Darryl Cherness
As residents of Culver City, we take great pride in our city's motion picture and television heritage. This, more than anything else, defines our community and distinguishes us from other cities throughout the nation. After all, it was here, in Culver City, where the Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind were filmed. It is here, in Culver City, where Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are taped and broadcast throughout the nation, to be viewed by millions of American households.
Given our city's rich history as a motion picture and television center, you would think that our community would go "all out" to promote our history and let the world know about our past.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. We, as a community, have done very little to promote our heritage. We have the "Filmstrip USA" sculpture in front of the Veteran's Memorial Building, the Culver City Historical Society Archives and Resource Center (that is open 4 hours a month and is the best kept secret in town), and, of course, our city motto: "Heart of Screenland." That's all we have. We can do better.
Culver City needs a full time, full fledged motion picture and television museum. Such a museum would put Culver City "on the map" and bring thousands of tourists to our city: tourists who would patronize our downtown restaurants, stay at the Culver Hotel (thus generating bed tax revenue), and watch plays at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
The beauty of the museum is that it would generate multiple sources of revenue for the city. Not only would it bring additional business to downtown, but it would also generate revenue on its own. For example, the city could impose an entertainment fee on the admission to the museum. If the museum had a gift shop selling motion picture and television memorabilia, the city would receive a portion of the sales tax revenue on each sale. There could be bus tours to the museum, and the operators of those tours would pay a business license fee to Culver City.
Where would the museum be located? Recently, the City Council created an ad hoc committee to explore the feasibility of establishing a motion picture and television museum in Culver City. The location of the museum would be an appropriate issue for the ad hoc committee to address.
However, given the multiple downtown attractions for local visitors and tourists, I would suggest that the museum be located within reasonable proximity of downtown.
Culver City has a vast, untapped resource. Let's use it!
Darryl Cherness is a member of Culver City's Motion Picture and Television Museum Feasibility Ad Hoc Committee and the former President of the Culver City Democratic Club.
This is a fabulous idea; it is difficult to believe that this museum has not been on any agenda. It would definitely bring much needed revenue to Culver City. When it has its grand opening, the publicity alone would bring people in from all over the map. It is even a big enough idea to have a permanent freeway sign indicating that it is located in Culver City. How can we be the "Home of Screenland" without a dedicated museum celebrating this part of our own culture. I would be so proud to have this museum in my town; you can count on my support. By the way, is there any aspect of this proposal that can be put to a vote of the people?
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