Los Angeles Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Los Angeles Theatre is a 2,000 seat movie palace
located at 615 S. Broadway
in the historic Broadway Theater and Commercial District
in Downtown Los Angeles
.
, who also built the nearby Tower Theatre
. Designed by S. Charles Lee
, with a French Baroque interior, a central staircase, and gold brocade
drapes more befitting an opera house
, it was for many years considered to be among the city's most lavish. The opulent interior is said to have been modeled after the Hall of Mirrors
in Versailles
. A crystal fountain stood at the head of the grand staircase, and a restaurant and a ballroom were on the lower level.
Construction was completed in less than six months and cost $1.5 million. Charlie Chaplin
helped fund the completion so that it would be ready to open with the premiere of his film City Lights
in January 1931. With only thirty days to go before the scheduled premiere, the entire theater was constructed off-site and swung in, slotted between the existing buildings. It was the last such movie palace built on Broadway
, as the area began to feel the effects of the Depression
and faced competition from Hollywood Blvd. as the "Great White Way of the West". Attendance was strong through World War II
, when many factory workers would see shows before and after their shifts. With the postwar suburbanization
of Los Angeles, attendance declined throughout the later decades of the 20th century.
After closing its doors to the public in 1994, the Los Angeles has for many years sat vacant, although it can be rented as a venue for special events. The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The Los Angeles is most often today used as a location for filming and is frequently seen in commercials, television shows and feature films. It has been featured in New York, New York
(1977); Man on the Moon (1999); Charlie's Angels
(2000) and its sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
(2003); the AMC series Mad Men
; among many others, and is used in the back drop on the new set of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno
.
The theatre's façade and marquee design was used as the inspiration for that of the Hyperion Theatre
at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim
, currently showcasing Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
.
Movie palace
A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...
located at 615 S. Broadway
Broadway (Los Angeles)
Broadway is a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, that runs from Lincoln Heights on the Eastside, through Chinatown, passing through Central Plaza and the Dragon Gate, the Los Angeles Civic Center, passing the Los Angeles Times building at First Street, and Broadway's historic commercial...
in the historic Broadway Theater and Commercial District
Broadway Theater and Commercial District
Broadway Theater and Commercial District in Downtown Los Angeles is the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
.
History
The venue was constructed in late 1930 and early 1931, under commission by H.L. Gumbiner, an independent exhibitor from ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, who also built the nearby Tower Theatre
Tower Theatre (Los Angeles)
The Tower Theatre, at 802 S. Broadway, is a historic venue that opened in 1927 in the Broadway Theatre district of Downtown Los Angeles.-History:...
. Designed by S. Charles Lee
S. Charles Lee
S. Charles Lee was an American architect recognized as one of the most prolific and distinguished motion picture theater designers on the West Coast.-Early life :...
, with a French Baroque interior, a central staircase, and gold brocade
Brocade
Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and with or without gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli," comes from Italian broccato meaning "embossed cloth," originally past participle of the verb broccare...
drapes more befitting an opera house
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
, it was for many years considered to be among the city's most lavish. The opulent interior is said to have been modeled after the Hall of Mirrors
Hall of Mirrors (Palace of Versailles)
The Hall of Mirrors is the central gallery of the Palace of Versailles and is renowned as being one of the most famous rooms in the world.As the principal and most remarkable feature of King Louis XIV of France's third building campaign of the Palace of Versailles , construction of the Hall of...
in Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
. A crystal fountain stood at the head of the grand staircase, and a restaurant and a ballroom were on the lower level.
Construction was completed in less than six months and cost $1.5 million. Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
helped fund the completion so that it would be ready to open with the premiere of his film City Lights
City Lights
City Lights is a 1931 American silent film and romantic comedy-drama written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. It also has the leads Virginia Cherrill and Harry Myers. Although "talking" pictures were on the rise since 1928, City Lights was immediately popular. Today, it is thought of...
in January 1931. With only thirty days to go before the scheduled premiere, the entire theater was constructed off-site and swung in, slotted between the existing buildings. It was the last such movie palace built on Broadway
Broadway (Los Angeles)
Broadway is a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, that runs from Lincoln Heights on the Eastside, through Chinatown, passing through Central Plaza and the Dragon Gate, the Los Angeles Civic Center, passing the Los Angeles Times building at First Street, and Broadway's historic commercial...
, as the area began to feel the effects of the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and faced competition from Hollywood Blvd. as the "Great White Way of the West". Attendance was strong through World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when many factory workers would see shows before and after their shifts. With the postwar suburbanization
Suburbanization
Suburbanization a term used to describe the growth of areas on the fringes of major cities. It is one of the many causes of the increase in urban sprawl. Many residents of metropolitan regions work within the central urban area, choosing instead to live in satellite communities called suburbs...
of Los Angeles, attendance declined throughout the later decades of the 20th century.
After closing its doors to the public in 1994, the Los Angeles has for many years sat vacant, although it can be rented as a venue for special events. The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The Los Angeles is most often today used as a location for filming and is frequently seen in commercials, television shows and feature films. It has been featured in New York, New York
New York, New York (film)
New York, New York is a 1977 American musical-drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a musical tribute, featuring new songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb as well as standards, to Scorsese's home town of New York City, and stars Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli as a pair of musicians and...
(1977); Man on the Moon (1999); Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency...
(2000) and its sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a 2003 American action comedy film. It is the sequel to 2000's Charlie's Angels. It opened in the United States on June 27, 2003, and was number one at the box office for that weekend and made a worldwide total of $259.2 million.The cast again includes Cameron...
(2003); the AMC series Mad Men
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
; among many others, and is used in the back drop on the new set of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
.
The theatre's façade and marquee design was used as the inspiration for that of the Hyperion Theatre
Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular is a musical show with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, that plays at Disney California Adventure. Based on the Disney film by the same name, the show plays inside Hyperion Theater in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot...
at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, currently showcasing Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular is a musical show with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, that plays at Disney California Adventure. Based on the Disney film by the same name, the show plays inside Hyperion Theater in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot...
.
See also
- Broadway (Los Angeles)Broadway (Los Angeles)Broadway is a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, that runs from Lincoln Heights on the Eastside, through Chinatown, passing through Central Plaza and the Dragon Gate, the Los Angeles Civic Center, passing the Los Angeles Times building at First Street, and Broadway's historic commercial...
- Broadway Theater and Commercial DistrictBroadway Theater and Commercial DistrictBroadway Theater and Commercial District in Downtown Los Angeles is the first and largest historic theater district listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
- Million Dollar TheaterMillion Dollar TheaterThe Million Dollar Theater at 307 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in February 1918...
- Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles)Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles)The Orpheum Theatre on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, California, opened on February 15, 1926, as the fourth and final Los Angeles venue for the Orpheum vaudeville circuit. After a $3 million renovation, started in 1989, it is the most restored of the historical movie palaces in the city.The...
- Tower TheatreTower Theatre (Los Angeles)The Tower Theatre, at 802 S. Broadway, is a historic venue that opened in 1927 in the Broadway Theatre district of Downtown Los Angeles.-History:...
External links
- Los Angeles Theatre website with extensive photo gallery