mobile device navigation

Missing the navigation bar? 

Go to the bottom of any post and click on "view web version" to see the list of films/theatres in the right hand column.  

The Chinese in Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" (Warner Bros., 1974).

"Los Angeles Plays Itself"

 

Footage from Rudolph Maté's "D.O.A" (Cardinal Pictures/United Artists, 1950) showing the Orpheum and other Broadway theatres is used in the title sequence of Thom Andersen's "Los Angeles Plays Itself" (2003), an epic exploration of how the city has been portrayed in the movies.  

 

 

Thom's opener also features shots of the Burbank Theatre on Main St. taken from A view of the Burbank Theatre facade early in Samuel Fuller's Columbia Pictures epic "The Crimson Kimono" (1959). 

 

 

"Los Angeles Plays Itself" repeatedly comes back to shots from Kent MacKenzie's "The Exiles" such as this view of the Arcade, Cameo and Roxie theatres on Broadway. 

 

 

Thom gives lots of coverage to Billy Wilder's "Double Indemnity" (Paramount, 1944). In this shot we're looking north on Olive toward the Philharmonic Auditorium. 

 

The Bradbury Building gets lots of discussion, including mentions of its appearances when it's supposed to be in other cities. This scene showing the Million Dollar Theatre from "Murder in the First" (Warner Bros., 1995) has Christian Slater crossing a San Francisco street to go into the Bradbury.

And, of course, no survey of the Bradbury's film career is complete without including Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" (Ladd Company/Warner Bros., 1982) and this shot of the added columns at the entrance. 

 

A c.2001 "Lion King" shot of the Pantages Theatre. Kurt Wahlner notes that a fiberglass mini-Brown Derby behind the left palm tree and the strange marquee and limo-in-the-air on the right were part of the initial look for the Metro station. The film notes that unlike the many times L.A. locations are used to represent other cities, some L.A. landmarks like the Capitol Records building or the Hollywood Sign actually play themselves. 

 

Later in the film we get the drive-by of the Gilmore Drive-In from Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" (United Artists, 1977). 

 

We get a shot of the Palace Theatre marquee from Gregory Nava's "El Norte" (Cinecom Pictures, 1984). Also included are several scenes from the film with newcomers from Mexico talking about their strange new life in Los Angeles.   

On IMDb: "Los Angeles Plays Itself"     

The full film is on YouTube in a somewhat cropped version -- and with Arabic subtitles.     

"Cannonball!"

We get a view of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in this shot looking east on 1st St. toward Hope St. from "Cannonball!" (New World Pictures, 1976).

Thanks to Tommy Bernard for sharing 33 great L.A. area shots from the film paired with recent views in a post for the Facebook group Historic Film Locations. "Cannonball" did lots of shooting downtown, on the freeways, in the Arts District, on the Santa Monica Pier and in the Valley.

It's a cross-country race with big prize money at stake. David Carradine stars. The film also features Bill McKinney, Veronica Hamel, Gerrit Graham, Robert Carradine, Belinda Belaski, Judy Canova and many more making cameos. Paul Bartel directed. The cinematography was by Tak Fujimoto.

See the page about the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more about the theatre.

On IMDb: "Cannonball!"

 

The same view today. Thanks, Tommy!

"The Falcon and the Snowman"

We get a look at the Studio City Theatre, 13126 Ventura Blvd., in "The Falcon and the Snowman" (Orion Pictures, 1985). The movie is set in the 1974-77 period. Luis Buñuel's "The Exterminating Angel" was a 1962 release. 

This espionage drama, based on a 1979 non-fiction book by Robert Lindsey, is the story of an employee of a military contractor and his drug-pushing friend who became spies for the Soviet Union. The cast includes Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Pat Hingle, Joyce Van Patten and Richard Dysart. John Schlesinger directed. The cinematography was by Allen Daviau.

 

Lori Singer is working the boxoffice. The poster on the right is for "The Exterminating Angel." The center poster is for another Buñuel film, the 1972 release "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie." 

Lori had been Timothy Hutton's girlfriend until he kicked her out when the espionage business got too complicated. Near the end of the movie, as the government was closing in on him, he parks across the street and walks over to see her. He says that he always loved her and warned that the FBI would be coming around to ask lots of questions.

Thanks to Eric Schaeffer for spotting the theatre in the film and getting the screenshots. See the page about the Studio City Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information about the building. It's now a bookstore.

On IMDb: "The Falcon and the Snowman"

"Midnight Movie"

We're at the Avenue Theatre in Downey to watch a horror film with a troubled past in "Midnight Movie" (Bigfoot Entertainment, 2008). It hasn't been screened in years and the staff is unaware that there may be problems but several policemen who tried to sort out the murders that occurred the last time the film was shown decide to attend. The copy on the film's DVD package:

"At a seedy theatre in a sleepy suburban town, a group of friends get together for a midnight screening of an early 1970s horror film, unaware that the director/star of the film has something more in store for them than an evening of innocent jolts. Good natured heckling as the movie begins is replaced with horrified disbelief when the movie's grotesque villain butchers one of their friends on screen -- will they be able to overcome the killer before they are all pulled into his supernatural celluloid world?" 

 

The film features Rebekah Brandes, Daniel Bonjour, Greg Cirulnick, Stan Ellsworth, Melissa Steach, Justin Barick, Mandell Maughn and Jon Bridell. Jack Messitt directed. The cinematography was by Ruben Russ and Clyde W. Smith. Thanks to an anonymous tipster about the use of the Avenue for the film.  

 

 

 

Not much to do at the snackbar. At this point the staff outnumbers the customers.  

 

 

 

The manager, played by Rebekah Brandes. She's sent her kid brother home but he sneaks back in. 

