Whoa! So much going on in this photo taken during the premiere 20th Century-Fox’s first CinemaScope film, “The Robe” ahead of a 13-week run. In addition to the searchlights and electric banner across Grauman’s Chinese, we can glimpse the Hollywood Hotel in the shadows, and past it, the tower of the First National Bank building. And on the right we can see a huge sign for The London Store, which was a mini chain of a chain of upscale menswear. And in the foreground is something I don’t recall seeing before: a drug store called Roosevelt on the Hollywood Blvd/Orange Dr. corner opposite the Roosevelt Hotel from which this photo would have been taken.
Everett E. says: “The Robe” was the first CinemaScope movie released. It was partially the brainchild of Spyros Skouras, head of production at 20th Century Fox. It has been referred to as the ‘poor man’s wide screen process’ because instead of using 70mm wide format film, this process was achieved using the standard 35mm film stock. It saved the theaters from having to invest in 70mm projectors. The camera was outfitted with an anamorphic lens that was wide angle and ‘squeezed’ a larger field of view onto a 35mm frame. All the theaters had to do was buy a lens that would squeeze the image back out to normal proportions allowing for a wide aspect ratio. The process was impressive in its efficiency but quite often the image showed signs of distortion, especially on the edges of the frame. Straight lines were nearly impossible as the extreme wide angle lenses exhibited varying degrees of concave ‘barrel’ distortion. It was popular because it was cheaper to exhibit than a true 70mm configuration like Todd-AO.”
You can see the drugstore is the last in the line of storefronts:
This is roughly the same view in May 2022. It looks like Hollywood Blvd was blocked off that day, too—probably for another big movie premiere. And that Roosevelt drug store is now a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf café.
In the film footage of the premiers for Zeppelin & Grand Hotel that was recently linked, the drug store can be spotted behind the crowd lining the corner. (It’s short and fast, but you can spot it.) So the drugstore must have been there for a long time. It is also unique that we get to see the back of a klieg light here where it carries the name MAMMOTH in black letters. These spotlights were the reason why Hollywood Boulevard was nicknamed The Great White Way in the old days.
It looks to me like there’s people on the roof of the drugstore. They’ve got a good view!
In the forecourt of the Chinese Theatre, amongst the hand & footprints, is a bronze plaque commemorating the premiere of The Robe and the first Cinemascope widescreen presentation.
Does The London Shop sign indicate it was originally in that building or is it just advertising for the store in the Roosevelt Hotel in the next block?
I didn’t notice the drugstore roof sitters! As for the London Store, I thought they were on Hollywood Blvd around about where the sign is, but they were actually *inside* the hotel?
I’ve just looked it up. You’re right – they were at 7010 Hollywood Blvd which puts them inside the hotel.
We can see those buildings from the south side in the upper left corner of the image here: https://martinturnbull.com/2023/11/07/aerial-view-of-hollywood-high-school-hollywood-circa-late-1920s-2/#comment-404472