The Roxie, or at least a good shot of its terazzo and a few glimpses of the marquee, is seen in “The Muppets” (the 2011 movie), as seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WWWTW1P8rQ
“The rumors are true: an Ace Hotel will open in Broadway’s old United Artists Theatre… Multiple sources confirm that the boutique hospitality firm has reached an agreement with Greenfield Partners… the Ace intends to make a fully renovated and reactivated theater the showpiece of its future hotel.”
Info on the mystery Burbank theatre from my above post:
“8/24/11 – Thanks to Sue Baldaseroni of the Burbank Historical Society, we now have some information about an unknown theater and sign on San Fernando Rd. that puzzled Mike and I. (A detail from the DeLos Wilbur photo from Feb. 1917 is here). According to Sue: "This was Burbank’s first moving picture theatre and was run by George Wood as an adjunct of his general store which kept open at night. Watland Wood remembers when his father took tickets at the picture show, he also would run to the store to wait on customers, and also squirted gasoline into the gas engine to keep the lights from dousing. It was mainly films of Cowboys and Indians shown in the first years. MJ (Mary Jane Strickland) said the lighted sign was for the store, not sure but thought it was a chicken or rooster but can’t remember for sure.” So there you are – it’s a bird of some kind. I still can’t make it out. We’ve determined by looking at later photos that the building still stands; the theater was where the Fantasia Billiards Hall is now located at 133 N. San Fernando."
It gives the history:
The Masonic Temple was built for in 1928 for the Unity Lodge, which was founded in 1905 and grew over the years through various consolidations, building an earlier lodge on the same Brand Boulevard site in 1914. The subject building was designed by Arthur George Lindley of the local firm Lindley & Selkirk, which also designed the Alexander Theater in 1925. The property was listed as Glendale Register No. 15 in 1997.
[…]
In 1934,‘ a movie theater, the Temple, was built inside the Mason’s auditorium at the lower floors, with theater use continuing under different names through the early 1990s.
Former Masonic Temple Building: Historical Background
Architect, Arthur G. Lindley. Contractor: J.v. McNeil Company
Construction Chronology
May, 1928: Excavation begun. January, 1929: Substantial completion.
Building Data:
Building contains 55,376 gross square feet of space, of which approximately 48,643 square feet is rentable. It initally contained three lodge rooms, one banquet/auditorium space, a ground floor auditorium, a bowling alley, cafe, billiard salon, related member and guest meeting rooms, lounges and storge rooms and an apartment. The two-story high banquet/auditorium and lodge rooms between the First and Seventh Floors are all located adjacent to the north wall of the building. See building section, Sheet HP-4.
The building was also known as the “Unity Temple”. Arthur Lindley seems to have visually “unified” the various floors of the main façade of the building by designing continuous vertical ribbons of windows. To give greater grandeur and height to the building, which stands 105 feet at the top parapet, he designed a series of steps, chamfering the edges, which recede back and toward the center.
When completed, the former Masonic Temple was the tallest building and had the largest auditorium, the fastest elevator and the largest enclosed space in the City of Glendale.
So, 1934 then. No real info on the proposed use of the former movie theatre space, just a little bit about the lobby.
Bad shape, but we knew this, and ones in much worse condition have been restored. Hope CVS keeps its promise to not do anything that can’t be reversed, and hopefully clean things up a bit first.
The Burbankia page has a photo of an unknown theatre in 1917. Don’t know whether it showed movies or if it was just a tiny live theatre, but thought I’d put it here, since it’s at least nearby and a similar vintage.
You can see the reason for the Cave’s rock-like walls, as it housed the wax museum of monsters that you had to pass through in order to get to the main room.
That and Part 2 were obviously taken late at night, so most of the marquees along Hollywood Blvd. are dark, but it’s still fun to see how many you can spot.
The Facebook page for the Tropico Station blog has a recent interior photo of the Cameo in the photo album, misidentified as the Roxie. You might need a Facebook account to see it.
