World Theatre

The World theatre was located on Hollywood Blvd. just east of Gower Street. The World closed around 1983-84. During it's later years the World was a 2.00 house (3 films for 2.00 dollars). This was the last stop on Hollywood Blvd. for film. (If the film started at the Chinese it would end up at the World theatre). The World had been remodeled over the years, it's hard to say what it looked like inside. Pacific theatres was the last theatre chain to operate this theatre. The theatre has been gutted and was being used as a training rink for Roller Derby. On the same side of the street, near the World was the Hawaii theatre that had a water fall on both sides of the screen. The Hawaii is now used by the Salvation Army. The theatre next to the World was an adult theatre with a large X sign (closed). Going west near Gower is the Henry Fonda Theatre or the old PIX theatre.

Is this the same theatre that's now boarded up, directly to the left of The Florentine Gardens club?

The one just left of the Florentine Gardens is what was called the X Theatre (it had a large red X sign above the theatre). The World theatre is the next building 6021 Hollywood Blvd.. The building to the right of the Florentine Gardens was the Hawaii Theatre (Salv. Army).

When the World Theatre opened in the early 30's it was called the Marcal Theatre. The Marcal Theatre was operated by Fox West Coast Theatres. It seated 964 when it opened, but that changed in the early 80's when Pacific Theatres reseated the house. Today the World Theatre no longer has a marquee.

Does anyone know who owns the World Theatre? I heard the World, if it was at one time the Hawaii had indoor waterfalls by the stage.

The film "Destination Murder" was filmed at the World Theatre
(when it was still the Marcal) in December 1949. As Stanley
Clements enters the theatre, the marquee is clearly visible.
They are playing "Corregidor" and "Flight Lieutenant,"
a double revival bill making the rounds of several Los Angeles area
theatres the first week of December to commemorate the anniversary
of Pearl Harbor. The films themselves have nothing to do with
"Destination Murder." Clements is just using his presence at the
theatre (with his girlfriend) to establish an alibi while he goes
out and kills a guy during intermission! There is also a scene inside the lobby, while he stops at the snack bar for popcorn.

What film? when? huh? Who is Stanley clements? When is this film screening on what Tv channel? is it on video? where did Tillmany see it? Who is Tillmany? Is this like a hallucination from KISS ME DEADLY or some Monogram noir, long forgotten except tanalisingly identified by the Tillmanys of the world? I like to think I know most crap films, but Destination Murder sounds very PRC to me....especally if ther World is showing CORREGIDOR. We had cinemas like these in Sydney Australia, except they were in every suburb.
Tillmany.......you have questions to answer........

I remember driving and seeing that theatre the "X". I dont see a listing for it on Cinema Classics. Can one of the West coast members do a listing and tell us about it?

The World Theatre is located at 6025 Hollywood Blvd., the Hawaii Theatre is located at 5941 Hollywood Blvd.. Hawaii Theatre had a waterfall near the screen. The Hawaii Theatre is now owned by the Salvation Army in Hollywood. The X-Theatre is located at 5959 Hollywood Blvd.. The X-Theatre is and was that just a twin X-Rated theatre. The only history it has is it would play the Hollywood runs of those films and the Mayan Theatre would play the Downtown Los Angeles area runs.
As for the World/Marcal Theatre has been gutted for use as a theatre.

Actually, at one time the twin theater with the X did show mainstream films. I remember seeing "The Music Lovers" and "Husbands" there in the #2 house. I do not remember what it's name was then or if they tried mainstream in one house and porn in the other. It has been boarded up for many years.

They may have tried mainstream films in one screen, but all I remember and the newspapers listed were porn for that location.
The owner of Hollywood Book and Poster used it a few times in the 90's for special showings of Sci-Fi/Horror movies.

But it was nothing like sitting at the World Theatre on a Saturday afternoon and watching a triple feature for around $1.50.

Eric Caiden of Hollywood Book and Poster as well as Jack Hill sponsored some fun shows but I missed them.

This is the first theater I went to. It was the Marcal then, about 1937. I remerber they had a closed room up stairs for quick smoke closed in with glass window to see the movie. Saw alot movies there
and the rest of theaters on Hollywood Blvd up to 1950

With regards to the X 1 & 2 and the Mayan theaters--Carlos Tobarina(who produced soft X and later hardcore films)operated them in the 1970's. Exterior shots of the X 1 & 2 can be seen in the 1981 "documentary" about John Holmes called Exhausted. (This was filmed right before Holmes got involved in the Wonderland murders of 1981. Also, PT Anderson used this film as his inspiration for the 1997 film Boogie Nights.)

