"Mighty Joe Young"

Joe, a giant gorilla, had been brought to an animal sanctuary in California in "Mighty Joe Young" (Disney, 1998). That didn't work out so he's being taken to a new home but Charlize Theron realizes that the two men in the truck she's entrusted Joe to are the same poachers who years earlier murdered her mother. 

In this shot we're in Studio City and she's jumped from the truck. In the background is the Studio City Theatre, 12136 Ventura Blvd. The film stars Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton, Rade Serbedzija, Peter Firth, David Paymer, Regina King, Robert Wisdom and Naveen Andrews.  Ron Underwood directed. The cinematography was by Donald Peterman and Oliver Wood.

See the page about the Studio City Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information about the building. It's now a bookstore.

 

 

 

 

Charlize starts shouting at Joe and in the next shot he begins rocking the truck. But somehow we're not in Studio City anymore. It's Hollywood Blvd. with a bit of the Chinese Theatre on the left. 

 

 

 

Thanks to Dave Hunter for spotting the Chinese in the film. In this shot as the truck tips we also get the El Capitan vertical on the right. 

Flipped over on Hollywood Blvd. Joe will punch a hole in the side of the truck to get out. 

 

 

 

Surveying the new territory. 

 

 

 

Taking a look at the Chinese. 

 

 

 

 

Unhappy about a car alarm, he makes a compact care more compact. Kurt Wahlner comments: "Not sure about special effect production methods c.1998, but 'Armageddon' never played the Chinese; so they went through the trouble of making the reverse marquees for the shoot at this point. . ." 

 

 

 

Not stopping to buy a ticket for "Armageddon."

 

 

 

 

Like any tourist, he wants to climb the pagoda.  

 

 

 

The cashier comes out of the boxoffice to watch. 

 

 

 

On top of the world. 

 

 

 

Charlize watching as the LAPD arrives, ready to shoot him down. 

 

 

 

Joe disappears from sight and Charlize, along with new boyfriend Bill Paxton, run to find him before the LAPD does. In the display case it's a poster for the 1950 film "Wagon Master" starring Ben Johnson and Joanne Dru.  

 

See the pages about Grauman's Chinese and the El Capitan on the Los Angeles Theatres site. 

 

 

The next stop is the Hollywood sign. All ends well as Charlize and Bill return Joe to Africa and a home in a new sanctuary.

On IMDb: "Mighty Joe Young" 

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"The Falcon and the Snowman"

We get a look at the Studio City Theatre, 13126 Ventura Blvd., in "The Falcon and the Snowman" (Orion Pictures, 1985). The movie is set in the 1974-77 period. Luis Buñuel's "The Exterminating Angel" was a 1962 release. 

This espionage drama, based on a 1979 non-fiction book by Robert Lindsey, is the story of an employee of a military contractor and his drug-pushing friend who became spies for the Soviet Union. The cast includes Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Pat Hingle, Joyce Van Patten and Richard Dysart. John Schlesinger directed. The cinematography was by Allen Daviau.

 

Lori Singer is working the boxoffice. The poster on the right is for "The Exterminating Angel." The center poster is for another Buñuel film, the 1972 release "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie." 

Lori had been Timothy Hutton's girlfriend until he kicked her out when the espionage business got too complicated. Near the end of the movie, as the government was closing in on him, he parks across the street and walks over to see her. He says that he always loved her and warned that the FBI would be coming around to ask lots of questions.

Thanks to Eric Schaeffer for spotting the theatre in the film and getting the screenshots. See the page about the Studio City Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information about the building. It's now a bookstore.

On IMDb: "The Falcon and the Snowman"

"California Suite"

The Studio City Theatre, 13126 Ventura Blvd., appears in Neil Simon's "California Suite" (Columbia, 1978). The film, directed by Herbert Ross, stars Jane Fonda, Alan Alda, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine and Walter Matthau.

Thanks to Jennifer Crock for the information and the screenshot. She notes: "On the marquee is a fictitious film 'No Left Turns,' referring to a movie for which another character in the film is nominated for an Oscar. Next door is the Harry's Camera store, long gone."

See the page about the Studio City Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information about the building. It's now a bookstore.

On IMDb: "California Suite"

"Dragnet"

Thanks to the blog Scouting LA for this screenshot from the first episode of the 1968 season of "Dragnet" that included the Studio City Theatre, 13126 Ventura Blvd.  Joe Friday and Bill Gannon are there to investigate an acid-pouring crime.

Joe Pinney advises that "You see the shot above in the prelude to the episode, although it's described as a movie theater near the intersection of Olympic and Western, which is why you don't see the top half of the Studio's marquee (since it's nowhere near Olympic & Western)."

See the 2015 Scouting LA post about the Studio Theatre "When Your Local Barnes & Noble is in a 30s Art Deco Movie Palace" for many great interior and street views.

See the page about the Studio City Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the building and many photos. 

The Lake Theatre is seen in a "Dragnet" episode as we look east on 7th. St. Thanks to Walter Santucci for the screenshot, originally a post on the LAHTF Facebook page.

See the Lake Theatre page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more about the theatre. It was at 2118 W. 7th St., across from MacArthur Park. It opened in the early 20s and ran into the 60s. The building is still there with the theatre space used for retail.

"Earth Girls Are Easy"

Aliens Jeff Goldblum, Damon Wayans and Jim Carrey land in the San Fernando Valley and hookup with Geena Davis after landing in her swimming pool in Julien Temple's "Earth Girls Are Easy" (Vestron Pictures, 1989). In the film's opening credits we do a flyover of Hollywood with a glimpse of the Cinerama Dome on our way to the Valley.

Visit the Cinerama Dome page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for a history of the building and many photos.


Here we're in front of the Studio City Theatre on Ventura Blvd. on our way to go clubbing. See the Studio City Theatre page for more photos of the theatre.

On IMDb: "Earth Girls Are Easy"