"Million Dollar Hotel"

We get a lot of Main St. and especially the Rosslyn Hotel in the Wim Wenders film "Million Dollar Hotel" (Lionsgate, 2000). Here we're getting a view out a window of FBI agent Mel Gibson questioning Jeremy Davies in front of the Regent Theatre, 448. S. Main St. Thanks to Haley S. for suggesting a look at the film's use of Main St. locations. 

 

Another view of the Regent and, over on the left, the Main Theatre with its "XXX Movie" signage at 438, in a storefront of the Canadian Building.    

 Mel doing an interrogation in his car with a bit of a Regent reflection. 

 

 Jeremy on his skateboard in front of the Main Theatre. 

 

 

A look south across the Regent's entrance.  

Mel on the sidewalk with Mila Jovovich. The Regent is over on the far left.  

Mel's trying to investigate the death of one of Jeremy's friends in a fall off the roof. Was it suicide or was he pushed? The film also features Amanda Plummer, Jimmy Smits, Peter Stormare, Gloria Stewart, Tom Bower, Donal Logue, Julian Sands and Bud Cort. The cinematography was by Phedon Papamichael.  

See the pages about the Main Theatre and the Regent Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the venues.  

 On IMDb: "The Million Dollar Hotel"

 

Mila on the roof. It's an image from IMDb.  

A much earlier film with scenes on the roof of one of the Rosslyn Hotel buildings is "Their Last Haul" (L-KO/Universal, 1915), a one reeler starring Hank Mann, Wallace MacDonald and Alice Howell. It's on YouTube. Thanks to Ranjit Sandhu for suggesting it. 

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"Hit Man"

Bernie Casey, playing a guy just arrived from Oakland and pissed that nobody picked him up at LAX, goes for a drive up Main St. in "Hit Man" (MGM, 1972). On the right it's the dark marquee of the Burbank Theatre, 548 S. Main St. See the  pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the building and many photos and ads. It opened in 1893 as a legit house and much later in life was the premiere burlesque house in L.A. It had closed before the film's shooting and was demolished in 1974. 

That little red vertical just beyond the theatre entrance was for the dance hall upstairs. The red vertical farther up the block was for the Galway Theatre at 514 S. Main. Over on the left it's a view of the Optic Theatre, 533 S. Main. The small red neon sign at the top of the facade says "Open All Night." The Rosslyn Hotel vertical we see is on the southwest corner of 5th and Main.  After this drive on Main St. we cut to Sunset Blvd. and check into the Hollywood Center Motel. 

 

Bernie goes with Pam Grier to the Banner Theatre, 458. S. Main. She wants to show him something. On the far left we see "Open Soon" on the marquee of the Regent, 448 S. Main. That was overly optimistic. See see it still on the marquee in the 1974 film "Uptown Saturday Night." The Regent survives as a music venue and has appeared in many films. See the Regent Theatre pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site for many photos.  

 

Heading in to the Banner.

 

 

At the boxoffice. They're just waved in. The manager knows her.

 

At the back of the house. Pam want's Bernie to see something. He's in town because his brother was killed and he wants to find out why. The plot deepens when Pam tells him that his brother's daughter acted in a porno film.   

 

The film they're at the Banner to see is called "Youngblood."  And there's the girl, in an early scene. In the background it's the Royal Theatre, on Santa Monica Blvd. a few blocks west of the 405. They were running the 1969 Spanish film "The Green Wall." It got a U.S. release in late 1970. 

 

After a couple of scenes Bernie has seen enough and drags Pam out the back door of the Banner. He goes on a hunt to find out who was responsible for making the film. 

 

Later we're back at the Banner and get a signage shot.  

 

 

In the lobby. On the right it's one of the thugs working for the owner sent in to see what's wrong.  

 

Heading down the aisle. 

 

More of the team coming in. And they're not looking at the screen. Note the area on the left that was walled-off to create more retail space for the storefront south of the theatre entrance. 

 

 

The manager.  

 

 

The phone in the lobby is ringing. When the guy answers it the message is "Get out of the porno business." 

 The theatre opened in 1910 and was running into the 80s. It later got demolished -- there's a new building on the site. See the page on the Banner Theatre for more information.