Apparently, there was a “Louis Sonney’s Museum of Crime†on 521 S. Main St. in the 1920s, adjoining the theatre. An old ticket with that address was found in the mouth of the mummy of outlaw Elmer McCurdy, which is what allowed the police to ID the corpse, which had been found displayed in a funhouse at the Pike amusement park in Long Beach in the 1970s. Everyone had thought it was a badly-sculpted wax figure until its arm fell off. So after seeing a movie at the Moon, you could go next door and pay 25 cents to see a mummified inept train and bank robber. http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=173
Well, it’s closed during construction/renovation, which has already started in earnest. They’ve already removed the old marquee and dome. This is what it’s going to look like: Former Mann Theater complex in Glendale slated for major overhaul
The Roxie, or at least a good shot of its terazzo and a few glimpses of the marquee, is seen in “The Muppets” (the 2011 movie), as seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WWWTW1P8rQ
Article: http://shermanoaks.patch.com/articles/sherman-theatre-was-the-hot-spot-for-grown-ups-to-see-movies
From L.A. Curbed
“The rumors are true: an Ace Hotel will open in Broadway’s old United Artists Theatre… Multiple sources confirm that the boutique hospitality firm has reached an agreement with Greenfield Partners… the Ace intends to make a fully renovated and reactivated theater the showpiece of its future hotel.”
Just to give a better idea of exactly where this was, you can see the sign in the background here: http://wesclark.com/burbank/san_fern_rd_zodys.jpg
The Zody’s in the foreground is now K-Mart. The Cornell is two blocks away at, not surprisingly, Cornell Street.
Info on the mystery Burbank theatre from my above post:
“8/24/11 – Thanks to Sue Baldaseroni of the Burbank Historical Society, we now have some information about an unknown theater and sign on San Fernando Rd. that puzzled Mike and I. (A detail from the DeLos Wilbur photo from Feb. 1917 is here). According to Sue: "This was Burbank’s first moving picture theatre and was run by George Wood as an adjunct of his general store which kept open at night. Watland Wood remembers when his father took tickets at the picture show, he also would run to the store to wait on customers, and also squirted gasoline into the gas engine to keep the lights from dousing. It was mainly films of Cowboys and Indians shown in the first years. MJ (Mary Jane Strickland) said the lighted sign was for the store, not sure but thought it was a chicken or rooster but can’t remember for sure.” So there you are – it’s a bird of some kind. I still can’t make it out. We’ve determined by looking at later photos that the building still stands; the theater was where the Fantasia Billiards Hall is now located at 133 N. San Fernando."
Is this the Long Beach Rivoli? It’s a screencap from the opening credits of the 1977 comedy “Loose Shoes.”
looseshoesrivoli2.jpg
Can’t remember if this was already posted, but here’s a Glendale Public Library photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glendalepubliclibrary/3116589786/sizes/l/in/photostream/
From the Glendale Public Library’s Flikr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/glendalepubliclibrary/3598097801/in/photostream
There’s a screencap of the Pussycat here: http://therockfordfilestv.blogspot.com/2011/08/rockford-files-episode-profit-loss-car.html
A photo of W.H. Clune and a bear: http://digital.boisestate.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/shipman&CISOPTR=73&CISOBOX=1&REC=1
Here’s a .pdf of the restoration proposal for the building:
http://www.ci.glendale.ca.us/government/packets/HPC_032210/6a.pdf
It gives the history: The Masonic Temple was built for in 1928 for the Unity Lodge, which was founded in 1905 and grew over the years through various consolidations, building an earlier lodge on the same Brand Boulevard site in 1914. The subject building was designed by Arthur George Lindley of the local firm Lindley & Selkirk, which also designed the Alexander Theater in 1925. The property was listed as Glendale Register No. 15 in 1997.
[…]
In 1934,‘ a movie theater, the Temple, was built inside the Mason’s auditorium at the lower floors, with theater use continuing under different names through the early 1990s.
Former Masonic Temple Building: Historical Background Architect, Arthur G. Lindley. Contractor: J.v. McNeil Company
Construction Chronology May, 1928: Excavation begun. January, 1929: Substantial completion.
Building Data: Building contains 55,376 gross square feet of space, of which approximately 48,643 square feet is rentable. It initally contained three lodge rooms, one banquet/auditorium space, a ground floor auditorium, a bowling alley, cafe, billiard salon, related member and guest meeting rooms, lounges and storge rooms and an apartment. The two-story high banquet/auditorium and lodge rooms between the First and Seventh Floors are all located adjacent to the north wall of the building. See building section, Sheet HP-4.
