"Savage Streets"

Tough girl Linda Blair and her friends begin "Savage Streets" (Motion Picture Marketing, 1984) with a walk by the Pussycat Theatre, 6656 Hollywood Blvd. Later Linda will be out for revenge after her sister gets raped and a friend is killed. 

The cast features Linnea Quigley, Lisa Freeman, Marcia Karr, Debra Blee, Robert Dryer, John Vernon, Johnny Venokur, Sal Landi and Scott Mayer. Danny Steinmann and Tom DeSimone directed. The cinematography was by Stephen L. Posey.    

 

A look into the Pussycat lobby.  

 

Walking by the Vogue at 6675 Hollywood Blvd., across the street from the Pussycat. They were playing "Heart Like a Wheel" with Bonnie Bedelia and Beau Bridges. The film had opened November 4, 1983 at Laemmle's Music Hall for an exclusive run. The Vogue got it in January 1984 when it went wide. 

 

The guys following them were the local drug dealers and all-around obnoxious guys.  We're looking east with the Vogue on the left and the Pussycat on the right. In the front seat on the left it's Robert Dryer, playing the leader. Later we learn that he's also a killer. Poor Lisa Freeman gets thrown off a bridge.  

 

Dryer and friends walking by the Las Palmas Theatre, on Las Palmas Ave. a half block south of Hollywood Blvd. The girls were across the street looking at magazines at the newsstand.  

 

A later shot of the guys crossing Hollywood Blvd. just east of Hudson. On the left it's the Holly Theatre, 6523 Hollywood Blvd. Across the street it's the Fox Theatre at 6508.  

 

A last look at the Pussycat Theatre as Linda drives east. 

Head to the pages about the New-View/Pussycat, the Vogue, the Holly, the Fox and the Las Palmas on the Los Angeles Theatres site for many photos and a discussion of each theatre's history.    

 On IMDb: "Savage Streets"

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"Red Nights"

The X Theatre at 5959 Hollywood Blvd. is in the background of this shot from "Red Nights" (Trans World Entertainment, 1988). It's another young-man-goes-to-Hollywood story. He thinks he's going to become an actor but sinks into the violent shadows. Izhak Hanooka directed. The cast includes Christopher Louis Parker, Brian Matthews, Tom Badall and Patty Bauer. The cinematography was by Jacob Eleasari. It was a direct-to-VHS release. 

Thanks to Rio Dylan Hernandez for spotting all the theatre coverage in the film and getting the screenshots. She comments: 

"Sometimes when I can’t sleep I’ll peruse grindhouse exploitation movies on Amazon and came across a doozy last night that is truly an LA treasure trove. It seems like there is a movie theater in every other shot as it’s about an idealistic young dreamer, aspiring actor - broken by DIRTY L.A. - and it truly captures the city as I remember it - especially the Hollywood Blvd. area where most of it was shot. I did the best I could do with the screenshots but this should give you a flavor and really some rare treasures here I think!"

 

 At the Warner/Hollywood Pacific, 6433 Hollywood Blvd. 

 

 

 

The Fox was playing "Robocop," It's at 6508 Hollywood Blvd.  

 

 

The Vogue Theatre, at 6675 Hollywood Blvd., playing "The Lost Boys," a July 1987 release. Michael Coate notes that this engagement was in 70mm.

 

 

The Pussycat, formerly the New-View, was at 6656 Hollywood Blvd., just west of Cherokee.

 

 

Another look at the Pussycat.  

 

 

 

A look at the Egyptian, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., during the run of "Masters of the Universe." 

 

 

The Chinese with Clint Eastwood in "Heartbreak Ridge." Kurt Wahlner notes that the film played the big house for one week from December 5 to 11, 1986. 

 

 

A shot done later, during the run of "The Living Daylights." It played the Chinese from July 31 to August 27, 1987. 

 

 

 

A view of the west side of the Chinese.  

