"The Bodyguard"

It's time to go clubbing in Mick Jackson's "The Bodyguard" (Warner Bros., 1992) starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Here we are arriving at the Mayan Theatre, 1038 S. Hill St., for an evening of fun that turns violent. 

Also featured are Gary Kemp, Michele Lamar Richards, Bill Cobbs, Mike Starr and Thomas Arana. The film was written by Lawrence Kasdan. The cinematography was by Andrew Dunn.

A Mayan facade view from the parking lot across the street. Our limo doesn't go here. Whitney and the entourage get out in the lot on the north side of the theatre and go in a side door. 

Whitney Houston in the main lobby. For the purposes of the film it's being used as her dressing room. She's opening her fan mail.   

A Mayan lobby shot with Kevin and Whitney's manager, played by Gary Kemp. In the foreground we see a threatening letter that has arrived. She makes an appearance anyway but has to be rescued by Kevin. 

 

The Mayan started out in 1927 as a legit house specializing in musicals. It later hosted many other types of legit productions and was occasionally a film house for specialized attractions, early "artie" product and, later, Spanish language films. It went to porno in the 60s and was reclaimed as a music club in the late 1980s. See the Mayan  Theatre pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a photo tour.

 

Whitney and Kevin go on a date to the Kokusai Theatre to see a Kurosawa film. It's a nice view of the signage as the camera pans down to the street. 

 

In addition to the signage, the building got a nice boxoffice and some display cases for the film. It's the former Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple at 133 N. Central Ave. in Los Angeles. The 1925 vintage building is now called the "Historic Building," part of the Japanese American National Museum.

 

Near the end of the film, despite ongoing threats against her life, Whitney decides to go to the Academy Awards as she's been nominated. For the exterior shots we're at the former Elks Lodge No. 99 at 607 Park View St., just west of MacArthur Park. It had been called the Park View Hotel, now it's called The MacArthur. The building was designed by Claud Beelman who did a few other little things around town including the Eastern Columbia Building and the 9th & Broadway Building. 

 

 

 

When we go inside for the Academy Awards we're at the Pantages Theatre, 5233 Hollywood Blvd. 

 

For the dressing rooms at the Academy Awards the film used one of the basement chorus dressing rooms at the Shrine Auditorium, 665 W. Jefferson Blvd. Thanks to Ted Hardwick for noting this location. He worked on the film as a set dresser. He comments: "Also, in those scenes shot at the Shrine, it was Richard Schiff, who became famous on 'West Wing' as Toby Ziegler, who was Whitney's character's 'handler' from the production staff."

 

Another shot in the Shrine basement. 

 

See the pages about the Shrine Auditorium on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a rundown of the many other films that have been shot there. It opened in 1926.  

 

Here Kevin is backstage at the Pantages looking for troublemakers. That's the original 1930 Frank Adam dimmerboard that was still in place at the time of the filming. It's now gone.

Another view offstage right. 

 

 

Looking onstage. 

 Whitney onstage with another presenter in front of the film's lovely deco set. There will be trouble.

 

See the Pantages Theatre pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site for many views of this 1930 deco masterpiece designed by B. Marcus Priteca, who did many earlier houses for the circuit.  It's now the home of Broadway shows for the Nederlander Organization.

 

A few shots from the "making of" short included on the film's DVD:

Kevin at the Mayan with Mick Jackson, the film's director. 

 

During the shoot at the Pantages.

 

 

Kevin and a bit of the Oscars set. 

 

Whitney at rehearsal. 

 

The Pantages set from the balcony. 

On IMDb: "The Bodyguard"