"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.

"Abandoned"

We get a view north on Broadway in "Abandoned" (Universal-International, 1949). Newspaper reporter Dennis O'Keefe is meeting Gale Storm, who is trying to uncover what happened to her murdered sister. Along the way they investigate a baby broker racket and more. The film also features Raymond Burr, Jeff Chandler, Marjorie Rambeau, Jeanette Nolan and Meg Randall. Joseph M. Newman directed. The cinematography was by William H. Daniels. 

Thanks to Don Goldberg for spotting the theatre in the movie and getting the screenshot. We're supposedly in the coffee shop of the "Fenwick Hotel." Beyond the window on the left it's the marquee of the United Artists Theatre, 933 S. Broadway. The vertical for the Eastern Columbia store can be seen up in the 800 block with a fuzzy view of the Orpheum's marquee across the street. We're looking north from just south of Olympic, where Broadway Place once headed diagonally off to the east from Broadway. 

 

 

A moment later in the coffee shop with a streetcar coming along. This scene is about ten and a half minutes into the film.  

 

Back at the coffee shop for another conference seventeen and a half minutes in. We get a murky view of the "ARTISTS" on the bottom of the UA vertical sign on the left through the Venetian blinds. 

 

A moment later with the UA as well as the Eastern Columbia building visible.  

See the pages about the United Artists Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for many photos of all areas of the building. It's now known as the Standard Theater on Broadway. Also see the pages about the Orpheum. 

 

There was no hotel at the location where the background footage was shot, only a two story building called the Triangle Building. In this c.1935 photo from the Los Angeles Public Library collection we're looking south on Broadway with Broadway place curving off to the left. The taller building beyond is the Los Angeles Railway Co. building, now the Hoxton Hotel. Beyond that, on the southeast corner of Broadway and 11th, is the Case Hotel Building, now the Proper Hotel. Across the street it's the Herald Examiner building. See Nathan Masters' piece about the now unused Broadway Place on the KCET website.

 

A little more than 28 minutes into the film Dennis and Gale take a walk north on Grand Ave. On the left just the other side of 5th we see the stage end of the Biltmore Theatre. They're heading to a Turkish Baths place and trying to get information from a guy there by posing as a couple that wants to adopt a baby.

The theatre, adjacent to the Biltmore Hotel, opened in 1924. See the Biltmore Theatre page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for some photos and data.

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

"Duck Soup"

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy appear in the two-reel short "Duck Soup" (Hal Roach/Pathé, 1927) as the first time they were paired together as comedy leads. Fred Guiol directed. The film starts in MacArthur Park where the boys are trying to elude forest rangers who are determined to conscript them to fight forest fires. A chase ensues, we go to Culver City and then it's time for downtown.

 

Here we're heading south on Grand Ave. toward 7th St. The light-colored three story building to the left of Stan's head is the Criterion Theatre, 642 S. Grand Ave. The building with the arches on the right side of the image is now called the Milano Lofts.

The theatre had opened as the Kinema in 1917. For a history and a number of photos see the Criterion Theatre page on the Los Angeles Theatres site.

Thanks to John Bengtson for all the research and screenshots appearing here. You can read all about his discoveries on his 2020 Silent Locations post "How Laurel and Hardy Filmed Duck Soup." Also see John's 2023 update that's celebrating a Flicker Alley Blu-ray release "Laurel and Hardy: Year One." Dave Lord Heath has also done a post about "Duck Soup."

Still looking south on Grand but this shot was done farther up on Bunker Hill. We're approaching 5th St. with the now-vanished Biltmore Garage on the left and the Biltmore Theatre hiding just beyond, on the southeast corner of Grand and 5th. Across the street to the right we see the grounds of the Central Library.

Another shot a bit closer to 5th. John notes that the Biltmore Garage was also seen in the 1934 Carole Lombard film "The Gay Bride." That wall we see of the theatre is the back wall of the stagehouse. The entrance was around the corner on 5th.

A view looking back up Grand toward 5th. On the right is the back end of the Biltmore, with a poster up for "Ben-Hur," a film that played a roadshow engagement at the theatre.

The theatre, adjacent to the Biltmore Hotel, opened in 1924. See the Biltmore Theatre page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for some photos and data.

By the time we're a bit over five minutes into the film it's done with downtown and off to Beverly Hills. The film ends with Stan and Oliie fighting a fire near the Hal Roach Studios after they are dragooned by the rangers.

