than $ 1 billion, though Kerkorian never allowed anything to be named in his honor. The foundation covered half of
1170-567: Is Ballona Creek , which runs northeast to southwest through most of the city before it drains into Santa Monica Bay in Marina Del Rey. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km ), over 99% of which is land. Over the years, it has annexed more than 40 pieces of adjoining land. The city recognizes 15 neighborhoods within city limits: According to
1248-757: Is a shuttle service operated by Los Angeles County that stops at Stoneview Nature Center on weekends only. The city is served by multiple separated bike paths: The city is served by the Los Angeles International Airport , about 7 miles (11 km) south of the city. Smaller nearby airports include Santa Monica Airport and Hawthorne Municipal Airport . Culver City is served by Interstate 405 (San Diego Freeway), Interstate 10 (Santa Monica Freeway), and California State Route 90 (Marina Freeway). California State Route 187 runs along Venice Boulevard in Culver City. Culver City
1326-586: Is served by the Culver City Police Department , and the Culver City Fire Department, which operates three stations and a fire training facility. Culver City has five sister cities , as designated by Sister Cities International : Kirk Kerkorian Kerkor "Kirk" Kerkorian ( Armenian : Քըրք Քըրքորյան ; June 6, 1917 – June 15, 2015) was an Armenian-American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He
1404-520: Is speculated that this action was due to GM's rejection of Renault and Nissan's bids for stakes in the company as both of these bids were strongly supported by Kerkorian); the sale resulted in GM's share price falling 4.1% from its November 20 price, although it remained above $ 30/share. The sale lowered Kerkorian's holding to around 7% of GM. On November 30, 2006, Tracinda said it had agreed to sell another 14 million shares of GM, cutting Kerkorian's stake to half of what it had been earlier that year. By
1482-456: Is split between California's 36th congressional district , represented by Democrat Ted Lieu , and California's 37th congressional district , represented by Democrat Sydney Kamlager-Dove . The Culver City Unified School District administers the following public schools: Movies filmed or partially filmed in Culver City include: Television shows filmed or partially filmed in Culver City include: The Culver City station of
1560-523: The Armenian Genocide . Armenian was his first language and he "didn't learn the English language until he hit the streets." His family moved to Los Angeles following the depression of 1920–21 . Dropping out of school in eighth grade, Kerkorian became a fairly skilled amateur boxer under the tutelage of his older brother Nish Kerkorian, fighting under the name "Rifle Right Kerkorian" to win
1638-758: The Armenian genocide would be made. The resulting film, called The Promise , premiered in April 2017 in the United States. In 2000 Time magazine named him the 10th largest donor in the US. Kerkorian was declared an honorary citizen of Armenia. He was bestowed the title of National Hero of Armenia , the highest state award. Kirk Kerkorian was born on June 6, 1917, in Fresno, California , to Armenian parents who escaped present-day Turkey via cattle boat during
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#17327879025591716-493: The Justice Department who filed an antitrust suit due to his owning stock in two studios. In 1979, Kerkorian issued a statement claiming that MGM was now primarily a hotel company; however, he also managed to expand the overall film library and production system with the purchase of United Artists from Transamerica in 1981, becoming MGM/UA Entertainment Company. In March 1986, he sold MGM to Ted Turner . After
1794-728: The Las Vegas Hilton and the Flamingo Hilton , respectively. After he purchased the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio in 1969, Kerkorian (with architect Martin Stern Jr.) opened the original MGM Grand Hotel and Casino , larger than the Empire State Building and the largest hotel in the world at the time it was finished. On November 21, 1980, the original MGM Grand burned in a fire that
1872-554: The Museum of Jurassic Technology , founded in 1988 by David Hildebrand Wilson and Diana Drake Wilson, provides over 30 permanent exhibits displaying an eclectic mix of items that blend fact and fiction. The County of Los Angeles Public Library operates the Julian Dixon Culver City Branch. The architecture of Culver City reflects its history as an early location for film studios and, more recently, as
1950-472: The Sepulveda Boulevard corridor near Westfield Culver City . Around the same time, Sony 's motion picture subsidiaries, Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures , moved into the former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lot which was renamed Columbia Studios in 1990 and took on its current name, Sony Pictures Studios, a year later. There was an influx of art galleries and restaurants on the eastern part of
