Theaters worth seeing movies in: Grauman’s Chinese, El Capitan, Cinerama Dome, all in Hollywood. Fox Village in Westwood. The Vista in Los Feliz, a nice Egyptian-styled neighborhood theater with great presentation.
Despite what William said, Last Remaining Seats is gearing up for another great run in the downtown theaters, but it’ll be over before you get here. The Los Angeles Conservancy offers several walking tours; their Broadway Theater tour will probably get you into a few of the palaces downtown for a peek.
While you’re downtown, you might want to visit the Bradbury Building (Broadway & 4th), immortalized in Blade Runner and countless other movies, or eat at Clifton’s Cafeteria (Broadway & 7th), the inside of which looks like a redwood forest, or maybe indulge in a French Dip sandwich at Philippe’s, a sawdust-on-the-floor kind of joint (that’s near Union Station).
Hollywood Heritage maintains a museum in the Lasky-DeMille barn (1895) at 2100 North Highland Avenue. They also offer a walking tour of Hollywood, and occasional screenings. Check for hours, etc.
Drama mentioned the old Max Factor makeup building, which is now a Hollywood museum. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who has been inside. As for Mel’s, well… maybe if you’re a fan of American Graffiti. But why eat there when you can eat/drink at Musso & Frank (6667 Hollywood Blvd), since 1919, a real piece of history. Also in Hollywood: Boardner’s (a bar), Miceli’s (Italian restaurant), or the Pig & Whistle (restaurant) — all “old Hollywood,” if you know what I mean.
As well as Hollywood Forever Cemetery, you might want to track down the hard-to-find Pierce Bros. Mortuary in Westwood and pay your respects to Marilyn Monroe and others.
Sorry, Shilo, William is correct. The retail surrounding the theater was torn down; the theater remains. CVS is planning on opening a drug store in there.
At this point I think it’s a figment of his imagination. I tried Googling some names along with “chinese theater,” and in each case, the first image was either of a ceremony or the actual block in place, which makes sense when you consider the sheer numbers of tourists snapping away in there. The fact that no such image appears when searching on Jackie Coogan is significant.
Wikipedia has the Walk of Fame address as 1654 Vine. Recently I went looking for a number of stars to photograph only to find that the building numbers have changed. That might be the case here…
I’ve heard various things about prints being removed, while other people claim that everything is there and accounted for. If the ceremony happened, there should be news accounts and photos. Absent those, I’d say it never happened.
The reporter mentioned might have been thinking of Coogan’s star on the Walk of Fame (on the east side of the 1700 block of Vine Street).
The “official” websites with maps of the forecourt and keys of the stars' names don’t list Coogan at all.
From Wikipedia: “Jackie Coogan has his hand and foot prints in concrete out front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater (now Mann’s Chinese Theater), Ceremony #19, on December 12, 1931.” If you Google “jackie coogan grauman’s chinese,” you will find this info repeated on numerous websites.
However, I can’t find an image of his signature and prints. What does come up is Jackie COOPER’s sig. Interestingly enough, it is dated 12/12/31 — the date Coogan’s ceremony was supposedly held. So it seems one person mistook Cooper for Coogan, and now that info has spread across the net like a bad rash.
As for them being covered up, the free-standing ticket booth was removed in the last renovation, so anything covered should be visible now.
Did Coogan actually claim to have his sig/prints there? Does the book have a photo of the ceremony?
Did AMC lie about closing the Broadway to gain an advantage in the bidding process? Stay tuned.
And Scott: Regency Theatres' deal with the owner of the Fairfax involved them assuming more responsibility for building upkeep for a lower overall rent. And it’s not that the landlord wants AMC to stay, it’s that he wants to continue doing business as a theater — something that will be denied him if the city refuses to renew his CUP.
The original exit doors in the alley were flush with the wall, but in the remodel they pushed them inward, creating a couple of closet-sized alcoves. I’ve previously reported that those spaces are collecting wind-blown garbage. Now the final indignity: people are starting to use them as restrooms. Thank you, owner of the NuWilshire, for your contribution to this community!
Brad — I don’t think they’ll keep the AMC7, since the whole rationale for this is that it can’t compete with “modern” multiplexes. And in the article, they address parking: the city is demoing the old bank at 5th and Arizona with the idea of putting a parking structure there. No idea what’s going to happen to the Criterion.
Chris — yes, this is what I thought. It originally sounded like they were going to expand the 7 somehow.
