"Mighty Joe Young"

Joe, a giant gorilla, had been brought to an animal sanctuary in California in "Mighty Joe Young" (Disney, 1998). That didn't work out so he's being taken to a new home but Charlize Theron realizes that the two men in the truck she's entrusted Joe to are the same poachers who years earlier murdered her mother. 

In this shot we're in Studio City and she's jumped from the truck. In the background is the Studio City Theatre, 12136 Ventura Blvd. The film stars Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton, Rade Serbedzija, Peter Firth, David Paymer, Regina King, Robert Wisdom and Naveen Andrews.  Ron Underwood directed. The cinematography was by Donald Peterman and Oliver Wood.

See the page about the Studio City Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information about the building. It's now a bookstore.

 

 

 

 

Charlize starts shouting at Joe and in the next shot he begins rocking the truck. But somehow we're not in Studio City anymore. It's Hollywood Blvd. with a bit of the Chinese Theatre on the left. 

 

 

 

Thanks to Dave Hunter for spotting the Chinese in the film. In this shot as the truck tips we also get the El Capitan vertical on the right. 

Flipped over on Hollywood Blvd. Joe will punch a hole in the side of the truck to get out. 

 

 

 

Surveying the new territory. 

 

 

 

Taking a look at the Chinese. 

 

 

 

 

Unhappy about a car alarm, he makes a compact care more compact. 

 

 

 

Not stopping to buy a ticket for "Armageddon."

 

 

 

 

Like any tourist, he wants to climb the pagoda.  

 

 

 

The cashier comes out of the boxoffice to watch. 

 

 

 

On top of the world. 

 

 

 

Charlize watching as the LAPD arrives, ready to shoot him down. 

 

 

 

Joe disappears from sight and Charlize, along with new boyfriend Bill Paxton, run to find him before the LAPD does. In the display case it's a poster for the 1950 film "Wagon Master" starring Ben Johnson and Joanne Dru.  

 

See the pages about Grauman's Chinese and the El Capitan on the Los Angeles Theatres site. 

 

 

The next stop is the Hollywood sign. All ends well as Charlize and Bill return Joe to Africa and a home in a new sanctuary.

On IMDb: "Mighty Joe Young" 

| List by Film Title | Indexed  by Theatre Name | LA Theatres site | LA Theatres on Facebook |