2028-541: The Thunderbird resort in Las Vegas. Hardy, a dancer from England, traveled the world instructing dance troupes. They met and fell in love while she was sent to check opportunities to choreograph a performance in Las Vegas. The marriage produced Kerkorian's two daughters, Tracy and Linda, whose names serve as a portmanteau for Kerkorian's personal holding company, Tracinda Corporation, and his charitable organization,
2106-657: The mergers and acquisitions of three film companies – The Metro Pictures , Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and occupying the Goldwyn production facilities. In the Classic Hollywood cinema , MGM Studios was responsible for shooting 52 films a year, from screen epic films such as Ben-Hur , and Mutiny on the Bounty , to drawing-room dramas such as Grand Hotel , Dinner at Eight , and Anna Karenina . But it
2184-562: The 2020 Census, the population of Culver City was 46.5% Non-Hispanic White, 16.1% Asian, 15.2% Hispanic White, 8.24% Black or African American, and 5.57% Other Hispanic. According to Mapping L.A. , Mexican and German were the most common ancestries in 2000. Mexico and the Philippines were the most common foreign places of birth. Corporations with headquarters in Culver City include Beats Audio , MedMen , NantHealth , Sweetgreen and Sony Pictures Entertainment . According to
2262-546: The British Royal Air Force was ferrying Canadian-built de Havilland Mosquitos over the North Atlantic to Scotland . The Mosquito's fuel tank carried enough fuel for 1,400 miles (2,300 km), while the trip directly was 2,200 miles (3,500 km). Rather than take the safer Montreal – Labrador – Greenland – Iceland –Scotland route (although, going further north could mean the wings icing, and
2340-463: The Chrysler arm of Daimler-Chrysler was sold to Cerberus for $ 7.4 billion. Kerkorian began buying Ford Motor Company stock in April 2008, and spent about $ 1 billion to accumulate a 6% stake in the automaker. By October 2008, the investment had lost two-thirds of its value, and he began selling. Tracinda explained, "In light of current economic and market conditions, it sees unique value in
2418-462: The Chrysler division on February 14, large investors such as Cerberus Capital Management , The Blackstone Group and Magna International each announced intentions to bid on the company. Kerkorian's bid, while not expected, was not surprising given his long involvement in the U.S. automobile industry. During the bidding process, he sought the aid of his close associate Jerome York who was a former CFO at both Chrysler and IBM . On May 14, 2007, 80% of
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2496-673: The Cotton Club lined Washington Boulevard . Culver Center, one of Southern California's first shopping malls, was completed in 1950 on Venice Boulevard near the Overland Avenue intersection. Hughes Aircraft opened its Culver City plant in July 1941. There the company built the H-4 Hercules transport (commonly called the "Spruce Goose"). Hughes was also an active subcontractor during World War II. It developed and patented
2574-482: The Lincy Foundation. Although divorced, they remained close friends and confidants. Kerkorian's short-lived third marriage (1999) was to professional tennis player Lisa Bonder , 48 years his junior, which lasted only one month. The two had signed a prenuptial agreement before marrying. Kerkorian subsequently was involved in a breach of privacy suit filed against him by Steve Bing . Kerkorian claimed Bing
2652-733: The Los Angeles Metro E Line sits at the Culver Junction near Venice and Robertson Boulevards in Culver City. The E Line provides a light rail connection from Culver City to Downtown Los Angeles and East Los Angeles to the east and Downtown Santa Monica to the west, mostly following the right-of-way that the Pacific Electric Santa Monica Air Line used, also known as the Exposition Boulevard line. Culver City station
2730-832: The Pacific amateur welterweight championship. Kirk Kerkorian also had an older sister, Rose Kerkorian. Sensing the onset of World War II , and not wanting to join the infantry , Kerkorian learned to fly at the Happy Bottom Riding Club in the Mojave Desert —adjacent to the United States Army Air Corps 's Muroc Field, now Edwards Air Force Base . In exchange for flying lessons from pioneer aviator Pancho Barnes , he agreed to milk and look after her cattle. On gaining his commercial pilot's certificate in six months, Kerkorian learned that
2808-566: The city's 2020–21 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were: Hundreds of movies have been produced on the lots of Culver City's studios: Sony Pictures Studios (originally MGM Studios), Culver Studios , and the former Hal Roach Studios . In 2017, Amazon MGM Studios announced plans to build a studio in Culver City. The Wende Museum possesses a collection of Soviet and East German visual art and everyday artifacts to promote an understanding of Soviet art, history and culture between 1945 and 1991. Additionally,
