Fox Dome Theatre
3014 Ocean Front Walk,
Santa Monica,
CA
90405
3014 Ocean Front Walk,
Santa Monica,
CA
90405
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Circa 1920s photos in Santa Monica History Museum Facebook links below.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=553095670155434&set=pb.100063650169166.-2207520000.&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/santamonicahistorymuseum/photos/pb.100063650169166.-2207520000./4694055783938474/?type=3
More info at https://losangelestheatres.blogspot.com/2020/05/rosemary-3.html
This opened on April 15th, 1922 and rebuilt in 23 working days, and reopened on May 29th, 1924. Grand opening ads posted.
According to this source, the capacity was 1.600, not 2,200.
https://www.westland.net/venicehistory/articles/oceanparkpier.htm
Just a note: This theatre was seen briefly in the 1951 remake of Fritz Lang’s classic, “M.” The killer is walking with a curly haired blonde girl about 45 minutes into the movie when the theatre comes into the frame.
There’s a great 1950 moving picture scene of the Fox Dome in WOMAN ON THE RUN (1950), near the end. This is a great, newly restored copy of this once lost Ann Sheridan film noir. Playing at the Dome is THE BIG LIFT with Monty Clift and THE FORTUNES OF CAPTAIN BLOOD, with cartoon. Even the month seems clear: May. The Dome sparkles; so the does the film it’s in, darkly.
DavidZornig: If you’re referring to this photo that kencmcintyre linked to, it was probably taken in 1922, the year Clara Kimball Young appeared in The Worldly Madonna, so it would depict the Dome Theatre that burned with the rest of the pier in 1924. But you’re right, the old theater would not have been called the Fox Dome, as the West Coast Theatres circuit was not taken over by Fox until a few years after the new Dome Theatre was built.
This link has a flyer for the Mickey Mouse Club meetings at the Fox Dome. The previous B&W photo in the other link is in dispute as to whether it is the Fox Dome or not.
http://disneydetail.me/2012/01/11/january-11/
There is a 1930’s photo of the Fox Dome auditorium during a Mickey Mouse Club meeting on the Mouse Heaven page at www.melbirnkrant.com
The Fox Dome became the “Magic Carpet” ride at Pacific Ocean Park after the remodel.
Very nice vintage photos.
Johnny Vegas – am interested in learning more about the Langley theaters in CA. I am Linda Langley, Claude Alexander’s daughter.
The link I put in my comment of Sept. 18, 2005, is dead. A photo and description of the 1924 fire which destroyed the Dome Theatre can now be seen near the bottom of this web page.
My parents and grandparents owned a grocery store on the Venice side of the boardwalk, without hearing distance of Welk’s band playing int he Aragon Ballroom on Lick Pier. What was the entrance to the Ocean Park Pier, later became the exit to Pacific Ocean Park (POP). I remember seeing Mighty Joe Young in sepia tone at the Dome, and Commando Cody serials. I saw the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers there and had the nightmares that went along with the film. The manager of the theater was a huge man, very “portly” who always wore a tuxedo. When the Dome closed, I was surprised to see him working in the lobby of the Bundy (Pico and Bundy…now the Bundy offramp from the Santa Monica Freeway).
BTW I did see the earlier posts on the MMC, but I have an image of a sample herald included with the MMC Campaign Manual announcing the inauguration of the Fox Dome chapter on July 20, 1929.
I also have an image from a publication indicating Walt Disney would be attending a chapter meeting, along with Studio artist Ub Iwerks and Studio composer Carl Stalling and that issue is dated September 13, 1929.
Here is a 1922 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/4zlcy8
These maps show two theatres named (#21 & red dot between #13 & #26)Dome, and one (#18) Strand Theatre. Is this Strand listed on CT?
www.westland.net/venicehistory/histmaps.html
and
www.westland.net/venice/history.htm
I rented Quicksand from Netflix a few months ago. Most of the film was shot in the Venice area. Interesting to see the area before the Marina was completed, lots of oil wells and seedy neighborhoods.
This theatre is used as a scene backdrop in the 1950 Film Noir “Quicksand”, starring Mickey Rooney, Peter Lorre, Jeanne Cagney, and Barbara Bates. Many believe this film to be Rooney’s finest performance!
www.amazon.com/Quicksand-Barbara-Bates/dp/6304680813
Fox Dome is #21 on this 1922 map -
View link
and a photo view -
View link
8/11/2007 20:26 Hawaiian
Fantastic!
Thanks for posting them!
ARTiber
Clearly both from the late 20s/early 30s.
Here are two undated photos:
http://tinyurl.com/ywlyuh
http://tinyurl.com/2bbm2m
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Dome Theater, Dome Hotel Ocean Park California:
Wow I started out to write a brief note to my grandchildren about the late 1940’s when I lived I a old Hotel (the Dome) how we had a Dumbwaiter in the kitchen, whatever had been below was blocked off but it still worked we could pull ourselves up and down via the ropes still in place.
Looking at the picture the 2d floor windows are the room/apartments ours was on the other side of the Dome a one bedroom, large living room with pull down from the wall bed, Kitchen between with an ice box and pull down from the wall table. My father was a bookmaker on the front, and I had an almost full cart blanch every where! Theater free, Rides Free, some of the concessions even slips me a quarter or so to shill.
All in all it made for magical memories.
tiber
Does anyone remember POP having a wall at the entrance adorned with lions heads spouting water from their mouths? My husband found a lion head years ago in a field in Venice and was told it was from POP. We both grew up lucky enough to have visited POP on several occassions, but neither of us can place the lions heads. Thank you for anyone responding. J Wuethrich