"Rules Don't Apply"

We get some lovely 1959 background footage as we drive down Hollywood Blvd. near the beginning of Warren Beatty's "Rules Don't Apply" (20th Century Fox, 2016). One moment we're at the airport with Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich) picking up aspiring starlet Marla Mabry (Lily Collins) and her mother Lucy (Annette Bening). The next shot is this lovely drive east on Hollywood Blvd.

Forbes is a driver for Howard Hughes. Drivers, according to the Hughes rules, aren't supposed to date the starlets. So, of course, we know the young couple will get together. Beatty himself is Howard Hughes. Others featured include Martin Sheen, Matthew Broderick, and Candace Bergen.

Glen Norman comments: "'Rules Don't Apply' was a bit flexible with the history of Hollywood Blvd. in 1959. Construction on the Walk of Fame didn't actually begin until 1960; the first star (Stanley Kramer) was set on 03-28-60. The Walk of Fame was dedicated in November 1960 and was finally completed in the Spring of 1961. From a street light historian's point of view that means there wouldn't be any of the 5-Star triple-lamps in any photo dating from 1959. Given the 98 week run of 'Ben Hur,' the film AND the street lights would have coexisted in late 1960 and 1961--not 1959. I got my dates from the Hollywood Walk of Fame website."   

Another look as we drive east. Sights include a bit of the Vogue Theatre vertical and a good view of the Egyptian Theatre facade with signage up for "Ben Hur." The story is that they found a car to use in the film that was a match for the black one we see ahead in this footage.

A detail from the footage gives us a closer look at the Egyptian. That canopy sticking out this side of the theatre is from the Pig 'N Whistle restaurant. "Ben-Hur" opened in November 1959 and got a 98 week 70mm reserved seat run.

We continue east and in several shots we see the Egyptian and the Hollywood Inn behind us. But then, in a case of bad movie geography, we're seen driving by the Chinese:

In this background footage the Chinese is seen running "The King and I" in Grandeur 70. The film, shot in Cinemascope 55, had played the theatre once in 1956 in 35mm. This was a 70mm reissue that opened May 10, 1961 and ran for five weeks.

We get another trip down the same stretch of the street about forty minutes into the film -- but this time driving west.

Getting a bit closer to Musso & Franks and the Vogue Theatre over on the right as we head toward Highland.

A look to the backseat during a conversation with Marla gives us this view of the Iris out the right side of the window. The theatre, at 6508 Hollywood Blvd., was later renamed the Fox.

A later trip north on Vine St. toward the Ricardo Montalban Theatre. But the scene isn't long enough to get close for a view. At the time this footage was taken it would have been called the Huntington Hartford.

We look to the backseat at Marla during this excursion on Vine St. The theatre we see isn't anything on Vine but one miles away. It's the Loyola at 8610 S. Sepulvda Blvd., down near LAX.

See the pages about the Vogue, Egyptian, Montalban and Grauman's Chinese on the Los Angeles Theatres website for many photos of these theatres.

On IMDb: "Rules Don't Apply"

"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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"Against All Odds"

The Avalon gets a starring role in Taylor Hackford's "Against All Odds" (Columbia, 1984) as Jake's Palace, a nightclub owned by James Woods. The film also stars Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward.

James Woods at the bar at the back of the main floor of Jake's Palace.

A shot at the main floor bar.

A look up the main lobby stairs in "Against All Odds." This entrance

 into the auditorium from the landing is a recent modification.

A view supposedly from Woods' office looking down onto the stage.

A street view of the Avalon as Jake's Palace in "Against All Odds."

Another street view from the film.

The building, at 1735 Vine St., opened in 1927 as a legit theatre called the Hollywood Playhouse. Later, among other names, it was a TV studio called the Hollywood Palace. It's now a music club called the Avalon. See the Hollywood Playhouse page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more history and many photos.

On IMDb: "Against All Odds"