Scott — do you want to run for city counsel? We need you!
There’s an article in the Santa Monica Daily Press today about AMC’s plans:
“If all goes according to plan, in roughly three years Oscar winners will be lined up along a red carpet on Fourth Street
for a premiere of the next box office block-buster.”
This has me a bit confused. The article talks about the theater being built in the space that Parking Structure 3 presently occupies on Fourth St. I thought they were going to demo the AMC7 and build in its footprint. This development would be more or less behind the present location of the Criterion, and off the Promenade.
They talk about plans to build a facility where premieres will be held. Do the studios rent screens at multiplexes for premieres?
Also, there’s mention that City Hall wants to keep the number of theater seats roughly the same, “out of fear of drawing more traffic to the area,” but everything else they do seems designed to draw more traffic to the area.
This has been the problem all along. The city and AMC may want the Broadway closed, but they don’t own the building. It’s good to hear that the owner is fighting them, however. What it seems like to me is that the city is working with AMC to reduce competition. So much for our free market economy.
The Majestic Crest is joining the lineup for LAHTF’s next All About on April 17th, 2010. Tour three great Westwood theaters for free. Stay tuned for details.
The auditorium has been called the Max Palevsky auditorium for a couple of years now. What, did he leave them another pile of money?
Theaters worth seeing movies in: Grauman’s Chinese, El Capitan, Cinerama Dome, all in Hollywood. Fox Village in Westwood. The Vista in Los Feliz, a nice Egyptian-styled neighborhood theater with great presentation.
Despite what William said, Last Remaining Seats is gearing up for another great run in the downtown theaters, but it’ll be over before you get here. The Los Angeles Conservancy offers several walking tours; their Broadway Theater tour will probably get you into a few of the palaces downtown for a peek.
www.laconservancy.org click on “walking tours”
While you’re downtown, you might want to visit the Bradbury Building (Broadway & 4th), immortalized in Blade Runner and countless other movies, or eat at Clifton’s Cafeteria (Broadway & 7th), the inside of which looks like a redwood forest, or maybe indulge in a French Dip sandwich at Philippe’s, a sawdust-on-the-floor kind of joint (that’s near Union Station).
Hollywood Heritage maintains a museum in the Lasky-DeMille barn (1895) at 2100 North Highland Avenue. They also offer a walking tour of Hollywood, and occasional screenings. Check for hours, etc.
www.hollywoodheritage.org
Drama mentioned the old Max Factor makeup building, which is now a Hollywood museum. Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who has been inside. As for Mel’s, well… maybe if you’re a fan of American Graffiti. But why eat there when you can eat/drink at Musso & Frank (6667 Hollywood Blvd), since 1919, a real piece of history. Also in Hollywood: Boardner’s (a bar), Miceli’s (Italian restaurant), or the Pig & Whistle (restaurant) — all “old Hollywood,” if you know what I mean.
As well as Hollywood Forever Cemetery, you might want to track down the hard-to-find Pierce Bros. Mortuary in Westwood and pay your respects to Marilyn Monroe and others.
You need more info, shoot me a message.
Sorry, Shilo, William is correct. The retail surrounding the theater was torn down; the theater remains. CVS is planning on opening a drug store in there.
“From what I’ve seen, many aren’t happy about space in old theaters being subdivided—it seems to be an itchy topic.”
If the changes are reversible, that seems to go a long way in soothing people.
“Allegedly, the building owner is intentionally not repairing the theatre so he can shuffle it off to the highest bidder. Anyone care to clarify?”
Chris, he’s not repairing the building so he can replace it with condos/retail.
At this point I think it’s a figment of his imagination. I tried Googling some names along with “chinese theater,” and in each case, the first image was either of a ceremony or the actual block in place, which makes sense when you consider the sheer numbers of tourists snapping away in there. The fact that no such image appears when searching on Jackie Coogan is significant.
Wikipedia has the Walk of Fame address as 1654 Vine. Recently I went looking for a number of stars to photograph only to find that the building numbers have changed. That might be the case here…
I’ve heard various things about prints being removed, while other people claim that everything is there and accounted for. If the ceremony happened, there should be news accounts and photos. Absent those, I’d say it never happened.
The reporter mentioned might have been thinking of Coogan’s star on the Walk of Fame (on the east side of the 1700 block of Vine Street).
