Hawaii Theatre
5941 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
5941 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
20 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 59 comments
I couldn’t figure out if those were people or statues, or if it was a permanent display, or just a promotion for the movies. Convoy was about the British Navy, so maybe they’re supposed to be sailors.
The films did not win any awards. The copy on the marquee boasts “2 Academy Winners together” , It’s Ginger Rogers and James Stewart. They both win Best Acting awards the year before for “Kitty Foyle” and “The Philadelphia Story”.
Convoy with Clive Brook was released in the United States on January 3, 1941, but had been released on September 28, 1940 in the United Kingdom. Though the theatre’s marquee boasts that both features are Academy Award Winners, I can’t find anything on the Internet about which awards either film won.
If Convoy won an Oscar as a 1940 release, then the earliest possible date on this photo would be February 28, 1941. If it won as a 1941 release, then the earliest possible date for the photo would be February 27, 1942.
In any case, these movies seem an odd pairing, award winners or not. I wonder if the Hawaii was having trouble getting bookings at the time? And what’s the deal with the bagpipers and other folk perched atop the marquee?
Here is a 1940 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/3xl6yq
You may have heard of this film that was advertised in the January 1942 LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/2o3pma
This is from the Times, dated 5/5/40:
Hawaii Theater to Open Tomorrow in Film City
Structure Introduces Numerous Unique Innovations in Design and Construction CINEMA STRUCTURE OF UNIQUE CHARM READY HAWAII THEATER TO OPEN TOMORROW IN FILM CITY
Ready for its formal dedication tomorrow night is Hollywood’s new $250,000 Hawaii Theater, unique in architectural design and structural innovations.
The LA Times noted this on July 28, 1963:
It had a mixed history in its 23 years. And last week it closed its doors as a movie house. The Salvation Army had taken over the property at 5941 Hollywood Blvd. and the Hawaii Theater ceased to be.
I think this is the theater with the jeep in front, but can’t be sure. I drove by here the other week, and am a bit mixed up with some of the ones I have seen. Anyone have a current photo of it?
I see. I didn’t realize the two theaters (Hawaii, X1 & X2) were so close together. Thanks, William. From the outside they don’t look that different!
If you look over at X 1 & 2 for info on the Hawaiian Gardens Theatre.
/theaters/8436/
This theatre has been the Salvation Army’s Hollywood location for a long time. See I remember Eric doing the shows at the former X-Theatres during the 90’s. The former X-Theatre was just sitting there closed at the time Eric did those shows and was a real dump from being used as a adult theatre.
This was the same theater that briefly became the “Hawaiian Gardens” theater in the early 90s for a few months, right? Does anyone else recall this “grindhouse” setup that Eric Caiden of Hollywood book and poster fame and Johnny Legend did? I think I still have flyers for these shows (which they now do once a month at the New Beverly theater on Beverly near La Brea)…If it’s the same one, then, man, I have memories of it being a total dump…at least by the early ‘90s. Can anyone confirm?
The one and only Steven McQueen in …
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Thanks Robert that’s great. Nice one
Check this out
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Hi, my name’s Tim and I’m doing a PhD in 1940s horror films and horror spectatorship. I know the Hawaii was the place that most of the horror films previewed in the 40s (including a record 13 week holdover for Val Lewton’s Cat People in 1943, with RKO using the Hawaii box-office converted into a giant cat’s head in a number of ads) and I’m particularly interested in the crowd composition for these horror shows during the war. I see above that ‘letsgotothemovies’ was in attendance for the Mummy’s Tomb in 42, it would be great to get more info or if anyone else has any more anecdotal info, articles or leads on archives I would be really, really grateful to hear from you either through this or my email: .uk I have a little stuff from LA Times but i’m in the UK so it is difficult at the mo for me to get over to look at archives etc, hopefully next year.
Re: the LA Library photo. They called them “Safety Zones!"
Diana Ellis
………..THIS SHOULD BE RE-BUILT!
Does anyone know how the animation was created on either side of this theater? As a boy, I remember a waterfall on the left side of the screen and a volcano on the right side were animated before and between features. My guess is there were projectors over the paintings. I remember being fascinated by them as I enjoyed my Charms lime flavor giant lollypops and Necco Wafers.
A family story says my uncle Jack Quinn was the contractor who built the Hawaii. I saw “Conquest of Space” there in 1954 and I remember the seats rocked back, which I syncronized to the rocketship taking off, of course.
Here a few more photos of the interior from the LA Library:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014688.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014690.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014691.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014689.jpg
From the LA Library:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics29/00049371.jpg
An expanded shot of the above photo:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014692.jpg
This theatre is located next to the Florentine Gardens on Hollywood Blvd.
Is this the theatre on Hollywood Blvd that has an army jeep parked just outside the entrance, about where the ticket booth would be? I used to live in West Hollywood and would pass it often wondering what the jeep was for.