 

 

 

Looking north on Las Palmas toward Hollywood Blvd. That's the Las Palmas Theatre on the right.  

 

 

A chase shot with the cars heading into the alley just north of the Las Palmas.  

 

Looks like the filmmakers actually paid for this location for a "Gala Premier." Or was it a "Premiere"? The Los Feliz, now a triplex, is located at 1822 N. Vermont Ave. 

See the pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site about the X Theatre, the Warner/Hollywood Pacific, the Fox, the Vogue, the New-View/Pussycat,  Grauman's Chinese, the Las Palmas Theatre and the Los Feliz. 

Thanks Rio!  

On IMDb: "Red Nights"

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"Vice Squad"

"On the street the real trick is staying alive." Season Hubley is a single mom working as a prostitute who reluctantly becomes a police informant in "Vice Squad" (Avco Embassy, 1982). On the right it's the Vogue Theatre, 6675 Hollywood Blvd. That's Las Palmas Ave. beyond.

The film also features Gary Swanson, Wings Hauser, Pepe Serna, Beverly Todd, Nina Blackwood and Sudana Bobatoon. Gary Sherman directed. The cinematography was by John Alcott. 

A view east across Las Palmas with Musso and Frank at the far right. The Vogue, now used as a church, was a 1935 design by S. Charles Lee.

Looking for action near the Cinema Theatre, 1122 N. Western Ave. It's a bit north of Santa Monica Blvd. The building survives but it's been churched. 

 

 

 

A bit of the Tiffany Theatre is seen in this late night view. It was at 8532 Sunset Blvd., west of La Cienega. It's been demolished. 

 

 

 

Back on Hollywood Blvd. This shot looks across toward the Pussycat Theatre, 6656 Hollywood Blvd., on the south side of the street between Cherokee and Las Palmas. It opened in 1940 as a newsreel house called the News-View. Later it was the New-View and, after its Pussycat era, was a revival house called the Ritz. 

 

 

 

Down the street across from the Fox Theatre, 6523 Hollywood Blvd. This over-exposed view made it into the trailer but not the finished film. At the time of the shoot they were running "The Fan" with Lauren Bacall and James Garner. 

 

A look west toward the Hollywood Pacific, the theatre that debuted in 1928 as the Warner Hollywood. 

 

Closer to Cahuenga for another Hollywood Pacific shot. 

 

A view east from El Centro toward the Pix, 6126 Hollywood Blvd. It opened in 1926 as a legit house called the Music Box and has also been called the Fox, Guild and Henry Fonda. It's now a music venue called the Fonda Theatre. They were running John Carpenter's "Escape From New York," a June 1981 release.

For more information about the theatres that are seen in the film see the Los Angeles Theatres pages about the Vogue, Cinema Theatre, Tiffany, New-View/Pussycat, Fox, Warner/Hollywood Pacific and the Music Box/Pix. 

On IMDb: "Vice Squad"   

Thanks to Ray Ottulich for the nudge about the Hollywood Blvd. footage in this film. He included a shot of the Vogue in his post about the film for The World of Noir Facebook group.  Elizabeth Pearce notes that the full film can be seen on a Russian website: https://ok.ru/video/1246674291455

"The Wonderland Massacre & the Secret History of Hollywood"

The turquoise vertical of the Paradise Theatre is seen on the left in this shot from 1970s footage in Episode 2 of "The Wonderland Massacre & the Secret History of Hollywood" (MGM+, 2024). Thanks to Donavan S. Moye for spotting the various theatres and getting the screenshots seen here. The four-part series, based on a podcast by Michael Connelly, features Ian S. Peterson, Trevon Rubbins and Daryl Terry. Alison Ellwood directed. 

 

The theatre was at 9110 S. Sepulveda Blvd. in Westchester, seven blocks south of Manchester. It closed in 1978. The building was gutted and repurposed as office space. See the Paradise Theatre page on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information and photos.  