2886-734: The city, which was formally designated the Culver City Art District. The city is surrounded by the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Mar Vista and Palms to the north; Westchester to the south; Mid-City , West Adams , and Baldwin Hills to the east; the Ladera Heights unincorporated area to the southeast; and the L.A. neighborhoods of Venice and Playa Vista to the west, along with the unincorporated area of Marina del Rey . Culver City's major geographic feature
2964-489: The city. Archaeological evidence suggests a human presence in the area of present-day Culver City since at least 8000 BCE. The region was the homeland of the Tongva-Gabrieliño Native Americans. For centuries, native people lived in areas currently part of and surrounding Culver City. California's native people were massacred by waves of Spanish, Mexican and Euro-American invaders through
3042-536: The company's newly acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment unit, even though they had a contract with Warner Bros. To resolve this issue, Warner sold their Lorimar lot to Columbia, among other deals. Columbia Pictures had been sharing with Warner Bros. their studio lot in Burbank, California in a partnership called The Burbank Studios starting in 1972. Sony sold its interest in The Burbank Studios as
3120-511: The cost of an 80-kilometer highway in Armenia. Over the next decade, Kerkorian financed more than $ 200 million of infrastructure projects in Armenia, including $ 60 million to the reconstruction of schools and streets and the renovation of many museums, theaters and concert halls. The Lincy Foundation was dissolved in 2011 after 22 years of charitable activities after dispensing its last $ 200 million to University of California, Los Angeles . Half
3198-460: The current MGM Grand (1993). He purchased the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio in 1969. Of Armenian descent, Kerkorian provided over $ 1 billion for charity in Armenia through his Lincy Foundation, which was established in 1989 and particularly focused on helping to rebuild northern Armenia after the 1988 earthquake . Kerkorian also provided money to ensure that a film based on the history of
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3276-513: The east. The city was named after its founder, Harry Culver , who first attempted to establish it in 1913. In the 1920s, Culver City became a center for film and later television production. It was best known as the home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios from 1924 to 1986. From 1932 to 1986, it was the headquarters for the Hughes Aircraft Company . National Public Radio West and Sony Pictures Entertainment have headquarters in
3354-477: The end of November 2006, he had sold substantially all of his remaining GM shares. After Kerkorian sold, GM lost more than 90% of its value, falling as low as $ 1/share by May 2009, and filed bankruptcy on June 1, 2009. On April 5, 2007, Kirk Kerkorian made a $ 4.58 billion bid for the Chrysler Group , the U.S. arm of Daimler-Chrysler . After Daimler-Chrysler announced they were interested in selling
3432-528: The gaming and hospitality and oil and gas industries and has, therefore, decided to reallocate its resources and to focus on those industries." On October 21, Tracinda sold the 7.3 million Ford shares at an average price of $ 2.43, and said it planned to cut further its existing 6.1 percent stake in Ford, for a potential total loss of more than half a billion dollars. Kerkorian sold his remaining stake in Ford on December 29, 2008. Kerkorian's net worth in 2008
3510-583: The gaming company, dropping from 53.8 percent to 39 percent and even after pledging to purchase 10 percent of the new stock offering they now remain minority owners. Kerkorian had an on-again/off-again relationship with the American auto industry. His involvement began in 1995 when with the assistance of retired Chrysler chairman and CEO Lee Iacocca , Kerkorian staged a takeover attempt of the Chrysler Corporation . Chrysler's management treated
3588-516: The hands of the French bank, Crédit Lyonnais . Crédit Lyonnais invested significant sums to revive the moribund company and eventually sold it back to Kerkorian in 1996. Kerkorian soon expanded the company, purchasing Orion Pictures , The Samuel Goldwyn Company and Motion Picture Corporation of America from John Kluge 's Metromedia in 1997, and bought the pre-April 1996 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment library in 1999 from its parent Philips , which
