Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies
Monday, June 27, 2022
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"The Prom"
On IMDb: "The Prom"
Sunday, June 26, 2022
"Bad Influence"
We get a look at the front of the La Tosca Theatre at 2930 S. Vermont Ave. when it's used as the facade of a nightclub in Curtis Hanson's "Bad Influence" (Triumph Releasing Corporation, 1990).
See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the La Tosca for more information about the theatre. It had opened in 1912 as the Photoplay. The building has been demolished.
On IMDb: "Bad Influence"
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
"Partners"
We get a look at the marquee of the Gordon Theatre, 614 N. La Brea Ave., in "Partners" (Paramount, 1982). Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre in the film and getting the screenshot. He notes: "The marquee connection is that both 'La Cage aux Folles II' and 'Partners' were written by Francis Veber."
The
film, directed by James Burrows, stars Ryan O'Neal, John Hurt and Kenneth McMillan. The story involves a straight detective investigating murders of gay men.
The Gordon was later known as the Showcase after a Cineplex Odeon remodel. See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the Showcase Theatre for photos and history.
On IMDb: "Partners""Walking the Edge"
There's a good shot of the Gordon Theatre, 614 N. La Brea Ave., in "Walking the Edge" (Empire Pictures, 1985). It was shot in 1983. The film, directed by Norbert Meisel, stars Nancy Kwan and Robert Forster. It's a tale of an L.A. taxi driver who picks up a fare who is intent on executing a revenge mission that would involve her suicide.
Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre in the film. The Gordon was later known as the Showcase after a Cineplex Odeon remodel. See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the Showcase Theatre for photos and history.
On IMDb: "Walking the Edge"
Saturday, May 28, 2022
"Wild Guitar"
The Egyptian Theatre is seen 2:38 into Dennis Ray Steckler's "Wild Guitar" (Fairway International, 1962). We also get views of the Chinese and the Pantages. The full film is available on YouTube. Arch Hall, Jr. and Nancy Czar star.
See the pages on the Egyptian, Grauman's Chinese and the Pantages on the Los Angeles Theatres site for the history of these Hollywood showplaces and many, many photos.
On IMDb: "Wild Guitar"
Sunday, May 22, 2022
"Change of Habit"
We spend some time on Main St. in "Change of Habit" (Universal, 1969). In this shot we're looking south toward 6th and behind Mary Tyler Moore we see part of the "Burlesk" lettering on the vertical sign at the Burbank Theatre, 548 S. Main St.
The film, directed by William A. Graham, also stars Elvis Presley, Barbara McNair, Jane Elliott and Ed Asner. The cinematography was by Russell Metty. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the theatre in the film and getting the screenshot.
A promotional shot appearing on IMDb. That "Theatre" vertical we see is for the Galway Theatre, 514 S. Main St. See the Galway Theatre page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more about the venue.
On IMDb: "Change of Habit"
Monday, May 9, 2022
"Pretty Woman"
The film ends with Richard and Julia on the fire escape of her apartment building on Las Palmas. On the right we're looking toward Hollywood Blvd. and there's a look at the screen end of the Vogue Theatre.
See the pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site about the Pantages, the Chinese, the Chinese Twin, the Vogue and the Egyptian for a history of these Hollywood theatres and many, many photos.
On IMDb: "Pretty Woman"Friday, May 6, 2022
"Surrender"
Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre in the film and
getting the screenshot. Head to the Los Feliz Theatre page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for information about this 1935 vintage house, a design by Clifford A. Balch.
On IMDb: "Surrender"
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent"
Near the end of "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" (Lionsgate, 2022) we get lovely views of the ceiling of a theatre where the premiere is being held for a film written by "Nicholas Cage" and his collaborator played by Pedro Pascal. It's probably somewhere in Hungary or Croatia. But when we the cut to the back of the auditorium to finish the scene we're at the Orpheum, 842 S. Broadway.
Tom Gormican directed the film, also featuring Tiffany Haddish, Neal Patrick Harris, Sharon Horgan, Lily Sheen and Alessandra Mastronardi. The cinematography was by Nigel Bluck.
Visit the pages about the Orpheum Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the 1926 vintage vaudeville house along with hundreds of photos.
On IMDb: "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent"
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
"The New Centurions"
George C. Scott, Stacy Keach and Jane Alexander star in Richard Fleischer's film adaptation of the Joseph Wambaugh novel "The New Centurions" (Columbia, 1972). The cinematography was by Ralph Woolsey.
In this shot we see the Los Angeles Theatre, 615 S. Broadway, in the middle of a wild ride through various neighborhoods with Stacy hanging on to the outside of a car while the angry woman driving tries everything she can do to shake him off. On the marquee: "The Telephone Book" (1971) and "Baby Love" (1969).
See the pages about the Los Angeles Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the building and many photos.
On IMDb: "The New Centurions"
Monday, March 21, 2022
"Body Double"
The plot for our leading man to be a witness to a murder in Brian De Palma's "Body Double" (Columbia, 1984) begins at the Callboard Theatre, 8451 Melrose Place.
