Fonda Theatre

Opened as the Carter DeHaven Music Box Theatre on October 18, 1926 with the revue “Carter De Haven’s Fancies” featuring a cast of 90 which included 30 specialities. The theatre also had a rooftop theatre, which during Prohibition soon became a ‘speakeasy’. This theatre went through several owners and corresponding name changes. It became a radio studio theatre in 1936, then returned to legitimate theatre use as the Music Box Theatre in the early-1940’s.

On November 26, 1944 it was renamed Pix Theatre and went over to screening movies. It was renamed Guild Theatre on February 1, 1945. On May 25, 1954 it was re-named the New Fox Theatre (not to be confused with the Fox Theatre at Hollywood Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue, which was the old Iris Theatre). On September 30, 1959 it was renamed Pix Hollywood Theatre. The Pix Hollywood Theatre had a really nice neon marquee and it was renamed Pix Theatre on November 19, 1969. The Pix Theatre was the movie house that premiered “Jaws” on Hollywood Boulevard in 1975. A year later they showed “Rocky”. Not a very large theatre but it showed many blockbuster’s in the 1970’s before becoming a Spanish language theatre on June 4, 1979. It then become a live venue named the Henry Fonda Theatre.

In recent years it has come under new independent management (leased from the Nederlander Organisation) and presents concerts, live performances and special events and was known as the Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre.

In 2007, a restoration was begun to bring it back to its 1926 appearance, and it was renamed The Music Box @ Fonda. In 2010, it reverted back to its original Music Box Theatre name. It was closed suddenly in early-January 2012, but by April 2014 has since re-opened as the Fonda Theatre.

Recent comments (view all 94 comments)

DavidZornig on November 25, 2015 at 12:33 am

Jeff Lynne’s ELO, 11/23/15 photo added, photo credit Matthew Schulz.

moviebear1 on July 26, 2017 at 5:37 am

I am still amazed that it was called the FOX for 2 years before becoming the PIX and yet there are no photos of the marquee from it’s FOX years. Anyone out there have some pictues?

DavidZornig on June 9, 2019 at 4:18 pm

1978 Firestone Super Stones print ad added, tied into “Grease” at the Pix Theatre.

rivest266 on September 29, 2019 at 5:25 pm

Reopened as Pix on November 26th, 1944.

rivest266 on October 19, 2019 at 8:23 pm

and opened again as Guild on February 1st, 1945. Another ad posted.

rivest266 on October 21, 2019 at 9:47 pm

Opened as Music Box on October 20th, 1926. LA Times article from the 17th:

Music Box theatre opening Sun, Oct 17, 1926 – 67 · The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) · Newspapers.com

rivest266 on October 21, 2019 at 10:03 pm

Also uploaded the May 25th, 1954 grand opening ad as New Fox and the September 30th, 1959 grand opening ad as the Pix.

rivest266 on October 29, 2019 at 9:50 pm

The Pix held a reopening on November 19th, 1969 with a street parade from the Cinerama Dome with 200 skydivers diving from a plane at 5500 feet up. Another ad posted.

DavidZornig on August 4, 2020 at 8:34 pm

January 1983 Flickr image.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/terryviews/4673549811/in/photostream/

rivest266 on March 15, 2021 at 4:58 pm

Started its Spanish-language policy on June 4th, 1979. Grand opening ad posted.