The film uses many other interesting locations including the Watts Towers and a wild animal park in Fillmore called Africa America. Late in the movie Pam Grier gets dropped off there and meets her end after being chased by a lion. Also featured are Lisa Moore,  Sam Laws, Don Diamond, Ed Cambridge, Roger E. Mosley and Bhetty Waldron. George Armitage directed. The cinematography was by Andrew Davis. 

On IMDb: "Hit Man"

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"Candleshoe"

Jodie Foster plays a delinquent Los Angeles kid in Disney's "Candleshoe" (Buena Vista Distribution, 1977). Here in the opening credit sequence she's on the west side of Broadway with her gang and we get a reflection in a store window of the Palace Theatre, 630 S. Broadway.  Two of their features were the 1976 release "The Outlaw Josey Wales" and 1973 film "Chino" with Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland. 

 

 

 

That evening Jodie's with Leo McKern and they're headed north on Main St. with a view of the Banner Theatre, 458 S. Main. He's a con man who is going to take Jodie to England to pose as a long lost daughter who will inherit an estate called Candleshoe. After these opening scenes the rest of the film is set in England. 

 

A moment later the Regent comes into view at 448 S. Main. 

 

Another look at the Regent as they drive by. 

Thanks to Jonathan Raines for noting the appearance of the downtown Los Angeles theatres. Also featured in the film are David Niven, Helen Hayes and Veronica Quilligan. Norman Tokar directed. The cinematography was by Paul Beeson. 

See the Los Angeles Theatres pages about the Palace Theatre, the Banner and the Regent Theatre. You'll find lots of photos, a history of each venue, and shots from other films in which that theatre has appeared.  

 On IMDb: "Candleshoe" 

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"Eye For An Eye"

Getting an ice cream cone on Broadway in John Schlesinger's "Eye For An Eye" (Paramount, 1996). The film stars Sally Field, Kiefer Sutherland, Ed Harris, Olivia Burnette, Joe Mantegna, Beverly D'Angelo and Philip Baker Hall. Sally's character is on a hunt for the man who raped and murdered her daughter. Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the various theatres in the film and getting the screenshots. He comments: 

"Well, not a good movie but this one does look great thanks to cinematographer Amir Mokri. The Kiefer Sutherland character lives downtown so we get plenty of cool footage there."

 

At the end of the ice cream scene the camera pans up a bit and we get this view south as Kiefer gets lost in the crowd. The Roxie is at 518 S. Broadway, the Cameo, with "Happy Holida s" on the marquee, is at 528. Just beyond, unseen in this shot, is the Arcade Theatre at 534 S. Broadway. On the right in the distance it's the Los Angeles Theatre down in the 600 block.

Check out the pages about the Roxie, Cameo, Arcade, and Los Angeles theatres on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information and photos inside and out.   

 

A fine look over at part of the east side of the 400 block of S. Main. It's the view out the window of Kiefer Sutherland's SRO room. The Regent is at 448, now reborn as a live music venue. Over on the left the Main Theatre, with the "XXX Movie" signage, was at 438, in a storefront of the Canadian Building.   

See the pages about the Main Theatre and the Regent Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the venues. 

 

That neon sign in the previous shot prompted a search to nail down the building it had been taken from. This shot gives us a better look at it and reveals that the Main St. view had been a process shot. The building Kiefer is on in this shot is the former El Dorado Hotel at 416 S. Spring, a block away from the Regent Theatre. Thanks for this, Eric! 

 

 

A 2024 view of the El Dorado from Google Maps. We're looking southeast. The Rosslyn roof sign can be seen in the distance, over at 5th and Main.

On IMDb: "Eye For An Eye"

"Undercover Girl"

We get this fine footage looking north on Broadway to start the title sequence for "Undercover Girl" (Universal-International, 1950). On the left it's the United Artists Theatre, 933 S. Broadway. 

 

"The Inside Story of America's Daring Police Women!" Alexis Smith is in the New York Police Academy when she gets the word that her father was killed on the job and that he may have taken a bribe to pay her school bills. She goes undercover in L.A. to help solve the case. The film also features Scott Brady, Richard Egan, Gladys George, Gerald Mohr, Edmon Ryan and Royal Dano. Joseph Pevney directed. The cinematography was by Carl E. Guthrie.  

