Million Dollar Theater
Encyclopedia
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 downtown
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...
Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in February 1918. It is the northernmost of the collection of historical movie palaces in the Broadway Theater 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...
and stands directly across from the landmark Bradbury Building
Bradbury Building
The Bradbury Building is an architectural landmark in Los Angeles, California. The building was built in 1893 and is located at 304 South Broadway in downtown.-History:...
.
History
The Million Dollar was the first movie house built by entrepreneur Sid GraumanSid Grauman
Sidney Patrick Grauman was an American showman who created one of Southern California's most recognizable and visited landmarks, Grauman's Chinese Theater. He was the son of David Grauman who died in 1921 in Los Angeles, California and Rosa Goldsmith...
. Grauman was later responsible for Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, is one of the world's most famous movie theatres. Opened in 1922, it was the venue for the first-ever Hollywood premiere.- History :...
and Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theater at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame.The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922...
, both on Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
, and was partly responsible for the entertainment district shifting from downtown Los Angeles to Hollywood in the mid-1920s. Sculptor Joseph Mora
Jo Mora
Joseph Jacinto "Jo" Mora was an Uruguayan-born American cartoonist, illustrator and cowboy, who lived with the Hopi and wrote extensively about his experiences in California. He was an artist-historian, sculptor, painter, photographer, illustrator, muralist and author...
did the elaborate and surprising exterior Spanish Colonial Revival ornament, including bursts of lavish Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque
Churrigueresque refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th century and was used up to about 1750, marked by extreme, expressive and florid decorative detailing, normally found above the...
decoration, multiple statues, longhorn skulls and other odd features. The auditorium architect was William L. Woollett, and the designer of the twelve-story tower was Los Angeles architect Albert C. Martin, Sr.
Albert C. Martin, Sr.
Albert Carey Martin was an American architect and engineer.He founded the architectural firm of Albert C...
. For many years the office building housed the headquarters of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
1940s
In the 1940s the theater was the second run house of the famous Orpheum circuit. Acts such as the Nat King Cole Trio, and Joe Liggins and The Honey DrippersJoe Liggins
Joe Liggins was an American R&B, jazz and blues pianist, who was the frontman in the 1940s and 1950s with the band, Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers....
performed on its stage. In 1949 the Million Dollar was taken over by Frank Fouce, a local Spanish language theater owner and film distributor
Film distributor
A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for releasing films to the public either theatrically or for home viewing...
. The Million Dollar Theater became the mecca of Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, in particular Mexican, entertainment in the United States. Dolores del Río
Dolores del Río
Dolores del Río was a Mexican film actress. She was a star of Hollywood films during the silent era and in the Golden Age of Hollywood...
, María Félix
María Félix
María Félix was a Mexican film actress and one of the icons of the golden era of the Cinema of Mexico and also one of the myths of the Spanish language Cinema for her life style and personality...
, Agustín Lara
Agustín Lara
Agustín Lara was a Mexican singer and songwriter.-Biography:Lara was born in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. Later, the Lara family had to move again to Mexico City, establishing their house in the borough of Coyoacán. After Lara's mother died, Agustín and his siblings lived in a hospice run by their...
, José Alfredo Jiménez
José Alfredo Jiménez
José Alfredo Jiménez was a Mexican singer-songwriter in the ranchera style whose songs are considered an integral part of Mexico's musical heritage....
, José Feliciano
José Feliciano
José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...
, Juan Gabriel
Juan Gabriel
Alberto Aguilera Valadez , better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel , is a Mexican singer and songwriter who is one of the most famous living representatives of the Mexican ranchera, ballad, mariachi, and pop music....
, Vicente Fernández
Vicente Fernández
Vicente Fernández Gómez is a Mexican singer, producer and actor. Known as Chente or El rey de la canción ranchera throughout the Latin world, Vicente Fernández, who started his career singing for tips on the street, has become a cultural icon, recording more than 50 albums and contributing to...
, and Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz was a Cuban-American salsa singer, and was one of the most successful Salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums...
are but a few of the artists that worked for Empresa Fouce (Fouce Enterprise). The well known mariachi
Mariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
Los Comperos were founded to accompany the many Ranchero performers when working the Million Dollar. It was also the first venue where the late Mexican film star Antonio Aguilar worked with his rodeo horses on stage. This is where he conceived the idea for his large arena rodeo productions.
