"Lady Sings the Blues"

Diana Ross is playing Billie Holiday sitting onstage waiting to come to the mic to sing in this shot from "Lady Sings the Blues" (Paramount, 1972). We're at the Follies Theatre, 337 S. Main St., standing in for an unnamed theatre in an unidentified town on the road.

Sidney Furie directed the film which also features Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan, Paul Hampton, Sid Melton, Virginia Capers, Yvonne Fair, Isabel Sanford and Scatman Crothers. The cinematography was by John Alonzo. 

 

A fine view of the Follies proscenium during the number "Mean To Me."

 

 

Just before Ms. Ross collapses during the number we get this view into the house as the bandleader played by James T. Callahan becomes aware that something's wrong.

Later in the film a newspaper tells us she's playing Los Angeles on another tour, but we don't see that performance or get a theatre named. 

The Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4400 Wilshire Blvd., is standing in for Carnegie Hall. It's the end of the film and was the last day of the shoot. Here Ms. Ross takes a bow after a number.

 

 A view from out front. 

 

 

 

Backstage at the Ebell with Billy Dee Williams as her husband and Ned Glass as her agent. 

 

 

 

The film closes with the number "God Bless the Child" and, as Ms. Ross sings, we get a montage of newspaper headlines outlining events after the Carnegie concert. She died at age 44 in 1959. 

 

See the pages about the Follies Theatre and the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the buildings along with many photos. The Ebell is very much alive for a variety of live events. The Follies was demolished in 1974.

 

On IMDb: "Lady Sings the Blues"

 

A publicity still from the Ebell shoot. It appears on IMDb. 

 

 

A lobby card featuring an image from the Ebell. It appears on IMDb.