 

 

 

A fine c.1977 look at the Pussycat Theatre at 6656 Hollywood Blvd., just west of Cherokee. It's across the street from the Vogue.

 A closer look at the boxoffice. 

 

 

Larry Edmunds bookstore was originally adjacent to the theatre.

 

See the page on the Pussycat/Ritz Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site for more information. It opened as a newsreel house called the News-View in 1940 and was rebranded as the New-View when it went to features.  

 

Looking down from the Hollywood Center Building at Hollywood and Cherokee. David Lean's "A Passage To India" was a December 1984 release. The banner under the marquee was advertising the film's five Golden Globe nominations.

See the Los Angeles Theatres page about the Vogue Theatre for more information. It's located at 6675 Hollywood Blvd., between Cherokee and Las Palmas. The building was a 1935 design by S. Charles Lee. 

 

 

Connolly in his car headed east toward Highland Ave. The banner up on the Ovation Mall on the left was advertising the December 2023 release "Wonka." On the right the El Capitan marquee's copy was "Thank You Veterans." The pages about the El Capitan on the Los Angeles Theatres site offer a discussion about the history of this 1926 vintage legit house along with hundreds of photos. 

Thanks to Donavan for the screenshots. He adds: "And there's a couple of seconds of THIS memorable footage in the opening title sequence of each episode..."

For those who weren't there, it's Brad Pitt's Karmann Ghia on Hollywood Blvd. just east of McCadden place in July 2018. See the Theatres in Movies post about this part of the shoot shoot for Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood." 

See the "Wonderland Murders" page about the podcast on the Michael Connelly website. There's also a page about the MGM series.

On IMDb: "The Wonderland Massacre & the Secret History of Hollywood"    

"Wild Guitar"

Arch Hall Jr. comes to Hollywood with his guitar aiming to become a star in Ray Dennis Steckler's "Wild Guitar" (Fairway International, 1962). We see several theatres as he wanders the streets including this view of the Pantages with "11 Academy Nominations" on the marquee. The film was "Judgment at Nuremburg." 

 

 

Crossing the street in front of the Egyptian while they were running "Sweet Bird of Youth" with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. The film was a March 1962 release. A moment later his suitcase opens, spilling all his possessions.  

 

 

Of course we visit the Chinese. 

 

 

They were playing "West Side Story." 

 

 

Trying out some footprints.  

 

 

He meets Nancy Czar in a coffee shop and instantly falls in love. She takes him to a local TV studio where we see a dance number.  There's been some discussion about this being filmed at the Ivar but that seems unlikely. 

 

Also featured in the film are Arch Hall Sr., Marie Denn, Robert Crumb, Virginia Broderick, Carolyn Brandt and Lloyd Williams. The cinematography was by Joseph V. Mascelli. 

 

 

 Backstage at the TV studio where they're trying to figure out what to do when an act doesn't show. 

 

 

Another shot backstage when Nancy says, "Hey, my friend could go on." Our guy with the guitar is over on the right. He goes on and is impressive (surprise!). He starts getting work but his new managers want him to focus on that and not see Nancy. 

 

 

The back of this studio.  

 

 

On the road with bigger venues. Here he comes out after a show. We're at the California Theatre in Burbank.  

 

 

Nancy hasn't heard from him because the managers told him she doesn't want to see him anymore. Not true at all. She's been coming to his shows and he sees her outside. They reunite.    

 

 

 

Another show, another TV studio. 

 

 

  

The back of this second studio.  

 

 

  

A happy ending with the couple on Hollywood Blvd. That's the Vogue Theatre on the left and a bit of the Egyptian's marquee in the upper right.  

See the pages on the Los Angeles Theatres site about the Pantages, Grauman's Chinese, Egyptian, Vogue and Burbank's California Theatre for the history of these showplaces and many, many photos. 

 On IMDb: "Wild Guitar"   The full film is available on YouTube. 

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