In all the photos I’ve seen of the Wiltern Theater at Wilshire Blvd and Western Ave, I’ve never seen it called the Franklin Life building. It turns out that in 1956, the Pellissier Building was bought by the Franklin Life Insurance Company of Springfield, Illinois. (Although why an Illinois insurance company would want to buy a building in LA is beyond me.) This photo was most likely taken in 1958, when the Wiltern Theater was still a Warner Bros.-run movie house. “No Time for Sergeants” was playing at the time, and that’s one of the stars, Nick Adams, posing out front with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, bad-boy style.
Thanks to efforts from the LA Conservancy, the Wiltern was saved from decrepitude and is now a fully restored and thriving live theater. (This photo is from March 2018)
Hey Martin:
The Wiltern theater was not saved by the L.A. Conservancy… They actually officially walked away from it in 1979… The Wiltern was saved by the actions of people loosely associated with, and who met at, the Conservancy. The Conservancy loves to take the credit though. But they had nothing to do with it.
Hey Paul, thanks for taking the time to clarify that. I much prefer to know the truth even if it’s not what I thought it was. Actually especially if that’s the case.
Martin:
First, thanks for putting together a great and always interesting website…
I remember well having a meeting about the Wiltern at which representatives of the Conservancy washed their hands of the Wiltern, because they were unwilling to advocate for a building for fear it would make the City Hall folks angry at them. Rick Newberger and myself went out on the front porch of the house the meeting was held at (in university park), and decided to take it on ourselves. We built a coalition which stopped the ongoing stripping of the building, put together a rally, got publicity, and ultimately found a buyer (Wayne Ratkovitch). Nowhere to be seen was the Conservancy, and it always angers me to hear them take credit.
p.s. I am currently working on restoring the neon for the EAR CARROLL THEATRE, inside and out (hopefully early next year).
Paul
Wow, Paul, I had no idea of that history. THANK YOU for your efforts to save such a singularly unique building in the LA cityscape. And the resurrection of the Earl Carroll theater is another exciting project. That place had a lot of neon so I can’t wait to see your finished work!
Wow! To steal from “Blue Velvet” (which borrowed it itself), I’m going to have to say “This Is It”. That second image should be on the cover of a book. Just think how “Lord’s of Flatbush” ties in to so much. And even Richard Gere is part to that, being dumped, which ultimately leads to “Breathless” in a chain that includes “Gun Crazy”, “Zabriskie Point”, and “Aloha, Bobby & Rose”. To top it off, Carridine (coming soon in Death Race 2000), a name taking us from “Grapes of Wrath” to “Boxcar Bertha” through “Bound For Glory” and onward toward the “Kill Bill” duo. The photographer has captured a very important place & time here. And the energy crisis era…this intersection at night, with all the lights blazing, was stunning and as memorable to the mind as Hollywood & Vine. Then comes the oil crisis and it all begins to change as we enter our own film noir future. Luke, give in to the dark side. An image like this is rarely made in the life of any lens hound. This is the real “Public Eye” at work.