3666-555: The hotel's enormous Showroom Internationale were Barbra Streisand and Elvis Presley . Presley brought in some 4,200 customers (and potential gamblers) every day for 30 days straight, breaking in the process all attendance records in the county's history. Kerkorian's International Leisure also bought the Flamingo Hotel ; eventually, both hotels were sold to the Hilton Hotels Corporation and were renamed
3744-475: The institute sold the company, which made it the second-best-endowed medical research foundation in the world. The Hal Roach Studios were demolished in 1963. In the late 1960s, much of the MGM backlot acreage (lot 3 and other property on Jefferson Boulevard), and the nearby 28.5 acres (11.5 ha) known as RKO Forty Acres , once owned by RKO Pictures and later Desilu Productions , were sold by their owners. In 1976
3822-477: The land from Kerkorian. The rent and eventual sale of the land to Caesars in 1968 made Kerkorian $ 9 million ($ 70 million today). In 1967, he bought 82 acres (33 ha) of land on Paradise Road in Las Vegas for $ 5 million and, with architect Martin Stern Jr. , built the International Hotel , which at the time was the largest hotel in the world. The first two performers to appear at
3900-569: The lot and the ironwork gates were restored. Nostalgic art deco and false fronts on Main Street were added, as well as hand-painted murals of Columbia film posters. The MGM logo was removed from the Filmland Building in late 1992. The long-running game shows Jeopardy! (Studio 10, renamed "The Alex Trebek Stage" in July 2021) and Wheel of Fortune (Studio 11), along with their spin-offs, have been taped at Sony Pictures Studios since
3978-419: The lot was sold to Sony Corporation's Columbia Pictures Entertainment in exchange for the half of Warner's lot that it had rented since 1972. Also in 1990, the MGM film company was purchased by Italian financier Giancarlo Parretti , who then merged the former Cannon with the MGM purchase to create the short-lived MGM-Pathé Communications . Parretti defaulted on the loans he'd used to buy MGM, leaving MGM in
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#17327879025594056-569: The main production building, MGM added two large backlot facilities – Lot 2 located opposite the main studio across Overland Avenue. Lot 3 entered the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Overland Avenue and was MGM's largest backlot. The administration building was inaugurated in 1938 and was named for Thalberg. However, the United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. antitrust case of 1948 severed MGM's connection with Loews Theaters, and it struggled through its affairs. On August 10, 1965,
4134-481: The mid-1990s. 34°1′2″N 118°24′6″W / 34.01722°N 118.40167°W / 34.01722; -118.40167 Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California , United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles , but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to
4212-408: The plane crashing), Kerkorian preferred the direct "Iceland Wave" route, which blew the planes at jet-speed to Europe—but it was not constant, and could mean ditching . The fee was $ 1,000 per flight. Although accounts claim the risk was that one in four planes failed to make it, the actual rate was closer to one in forty . In May 1944, Kerkorian and his Wing Commander John de Lacy Wooldridge rode
4290-442: The pre-May 1986 MGM library, Associated Artists Productions (the pre-1950 Warner Bros. Pictures library and Fleischer Studios / Famous Studios Popeye cartoons) and RKO Radio Pictures libraries, as well as Gilligan's Island and its animated spin-offs The New Adventures of Gilligan and Gilligan's Planet . The MGM studio complex was sold to Lorimar-Telepictures , which was later acquired by Warner Bros.; in 1990,
4368-490: The purchase was made, Turner sold the United Artists subsidiary back to Kerkorian. Turner kept ownership of MGM from March 25 to August 26, 1986. He racked up huge debts and Turner simply could not afford to keep the studio under those circumstances. To recoup his investment, Turner sold the production/distribution assets and trademarks of MGM (including its post-April 1986 libraries) to United Artists while retaining
4446-592: The sets were razed to make way for redevelopment. Today, the RKO site is the southern expansion of the Hayden Industrial Tract, while the MGM property has been converted into a subdivision and a shopping center known as Raintree Plaza. In October of 1975, Fox Hills Mall opened in the place of a golf course. In the early 1990s, Culver City launched a successful revitalization program in which it renovated its downtown as well as several shopping centers in
4524-615: The struggling MGM and sold off massive amounts of historical memorabilia, including Dorothy's ruby slippers from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz , the majority of the studio's backlots in Culver City and overseas operations such as the British MGM studio at Borehamwood. Kerkorian sold MGM's distribution system in 1973, and gradually distanced himself from the daily operation of the studio. He also owned minority interest in Columbia Pictures but his holdings were thwarted by
