Of all the movie houses in Los Angeles, it seems to me that the Carthay Circle Theater was almost built with a movie premiere in mind. With its striking white tower and huge neon sign, both of them lit to be seen from miles around, it’s really no wonder that so many premieres took place there. I couldn’t find what movie was being launched in this photo, but we can see they certainly brought out all the lights.
Fox Carthay Circle Theatre program cover:
My all-time favorite theater. Why did it get demolished? For what? I spent many an afternoon as a teen-ager there, being transported to wondrous places.
The first time I visited the theater was in 1940. I was seven years old. We saw the premier of Walt Disney’s “Fantasia”. The theater was equipped with “Fantasound” which was an early version of stereo. The film was magnificent – still one of my all time favorites. The artistic efforts for each classical music excerpt were magnificent. The music was provided by Leopold Stokowski conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra with narration by Deems Taylor. It was my introduction to classical music and I am still hooked on it today. I also own almost every recording Stokowski ever made. A great memory!
There’s a beautiful reproduction of this in Disney California Adventure (and on a smaller scale in Disney Hollywood Studio.)
Yes, it’s really nicely done, isn’t it, Steve. And have you eaten at the restaurant inside. VERY nice!