The “official” websites with maps of the forecourt and keys of the stars' names don’t list Coogan at all.
From Wikipedia: “Jackie Coogan has his hand and foot prints in concrete out front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater (now Mann’s Chinese Theater), Ceremony #19, on December 12, 1931.” If you Google “jackie coogan grauman’s chinese,” you will find this info repeated on numerous websites.
However, I can’t find an image of his signature and prints. What does come up is Jackie COOPER’s sig. Interestingly enough, it is dated 12/12/31 — the date Coogan’s ceremony was supposedly held. So it seems one person mistook Cooper for Coogan, and now that info has spread across the net like a bad rash.
As for them being covered up, the free-standing ticket booth was removed in the last renovation, so anything covered should be visible now.
Did Coogan actually claim to have his sig/prints there? Does the book have a photo of the ceremony?
SiliconSam: the building was being demoed when activists stopped them; that’s why it looks the way it does.
Penway: the Esther Williams on the marquee was left over from when they shot The Mambo Kings next door at the Tower.
Ken: that’s one marquee that I’d love to see repaired and lit up again!
If people can’t park to see a movie, how can they park to shop?
Editorial on page 4:
http://www.smdp.com/pdf/041910.pdf
Is AMC playing fair to get the rights to build a new theater?
Editorial on page 4:
http://www.smdp.com/pdf/041910.pdf
Did AMC lie about closing the Broadway to gain an advantage in the bidding process? Stay tuned.
And Scott: Regency Theatres' deal with the owner of the Fairfax involved them assuming more responsibility for building upkeep for a lower overall rent. And it’s not that the landlord wants AMC to stay, it’s that he wants to continue doing business as a theater — something that will be denied him if the city refuses to renew his CUP.
The original exit doors in the alley were flush with the wall, but in the remodel they pushed them inward, creating a couple of closet-sized alcoves. I’ve previously reported that those spaces are collecting wind-blown garbage. Now the final indignity: people are starting to use them as restrooms. Thank you, owner of the NuWilshire, for your contribution to this community!
Brad — I don’t think they’ll keep the AMC7, since the whole rationale for this is that it can’t compete with “modern” multiplexes. And in the article, they address parking: the city is demoing the old bank at 5th and Arizona with the idea of putting a parking structure there. No idea what’s going to happen to the Criterion.
Chris — yes, this is what I thought. It originally sounded like they were going to expand the 7 somehow.
Scott — do you want to run for city counsel? We need you!
There’s an article in the Santa Monica Daily Press today about AMC’s plans:
“If all goes according to plan, in roughly three years Oscar winners will be lined up along a red carpet on Fourth Street
for a premiere of the next box office block-buster.”
This has me a bit confused. The article talks about the theater being built in the space that Parking Structure 3 presently occupies on Fourth St. I thought they were going to demo the AMC7 and build in its footprint. This development would be more or less behind the present location of the Criterion, and off the Promenade.
They talk about plans to build a facility where premieres will be held. Do the studios rent screens at multiplexes for premieres?
Also, there’s mention that City Hall wants to keep the number of theater seats roughly the same, “out of fear of drawing more traffic to the area,” but everything else they do seems designed to draw more traffic to the area.
http://www.smdp.com/pdf/041410.pdf
DB, the Crest in Fresno, the Crest in Sacramento and the Fox Inglewood are more or less triplets.
The Insiders Peek video for these three theaters is up on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veX5sfunsw4
Again, see my post from Sept 11…
This has been the problem all along. The city and AMC may want the Broadway closed, but they don’t own the building. It’s good to hear that the owner is fighting them, however. What it seems like to me is that the city is working with AMC to reduce competition. So much for our free market economy.
Please explain how Disney is responsible for something that, from the link, appears to have happened in Michigan/Ohio? Plus that page is 5 years old!
That’s nice, Ken. I’ve seen the tower lit up, but not the marquee. Very colorful.
The Majestic Crest is joining the lineup for LAHTF’s next All About on April 17th, 2010. Tour three great Westwood theaters for free. Stay tuned for details.
LAHTF’s next “All About” will be a celebration of Regency Theatres taking over the Village and Bruin theaters. April 17, 9 a.m. Details to follow.
LAHTF’s next “All About” will be a celebration of Regency Theatres taking over the Village and Bruin theaters. April 17, 9 a.m. Details to follow.
There used to be a colorful mural over the marquee. Too bad. It looks kind of plain now.