1950s-1960s
In the late 1950s and early 1960s the theater's owner, Frank Fouce, went on to found Spanish International Communications Corp., named after his Spanish International Theater Company (which included the Million Dollar Theater and the Mayan Theater, also located in Downtown Los AngelesDowntown 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...
). This company comprised the first group of Spanish language and UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
television stations in the United States; KMEX Channel 34 in Los Angeles can trace its roots to the Million Dollar Theater. The Million Dollar Theater and the Fouce Family were pioneers in the then unheard of Spanish entertainment industry.
For their efforts Frank Fouce was awarded El Aguila Azteca (Order of the Aztec Eagle)
Order of the Aztec Eagle
The Order of the Aztec Eagle is a Mexican order and is the highest decoration awarded to foreigners in the country.It was created by decree on December 29, 1933 by President Abelardo L. Rodríguez as a reward to services given to Mexico or humankind by foreigners...
, Mexico's highest civilian award, by President Miguel Alemán Valdés
Miguel Alemán Valdés
Miguel Alemán Valdés served as the President of Mexico from 1946 to 1952.-Life:Alemán was born in Sayula in the state of Veracruz as the son of General Miguel Alemán González and Tomasa Valdés Ledezma...
. The theater and Frank Fouce were also honored by the Mexican actors union ANDA
National Association of Actors
The National Association of Actors is the Mexican actors guild. It is a member of the Bloque Latinoamericano de Actores that includes all of the actors' unions in Latin America....
for their contributions to the Mexican film, recording, and entertainment industry. In addition to its very successful stage productions, the theater was also the most prominent Spanish language cinema in the United States. Every major Mexican motion picture premiered at the Million Dollar. The most well known Spanish motion picture theater.
My name is Pepe Crow: International singer and Musician from Ecuador. I came to sing at the Million Dollar theater on January 1961 and had the honor to share the stage with the great Dolores del Rio. who performed on the stage, as an actress, on a short sketch along with Mexican actor Jorge Martinez de Hoyos. The other performers on that historic week were: the comedy act of "Los Xochimilcas"; the dancers Mitsuko y Roberto; Trio "Copacabana"; the Spanish flamenco Group "Los Piconeros"; the Mexican singer Ramona Ponce "La Preferida" and the guitarist Haro Muñoz. The second time I came, playing the accordion, the guitar and the Paraguayan harp at the Million Dollar theater, was in 1966. In those ten days, I shared the stage with Lalo Gonzales "El Piporro"; Los Tres Diamantes; José Jasso; Martha Romero; Emily Cranz and percussionist Leo Acosta.
I hope that the revitalization of downtown Los Angeles, which is taking place in this year of 2011, will give
a "New Life" to those beautiful Movie Palaces in the area of Broadway Avenue. Those magnificent theaters such as the "Million Dollar", "The United Artists", the "Orpheum", etc. should come back to brighten up our City.
1970s-1990s
Gonzalo L. Checa, President of the Spanish division of the Metropolitan Theater Corporation, was responsible for the upsurge of attendance at the Million Dollar Theater in the 1970s and 1980s due to his great expertise and keen insight of the entertainment needs of the Hispanic community. He was the one who oversaw, contracted and scheduled the fantastic showcase stage shows and the international movie premieres of notable Mexican and Latin film stars, such as Mario Moreno (CantinflasCantinflas
Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes , was a Mexican comic film actor, producer, and screenwriter known professionally as Cantinflas. He often portrayed impoverished campesinos or a peasant of pelado origin...
) and the popular Spanish singer/actress Sarita Montiel and the Argentine "Elvis" Sandro de América
Sandro de América
Roberto Julio Sánchez , better known by his artist names Sandro/Sandro de América , Gitano , and the Argentine Elvis, was an Argentine singer and actor.-Biography:...
. During this golden heyday the large lines of people waiting to attend the Million Dollar would wrap around the block and cause the Los Angeles Poice Department to close down Broadway to traffic. He is a well known expert, consultant and authority of the Mexican and Spanish Cinema as well as a legendary and well respected member of the Spanish motion picture business world, who became a low profile power broker and behind the scenes player, who helped launch the U.S. invasion of such stars as Vicente Fernández
Vicente Fernández
Vicente Fernández Gómez is a Mexican singer, producer and actor. Known as Chente or El rey de la canción ranchera throughout the Latin world, Vicente Fernández, who started his career singing for tips on the street, has become a cultural icon, recording more than 50 albums and contributing to...
