"Hollywood Shuffle"

The Baldwin Theatre was used for the "Sneakin' In Movies" skit in Robert Townsend's film "Hollywood Shuffle" (Samuel Goldwyn Co., 1987).  Jimmy Woodard is there with Robert doing a Siskel and Ebert style review of new films so that you know what is worth actually paying for. 

 

Thanks to Victor Lerma for the intel about the shoot at the Baldwin. He comments: "Just listened to Robert Townsend on the Questlove podcast tell a story about mopping the theater in exchange for filming inside." The film was made on a budget of $100,000, including $40,000 of credit card spending.  

 

They don't like films with titles they can't pronounce like "Amadeus Meets Salieri" because stumbling over a title won't impress your girlfriend. Richard Cummings, Jr. plays the usher who comes along asking to see their tickets.  

The theatre was at 3741 S. La Brea Ave. in the Baldwin Hills area. The building's still there, more or less. It's been rebuilt into office and retail space. See the Baldwin Theatre page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for many photos. 

"Hollywood Shuffle" also features Craigus R. Johnson, Helen Martin, Scarletta DuPois, Marc Figueroa, Sarah Kaite Coughlan, Brad Sanders, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans and Nick Stewart. The cinematography was by Peter Deming.

 

 

Robert goes out on Pico to see a friend who has a barbershop just west of La Brea. As he parks we see the signage for the Del Mar Theatre over on the right.  He's looking for some career advice. He wants to be an actor instead of working all his life at Winky Dinky Dog. 

The Del Mar is at 5036 W. Pico. It's had several uses since its movie days were over including as a post-production sound studio. Since 2023 it's been an art gallery. See the Los Angeles Theatres page about the Del Mar Theatre for more about the building.  

 

 

 

We get some scenes using the Ebony Showcase Theatre. Here Robert has come in the back door looking a bit lost and some actors up on the flyfloor tell him where his shoot is. 

 

 

 

A dressing room shot at the Ebony. 

 

Robert fantasizes a lot about upcoming career accomplishments, including this awards scene that was presumably also shot at the Ebony Showcase. At the end of the film we see him in a commercial for the Post Office.

The Ebony was at 4720 W. Washington Blvd. It opened around 1923 as the Rimpau and was later known as the Metro before Nick and Edna Stewart took it over as a home for plays featuring Black actors. It's been replaced by a newer theatre owned by the City of Los Angeles. See the Ebony Showcase page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information.

On IMDb: "Hollywood Shuffle"

An article by Rebecca Usoro discusses the making of the film on a page from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.