4602-626: The studio lot was sold to Lorimar-Telepictures . During that time, the MGM logo was removed from the studios and moved across the street to the Filmland Building (now known as Sony Pictures Plaza) before their 1992 and 2003 moves to Santa Monica and Century City and finally settling in Beverly Hills from 2011 onwards. In 1988, Warner Communications acquired Lorimar-Telepictures two years before merging with Time Inc. to become Time Warner (now Warner Bros. Discovery ). The following year, Sony hired producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber to run
4680-429: The studio's backlots were sold. Lot 3 was razed while Lot 2 was sold to housing developments. Kerkorian used the money to construct his MGM Resorts hotel chain . In 1981, Kerkorian's Tracinda acquired United Artists and merged it with MGM to become MGM/UA Entertainment Co. He then sold MUEC to Ted Turner in 1986, who after 74 days, sold MGM/UA back to Kerkorian while retaining the pre-1986 MGM film library. In 1986,
4758-407: The takeover as hostile, and after a lengthy battle, Kerkorian canceled his plans and sold his Chrysler stake in 1996. As part of the settlement, Iacocca was placed under a gag order forbidding him from discussing Chrysler in public or print for five years. Two years later, Chrysler management agreed to be acquired by German automaker Daimler-Benz . Kerkorian always drove an American vehicle, including
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#17327879025594836-411: The wave and broke the old crossing record. Wooldridge got to Scotland in six hours, 46 minutes; Kerkorian, in seven hours, nine minutes. In two and a half years with RAF Ferry Command , Kerkorian delivered 33 planes, logged thousands of hours, traveled to four continents and flew his first four-engine plane. After the war, having saved most of his wages, Kerkorian spent $ 5,000 on
4914-609: Was $ 16 billion according to Forbes magazine, making him the 41st richest person in the world and the richest person in California at that time. By 2011, Kerkorian was among those hardest hit by the stock market recession as his net worth tumbled to $ 3.2 billion. In 2013, he was listed as the 412th richest person with a net worth of $ 3.9 billion. Kerkorian was an "intensely private person". He almost never gave interviews and seldom appeared in public. "Kerkorian rarely attended board meetings and never gave speeches. He
4992-497: Was earmarked for medical research, scholarships and other projects while the other half was earmarked to create the "Dream Fund" for charitable causes around the country. Most of the $ 2 billion estate was left to charity, with a three-person committee left to distribute the funds within three years. In December 2018, the estate settled with his 4th wife for $ 12.5 million, along with $ 10 million and $ 50 million for two philanthropic foundations, advised by his 4th wife. Armenia issued
5070-420: Was explicitly founded as a whites-only sundown town , as were most of the suburbs and towns outside the downtown and Central Avenue districts of Los Angeles . Culver ran ads promoting "this model little white city", while his close associate, Guy M. Rush, promoted lot sales "restricted to Caucasian race". The city also at times excluded people of non-Christian religious faiths. The weekly Culver City Call
5148-489: Was filming at Ballona Creek in 1915, Harry Culver , the founding father of Culver City, persuaded Ince to move Inceville to Culver City. During that time, Ince co-founded Triangle Film Corporation and the Triangle Studios was opened in the form of a Greek colonnade – the entrance to the studios. The colonnade still stands fronting Washington Boulevard and is a Culver City historical landmark. Ince added
5226-572: Was founded, native, Hispanic or Latino people were not allowed to buy property. During the American Civil War, a U.S. Army post called Camp Latham was established from 1861 to 1862 on the south bank of Ballona Creek . Harry Culver first attempted to establish Culver City in 1913. It was officially incorporated on September 20, 1917, and named after its founder. The area benefited from pre-existing transportation links; Culver's first ads read "All roads lead to Culver City". The city
5304-561: Was in process to sell PolyGram to Seagram . In 2005, Kerkorian sold MGM once more to a consortium led by Sony. He retained a 55% stake in MGM Mirage. On November 22, 2006, Kerkorian's Tracinda investment corporation offered to buy 15 million shares of MGM Mirage to increase his stake in the gambling giant from 56.3% to 61.7%, if approved. In May 2009, following the completion of a $ 1 billion stock offering by MGM Mirage, Kerkorian and Tracinda lost their majority ownership of
