"I Wanna Hold Your Hand"

Six New Jersey teenagers head to the big city in 1964 with hopes of catching a glimpse of the Beatles the weekend of their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" (Universal, 1978). The film revolves around CBS Studio 50 at 1697 Broadway in New York. Here they're using a backlot version for the exterior. The night of the show when one of the gang climbs a tower atop the theatre trying to disable a microwave antenna we get a nice look at the Eastern Columbia Building.

 

In 1967 CBS renamed their theatre the Ed Sullivan. Originally it was Hammerstein's. Beginning in 1993 it was used by the David Letterman Show and, since 2013, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The other focus is the Plaza Hotel, where the Beatles were staying. They use a backlot set for the exterior scenes with the Biltmore for many of the lobby scenes. We also do lots of driving around on Main St., 6th and 7th. There's a scene in a barber shop near 6th and Main and we see a bit of the "Santa Fe" vertical sign. 

The film features Nancy Allen, Bobby DiCicco, Marc McClure, Susan Kendall Newman, Wendi Jo Sperber, Theresa Saldana, Eddie Deezen, Christian Juttner and Will Jordan as Ed Sullivan. Robert Zemeckis directed. The cinematography was by Donald M. Morgan.   

 

 

 

Inside the theatre. It's obvious we're not in New York's Studio 50 but certainly difficult at this point to see what theatre was used. 

 

 

 

It's the day before the big show and ushers are gathered on the main floor for a briefing. 

 

 

 

Looking in from the rear of the house. Here it becomes evident that we're at the Hollywood Playhouse, 1735 Vine St. Originally it was a legit house, later a TV studio with its best-known branding as the Hollywood Palace. It's now a music venue called Avalon. 

 

 

 

Will Jordan as Ed Sullivan briefs the guys on the rambunctious behavior they might expect. 

 

Later Theresa Saldana, one of the teenagers who aspires to be a photographer, sneaks in to get some shots. 

 

 

 

On the set the Beatles will use. She's accosted a moment later by a security guard and taken downstage right and shoved out the stage door. But before she leaves, the guard agrees to open the door for her during the show if she'll bring $50. 

 

Shoved out the stage door, Theresa ought to be at street level. Instead we're up on the second level of a fire escape. Look familiar? We're in the exit passage on the south side of the Palace Theatre in Los Angeles, 630 S. Broadway. She's just come out of an exit from the 1st balcony.   

 

 

 

One of the gang rushing to the theatre on the night of the show.  

 

Will Jordan onstage before the show trying to calm the action in the balcony. Note a bit of the Hollywood Playhouse's ceiling. 

 

 

 

Another balcony shot. 

 

 

 

A look at the stage during the show. 

 

See the Los Angeles Theatres pages about the Hollywood Playhouse/Avalon for the history of the theatre and many, many photos.   

 

 

To get to the big city Marc McClure, one of the teenagers without a license, has borrowed a limo from his father's mortuary. The show has begun but Theresa, young aspiring photographer, has come up with $50 and her friend is driving her to the stage door. In this shot we're looking west on 7th St. toward Hill.   

The blank marquee just beyond the intersection is the Warner, at the time of this shoot closed and getting turned into a jewelry mart. See the pages about the Warner Downtown on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the building as well as several hundred photos. The theatre, now used for selling jewelry, opened as the Pantages in 1920.  

 

 

 

Pulling into the alley between Broadway and Spring, behind the Palace Theatre. 

 

 

 

Theresa Saldana heading up to the stage door. This passage later makes appearances in many films including the 1993 Bette Midler TV version of "Gypsy," "The Gambler," "Dreamgirls," as the back entrance to Ciro's in "Being the Ricardos" and in "Blonde."   

But she returns to the limo and uses her $50 to bribe a cop who has arrived and asks to see the license of her limo driving friend. The Beatles set is over and they exit and think this is their limo parked at the stage door. Our heroine, sitting in the front seat, turns around and as the limo heads down the alley, gets the shot of the Beatles she came to the city for. 

See the pages about the Palace Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site. It opened in 1911 as the Orpheum.    

On IMDb: "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" 

"The China Syndrome"

The Cinerama Dome, 6360 Sunset Blvd, is seen in this shot that appears during the opening credits of "The China Syndrome" (Columbia Pictures, 1979). We're looking south along Vine St. Thanks to Jonathan Raines for spotting the theatre in the film and Eric Schaefer for the screenshot. 

Nope, we don't see it again. The back of the Pantages can also be seen to the left of the Capitol Records building. And, if you look closely, the Hollywood Playhouse/Avalon is across the street at 1735 Vine.

James Bridges directed the story about safety cover-ups at a nuclear power plant. Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas star. The cinematography was by James Crabe.

See the pages about the Cinerama Dome, the Pantages and the Hollywood Playhouse on the Los Angeles Theatres site for many photos and a history of the theatres.

On IMDb: "The China Syndrome" 

"Sunset Boulevard"

A bit over four minutes into Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard" (Paramount, 1950) screenwriter William Holden gets his car out of hiding behind Rudy's shoe shine stand. The repo boys have already paid him a visit and are looking for the car. In the distance we see the side of the Warner Hollywood and its two roof towers. The lot is just north of the Hollywood Playhouse, 1735 Vine St. Beyond the corner of Rudy's are two of the Playhouse's dressing room windows. 

 

More of the Hollywood Playhouse is seen as Holden pulls out of the lot. We're looking south toward Hollywood Blvd. The roof sign of the Brown Derby can be seen beyond the intersection. The theatre had opened as a legit venue in 1927 and got renamed the El Capitan in 1942. At the time of the filming it was in use as a TV studio. The building is now a music club called Avalon. 

 

 

A moment later as the camera pans to the left we get a look at the top of the Pantages Theatre's vertical sign on the far left. Holden is headed to the Paramount lot in an attempt to sell a story. Later after a visit to Schwab's Drugstore and a car chase with the repo guys he pulls into the driveway of Gloria Swanson's mansion. Thanks to Chuck Snyder for spotting the Playhouse in the film. He posted a screenshot as a comment on a post about the theatre by Douglas West on the Mid Century Modern Facebook page.  

The film was written by Wilder along with Charles Brackett and D.M. Marshman, Jr. Also starring are Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Jack Webb and Fred Clark. The cinematography was by John F. Seitz.

See the Los Angeles Theatres pages about the Hollywood Playhouse, the Warner Hollywood and the Pantages for the history of these theatres and many, many photos.   

On IMDb: "Sunset Boulevard"

"What's Love Got To Do With It"

We pay a visit to the Apollo Theatre in New York City in Brian Gibson's "What's Love Got to Do With It?" (Touchstone Pictures, 1993). This story of Tina Turner and her abusive husband Ike stars Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. We get a quick shot of the actual Apollo exterior but when we go inside we're at the Warner Grand in San Pedro. The sequence is 48 minutes into the film.

Tina and the backup singers onstage at the Warner. 

A main floor view. Does it look like the Apollo? No.

Another look down from the Warner's balcony.

Tina gliding across the Warner stage in the Apollo Theatre sequence..

When the couple moves to Los Angeles we get this very grainy shot of Grauman's Chinese, at the time running "No Way To Treat a Lady" with Rod Steiger. The film actually played the theatre later than we're pretending it is in the film. It opened April 3, 1968 for a seven week run.

An hour into the film we get a TV performance. It could have been shot almost anywhere as there's  not enough of the venue seen in the film to make it identifiable. It's possible it was done at the Hollywood Playhouse.

A backstage shot from the TV sequence. We're offstage right with a murky glimpse into the auditorium.

Phil Spector shows up to meet Tina. And, of course, Ike pops up as well - he doesn't want to be left out of the action.

Ike and Tina are opening for the Rolling Stones at the Olympia in London. The film says it's 1968 but they actually opened for the Stones in 1969.  Thanks to Mike Hume for the screenshot. No, we're not in London. It's on the Universal Studios backlot.

The "Olympia" is the second marquee down there on the left. Mike spotted it at the top of a Universal Studios Lot web page.

The interior of the "Olympia" turns out to be the State Theatre at 7th and Broadway.  The sequence is an hour and 11 minutes into the film.

Another shot at the State, doubling as the Olympia.

A balcony view at the State Theatre during the Olympia sequence. The number is "Proud Mary" from Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Several other concert sequences could have been shot at the State but are so closely cropped we don't see anything of whatever venue they were done in. This murky shot, an hour and 15 minutes into the film, is supposed to be at a concert in Los Angeles in 1974.

When the action moves to Dallas, we get a quick drive-by of the Academy Theatre on Manchester Blvd. in Inglewood. Later, after yet another fight with Ike, Tina tells the manager of a Ramada Inn that she's supposed to be opening that night at the Academy.

For the beginning of the "What's Love Got To Do With It" sequence at the end of the film we're at a club they're calling the Ritz. This is what they've dressed up as an exterior. It's in on the west side of the 1000 block somewhere -- there's a 1027 address on the awning to the right of the Ritz.

For the Ritz's interior, we're at the Hollywood Playhouse on Vine St. a theatre also known as the Hollywood Palace and the Avalon. Before the show begins there are dressing room views and a shot of Tina coming down a spiral staircase backstage.

A look out into the house at the Hollywood Playhouse. 

Another shot of Tina (Angela Bassett) onstage at the Ritz/Hollywood Playhouse. From here we cut to some shots of the real Tina doing arena and stadium shows to finish the film.

See the Los Angeles Theatres pages about the Warner Grand, Grauman's Chinese, the State Theatre, the Academy and the Hollywood Playhouse, and for more data and many, many photos. 

On IMDb: "What's Love Got To Do With It"

"Earthquake"

The title sequence of "Earthquake" (Universal, 1974) includes a flyover of Hollywood. On the left it's the Huntington Hartford, 1615 Vine St. It's now known as the Ricardo Montalban Theatre. 

 

The film stars Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, Genevieve Bujold, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene, Richard Roundtree, Victoria Principal and Marjoe Gortner. Mark Robson directed. Philip Lathrop got the credit for cinematography. The big attraction was Sensurround. When the film ran at the Chinese Ted Mann put a net under the ceiling, allegedly to catch debris falling during the earthquake scenes. 

 

 

 

A moment later the Pantages comes into view in the upper right. The theatre, at 6233 Hollywood Blvd., was still a movie house at the time of this shoot. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for noting its appearance in this sequence. That's vine St. running up the center of the image. The concave yellow facade on the far left is the Vine Theatre at 6321 Hollywood Blvd. 

 

 

Here on the left it's the Hollywood Palace, 1715 Vine St. It had opened as the Hollywood Playhouse and is now a music venue known as Avalon. The roof of the Pantages is on the right.

 

 

Much later in the film we get a look at the Cinerama Dome, 6360 Sunset Blvd. This shot also includes the Huntington Hartford over in the upper right. Thanks to Cliff Carson for calling attention to the Dome's appearance in the film in a post on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page. The skinny building in the center is the Sunset Vine Tower. The highrise to the right is the Sunset Media Center, 6255 Sunset Blvd. 

 

See the pages about the Montalban Theatre, the Pantages, the Vine Theatre, the Hollywood Palace/Avalon and the Cinerama Dome on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of  each of these theatres along with many photos. 

 

On IMDb: "Earthquake" 

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"The Errand Boy"

We get off to a promising start in the in the Jerry Lewis film "The Errand Boy" (Paramount, 1961) with some nice Hollywood aerial photography before the credits. Here in the lower left is part of the Music Box. At center is the Pantages and, between the Pantages and the Capitol Records building, is the Hollywood Playhouse on Vine St.

See the Los Angeles Theatres pages on the Pantages, the Music Box (now called the Fonda) and the Hollywood Playhouse (now known as the Avalon) for more about these historic theatres.

Another shot before the credits looks west along Sunset Blvd. and gives us the Earl Carroll on the left (here renamed the Moulin Rouge) and, across the street, the Hollywood Palladium.

See the LA Theatres website sections on the Earl Carroll Theatre and the Palladium for more about these two venues.

Jerry is working for Paramutual Pictures and is being used as an unwitting spy to find out why the studio is hemorrhaging so much money. He learns nothing and just manages to create messes wherever he goes.  But he ends up a star, of course. Written by Lewis (with Bill Richmond), directed by Lewis, starring Jerry Lewis (of course). Other performers include Brian Donlevy and Renée Taylor.  

Here we're at the Fox Westwood Village Theatre for a preview that goes very wrong -- Lewis got into the sound studio and overdubbed the singing of the film's leading lady. Thanks to veteran L.A. projectionist Mike Schleigel for the tip about the appearance of the theatre's marquee in the film..

When we go inside the Fox Westwood Village for the preview we get a view of the studio execs in the back row and this look toward the screen -- obviously not either the theatre before its Skouras remodel or the way it looked in 1961.

The theatre is still a major first run house now under the direction of Regency Theatres. They call it the Regency Village Theatre. See the page on the Village Theatre for history and many photos.

For another preview we go to the Chinese of the Parimutual Pictures production "So?" -- but it's a studio set.  Note the boxoffice off-center.

 

After the shot above we do get this nice Christmas season vista east on Hollywood Blvd. with the Chinese over on the left. See the Los Angeles Theatres pages on Grauman's Chinese for lots of history and many photos of all areas of the building. 

Another view of the faux-Chinese.

And another -- this time with a look into the set's version of the theatre entrance. For this shot it looks like their boxoffice has been rolled out of the way.

On IMDb: "The Errand Boy"

 

"The Errand Boy" playing at the Hollywood Theatre in February 1962. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this photo by Erich Andres for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. It can also be seen on the site Alamy.  

 An ad for the film that was located by Ken.