After the unfortunate death of Earl Carroll in 1948, his eponymous nightclub – the largest in the world – at 6230 Sunset Blvd remained closed until Frank Sennes, former manager of the Hollywood Gardens (a nightclub where he gave Betty Grable her first break) took it over and in 1953 relaunched it as the Moulin Rouge. I don’t have a year on this photo, but Louis Armstrong was heading a review called C’est La Vie, which the marquee promised a cast of 100, so it really must have been something. I also like that they kept the iconic (and enormous) neon sign of a woman’s face – and a smart move, too. It was a local landmark; everybody knew where it was.
The building is still there and is in currently in the process of being restored. This image is from February 2021.
Great photo. I assume the building was wearing its Aquarius-era garb thanks to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Yes, it’s from when Tarantino was filming along Sunset. I’m so glad nobody’s painted over it!
Los Angeles Magazine dates the picture as 1961.
https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/uncovering-a-secret-gem-from-the-aquarius-theatres-psychedelic-past/
And that article was written by Alison Martino who knows what she’s talking about when it comes to that era.
My family took me many times for birthdays and other special events. The shows were as good as Las Vegas. Many years later it became the Hullabaloo for rock concerts and it had a basement called the Afterhours where bands would try out new songs and arrangements.