Most photos of the Carthay Circle Theatre at 6316 San Vicente Blvd are (understandably) taken much closer – all the better to appreciate that striking tower. But it makes for a pleasant change to see it more in context from farther back. We’re looking south from McCarthy Vista towards Henry Lion’s “the Miner’s Statue” in the triangular park across San Vicente boulevard. Even though it is an iconic Los Angeles movie palace, it’s nice to be reminded that it was also a neighborhood cinema, where local Angelenos saw movies that we now watch on TCM.
And here’s another 1930 photo showing the same view from the opposite direction, taken (I assume) from the Carthay Circle Theatre. San Vicente Boulevard runs from left to right in the foreground.
John Jones on Facebook said: “The “Miner” was stolen and cut in half some years ago. I knew that it was donated by the Native Sons and Daughters of the Golden West and I called them and told them about the statue. The parks and maintenance department didn’t know they owned it or that it was stolen! Some months later the statue was found cut in half at a scrap dealer! The NSDGW hired a restoration team to restore and secure the statue for the future. FYI – there are thousands of statues and art works donated to the city that no one knows where they are!”
This is how that view looked in April 2019.
And here’s a close up of the Miner’s Statue. Remarkably/shockingly, it’s still there.
My (foggy) recollection is that several years ago, some thieves stole the statue, sawing it off at the legs. The statue is bronze, and apparently the thieves thought it would have some value as scrap.
The thieves were busted and the statue was returned to the park. Remember kids, crime doesn’t pay!
My grandmother used to take my dad, when he was a kid, to movie premieres here. I only went there once in the late 60s to see a revival of “Gone With the Wind” with my high school English class.