California Scenic Rental Company Celebrates 75th Anniversary

Hollywood, CA – This year marks the 75th anniversary of Grosh Scenic Rentals in Hollywood, CA, one of the largest providers of scenic backdrops for theater, dance, special event, church and school productions in the world. The family-owned business was originally founded in 1932 as R.L. Grosh & Sons Scenic Studios.

”This is a wonderful benchmark to achieve,” says Amanda Lindoerfer, Grosh’s Vice President of Marketing and great-granddaughter of Founder R.L. Grosh. “I don’t know if my great-grandfather had any idea how big we would grow or how long we would be in business, but I know he would be very proud to see us now.”

Robert Louis Grosh, founder, worked in vaudeville theatres until the age of 16 when he began to earn his professional journeyman status on scenic designs and set construction with Armbruster's & Sons Scenic Studio in Chicago. He came to California in 1926 with a contract for another firm, but quickly established his own enterprise as soon as the contract was fulfilled.

The rising popularity of the movies in the 1930’s created the need for screen productions for the major Hollywood studios. The new R.L. Grosh & Sons Studio worked with them all. Most of the 20th Century Fox musicals of the 40’s and 50’s feature Grosh & Sons sets. The Grosh family, however, has a special relationship with Walt Disney that began with the first Disneyland in Anaheim and grew with Walt Disney’s EPCOT Center in Orlando.

As more elaborate stage and screen effects were required, Grosh & Sons developed special riggings and hardware that are still in use today throughout the world. These include curved and straight drapery track, contour drapery rigging, disappearing screens and motorized revolving stages—now industry standards in the history of movie and stage production.

With the advent of computerized special effects in the movie industry, quality backdrops and draperies were not in as high demand. Grosh Scenic Rentals has taken the opportunity to once again apply its considerable talent to R.L. Grosh’s first love—providing backdrops and drapery for live theater, ballet and dance, conventions and special events—but on an international scale that R.L Grosh could never have imagined.

Grosh has provided backdrops or drapery services for movies including: Interview with the Vampire, Austin Powers 3, I Love Lucy, Get Shorty, Funny Girl, Beatle Juice, Back to the Future, That Thing You Do, Imitation of Life, Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound and The Greatest Story Ever Told. Musical artists or bands have included: Janet Jackson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Counting Crows, Tom Petty, No Doubt and Beyonce. The company has also provided services for The Oscars, and the Tony Awards.

Grosh Scenic Rentals can still be found in its original location at 4114 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA. Robert Lindoerfer, the grandson-in-law of the founder, currently operates the business. For more information visit their website at www.grosh.com or contact them at (877) 363-7998 or by email at info@grosh.com.