 

The streetcar comes toward us and veers off onto Broadway Place.

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 Theatre at Ace Hotel.  

 

The titles continue with a shot of Main St. On the left it's the Regent Theatre, 448 S. Main St. They were running "Dance Hall" (1941) with Carole Landis and Cesar Romero, "Bowery Blitzkreig" (1941) with Leo Gorcey and "Raiders of the West" (February 1942) starring Bill 'Cowboy Rambler' Boyd.  Sorry to say that we don't get any interesting street views after the titles.

See the pages about the Regent Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the venue along with photos inside and out. 

On IMDb: "Undercover Girl" 

"Special Delivery"

Bo Svenson drives by the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on his way into downtown to rob a bank in "Special Delivery" (American International, 1976). We also see the Bonaventure Hotel under construction. Paul Wendkos directed this story about a bank robber who puts the loot into a mailbox and, unknown to him, has several witnesses. 

See the page about the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more about this theatre. 

Cybill Shepard and Michael C. Gwynne were the ones who saw what he did with the loot. The film also features Mel Scott, Phillip R. Allen, Alex Colon, Vic Tayback and Jeff Goldblum. The cinematography was by Harry Stradling, Jr. 

 

 

 

The Farmers and Merchants Bank Building at 4th and Main is standing in for the bank that gets robbed. On the way we get a look at the Regent Theatre, 448 S. Main St. Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre in the film and getting this screenshot.

 

At the bank. Bo is getting out of the black car while his colleagues are getting out of the truck in the foreground. 

 

 

A guard holds back the spectators after the robbery.  

 

 

 

The police start arriving. In the center that's the Canadian Building at Winston and Main. 

 

 

Instead of fleeing the building, the robbers go to the roof and make their way onto adjacent buildings. We're looking south toward the Rosslyn Hotel buildings at 5th and Main. 

 

 

More police and another look at the Regent. 

The escape via a swingstage doesn't go as planned with one of the team dead and two others caught by the police. Bo runs. He's headed toward Main in this shot in a lot that had been the site of the Gayety Theatre, 523 S. Main. 

 

Dodging bullets in the parking lot. Ruth's Shrimp Shack was at 511 S. Main. 

 

A run through another parking lot fronting on Main St. This one had been the site of the Optic Theatre, 533 S. Main. 

 

Coming out onto Main St. with a look north toward 5th St. The Regent Theatre is up in the next block, behind that white van. After all this great downtown action, the film shifts to backlot stuff for the scenes with the mailbox where he deposits the loot and also meets his new partner, Cybill Shepard. In addition to the Main St. locations the film also goes to the Arts District and Chinatown.

 

See the pages about the Regent Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the venue along with photos inside and out. 

On IMDb: "Special Delivery" '

Thanks to Sean Ault for a nudge about checking out the various Main St. locations. He notes that the full film can be seen on YouTube. The Blu-Ray can be rented from Vidiots.

"Starsky and Hutch"

We see the Galway Theatre, 514 S. Main St., several times in the pilot episode for the TV show "Starsky and Hutch" (Spelling-Goldberg, 1975). The pilot gives us quite a tour of other downtown Los Angeles locations as well.

Back again at night -- this time to meet an informant. 

Our two leads watching a bit of the show. 

The informant arrives.

Leaving the theatre. See the page on the Galway Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more about this now-vanished grindhouse. The building it was in is still there, in use as a community services agency with offices downstairs and housing upstairs.

In the show's pilot we go by both the back and front of the Regent Theatre, 448 S. Main St., several times. Here we're looking south across Winston St. See the pages about the Regent Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the venue along with photos inside and out. 

That space with the unpainted white signage a couple storefronts this side of the Regent would soon be the Main Theatre, 438 S. Main.

On IMDb:"Starsky and Hutch"

"Cadillac Records"

In "Cadillac Records" (Sony Pictures, 2008) we get about 10 seconds of film near the beginning labeled "Chicago" but it's actually Main St. with the Regent marquee plainly visible down the block. The building on the left is the Canadian Building. It's a bit of the footage originally shot for "Devil in a Blue Dress." Many of the urban portions of "Cadillac Records" were shot in New Jersey.

See the pages about the Regent Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the venue along with photos inside and out.

On IMDb: "Cadillac Records"