It's set in New York, but we spend a lot of time inside the Follies Theatre, 337 S. Main St., in Carl Reiner's "Enter Laughing" (Columbia, 1967). And, no, this isn't the Follies. The exterior shots of the "Harrison Marlow Theatre" were a backlot creation. The film is based on the play by Joel Stein that was drawn from Reiner's novel.
Reni Santorini plays a 17 year old looking for his first break as an actor. Here he's coming in with several boxes under his arm containing a used tux in that he bought for his part in the show. Even in these very low-res screenshots from a bootleg DVD we get a sense of the look and color scheme of S. Charles Lee's moderne renovation of the theatre.
Care for a project? Perhaps you can find a better version of the film on some streaming service. If so, would you consider getting some better screenshots to replace these?
A look at one of Lee's redesigned proscenium columns. The theatre dated from 1904. Onstage that's Jose Ferrer as theatre owner Harrison Marlowe.
Reni's girlfriend Janet Margolin comes in during a rehearsal and is shocked, shocked, to see him kissing the leading lady, Elaine May.
A shot with Reni and stage manager Richard Deacon stage right.
A peek up right with the dressing room stairs beyond the end of the pinrail.
A look into the house during a rehearsal. Leading lady Elaine May is on the right.
A view from upstage right as Reni leaves the set.
One of the second floor dressing rooms.
In the second floor dressing room corridor with Richard Deacon checking on Reni.
Offstage right with a peek at the dimmerboard.
Reni crossing behind the pinrail stage right as he tries to figure out how to make an entrance.
A promotional shot for the film with Reni and Elaine at the Follies pinrail.
Head to the page about the Follies Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the building as well as many photos. The theatre opened in 1904 as the Belasco and was demolished in 1974.
On IMDb: "Enter Laughing"
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