A belated answer to paulb re: Destination Murder. Look it up on
Internet Movie Database (imdb.com). It was made by RKO, and released
in 1950. Stanley Clements is the star. It's owned by Turner Classic
Movies and is occasionally shown on TCM, most recently in December 2003. Anything else?

PS And will be shown again on TCM 14 June 2004.

I've come across an interesting reference to the source of this theatre's original name. An article in the Los Angeles Examiner of February 17th, 1925, announced that Mark Hansen and Alice Calhoun had formed a partnership to finance a new theater on Hollywood Boulevard. The name of the new theater, the Marcal, was created from a combination of parts of their names.

This brings to a total of three the number of theatre names (that I know of) in the Los Angeles area which were created in this way. The Garmar Theatre in Montebello was named after the owner's sons, Gary and Mark, and the three Meralta Theatres, in Culver City, Los Angeles and Downey, were named by combining parts of the surnames of their original operators, the sisters Pearl Merrill and Laura Peralta.

I wonder how many other unusual theatre names were constructed in this way?

Well, back in the '60s these two chicks named Pussy and Cat got together and.....

Sorry, I couldn't resist!

Heh. I should have known! I think I might have dated one of them!

I visited this theater as a child. We lived at Gower and Selma, only a few blocks away so it was a short walk. I found a 1935 photo at the following link showing it as the "Mer-Cal."

http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014713.jpg

Great photo Christian. Again it is one I haven't seen before.

As Joe Vogal mentions above, the Marcal Theater opened in 1925, it had a seating capacity of 964.

It was operated by Fox Theatres for many years and in 1949 architect S.Charles Lee drew up plans to renovate the theatre, although it is not certain whether this happened.

In 1983 the LA Times did a review on the movie theatres of Los Angeles and here is what they said about the World Theatre, Hollywood;

'Well - Don't go alone and check your seat before sitting down. This is a good theatre for seeing action and horror films. The audience keeps up a continuous barrage of commentary. These people dont just watch a film, they participate'.

You got 3 movies for $2 admission, running continuously daily from 12 noon until 4am and audiences ranged from film buffs, male hustlers to homeless street people. It closed as a movie theatre in the Summer of 1986.

About the reference to the opening of the Marcal theater partnership - is that Alice Calhoun, the silent screen star of the 1920's? I'm writing a biography about her, and I had heard that she owned a group of theater chains.

Sue:

A search on "Calhoun" and "Alice" (one name in each of the first two search boxes) at the L.A. Public Library's California Index fetches 11 scanned index cards (I'm presuming that the actual items these cards reference are available at the library itself, probably the central library downtown) with references to her. According to one, she is indeed silent film star Alice Beatrice Calhoun (1904-1966), and another card refers to an article in the Hollywood Citizen of January 5th, 1927, announcing her marriage to M.C. Chotner, who I know was himself the owner of several theatres in the Los Angeles area. Many of them are listed here at Cinema Treasures, but I can't remember their names offhand.

M.C. Chotiner of Chotiner's Ravenna?
http://www.cinematreasures.org/theater/1036/

Yes. The card with the reference to the wedding apparently had a misspelling of the name. It is Chotiner, rather than Chotner. All the other cards with references to the Chotiner family at the site are spelled correctly.

I could be wrong, but isn't what was the World Theatre now a performance space called Q-Topia? I went to a rave-like event there, and the layout of the place looked like it could have been a big theatre at one time.

The address I found for Q-Topia is 6021 Hollywood Boulevard. I suppose the club might be using the address of a former storefront in the theater building, adjacent to the foyer, even if the patrons' entrance is in the old location. I can't remember what the place looked like when it was a theater, though, so I don't know if there were any storefronts in the building, or even if the building east of the theater was big enough to be a club. It does seem likely that the World is now the location of Q-Topia, though.

It's got to be the World. I went there on Halloween and the layout upstairs was like that of an old theatre. The entrance system has changed a bit - the auditorium is huge and the stage could well have been the old World stage.

