Los Angeles premiere of “Cleopatra” at the Hollywood Pantages Theater on Hollywood Blvd, summer 1963
Between Elizabeth Taylor’s unprecedented million-dollar salary, her affair with co-star Richard Burton, and a runaway budget that virtually sank a movie studio, Angelenos were primed to see what the fuss was all about over “Cleopatra” during the summer of 1963. Twentieth Century-Fox held the premiere at the Pantages and I’m sure traffic was hellacious around the Hollywood and Vine corner that day. But what a thrill to have been in the audience that night.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 20th Century-Fox, Hollywood, Hollywood Blvd, Movie Premiere, Pantages Theatre. Bookmark the permalink.
Well, Movie premieres were much toned down back then. I remember walking right through the Premiere of Magombo, at the Egyption theater back in 1952, I think it was.
The film was over and people were coming out of the theater onto the sidewalk and milling about. I saw Frank Sinatre with Dean Martin (both wearing tuxes). I actually bumped into Bing Crosby(literely). I always wished I had spoken to him. There was no croud control at all and the crowd was large, but nothing like these days.
I think Premiers these day are over hyped and basicly a fashion show. Walking Hollywood Blvd as recently as in the seventies and eighties was simi normal, but fun. Now it is like being at Disneyland. All to commercial.
That’s interesting, Richard. The photos we see of premieres always look big and exciting. Perhaps it’s because they only sent photographers to the big ones. It’s interesting to hear how little crowd control there was!