On IMDb: "Duck Soup"   A 21+ minute version of the film is on YouTube from TwinHat.

"Iron Man"

Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., makes an appearance in Jon Favreau's "Iron Man" starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges (Paramount, 2008). Here Downey is showing up unexpectedly at an annual Stark Industries benefit event.

A pre-show reception in the BP Hall, off the main lobby.  

Downey and Paltrow outside on the Aerial Pathway.

See the page on Disney Hall on the Los Angeles Theatres site for data on the building and many photos.

On IMBd: "Iron Man"

"Get Smart"

Early in Peter Segal's film "Get Smart" (Warner Bros., 2008) Anne Hathaway runs into Steve Carrell across the street from the Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St. in San Pedro. She's jogging and knocks him over. The film also features Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, James Caan and Terrence Stamp. 

See the pages about the Warner Grand on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the theatre along with many photos. 

Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., makes an appearance later in the film. The president (James Caan) is going to go to a concert.

Terrence Stamp from CHAOS arrives. He's going to plant a bomb.

Another fine aerial view.  That's a bit of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on the right.

Ready for the concert. 

 Agents Alan Arkin, Anne Hathaway, Steve Carrell and Dwayne Johnson before the concert. Johnson, it turns out, is one of the bad guys. But the plot is foiled.

See the page on Disney Hall on the Los Angeles Theatres site for data on the building and many photos.

On IMBd: "Get Smart"

"Please Stand By"

Dakota Fanning, a young girl with some developmental issues, makes her way from San Francisco to Los Angeles in Ben Lewin's film "Please Stand By" (Magnolia Pictures, 2017). She's a "Star Trek" fan and has written a script she wants to enter in a contest at Paramount. While trying to find the studio she's seen wandering in front of Disney Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave.

See the page about Disney Hall on the Los Angeles Theatres site for data on the building as well as many photos. 

In the next shot she's walking by the Los Angeles Theatre, 615 S. Broadway. The film also stars Alice Eve as Dakota's sister and Toni Colette as the head of the group home that Dakota wandered off from. Yes, she gets to Paramount but her script doesn't win.

See the many pages about the Los Angeles Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the building and hundreds of photos.

On IMDb: "Please Stand By"

"Alvin and the Chipmunks"

The Orpheum Theatre, 842 S. Broadway, is seen in Tim Hill's "Alvin and the Chipmunks" (20th Century Fox, 2007). The theatre, of course, is where the Chipmunks' world tour is scheduled to start.

In addition to the chipmunks, the film stars Jason Lee as Dave, buddy to the chipmunks; David Cross as the evil Uncle Ian trying to get the trio away from Lee; and Cameron Richardson as Claire, Lee's girlfriend. In this shot that's Ian on the Orpheum stage for a rehearsal.

Looking offstage at the Orpheum. Only it's not -- the backstage scenes were done elsewhere. Ian is telling the boys that Dave doesn't want to see them anymore.

Another faux-Orpheum backstage shot. Not quite right for the Orpheum's rigging.

Definitely not the Orpheum's dimmerboard.

A rainy night for the opening show of the first stop of the world tour.

The chipmunks in their dressing room. Somewhere. Not at the Orpheum.

A backstage corridor shot with Ian (David Cross). Again a scene not done at the Orpheum.

The trio onstage at the Orpheum.

Part of the show from the back of the main floor.

A balcony view.

Dave (Jason Lee) trying to get into the show just as the Sold Out sign goes up.

Dave trying to get in at the alley entrance to the lobby. Doesn't work. Ian has told everybody to keep him out. Ex-girlfriend Claire is inside with a press pass. She rescues him by saying he's her assistant.

Dave and Claire (Cameron Richardson) at the back of the main floor.

Another balcony view. One of the chipmunks has hopped on the camera at the excitement of hearing Dave in the auditorium.

Ian has packed up the trio and is hopping into his SUV after the show. At least he thinks he has the valuable creatures. See the Los Angeles Theatres pages about the Orpheum Theatre for a history of this 1926 vintage vaudeville house along with several hundred photos.

Dave driving up Grand Ave. toward Disney Hall near the end of the film. He thinks he's lost the guys forever but they've smuggled themselves into his car. See the page about Disney Hall on the Los Angeles Theatres site for data on the building as well as many photos. 

On IMDb: "Alvin and the Chipmunks"