Ricardo Montalban Theater
1615 North Vine Street,
Hollywood,
Los Angeles,
CA
92262
1615 North Vine Street,
Hollywood,
Los Angeles,
CA
92262
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 76 - 94 of 94 comments found
Christian:
I think that the Music Box had become the Pix Theatre by the 1950s, and was showing movies. I think it most likely that the last two seasons of the Lux program were broadcast from the KNX studios on Sunset Boulevard.
I have a vague memory of some mention of a CBS Playhouse being located in the Sunset Boulevard facility. It was somewhere in the History of KNX section of the station’s web site. I think it was a caption to one of the pictures there (reached by a small link near the top of that page.) There is also one good photograph of the Vine Street Theater there, and another which I think is of the Music Box, but the captions of both refer to them as the CBS Playhouse.
I attended many live productions at the Huuntington Hartford in the 1960’s. That theatre was known for its great acousitcs. There was also a great sense of “connection” between the actors on the stage and the audience. Even though it had 1200 seats, it was very intimate. There was not a “bad seat” in the house. I would love to find a complete list of the productions that played at the Hartford in the 50’s and 60’s Any suggestions on how to do that will be greatly appreciated.
Paul LA,CA
I have recordings of old LUX radio shows recorded at the “Music Box” from 1935 until this theater began broadcasting from l938. There is a broadcast from 1940 of “Dark Victory” with Warner Brothers star Bette Davis and co-star Spencer Tracy from MGM. In radio, the stars from different studios could do radio plays together, apparently… so the performance is first rate. Does anyone know where the last Lux Radio Broadcasts were made in 1954 and 1955, recorded? This was 2 years after Huntington Hartford took over the theater and wonder if they were still made here, or perhaps moved back to the Music Box or Vine Street theater?
This theater has it’s own beautifully designed website at…
http://www.ricardomontalbantheatre.org
Christian;
Thanks for your kind remarks. It’s difficult doing research from so far away (as I am in the UK), but I try my best when I am over in the USA to locate as much info as I can on theatres. I think I have exhausted my knowledge on the Ricardo Montalban for the moment though.
I remember Lux soap over here in the UK in the 1950’s, in fact I think it could still be on sale in a few outlets. Of course we had the BBC which doesn’t allow sponsership of its programmes, well it didn’t back in the ‘old days’.
I too just bought Rosemary Lord’s book for the older photo’s, being a ‘coffee-table’ type book, its not the type you pick up and actually ‘read’ is it!
Glad we finally got the Helen Hayes play title right! As they say ‘A picture never lies’. Great photo. Thanks
KenRoe, found out that the play Helen Hayes was in for the 1954 re-opening was not “What Women Want” (as I thought) or “What Every Woman Wants” (what you thought), but rather “What Every Woman KNOWS” … I found a photo of the front of the theater on opening night … (isn’t this fun?) …
The caption on the photo is “ Opening night—celebrities and first nighters are shown arriving at the new million dollar theater, the Huntington Hartford Theater, for its premiere performance. The theater, located in Hollywood, is the first legitimate theater to open in America in 27 years. Movie fans standing in bleachers cheer as screen stars enter the lobby of the theater. Photo dated: October 2, 1954.”
Here is the photo: http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics34/00036905.jpg
KenRoe, your information is invaluable. Thanks so much for the update. When you research on the internet, sometimes you get conflicting information and gaps that you almost have to guess at. I appreciate the clarifications! I also found out that the Lux Radio program was called that because “Lux Soap” was the sponsor. By the way, I have Rosemary Lord’s book, but bought it only for the older photos. Some of her information is inaccurate however and I think the modern photos do not match up to the historic ones from angle or time of day.
I was also unaware this theater ever presented movies. As the Huntington Hartford, I saw Henry Fonda perform is one man show “Clarence Darrow” here. I still have the program.
The Huntington Hartford Theatre always looked to be a fairly drab building to my eyes, and it always seemed to be ‘closed’ whenever I visited LA, so I never went into it. Maybe I will have more luck on my next visit in a couple of weeks time! Last time I was there it was shrouded in scaffolding during its recent renovation.
I have just posted a fairly comprehensive history up on the Music Box Theatre page /theaters/493/
Thanks, Ken. I went to a few movies at the Music Box in the 1960s, when it was called the Pix Theatre. Then, I had no idea that it had had such a long and varied career.
