Tag Archives: Theaters
Interior of the Carthay Circle Theatre on San Vincente Blvd, Los Angeles presenting the stage curtain which shows the Donner Party crossing the Sierras
It’s not too hard to find photos of the exterior of the striking Carthay Circle Theater at 6316 San Vicente Blvd. More challenging, however, is photos taken inside the auditorium. Someone recently mentioned to me how magnificent the theater’s curtain … Continue reading
Aerial shot of the Carthay Circle Theatre at 6316 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles circa, early 1940s
In a city of marvelous movie palaces (the Chinese, the Egyptian, the Pantages, the Million Dollar) one of the most famous and most loved cinemas in Los Angeles was the Carthay Circle Theatre, which opened in 1926. It stood at … Continue reading
Looking east along Hollywood Blvd at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre during the spectacular premiere of Howard Hughes’s “Hell’s Angels,” Hollywood, May 27, 1930
At Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd, there have been movie premieres, and there have been lavish movie premieres, but I can’t think of any that have topped the spectacle Howard Hughes put on for the opening of his $2.8 … Continue reading
Color photo looking east along Wilshire Blvd from the eastern end of MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, circa 1950s
Here we have a vibrant circa-1950s photo looking east along Wilshire from the eastern end of MacArthur Park. Past the trees on the left, we can see the top of the huge sign for the Westlake Theatre (MacArthur Park was … Continue reading
Chotiner’s La Brea Theatre, 857 S. La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, 1926
Here’s a gem of Los Angeles architecture I didn’t know about until yesterday. Imagine this being your local movie house – it almost looks like a medieval church. It opened at 857 S. La Brea Ave (on the corner of … Continue reading
Color photo of LA Railway Yellow Car streetcar heads along Broadway from 7th St, downtown Los Angeles, 1956
The Pacific Electric Red Cars get most of the attention in vintage photos of the streets of LA in the first half of the 20th century. But the LA Railway’s Yellow Cars also did their bit moving Angelenos around the … Continue reading
Color photo of “Giant” playing at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, circa late 1956
I thought I’d end 2024 on a vibrant color shot of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. This one was taken during the run of Warner Bros’ “Giant.” The film had a huge premiere on October 17, 1956. (Go here and scroll down … Continue reading
Baldwin Theater, 3741 S. La Brea Ave. Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles on opening night, August 10, 1949
If one of the purposes of a cinema’s design is to attract the eye, then the Baldwin Theater at 3741 S. La Brea Ave in the Baldwin Hills part of Los Angeles sure fulfilled that goal. Here we see it … Continue reading
Glamour girls “helping” to put up electrified Christmas trees on Hollywood Blvd across from Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood, late 1945
This photo of glamour girls “helping” to put up electrified Christmas trees on Hollywood Blvd illustrates something I don’t think I ever quite realized: how big those holiday season decorations were. With actual humans for comparison, they were much bigger … Continue reading
Color photo looking east along the north side of Hollywood Blvd from around Cherokee Ave, Hollywood, circa mid 1960s
There’s nothing like a vivid Kodachrome photo to bring yesteryear Hollywood to life. In this circa 1960s shot, we’re looking east along Hollywood Blvd. Around the center of the photo, we can see the blade sign for the Vogue Theatre … Continue reading