The building was also known as the “Unity Temple”. Arthur Lindley seems to have visually “unified” the various floors of the main façade of the building by designing continuous vertical ribbons of windows. To give greater grandeur and height to the building, which stands 105 feet at the top parapet, he designed a series of steps, chamfering the edges, which recede back and toward the center.
When completed, the former Masonic Temple was the tallest building and had the largest auditorium, the fastest elevator and the largest enclosed space in the City of Glendale.
So, 1934 then. No real info on the proposed use of the former movie theatre space, just a little bit about the lobby.
And Bill’s page on the Temple
https://sites.google.com/site/losangelesmoviepalaces/temple
also links to the full “The Monolith” Flickr set
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamma-infinity/sets/72157624847055981/with/6047583715/
which includes these recent interior views showing the Temple/US/Regency 2’s auditorium and balcony:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamma-infinity/5738633147/sizes/l/in/set-72157624847055981/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamma-infinity/5545864582/sizes/l/in/set-72157624847055981/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamma-infinity/5546059092/sizes/l/in/set-72157624847055981/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamma-infinity/5546149118/sizes/l/in/set-72157624847055981/
and this is the old projection room being used as a wig department for the Noise Within theatre group:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamma-infinity/5027464671/in/set-72157624847055981
There’s a recent photo here among other photos of Baker City, second one down: http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=17711
http://laeastside.com/2011/07/a-sad-farewell-requiem-for-a-palace-the-golden-gate-theater/
Bad shape, but we knew this, and ones in much worse condition have been restored. Hope CVS keeps its promise to not do anything that can’t be reversed, and hopefully clean things up a bit first.
The Burbankia page has a photo of an unknown theatre in 1917. Don’t know whether it showed movies or if it was just a tiny live theatre, but thought I’d put it here, since it’s at least nearby and a similar vintage.
San Fernando Rd, showing Farmers and Merchants Bank
Detail showing unknown theatre
San Fernando Rd. looking in the other direction
The Theatre Historical Society has an article from the Press Enterprise: http://theatrehistoricalsociety.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/hemet-theatre-hemet-ca/
You can see the World marquee lit up and impressively animated at the very end of this Hollywood Blvd. footage from 1967: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBmaX64TWSw
Three videos from the 1960s, courtesy of the Facebook group Vintage Los Angeles, showing The Cave when it was the Haunted House discotheque:
Sonny and Cher visit the Haunted House: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxZyC1_Rjno
You can see the reason for the Cave’s rock-like walls, as it housed the wax museum of monsters that you had to pass through in order to get to the main room.
The opening of the movie “Girl In Golden Boots” from 1968, filmed in the Haunted House discotheque. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isRntFGz14
The album cover of “Pat & Lolly Vegas At The Haunted House” shows the famous dragon stage: http://www.amazon.com/Haunted-House-Pat-Lolly-Vegas/dp/B000I8OMVW
You can see the neon cobwebs on the marquee around the 0:16 mark here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBmaX64TWSw
That and Part 2 were obviously taken late at night, so most of the marquees along Hollywood Blvd. are dark, but it’s still fun to see how many you can spot.
Around 45 seconds of footage of it as the Pussycat here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLVbEJzv_vo
You can see it as the Lindy Opera House at around the 1:00 minute mark here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0lEosbR-Vg
There’s some great night footage of the old neon marquee in the 1960s here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0lEosbR-Vg
The Facebook page for the Tropico Station blog has a recent interior photo of the Cameo in the photo album, misidentified as the Roxie. You might need a Facebook account to see it.
View link
The L.A. Times has a travel article about the UFO Museum, with a photo
Apparently, there was a “Louis Sonney’s Museum of Crime†on 521 S. Main St. in the 1920s, adjoining the theatre. An old ticket with that address was found in the mouth of the mummy of outlaw Elmer McCurdy, which is what allowed the police to ID the corpse, which had been found displayed in a funhouse at the Pike amusement park in Long Beach in the 1970s. Everyone had thought it was a badly-sculpted wax figure until its arm fell off. So after seeing a movie at the Moon, you could go next door and pay 25 cents to see a mummified inept train and bank robber.
http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=173
If you’re on Facebook, is this it?
View link