Fonda Theatre

6126 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles, CA 90028

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Showing 51 - 75 of 94 comments

bruceanthony
bruceanthony on November 7, 2007 at 8:31 am

The Pix had a wonderful neon marquee and the Henry Fonda Music Box has a terrible plastic marquee.brucec

William
William on November 7, 2007 at 8:05 am

Ken mc, Before the Pacific’s Pix closed it ran spanish films. The spanish films moved over to the Vine Theatre for awhile before returning to $2.00 dollar tickets. Around that time the World Theatre closed.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on October 5, 2007 at 7:34 am

Here is a 1970 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/yptu66

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on October 3, 2007 at 9:04 am

Note that in 1942 the theater was called Abbott’s Music Box Theater.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on October 2, 2007 at 6:53 pm

Here is an article in today’s LA Times, by Randy Lewis:

The Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood is getting a new (old) name to go along with its new (old) look: the Music Box @ Fonda. The change revives the name the building had when it opened in 1926 – the Music Box – while retaining the identity it’s had since it reopened in 1985 as the Fonda.

Current owners are restoring the original Jazz Age look of the building, which over the decades has gone through an assortment of names, including the Fox and the Pix, a spokeswoman said. Most of the original facade still exists, she said, and what didn’t survive previous remodels will be re-created. The renovations are expected to be finished by early next year.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on September 14, 2007 at 9:26 pm

It was the Guild by the time of this June 1948 ad:
http://tinyurl.com/2o4gb5

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on August 23, 2007 at 4:31 pm

Here is a September 1942 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/2ryaew

Coate
Coate on April 14, 2007 at 2:12 pm

To clarify the questions above regarding “Windjammer” I can confirm that it indeed ran at this theatre (when it was called the Fox) for 15 weeks beginning Christmas Day, 1958.

For a full list of Los Angeles' Cinerama history, see:
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/cinerama_la.htm

Coate
Coate on April 14, 2007 at 1:27 am

To clarify the questions above regarding “Windjammer” I can confirm that it indeed ran at this theatre (when it was called the Fox) for 15 weeks beginning Christmas Day, 1958.

For a full list of Los Angeles' Cinerama history, see:
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/cinerama_la.htm

Bway
Bway on February 18, 2007 at 9:37 am

Here’s an aerial view of the theater:

View link

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on January 7, 2007 at 2:02 pm

Well not a forecourt, but the Music Box Theatre did have (still does have) an open air foyer/bar above the main entrance. The back of the bar is actually the upper section of the facade and is a small covered area, but the remainder of the area is open.

raybradley
raybradley on January 7, 2007 at 1:32 pm

These posted links are a welcome site, because I always thought it looked as if this house originally had a forecourt like the Egyptian and Chinese. Vintage photographs prove that it did not.

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on January 7, 2007 at 1:10 pm

I am re-posting the link which johngleeson posted above on May 26, 2006. Scroll down towards the bottom for 3 photographs of the Henry Fonda Theatre:
View link

joedeeee
joedeeee on January 7, 2007 at 12:09 pm

I just finished watching 12 Angry Men on TCM and remembered the play of the same name opening this theater as the Henry Fonda back in 1985. I was lucky enough to attend the dedication night show which featured among other performers, Gene Kelly dancing with Debbie Reynolds, and Jimmy Stewart giving his reflections. Does anyone else have recollections of this evening as my memory tells me that there were many other notables there. It was a fabulous evening.

johngleeson
johngleeson on May 26, 2006 at 10:21 pm

This site has one exterior and two interior photos of the theater.
members.tripod.com/ ~movie_pal/fonda.html

haineshisway
haineshisway on February 12, 2006 at 9:54 pm

If you want to see the incredible neon marquee of the Pix, just rent or buy the DVD of The First Nudie Musical – there’s a really long tracking shot during a musical number where you see it for a very long time (The Reincarnation Of Peter Proud is playing. In the same number there’s also a great shot of the Hollywood.

William
William on March 4, 2005 at 2:39 pm

When they opened Cinerama in NYC at the Broadway Theatre. They installed a new special curved screen which was wider than the proscenium. And when the reissue 70MM of “This is Cinerama” played the Fox Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills. They installed a special screen for that engagement. When National Theatres were testing the new process. They used their Melrose Theatre (880 seats) for testing and demonstrations. So the New Fox Theatre is about the same size. The problem is for Cinemiracle presentations the booth had to be setup for head-on projection as in what Cinerama did. The Cinemiracle screen was made of conventional seamless material and was substanially less curved than that of Cinerama, being about 120 degrees instead of 146. Its most likely that on the move-over they used the Chinese Theatre’s print and track.

veyoung52
veyoung52 on February 13, 2005 at 2:01 pm

i meant to say late December 58 or early Jan 59. probably in Dec.

veyoung52
veyoung52 on February 13, 2005 at 1:47 pm

yes, the day after it left the Chinese, it moved over to the New Fox. Can get the dates for you if want. But it was probably in January'59 (or very late ‘57). Your questions are my questions. From what I learned, “WJ” ran until the Christmas booking of “Auntie Mame.” Without going thru all my notes, it ran at the NF for at least 2 or 3 months. Didnt do well. Any comments, pls?

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on February 13, 2005 at 1:43 pm

Did the ‘Cinemiracle’ “Windjammer” ever play the New Fox (Music Box)? I thought it just played an exclusive 36 week run at Graumann’s Chinese Theater. Would the 900 seat New Fox be large enough, or even have a proscenium opening wide enough for the Cinemiracle screen?

veyoung52
veyoung52 on February 13, 2005 at 1:23 pm

can anybody inform us how the presentation of “Windjammer” in 1958 in its moveover after the run at the Henry Fonda (then called the New Fox) was done? True 3-panel? Curved screen? curtains? 7 channel or 1-channel mixdown.

Bway
Bway on February 13, 2005 at 12:07 pm

The theater looked to be in half way decent shape when I went by last week, although I don’t think it looked anything like the photo above anymore. There where advertisements on the marquee for future events in February in old “movie title” letters.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on January 21, 2005 at 7:23 pm

Actually, that opening was February 1st, 1945. ((Can’t read my own scribbling.)