I also remember passing by the Huntington Hartford, and having no idea what was under that modern facade. Until recently, I was under the impression that it had actually been built from the ground up by Hartford in the 1950s.
Joe;
I have notes that the Music Box Theatre became a radio studio theatre in 1936, the same year as the Mirror Theatre became the Studio Theatre.
It could be that ‘The Lux Radio Theatre’ was broadcast initially from the Music Box, then transfered over the CBS Playhouse in 1938.
The Music Box could have become ‘dark’ when this happened.
I have notes on stars such as Mae West, Al Jolson, Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper and Jean Harlow all gracing the stage at the Music Box Theater when ‘The Lux Radio Theatre’ was being broadcast.
The Music Box Theatre returned to legitimate stage use briefly in the early 1940’s when a production of “Life With Father” had an extensive run in 1942. Possibly ‘dark’ again until it then went over to full time movies as the Guild Theater from February 1945 when Fox West Coast Theatres took control.
Ken:
Do you happen to know the years during which the Lux Radio Theater was broadcast from the old Music Box (now Henry Fonda) Theater on Hollywood Boulevard? I know that the show started in New York City, then moved to Hollywood, where it was broadcast both from the CBS Playhouse and the Music Box, but I don’t know which theater was used first, or for how long each was used.
These are the offical names that the theater has had over the years;
Wilkes' Vine St Theatre
Vine St Theatre
Mirror Theater
Studio Theatre
CBS Radio Playhouse
Huntington Hartford Theatre
James A. Doolittle Theatre
Ricardo Montalban Theatre
The new neon lit marquee and vertical sign that S.CHarles Lee designed in 1936 for the Studio Theatre only lasted a couple of years, as in 1938 a new slim plain marquee was errected when the name changed to the CBS Radio Playhouse (Pictured in the book ‘Hollywood Then & Now’ by Rosemary Lord PRC Publishing 2003 on page 120).
Just to point out you have a couple of the former names mixed up. It was never called Lux Radio Playhouse (‘The Lux Radio Theatre’ was the name of a show broadcast from the theatre which had Cecil B DeMille hosting and featured stars such as Gloria Swanson and George Raft)
For CBS Radio Theatre-this should read CBS Radio Playhouse.
In its early years, actor Edward Everett Horton starred in many productions at the theatre between March 1928 and January 1929.
I believe that in recent years it was leased to the Nederlander Theatres Org?
The Ricardo Montalban Theatre showed movies again in November 2004 when for 3 days the 1st Annual Nosotros American Latino Film Festival was held. Is the theatre fully equipped with projectors, screen and sound system now, or was this a temporary insallation?
I understand the architect Myron Hunt also designed some other significant buildings. Pasadena’s Huntington Hotel, Public Library, Rose Bowl, the Huntington Library and Art Gallery in San Marino and Occidental College and the Ambassador Hotel Theater in Los Angeles.
KenRoe… THANKS for the additional information. Also for the correction on the Helen Hayes play of 1954. Also did not know about the names “Mirror Theater” and “Studio Theater” during the 30s. Great information and it’s appreciated.
I attended that play, but was only 4 years old at the time! I lived only 2 blocks from this theater on Vista Del Mar at the time, so we walked over to the playhouse. We often ate at the Brown Derby in the coffee shop across the street.
Also want to add that Huntington Hartford, who took over the theater in 1954 was the heir of the A & P Supermarket Chain and he spent a lot of his fortune on this and other entertainment ventures. He was not fond of the grocery business himself.
I am currently doing historic research for this theater for Nosotros, the new owners of the theater, who want to do some kind of historic display, and would apprecite any other information on this
beautiful venue.
I have run across mentions of S. Charles Lee having remodeled a “Studio Theater” on Vine Street in 1936, but thought they were mistaken, because there was a Studio Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. This clears up the mystery.
Just to add a few more pieces of the historical time line of this theatre to the above notes;
Wilkes' Vine Street Theatre opened on 19th January 1927.
It became a full time movie theater from 15th March 1931 and was re-named the Mirror Theater. This lasted until 1936 when CBS Radio took over and it became known as the Studio Theater. It was at this time that architect S. Charles Lee added a dazzling neon lit marquee and vertical sign on the front of the building and a new air conditioning plant was installed.
It re-opened as a legitimate playhouse again in September 1954 and was re-named the Huntington Hartford Theater, when Helen Hayes starred in “What Every Woman Wants”.
I wasn’t aware this theatre ever played motion pictures. I thought, since its inception it was a legit playhouse.