Yesterday’s photo of Sunset Blvd was taken from under the marquee of the Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset. While double-checking the address, I came across this marvelously atmospheric night shot. I love how the building glows with neon light. It must have been a sight to see in person. It opened on December 25, 1938 with a cast of 60 girls advertised as “The most beautiful girls in the world.” This photo was taken sometime in 1939, so the nightclub would still have been sparklingly new.
When this image of 6230 Sunset was captured in June 2022, the building that once housed the Earl Carroll Theatre had been repainted for the Quentin Tarantino movie, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” to resemble how it looked during its Aquarius incarnation. Since then, I’ve heard that developers have restored the theater to its former glory. Let’s hope they’ll let us mere mortal civilians get a peek inside.
It’s funny — when I saw that movie the Aquarius theater looked so “normal” to me, I forgot it’s no longer painted that way any more!
A group of students from my high school went to see Zoot Suit on stage at the Aquarius in the 70’s. I believe Edward James Olmos was still cast as The Pachuco. I think it was his first big breakthrough when it opened at The Mark Taper prior to its move to The Aquarius