"Only Me"

 

An inebriated Lupino Lane is trying to figure out where he is in this first shot of  the 15 minute short "Only Me" (Educational Pictures, 1929). We soon learn where he is even if he doesn't. Silent film detective John Bengtson points out that he's on the 9th St. side of the La Brea Theatre, 857 S. La Brea Ave., and looking up at the marquee.

 

The tale revolves around Lupino trying to get to the theatre, a young guy in a box seat who likes playing practical jokes and the beleaguered performers onstage. Lupino plays something like 24 characters, with the assistance of his brother Wallace in some shots. He also directed. 

 

 

 

We get a close look at  theatre's marquee, which they're calling the Palace.

 

 

 

A wider shot of the marquee with Lupino now on the La Brea side of the building.

 

 

He wants to go to the Palace Theatre, not realizing he's already there. He hails a cab and the cabbie does a doughnut in the intersection and returns him to the spot where he picked him up. 

 

 

Back at the theatre and checking out show information on a rocking sign -- and the beginning of a fight with it. 

 

A shot in front of the boxoffice -- note the address.

 

 

 

The end of the fight with the sign. 

 

 

 

Time to buy a ticket.

At the La Brea Theatre boxoffice. Where he does a double take on encountering a cashier who looks almost like he does.

 

 The interiors were done elsewhere. Here we're in the auditorium and he's hopping into a box. 

 

 

 

A wider view of their auditorium set. 

 

Thanks to John Bengtson for spotting the theatre in the film and providing several of the the screenshots. Visit his Silent Locations blog to keep up with his latest investigations.

See the page about the La Brea Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site. It was a 1926 design by Richard D. King for the Chotiner circuit. The building survives but it's been churched.  

On IMDb: "Only Me"

The film can be seen as the second half of Episode 32 of Ben Model and Steve Massa's Silent Film Watch Party. Their print comes from a restoration by Lobster Films and Blackhawk Films.

Silent Film Watch Party: website | vault of episodes | current program on YouTube |

"God Bless America"

Joel Murray plays Frank, a man who, after losing his job and receiving a brain tumor diagnosis, gets a gun and embarks on a cross country killing spree in Bobcat Goldthwaite's film "God Bless America" (Darko Entertainment, 2012). He's trying to cull a few individuals who lack decency and are not nice to others. Or those who are just plain stupid. He's joined by Roxy, a 16 year old accomplice played by Tara Lynn Barr. The adventure begins in Syracuse. Somewhere in the middle of the country they go to the movies. The theatre used for the scene is the Showcase Theatre, a deco gem at 614 N. La Brea Ave.

Another stylish shot in the ticket lobby. 

Going in, we get a look at the carpet. 

On the screen is the admonition about no talking. Several people will be sorry they didn't heed that. 

Settling in for the feature they chose, "The Graves of My Lai." One guy in front and some teenagers behind them keep making noise and talking on their cell phones. Frank stands up and shoots them. Except for one girl who he praises for not talking or using her phone.  

If this were footage for a typical Alamo pre-show announcement they'd say:"You talk. You Text. We'll send Frank and Roxy after you."

See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the Showcase Theatre for more about the venue. It opened as the Gordon Theatre in 1938, a design of Clifford Balch.

Frank sends Roxy home after finding out on TV that she actually has loving parents and didn't suffer the abuse she had told him about. He continues west alone. Arriving in Los Angeles, we get a look at Grauman's Chinese during a cruise down Hollywood Blvd.

See the pages about Grauman's Chinese on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of this iconic movie palace.

One subject arousing Fran's ire (other than TV in general) is the talent show "American Superstarz" where the hosts had been making fun of a chubby young guy with no singing talent. The season finale is being staged at the Music Box Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Blvd.

Another shot of the Music Box, with a look at the Pantages vertical on the right. Rabid fans are greeting the arrivals for the show. Frank is discouraged from going in the front with his gun in a big case as the security guard spots him. He goes around to the stage door.

See the pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site about the Music Box and the Pantages Theatre for some history and many photos.

When we go inside it's not the Music Box at all but the Alex Theatre in Glendale.  

 

Frank scares off a security guard and walks backstage.

Frank onstage as the hosts cower behind the table in the auditorium.  He shoots the hosts. He shoots the untalented kid as well when he reveals that he tried to commit suicide not because they were making fun of him but because they weren't going to let hum back on the show.

Roxy rejoins him for the final shootout. 

Aiming for the police up in the balcony. It's all over soon.

Head to the pages about the Alex Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more about this 1925 vintage film/vaudeville house.

On IMDb: "God Bless America"

"Body Fever"

We get a peek at the marquee of the Gordon Theatre, 614 N. La Brea Ave., in Ray Dennis Steckler's "Body Fever" (1969).  The film has also been known as "Supercool," "Deadlocked" and "The Last Original B Movie." It features Carolyn Brandt,  Bernard Fein and Gary Kent in a noirish tale about a low-rent private detective trying to catch a robber who dresses like Catwoman.

A look south under the Gordon's marquee. Thanks to Eitan Alexander for spotting the theatre in the film and sending along the screenshots. The Gordon was later known as the Showcase after a Cineplex Odeon remodel. See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the Showcase Theatre for photos and history.

On IMDb: "Body Fever"

"L.A. Woman"

The Gordon Theatre's flashing neon puts in an appearance a little over a minute into The Doors' "L.A. Woman" video from 1971. It can be seen on YouTube.  Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this one.

Here's the shot a moment later with the theatre's name lit on the front panel. The 1938 vintage house at 614 N. La Brea Ave. was later renamed the Showcase. See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the Showcase Theatre for more about the venue.

"The White Shadow"

 The marquee of the  Showcase Theatre in its Gordon days appears in an episode of  the TV show "The White Shadow" (1978).  The theatre is at 614 N. LaBrea Ave.

Thanks to Walter Santucci, who posted the photo on the LAHTF Facebook page.  See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the Showcase Theatre for more about the venue. It opened as the Gordon Theatre in 1938, a design of Clifford Balch.

"Seven Psychopaths"

Near the beginning of Martin McDonagh's "Seven Psychopaths" (CBS Films, 2012) struggling screenwriter Colin Farrell and his friend Sam Rockwell are seen watching a movie at the Showcase Cinema, 614 N. La Brea Ave.

During the film one of the topics of conversation is the murders we see a bit earlier on the Lake Hollywood Dam. The film also features Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish and Olga Kurylenko. The cinematography was by Ben Davis.

See the Los Angeles Theatres page on the Showcase Theatre for more about the venue. It opened as the Gordon Theatre in 1938, a design of Clifford Balch.

On IMDb: "Seven Psychopaths"