, José José
José José
José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz , known by his artistic name José José, is a Mexican singer.Referred in the entertainment world as "El Príncipe de la Canción" , José José is best known for his romantic ballads and renowned for his vocals...
, Nelson Ned
Nelson Ned
Nelson Ned is a famous Brazilian singer from Ubá, Minas Gerais. Nelson built a solid career as a singer and composer of sentimental, suffering songs, rising to popularity in Brazil and Latin America in 1969 and becoming known internationally, especially in Portugal, France and Spain...
, Juan Gabriel
Juan Gabriel
Alberto Aguilera Valadez , better known by his stage name Juan Gabriel , is a Mexican singer and songwriter who is one of the most famous living representatives of the Mexican ranchera, ballad, mariachi, and pop music....
, Julio Alemán
Julio Alemán
- Biography :After studying to be an Engineer Agronomist, he turned to show business. His first movie was El Zarco in 1957. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was the MC of the Mexican version of the Italian children's puppet show Topo Gigio....
, María Elena Velasco
María Elena Velasco
María Elena Velasco is a Mexican actress, film director, award-winning screenwriter, producer, and singer. She is also one of Mexico's few major female film directors...
("La India Maria"), Enrique Cuenca Marquez and Eduardo Manzano
Eduardo Manzano
Eduardo Manzano II is a Mexican actor of film and television. He is most recognized as one of the "Polivoces" and for his role in Una familia de diez .-External links:...
("Los Polivoces"), Raúl Ramírez
Raúl Ramírez
Raúl Ramírez is a retired Mexican professional tennis player. He was active during the 1970s and 1980s, and is regarded as one of the great all-around players of the modern era. Ramírez was also the first player to finish first in both singles and doubles Grand Prix point standings, accomplishing...
, Jorge Rivero
Jorge Rivero
Jorge Pous Rosas is a matinee idol, with a career spanning three continents , primarily in Spanish language media...
, Rodolfo de Anda
Rodolfo de Anda
Rodolfo de Anda was a Mexican actor most well known for his roles in the film La gran aventura del Zorro and the television series El Pantera. He was born in Mexico City.-Life and career:...
, Eulalio Gonzalez
Eulalio Gonzalez
Eulalio González , also known as "Piporro", was a Mexican film actor, singer, screenwriter, and director. He became a famous leading man in films from the late 1950s through the 1960s usually portraying comical "norteño"-type characters from Nuevo León...
("El Piporo"), Joan Sebastian
Joan Sebastian
Joan Sebastian is a popular Mexican singer and songwriter. He has composed hundreds of songs and been a regular staple on the top-40 charts in Mexico since his career began in 1977. His music is a mixture of Latin pop, ranchera and grupera music...
, Antonio Aguilar
Antonio Aguilar
José Pascual Antonio Aguilar Barraza most commonly known as Antonio Aguilar, nicknamed "El Charro de México", was a Mexican film actor, singer, producer and screenwriter. During his career, he made over 150 albums, which sold 25 million copies, and made 167 movies...
and his wife Flor Silvestre
Flor Silvestre
Flor silvestre is a 1943 Mexican film, directed by Emilio Fernández and starring Dolores del Río and Pedro Armendáriz. Is the first Mexican movie of Dolores del Río after her career in Silent and Golden Age's Hollywood films...
, Gaspar Henaine ("Capulina"), and the famous silver masked wrestler Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta ("El Santo") as well as countless other Spanish entertainment heavyweights and greats.
2000s
After serving as the home of a Spanish-speaking church for some years, as of 2006 the Million Dollar theater was empty, although the office building had been recently renovated and converted to residential space. In February 2008, the theater re-opened, once again showing live Spanish theatre. It continues to draw large crowds, and there are plans to begin screening major motion picture premieres.In popular culture
- The exterior of the theater appeared prominently in the science fiction film Blade RunnerBlade RunnerBlade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
.
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...
- Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles)
- Los Angeles TheatreLos Angeles TheatreThe 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.-History:...
- Tower Theatre (Los Angeles)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:...