Olympic Theatre
313 W. 8th Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
90014
313 W. 8th Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
90014
14 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 60 comments
As I indicated in my comment of October 8, 2006, in the 1940’s the Olympic operated as a “request” theatre' which meant that the programming of the theatre was determined by requests from patrons. As I recall from a personal visit, there was a desk in the lobby with a book in which one could enter suggestions for movies to be shown.
“Olympic Request Theatre” needs to be added to the list of previous names. Very odd name, I know, but I posted a couple picture of some old programs from this theatre when it had that name for reference. By the way, does anyone know the story of how it got that particular name?
Here is 11 minutes of nighttime process footage from 1946 shot for the Rita Hayworth film “Down to Earth,” which shows the Olympic, the RKO Hill Street and several other theaters.
View Link
Wow, love the recent photos, with the old facade exposed!
Here is a photo from 2007 before they painted it black
View link
Oh. They uncovered the old façade.
Here is a May 2010 night photograph I took of the Olympic: View link
Here is another 1983 night photo:
http://tinyurl.com/lweadp
Tower is the white building on the next block.
An older vertical blade can be seen on the left in this late 30s photo, as well as the Tower further down on Broadway:
http://tinyurl.com/djv75x
99 cent films at the Olympic in 1980:
http://tinyurl.com/d9q3qc
From the LAHTF’s email flyer:
Contact: Hillsman Wright – 310 403-0865
For immediate release â€" 4/7/09
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation www.lahtf.org
Invites You & Your Friends to Attend
All About the Tower/Rialto/Olympic (Bardâ€\s 8th St.)
Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am â€" Doors open at 10:00 am
Tower Theatre * 802 S. Broadway * Downtown Los Angeles
Special thanks to the Delijani family
FREE ADMISSION
The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation (LAHTF) takes its popular All About… series to three theatres near the intersection of Broadway and 8th Street, the Tower (1927), Rialto (1917), and Olympic (Bardâ€\s Eighth Street Theatre, 1927) on Saturday, April 18, 10:30 am. The public is invited to attend.
Show & Tell
Theatre historian Ed Kelsey will present a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on the storied past of these three very different theatres and relate fascinating tales about the out-sized impresarios â€" Gumbiner, Quinn, Bard, Grauman, Corwin â€" who built and operated them.
Tours
Tours will explore the far reaches of the theatresâ€\ public areas, support spaces, and stages to provide attendees with an insiderâ€\s, behind-the-scenes look at three of Broadwayâ€\s smaller theatres.
Engage
LAHTF volunteers will explain how you can get hands-on experience saving, restoring and programming great theatres in Los Angeles by becoming actively involved with the LAHTF. There will be announcements of a series of exciting events coming to historic theatres on Broadway soon.
Make it a day Downtown.
Join us at Cliftonâ€\s Cafeteria immediately following the event to continue the discussion.
Shop for bargains in the nearby Garment District, Broadwayâ€\s shops and Grand Central Market.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: Save the Dates: May 16, June 13 & 20.
Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern Californiaâ€\s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights? Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation’s “All About” series gives the public an insider’s look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories – good and bad – as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures.
The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring and supporting the operation of Southern Californiaâ€\s historic theatres. For more information visit www.lahtf.org
Here’s the Super Bowl ad showing the Olympic marquee:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMmYHGy3Czs
And here’s the updated USC photo links:
View link
View link
Theater for rent loopnet!
I saw them working on the place on Saturday. Did you go inside? I wonder if there is anything left of the ceiling.
Here are some July 2007 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/ytxa9l
http://tinyurl.com/2gbdhb
http://tinyurl.com/2cc3zn
Some kind of renovation is going on inside. The construction guys wouldn’t let me in to take pictures.
Thanks Tillmany, I just watched that Boston Blackie movie and took a picture of the tv when they showed the Olympic Theater. It’s not very clear, but here it is:
View link
You get a nice night shot of the Olympic, its neon, and its 15 cents admission sign about fifteen minutes into Boston Blackie’s Rendezvous (1945), recently shown on Turner Classic Movies.
Very prominent is an understatement. Wasn’t the guy in the commercial standing on the marquee?
Yes, for King Pharmaceuticals… VERY PROMINENT.
Was that just in a Superbowl commericial for something?
Also in that picture you can see the RKO Hill Street vertical in the background.
I just noticed that in the photo posted by vokoban on Dec. 13, 2005, close examination reveals a vertical sign next to the “Olympic” sign which says “Request.” This confirms my recollection of Oct. 8, 2006.
Here are some scenes from “Fight Club” showing the Olympic:
http://tinyurl.com/yk67dh