5382-680: Was in short supply at the time, so he sold the fuel from the planes' tanks, paid off his loan, and still had the airplanes. He operated the airline until 1968 when he sold it for $ 104 million to the Transamerica Corporation . In 1962, Kerkorian bought 80 acres (32 ha) in Las Vegas , across the Las Vegas Strip from the Flamingo for $ 960,000. This purchase led to the building of Caesars Palace , which rented
5460-513: Was one of the worst disasters in Las Vegas history. The Clark County Fire Department reported 84 deaths in the fire; there were 87 deaths total, including three which occurred later as a result of injuries sustained in the fire. After only 8 months the MGM Grand reopened. Almost three months after the MGM fire, the Las Vegas Hilton caught fire, killing eight people. In 1986, Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand hotels in Las Vegas and Reno for $ 594 million to Bally Manufacturing . The Las Vegas property
5538-527: Was shy, but was a tough negotiator. Those who knew him describe him not as a Hughesian hermit, but as a gentle, gracious, normal guy." Kerkorian was an avid tennis player , played in tournaments, associated with other players like Lornie Kuhle, and routinely played with Alex Yemenidjian , a former MGM executive, and former owner of the Tropicana Las Vegas resort. He had a penchant for expensive clothes (especially custom-made outfits by Italian designer Brioni ), but drove relatively inexpensive vehicles, such as
5616-809: Was subsequently renamed Bally's . Spun off from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , MGM Resorts International owns and operates several properties, including the current MGM Grand , the Bellagio , the New York-New York , Mandalay Bay , The Luxor , Excalibur , Park MGM , the Cosmopolitan and the CityCenter complex in Las Vegas. MGM sold its Treasure Island Hotel and Casino property to billionaire and former New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin for $ 750 million. In 1969, Kerkorian appointed James Thomas Aubrey Jr. as president of MGM. Aubrey downsized
5694-527: Was the Technicolor musical films , including The Wizard of Oz , Singin' in the Rain and Gigi that MGM was best known for. MGM's success led to six working studio complexes, more than 180 acres (0.73 km) including twenty-eight soundstages – Stage 15 is the second largest sound stage in the world, and Stage 27 served as "Munchkinland" in the production of The Wizard of Oz . In addition to
5772-609: Was the father of Bonder's daughter, an allegation which was later confirmed by DNA paternity testing . On August 10, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that Kerkorian's attorneys were being sued by Bonder because of their connection to former high-profile private investigator Anthony Pellicano , who in 2008 began serving a fifteen-year prison sentence for running a wiretapping scheme. Bonder's attorney alleged that Kerkorian's lawyers hired Pellicano to wiretap telephone calls between him and Kerkorian's ex-wife in order to gain
5850-459: Was the first newspaper in the community. The paper was founded in 1915. The first film studio in Culver City was built by Thomas Ince in 1918 for The Triangle Motion Picture Company . Silent film comedy producer Hal Roach built his studios there in 1919, and Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) took over the Triangle studio complex in 1924. During Prohibition , speakeasies and nightclubs such as
5928-538: Was the original studios of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1924 to 1986 and Lorimar-Telepictures from 1986 to 1988. In addition to films shot at the facility, several television shows have been broadcast live or taped there. The lot, which is open to the public for daily studio tours, currently houses a total of sixteen separate sound stages . Director Thomas H. Ince built his pioneering Inceville studios in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles in 1912. While Ince
6006-432: Was the president and CEO of Tracinda Corporation , his private holding company based in Beverly Hills, California . Kerkorian was one of the important figures in the shaping of Las Vegas and, with architect Martin Stern Jr. , is described as the "father of the mega-resort ". He built the world's largest hotel in Las Vegas three times: the International Hotel (opened in 1969), the original MGM Grand Hotel (1973) and
6084-580: Was the western terminus of what was then known as the Expo Line from its opening on June 20, 2012, to the opening of Expo Line phase two on May 20, 2016. Culver CityBus was founded on March 4, 1928, making it the second oldest municipal bus line in California and the oldest public transit bus system still operating in Los Angeles County. Big Blue Bus was founded on April 14, 1928. Culver CityBus operates seven regular bus lines as well as
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