 

 

 

Trying to get the staff in line. She's going to watch the movie because this guy on the left thinks he can be manager as well as the projectionist.  

 

 

Ready for the first customers. It'll be a biker guy and his girlfriend.

 

 

 

A look at the auditorium. 

 

Well, it's not going to be a big crowd. 

 

 

 

Figuring out how to get a show on the screen. The equipment that had been in the booth is long gone. For the film what we get is one 35mm portable. 

 

 

 

A happy projectionist. 

 

 

 

There were supposedly murders last time the film ran -- but bodies were never found. 

 

 

Our projectionist needs to change a soda box in the basement. The killer will get him. 

 

Our first real look at the inner lobby.

 

 

We'll lose another person in the men's room. 

 

 

 

Trying to get out an exit door backstage. 

 

 

 

Justin Baric is the kid, who isn't even supposed to be there. Here he makes a run to backstage. 

 

Heading through the lobby to see if they can get out the front. 

 

 

 

A policeman comes by to investigate and it all looks normal to him. Somehow he can't see the people inside, nor hear them banging on the doors.

 

 

 

Up to the booth. On the way the killer will pick off a couple more of them.

 

They decide that the only answer is to stop the damn film. The projector gets knocked over.

 

 

 

But in this theatre anything is possible. Yes, the machine picks itself up and the screening resumes. 

 

 

 

The killings don't stop until the film is done. Here the tail is running through. 

 

 

The kid is the sole survivor. The cops cart him off to the psych ward, unable to believe the stories he's telling.

See the page about the Avenue Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site. The building, at 11022 Downey Ave., has been gutted and is now a pizza parlor.

On IMDb: "Midnight Movie"

"The Last Days of Frankie the Fly"

Dennis Hopper takes a drive down Broadway in "The Last Days of Frankie the Fly" (Millenium Films, 1996). On the left we get the Cameo and Arcade theatres. See the pages about them on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information and photos inside and out. On the Cameo marquee: "Happy Holida s."

Dennis is an aspiring screenwriter just trying to survive while working as a low-level errand guy for local thug Michael Madsen. Daryl Hannah is a porno actress and hooker hoping to stay off the drugs and Keifer Sutherland is a harried porno director who likes to play the horses. Peter Markle directed. The cinematography was by Phil Parmet. 

The film uses many great L.A. locations including the Arts District, the L.A. River and Union Station. Thanks to Sean Ault for noting the theatres in the film. The producer was Elie Samaha, currently the lead partner in the group that owns Yamashiro restaurant, the Chinese and Dolby theatres in Hollywood, and the buildings on Hollywood Blvd. that were formerly the Vogue and Fox.

On IMDb: "The Last Days of Frankie the Fly"

"Eye For An Eye"

Getting an ice cream cone on Broadway in John Schlesinger's "Eye For An Eye" (Paramount, 1996). The film stars Sally Field, Kiefer Sutherland, Ed Harris, Olivia Burnette, Joe Mantegna, Beverly D'Angelo and Philip Baker Hall. Sally's character is on a hunt for the man who raped and murdered her daughter. Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the various theatres in the film and getting the screenshots. He comments: 

"Well, not a good movie but this one does look great thanks to cinematographer Amir Mokri. The Kiefer Sutherland character lives downtown so we get plenty of cool footage there."

 

At the end of the ice cream scene the camera pans up a bit and we get this view south as Kiefer gets lost in the crowd. The Roxie is at 518 S. Broadway, the Cameo, with "Happy Holida s" on the marquee, is at 528. Just beyond, unseen in this shot, is the Arcade Theatre at 534 S. Broadway. On the right in the distance it's the Los Angeles Theatre down in the 600 block.

Check out the pages about the Roxie, Cameo, Arcade, and Los Angeles theatres on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information and photos inside and out.   

 

A fine look over at part of the east side of the 400 block of S. Main. It's the view out the window of Kiefer Sutherland's SRO room. The Regent is at 448, now reborn as a live music venue. Over on the left the Main Theatre, with the "XXX Movie" signage, was at 438, in a storefront of the Canadian Building.   

See the pages about the Main Theatre and the  Regent Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the venues. 

 

That neon sign in the previous shot prompted a search to nail down the building it had been taken from. This shot gives us a better look at it and reveals that the Main St. view had been a process shot. The building Kiefer is on in this shot is the former El Dorado Hotel at 416 S. Spring, a block away from the Regent Theatre. Thanks for this, Eric! 

 

 

A 2024 view of the El Dorado from Google Maps. We're looking southeast. The Rosslyn roof sign can be seen in the distance, over at 5th and Main.

On IMDb: "Eye For An Eye"

"X: The Unheard Music"

The Pussycat Theatre, 6656 Hollywood Blvd., is seen in "X: The Unheard Music" (Skouras Pictures, 1986), W.T. Morgan's documentary about the L.A. punk band X. 

 

We go around to the alley south of the theatre. 

Brendan Mullen takes us down the stairs. From August 1977 until January 1978 the basement under the theatre and the adjacent office building at Hollywood and Cherokee had  been his infamous punk club, Masque. The club didn't last longer because it was closed by the Fire Marshal.  

 

 Looking at the walls.  

 

The film cuts to a vintage black and white still and zooms into that for the trip down the stairs.

More investigation.

 

Another look at graffitti. 

 

Surplus seats. 

See the page about the Pussycat / Ritz Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site. It had opened in 1940 as a newsreel house.

On IMDb: "X: The Unheard Music" 

 

For more recent footage of the basement see "Masque," an 11 minute video made in 2012 by Mike Plante that's on Vimeo. Esotouric had located it for a Facebook post that was spotted by Terrence Butcher.