"Don't Answer the Phone!"

We get some murky drive-by shots on Hollywood Blvd. in Robert Hammer's film "Don't Answer the Phone!" (Crown International, 1980). In this shot we're looking east across the facade of the Chinese at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. toward Ted Mann's newly-opened Chinese II and III at 6915.

It's a grisly exploitation film with a serial killer and lots of semi-naked women. Featured are James Westmoreland, Ben Frank and Flo Lawrence. The cinematography was by James L. Carter.

 

 

 

A moment later we're closer to the Chinese II and III and there's also a view of the Paramount vertical across the street at 6838 Hollywood Blvd. That theatre went back to being called the El Capitan following a 1990s restoration by Disney and Pacific Theatres. The killer, played by Nicholas Worth, is cruising the Boulevard in search of his next victim.

 

 

 

The crowd is lined up for a screening of "Alien" at the Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. 

 

 

 

The killer, in the blue shirt, is walking with a fiend in front of the Sunset Theatre at 1508 N. Western Ave. 

 

 

 

A moment later at the Sunset. It was part of the Pussycat chain. 

 

 

 

A nice telephoto shot from somewhere near Argyle Ave. We get the Paramount way in the distance and on the right it's the vertical of the Pantages at 6233 Hollywood Blvd. If you look closely on the left the red vertical of the Fox Theatre can be seen. It's at 6508 Hollywood Blvd.

 

 

 

Signage of the Cave Theatre, 6315 Hollywood Blvd. It's now a Deja Vu Showgirls location. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Ken C. for noting that the Cave and other interesting street scenes appear in the film.  

 

 

In a continuation of the Cave shot we look across to the facade of the Vine Theatre at 6321 Hollywood Blvd. That's our serial killer behind the three ladies in the shot.

For more information about these film houses see the pages about Grauman's Chinese, the Chinese II and III, the Paramount/El Capitan, the  Egyptian, the Fox Theatre, the Vine Theatre, the Cave Theatre, the Pantages and the Sunset Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site.

 On IMDb: "Don't Answer the Phone!"