A view of the theatre on the TV promo. Thanks to Tommy Bernard for spotting it in the film and getting this screenshot. See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the X Theatre for a bit of history and a few photos.
On IMDb: "Body Double"
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
"Smog"
We get part of the building's facade but cut to a shot of Annie adjusting the radio before we can see what's on the Ritz marquee. But the theatre was dark at the time of the filming.
In a drive west we get a look at the Hollywood Theatre at Hollywood and Highland. Well, we almost get a look at the marquee. It's the mess of lights seen inside the steering wheel.
Bruce Kimmel comments about the shoot, done sometime in the fall of 1961:
"'Rocco' opened on September 20 at the Four-Star and played at least six weeks there, so hard to pinpoint when this was shot exactly. If it was that first two weeks then 'Guns of Navarone' was at the Hollywood. As to the Ritz, it was closed. It closed after the run of 'Scent of Mystery' in May of 1960. By that time, it wasn't a Fox West Coast theater anymore and was listed in the Independent Theaters section, which means Mike Todd, Jr. himself four-walled its run there, which given the huge flop it was, ran almost four months there."
Production designer Aldo Capuano once commented that the title didn't refer to the dirty air in Los Angeles but rather to the haze in the brains of the many Italians that the attorney meets during his wanderings. The Cinematography was by Ted D. McCord. And it's actually quite nice. The images seen here were taken from a poor DVD.
A poster appearing on a page about the film on the site Shock Cinema. There's a similar poster on the "Smog" page of the site Letterboxd.
While the film got a UK release, it evidently didn't play anywhere in the US until a screening at LACMA's Bing Theatre years later. The Getty screened the film in 2013. The Getty Research Institute website has a page with notes prepared for that screening:
"The laconic and moody 'Smog' (1962, 35 mm, 88 min.) is a little-known film from director Franco Rossi that presents a compelling outsider's perspective, following Italian attorney Vittorio Ciocchetti (Enrico Maria Salerno) through two days in the City of Angels. Stumbling upon several expatriates from his homeland, Ciocchetti is shown the vast and enigmatic city through their eyes, from Los Angeles International Airport and Pierre Koenig's Stahl Residence (both newly built) to the oil wells of Culver City. Ciocchetti's encounters reveal a stark contrast between the liberated lifestyle of midcentury Los Angeles and the struggles of postwar Italy.
"Rossi's depiction of Los Angeles is unique, devoid of sensationalism, and true to the city's eclectic mix of landscapes, cultures, social strata, and peculiar vocations. Smog was the first European film with the majority of its footage shot in Los Angeles, and Rossi and his screenwriters spent three months of preproduction absorbing the city's atmosphere. Shooting included several significant locations, particularly newly built architectural experiments, that do not appear in the final film. However, these omitted scenes are referenced in various reviews from the 1960s and '70s, which detail different iterations of the film, title, and credit changes as well as stalled international distribution deals..."
UCLA's Billy Wilder Theatre screened it in March 2022.
A poster from IMDb.
Friday, February 25, 2022
"Sunset Boulevard"
A moment later as the camera pans to the left we get a look at the top of the Pantages Theatre's vertical sign on the far left. Holden is headed to the Paramount lot in an attempt to sell a story. Later after a visit to Schwab's Drugstore and a car chase with the repo guys he pulls into the driveway of Gloria Swanson's mansion. Thanks to Chuck Snyder for spotting the Playhouse in the film. He posted a screenshot as a comment on a post about the theatre by Douglas West on the Mid Century Modern Facebook page.
The film was written by Wilder along with Charles Brackett and D.M. Marshman, Jr. Also starring are Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Jack Webb and Fred Clark. The cinematography was by John F. Seitz.
See the Los Angeles Theatres pages about the Hollywood Playhouse, the Warner Hollywood and the Pantages for the history of these theatres and many, many photos.
On IMDb: "Sunset Boulevard"
Thursday, February 24, 2022
"Hollywood Boulevard"
See the pages about Grauman's Chinese, the Monica/Pussycat Theatre and the Gilmore Drive-In on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of these venues.
On IMDb: "Hollywood Boulevard" The entire epic is available for free viewing on the site Tubi.
"InAPPropriate Comedy"
It's a skit styled after the Siskel and Ebert format except they're reviewing porno films. Yes, this is as close as we get to a view of a theatre interior. Here we have Michelle Rodriguez, Rob Schneider and Jonathan Spencer.
Performers in other skits include Lindsay Lohan and Adrien Brody. The film was directed by Vince Offer. Ken Barrows did the cinematography.
See the pages about the Million Dollar Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the 1918 vintage movie palace along with many photos.
On IMDb: "InAPPropriate Comedy"
Monday, February 14, 2022
"Second Chorus"
Paulette Goddard offstage right with Artie Shaw. Again it's a shot not done at the Ebell. Paulette is working as Artie's secretary and booker. And she's the love interest for both Fred and Burgess. Also featured are Charles Butterworth, Frank Melton and Jimmy Conlin. H.C. Potter directed. The cinematography was by Theodor Sparkuhl.
See the page about the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the building along with many photos. The Ebell is very much alive with a variety of bookings.
On IMDb: "Second Chorus"