"Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman"

We get a short montage as a marginal singing cowboy played by Lee Bowman rises to become a major singing radio star in "Smash Up: The Story of a Woman" (Universal-International, 1947). This shot features an unidentified theatre. 

At the beginning of the film we see that his wife, played by Susan Hayward, was headed for quite a singing career herself. But after her marriage as the husband's career blossomed she felt neglected and started serious drinking. Also featured are Marsha Hunt, Eddie Albert, Carl Esmond and Carleton G. Young. It was written by John Howard Lawson, Lionel Wiggam and Dorothy Parker. Stewart Heisler directed. The cinematography was by Stanley Cortez. 

The second image we get is of the Four Star, on the Miracle Mile at 5112 Wilshire Blvd. See the page about the Four Star Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site. 

The last marquee we see in the montage is a doctored view of the Beverly on Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills. The marquee actually had the theatre's name above the three readerboards. See the Los Angeles Theatres page about the Beverly Theatre for photos and more information.

On IMDb: "Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman"   The full film can be seen on YouTube.  

"The Idolmaker"

The audience is getting impatient before a rock concert in Taylor Hackford's "The Idolmaker" (United Artists, 1980). 

 

The film is based on the life of producer and rock promoter Bob Marcucci. It features Ray Sharkey, Peter Gallagher, Tovah Feldshuh, Paul Land, Maureen McCormick and Joe Pantoliano. The cinematography was by Adam Holender. David L. Snyder was the art director. Thanks to David for noting that major scenes in the film were shot at the Fox Wilshire in Beverly Hills.

 

A look toward the stage. Peter Gallagher is the attraction but he's a beginning rock and roll star and is nervous about going on. His character's stage name is Caesare.

 

The Fox Wilshire Theatre is standing in for a theatre in the New York area. Peter Snyder notes that it was supposed to be the Brooklyn Paramount. The Fox had closed as a film house in 1978 and at the time of this shoot was in transition. It would get a renovation in 1981 by the Nederlander organization with the auditorium getting a substantially darker look. Head to the Fox Wilshire/Saban Theatre pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site for many views of the theatre, now mostly used as a concert venue.  

 

Back in a dressing room. 

 

 

A balcony shot. 

 

 

Finally getting onstage. 

 

A wider view to the rear of the house. 

 

 

The show begins. 

 

Another shot to house right. This image is one that appears on IMDb.  

 

 

 

The girls are getting excited and rush the stage. The show is stopped. 

 

 

 

Back on stage again. 

 

 

They go on the road, taking the show to Memphis. For the exterior of the Memphis Civic Auditorium they used the Trinity Auditorium, on Grand Ave. between 8th and 9th.  

 

 

A look farther south on the facade reveals some sentiment against musicians coming down from New York. We are shown a newspaper story referring to them as carpetbaggers.  

 

See the page about the Trinity Auditorium on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information about the building. 

 

 

When we go inside the "Memphis Civic" we're actually back at the Fox Wilshire. There weren't any lobby shots earlier in the film when it was standing in for a New York area theatre.

Ray Sharkey and Tovah Feldshuh in a heated discussion. 

 

 

 

The set for the Memphis show. 

 

 

 

A Fox Wilshire dressing room for the Memphis Civic. 

 

 

 

For the Memphis scenes the Fox Wilshire is lit quite differently. We see only the spectators. No light on the walls and no views of the proscenium this time. 

 

 

Yes, he wins them over and the show is a success. But Peter's character is fed up and decides he needs a new agent.

On IMDb: "The Idolmaker" 

 

Constructing the Memphis Civic set onstage at the Fox Wilshire. Thanks to David L. Snyder, the film's art director, for sharing this photo from his collection. He comments: 

"This is how I was able to double the Fox Theatre location for the Brooklyn Paramount and the Memphis Civic Auditorium. At that time a developer had plans to demolish the theater and replace it with a 'glass box' highrise. The City of BH was all for it and to advance the plan, they demanded we obtain a Building Permit in addition to the Filming Permit. 

 

"Once we had approval the City sent over a building inspector who demanded I make revisions to the set based on the city's Building Code. During this period, preservationists prevailed, and the Fox was landmarked and saved. All the above is my 1980 memory of the events."

 

Cast and crew on the Fox Wilshire stage after shooting the Memphis scene. Thanks to David L. Snyder,  for adding this photo as a comment to a post about the theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page.

"Witch Hunt"

We get a shot of the September 18, 1951 "A Streetcar Named Desire" premiere at the Warner Beverly Hills in the faux 50s Warner-Pathé newsreel that opens Paul Schrader's "Witch Hunt" (Pacific Western/HBO, 1994).  A clip of the premiere footage can be seen on YouTube from British Pathé.

Once a grand first run theatre, the Warner was demolished in 1988 for a parking lot. See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the Warner Beverly Hills, called "The Pride of Beverly Hills." Well, it called itself that on the side of the building.  

The witches that a Joseph McCarthy-like senator is hunting in the film are not Communists but actual witches -- practitioners of magic. The film stars Dennis Hopper, Penelope Ann Miller, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Eric Bogosian, Julian Sands, Valerie Mahaffey and John Epperson. The cinematography was by Jean-Yves Escoffier. 

