"Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle"

It's a big premiere night in Hollywood near the end of McG's "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" (Columbia, 2003). The crowd is there for "ME-2," short for "Maximum Extreme 2," starring Jason Gibbons, played by Matt LeBlanc. On the left is a bit of the Chinese, 6925 Hollywood Blvd. In the center of the image it's the El Capitan at 6838 Hollywood Blvd. 

The film features Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, Bernie Mac, Demi Moore, John Cleese, Crispin Glover and Luke Wilson. The cinematography was by Russell Carpenter.  

 

 

 

As we pan to the left and down there's more of the Chinese. Only they're not calling it the Chinese. The premiere is at the "Los Angeles Theater," which does look remarkably like the Chinese on the outside. Although the premiere action never shifts inside, we do later get interior shots of the real Los Angeles Theatre as part of a chase and fight sequence filmed downtown.

 

 

 

A look into the forecourt. Demi Moore, playing an Angel gone bad, intends to blow up the theatre as part of the festivities.

 

A visit to the former Hollywood Theatre, 6764 Hollywood Blvd. Demi has invited all sorts of criminal gangs to a special rooftop meeting so they can be of assistance to her. But they don't know where the meeting is to be held until they stop by Musso and Franks for a map. Then they're directed here for another map leading them to the meeting.

 

 

One of the gangs picking up their map. The plan has been compromised. The map substituted by the Angels directs them to the roof of the Hollywood Roosevelt where they're all rounded up and arrested.  

 

 

 

A fine view of the "Los Angeles Theater" roof sign they built on a soundstage. Beyond we get searchlights and an image of the El Capitan's roof tower.  

 

Demi expects to find all her criminal friends but is instead confronted by the Angels.

 

Fighting ensues. Demi gets reinforcements. Several baddies fall off tall buildings and are clobbered by letters falling off the sign. 

 

 

It gets down to just Demi vs. the Angels. She prepares to jump off. And we get an image of the Hollywood Theatre vertical down on the other side of Highland Ave.

 

 

As Demi swoops down on a wire the three Angels follow, grabbing strings of lights from the roof for support. The premiere is such a big event that we get "ME-2" also on the El Capitan marquee. All is not lost for Demi. On the way down she tosses a bomb into the forecourt of the Chinese. Oops, the "Los Angeles Theatre."

 

 

Bernie Mac is ready and swats the bomb high in the air with a baseball bat he just happens to have handy.

 

 

An exultant Bernie. Nearby, the star of "ME-2" thinks it's all part of the show and the premiere festivities continue. 

 

 

Somehow when Demi comes down she lands not on the pavement but in her car. But this second half of the sequence was shot downtown, not Hollywood.  We're looking toward the Orpheum Theatre, 842 S. Broadway. 

 

 

As she speeds down the street, the Angels land and grab onto the car. In the center it's the Tower Theatre at 8th and Broadway. On the right it's the Rialto, 812 S. Broadway. 

 

 

Zooming past the Rialto. 

 

 

looking back toward the Rialto and Tower. 

 

 

Approaching the Orpheum.

 

 

In typical movie car chase fashion they wanted to get their money's worth during the shoot on this block so we see it several times. The next time we come around there's a searchlight array in the middle of the street in front of the Rialto so Demi's car hits it and flies over. 

 

 

In the air near the Orpheum. 

 

 

 

We crash through the stage loading doors of an unnamed theatre. 

 

 

The view from inside. 

 

 

Demi and the Angels are thrown from the car and end up onstage. We're now at the real Los Angeles Theatre, 615 S. Broadway. This is the next shot we get.

 

 

A view from the house with a look at the set onstage at this theatre they've crashed into. 

 

 

Demi gets to her feet. Looks like some Voice of the Theatre cabinets offstage left. 

 

 

Ready for another fight, Drew and Lucy swing in from stage right.

 

 

Later we get this shot of Demi at the foots at the Los Angeles. 

 

 

The Angels prevail and Demi is vanquished to some sort of hell that exists below the stage. 

 

The Los Angeles Theatres site has many photos and a history of each of the downtown theatres we see: the Los Angeles, the Orpheum, the Rialto and the Tower.   

 

After all the fighting the rogue Angel is out of the way and there's an instant costume change. Lucy, Cameron, and Drew are back at the Chinese forecourt for the premiere at the mythical "Los Angeles Theatre."

 

 

Saying hi to Bernie Mac at the end of the film.

 

See the pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site about the three theatres we see in Hollywood: Grauman's Chinese, the El Capitan and the Hollywood Theatre. 

On IMDb: "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle"