"Wanted: Dead or Alive"

The Fox Inglewood, 115 N. Market St., is seen in "Wanted Dead or Alive" (New World Pictures, 1987). Here a terrorist from the Middle East and his girlfriend are heading into the theatre to set a couple bombs.

The film, directed by Gary Sherman, stars Rutger Hauer as the bounty hunter who solves the case and Gene Simmons as the head terrorist. We soon learn that the two have some unresolved issues from the past. Thanks to Bill Gabel for noting the use of the Fox in the film.

Simmons and his girlfriend headed in. 

The lobby near the men's room. 

A happy family headed in while the terrorists are setting the bombs. 

Leaving after the bombs are set. 

The beginning of the explosion. 

The fireball moments later. 

Rutger Hauer and his girlfriend see the news on TV on his boat at San Pedro. The boat later gets bombed as well.

Sifting evidence in the auditorium after the blast.

See the Fox Inglewood page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for many photos. The 1949 vintage theatre closed in the 1980s. 

On IMDb: "Wanted: Dead or Alive"

"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"

"The Canyons"

"Do you really like movies?... When's the last time you went to see a movie in a theatre?... A movie that really meant something to you?" asks Lindsey Lohan in Paul Schrader's "The Canyons" (IFC Films, 2013). The film, written by Bret Easton Ellis, is a thriller about some sad people on the fringes of the film business. It also features James Deen, Nolan Funk and Amanda Brooks. The cinematography was by John Paul DeFazio.

This view toward the Egyptian is one of many theatre shots seen in trailer #1 that don't appear in the actual film. The trailer is on IMDb, carrying the credit "Video by Joey Fantastico." IMDb also has later trailers including a 30s comedy take on the film, a lovely 50s style trailer and a grindhouse version. Thanks to former Egyptian head projectionist Paul Rayton for spotting the theatre and getting the screenshot.

See the pages about the Egyptian Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the 1922 vintage theatre and hundreds of photos of all areas of the building. It's located at 6712 Hollywood Blvd. 

 

 

The opening credits feature a montage of desaturated shots of abandoned movie theatres. We also get a few other theatre views scattered throughout the film. This is the Grand 12 plex in New Orleans. With the big clock in the lobby, was this the inspiration for the ArcLight decor? See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the ArcLight Cinemas, 6360 Sunset Blvd., for more data on the complex.

A wide angle look at the long-closed Fox Inglewood also appears in the film's opening sequence. See the page about the Fox Inglewood on the Los Angeles Theatre site for many interior views. Shut for decades, it's a strange time capsule of Skouras-style architecture.  

 

A shot of the X Theatre from the opening sequence. Head to our page about the X Theatre for more about the building. It was at 5959 Hollywood Blvd. 

 

 

Beginning a new day in the film so we get another theatre shot. This one is the Las Palmas Theatre, 1642 N. Las Palmas Ave. See the Las Palmas page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for the history. It's now in use as a music club.

This shot of the Regent pops up in the middle of the film. The Regent, a survivor of a once vibrant theatre district on Main St., has recently been reborn as a music club. See our Regent Theatre pages for history and photos.

On IMDb: "The Canyons"

"Dope"

Shameik Moore cycles past the Academy Theatre in Inglewood in "Dope" (Open Road Films, 2015). In addition to the theatre, we see lots of other major landmarks of Inglewood including Randy's Donuts, the Thurgood Marshall Justice Center and The Forum.

 

The film, written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa, also features Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Zoë Kravitz, Kimberly Elise and A$AP Rocky. The cinematography was by Rachel Morrison. 

 

Here. with the Academy in the background, Shameik's character tells us why he wants to go to Harvard. Working against him are all the neighborhood influences of drugs, crime, and people after a backpack he has that doesn't belong to him. On the plus side, he solves the money problems by starting an online business trading drugs for bitcoin.

The theatre pops up again in a low-res video display during the credits. The background cycles around among a half dozen Inglewood scenes. 

 

Another shot from the credits.

See the page about the Academy Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site. The 1939 vintage moderne landmark was a design by S. Charles Lee. It's at 3141 W. Manchester Blvd.

On IMDb: "Dope"