Epperson, better known as a drag queen called Lypsinka, runs a brothel in the Ennis House for an upscale clientele. He takes ordinary looking girls and using magic customizes them to cater to the desires of his clients. John Vogel comments on IMDb about the storyline:

"Detective Philip Lovecraft [Dennis Hopper] lives in Los Angeles in the 1950s when an ambitious senator {Eric Bogosian] is holding hearings, on magic. Magic is the new influence in Tinsel Town. Lovecraft is unique in that he is the only one who refuses to use magic in his work. 

 

"Shortly after he is hired, he finds his client, Kim Hudson [Penelope Ann Miller], accused of the murder of her husband, a film executive. Philip uses the talents of a local witch, Kropotkin [Sheryl Lee Ralph], to explain what is happening only to see her accused of the murder and sentenced to be burnt at the stake. Reminiscent of 'Roger Rabbit,' without the toons."

 

We get a nice scene at the El Monte Drive-In when Dennis follows the movie star played by Penelope. Thanks to Rio Dylan Hernandez for spotting the theatre in the film and getting this shot of the screen tower. 

 

 

 

A look toward the screen. 

 

 

Dennis finds Penelope's pink convertible and hops in. Also see the wider version that's on IMDb. 

 

She's watching one of her films, the 1955 Allied Artists release "The Big Combo" with Cornel Wilde and Richard Conte. They've cut Penelope into the film to replace Jean Wallace. 

 

 

They're soon joined by Marie, a friend of of Penelope's played by Jill Pierce.

 

All is well until the characters on the screen start shooting at them. Here one of the shots has hit the windshield. 

 

 

They run. The friend takes off with the car. The car and the girl are later fished out of the water. 

 

 

 

Later Dennis goes to see the crusading senator, played by Eric Bogosian. His his anti-magic rally will be held at the Pilgrimage Theatre, a 1931 venue now known as the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre.

 

Eric walking up the aisle. 

 

A look toward the back of the house. 

 

 

A night view of the "No More Magic In Hollywood" rally.

The film also makes nice use of the exterior of the Stahl House, the Millard House in Pasadena and Union Station. 

The full film can be seen in a low-res version on You Tube from Lost Jukebox. There's also a post of it on the site from New Movie Archives.

On IMDb: "Witch Hunt"

"Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F"

Eddie Murphy does lots of elegant driving around L.A. in Mark Molloy's "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" (Netflix, 2024). The film also features Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bronson Pinchot and Kevin Bacon. The cinematography was by Eduard Grau. 

One adventure gives us a quick look at the Orpheum Theatre, 842 S. Broadway. Eddie crashes an event at a private club called The Eastern. It's up at the pool level in the Eastern Columbia Building across the street. 

 

Later we get a look at the Music Hall Theatre, on Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. That stretch of street is the location for a bit of a shootout.

See the pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site about the Music Hall and the Orpheum.

On IMDb: "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F"

"Silent Movie"

The Fox Wilshire Theatre, 8440 Wilshire Blvd., is featured in Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie" (20th Century Fox, 1976). Mel Funn uses the venue to preview his new film. In this view of the boxoffice area we get posters up for "Young Frankenstein."

The film features Bernadette Peters, Marty Fekdman, Dom DeLuise, Sid Caesar, Harold Gould and Ron Carey. We get cameos by Burt Reynolds, Liza Minelli, Anne Bancroft, Marcel Marceau and Paul Newman. The cinematography was by Paul Lohmann. 

Mel Funn and his crew in the lobby. 

 

A look at the rear of the main floor. All draped -- except you get a view of some decorative plaster on one of the beams. At the time of the filming, the front of the house was also draped -- with a waterfall curtain.

Head to the Fox Wilshire/Saban Theatre pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site for many views of the theatre, now mostly a concert venue.  

On IMDb: "Silent Movie" 

"Terror on Tour"

Much of "Terror on Tour" (Intercontinental Releasing Corp., 1980) was filmed inside the Warner Beverly Hills, 9404 Wilshire Blvd. This rock adventure with a band called "The Clowns" turns into a murder mystery when someone copying the band's clown makeup and dress starts killing lovely young ladies at various locations around the theatre. 

As far as the tour of the title, they talk about going on one but all the action occurs at the Warner. Featured are Rick Styles, Chip Greenman, Rich Pemberton and the band The Names. The film was directed by Don Edmonds. The cinematography was by James Roberson. 

 

 A murky VHS view of the house left lobby stairs. 

 

 

The dimmerboard and rigging offstage left. 

 

Another view at the board. That's the theatre manager on the left, unable to pay his bills. 

 

 

 

Another shot on stairs in the lobby. 

 

A groupie coming into the balcony. Moments later we see that she's topless. 

 

Her nudity doesn't interest the killer. Note the deco tapestry on the wall. 

 

The janitor in the ladies room. Yes, those are bloody things in the trash can. 

 

Another ladies room shot. 

 

 

 

Looking to the stage from the back of the main floor. 

 

Another look at stairs to the balcony. 

 

Outside one of the exits. The hooker has been hired by the cops as a decoy to trap the killer. 

 

Looking up an aisle to the lobby. 

 

Backstage. We do spend some time in the basement. Note the stairs behind the red railing. 

 

Looking offstage left. 

 

The killer coming up the stage left stairs from the basement. 

 

 

A view looking upstage right.

Once a grand first run theatre, the Warner was demolished in 1988 for a parking lot. See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the Warner Beverly Hills, once called "The Pride of Beverly Hills." Well, it called itself that -- on the side of the building.   

On IMDb: "Terror on Tour"  The full film can be seen on YouTube.