I went and investigated the former World/Marcal Theatre this week. The original facade has been removed (or covered over) and is now cinder-blocked and plain. There was a side exit doorway open so I went a peeked inside what was the former auditorium. There is nothing remaining inside of original decorative detail from its theatre days. It has been gutted back to its exterior walls and roof beams and the floor has been leveled.

It is currently used as a disco/nightclub.

Did the World have a balcony? When the theatre was a twin, what was the split?

I don't think the World was ever twinned. You might be thinking of the X Theater next door.

Did the World Theatre or some other L.A. area movie theatre show a triple feature of the movies called "Bruce Lee Fights Back From The Grave", "Goodbye Bruce Lee, His Last Game of Death", and some other Bruce Lee rip-off movie at around 1981 or 1982? I think that I remember seeing the L.A. Times ad for this, but I can't remember the year that this was shown.

No the World did not have a balcony.

The World Theatre played a lot of triple features and the many of the theatres along Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles like the State.

I was a usher at the World Theatre and the Pacific in the early eighties.
Diana was the manager at the World and so was Dean. I still have my name
tag. When the World Theatre closed I found out who owned it and called him
and asked if I could have letters off the the Big World sign. I have the
Letters WORLD in my back yard. I even took my super eight camera and
shot movies of some of the emplyees.. It was a great time....
I used to fill up my flashlight cone with coke and drink it.....

I saw many a triple feature in this dirty semi-unsafe place. I lived in LA in 81, my friend MELVY was a cashier here, her mother CONNIE was the manager of the VOGUE. I got a job at the HOLLY with a good word from MELVY and SHELLY WILSON (Holly employee who was running Claigulia at this time) Miss them, HI, GIRLS, Ive never forgotten you !!! love always Brad,

Yes, I too worked at the World Theatre from 1980 - 1982. Many a fond memory of breaking up fights, managers stealing from the profits, young relationships with fellow employees...
My friends and I used to create super 8 martial arts movies and show them on the big screen after hours...with the managers. Great times. Dean was great. He loved our films. I remember Diana as well (they weren't the corrupt managers, by the way). Ah, yes...the World!

I worked at the World Theatre during 1982-1983, at different times as doorman, usher, snackbar worker or cashier. The manager at the time was Diana and the Assistant Managers I worked with were Renee and Lafayette. It was a crazy place, especially wild on Friday and Saturday nights. They had off-duty LAPD officers working on those nights to "keep the peace". On several occasions they had to Mace someone in the restroom, and the fumes would spread into the lobby affecting unlucky customers passing by.

I often replaced my official nametag with the names of musical performers or celebrities like David Bowie, Bruce Lee or Bob Marley. Customers at the door would often do a double take when they read my tag.

We would even get the occasional actor that would bring some friends along to see them in their latest film. Alan Hale Jr., "Skipper" from the "Gilligan's Island" came fairly regularily to Saturday morning matinees. I once let Pat Boone come in after we had closed so that he could buy a tub of popcorn.

I even married one of the snack bar girls!

Oh GOD!........seriously demented Americana...and you all wonder why the rest of the planet thinks you are all seriously dangerous. And George has his finger on the button to the bomb. God Help us all.

Paul, that's funny when your greatest claim to fame is Olivia Newton John and the Crocodile Hunter.

The World was closed when I moved to LA in September 1984. I read about the theater in a book called "The Best of LA", published by the LA Weekly, which had the quote referenced by Ken Roe. I was disappointed to find that I had missed out on the World experience.

From the Bruce Torrence Hollywood Photograph Collection:

http://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/detail.asp?im=%2D1&cat=43&offset=192&ID=4220

http://www.hollywoodphotographs.com/detail.asp?im=%2D1&cat=43&offset=192&ID=4219

I, too, worked at the World for a few weeks in 1967, if I remember correctly. I worked the snack bar. I also ushered at the Pantages, when they were showing Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I adored the World back then - went there all the time and saw great triple bills.

Photo of the World Theater as she sits today at:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k79/hollywood90038/hwdworldtheaterjan212007002.jpg

Isn't that pic of the X?

After the World closed, it became the X.

Yes, that is the former X-Theatre twin. The World (aka. Marcal) the building to the west of the X- Theatre. The World no longer has a marquee on it.

Sorry for the mistake. The marquee looks like the one I remember from The World.

hollywood90038 if you look at ken mc's post from Nov. 28th. 2005 6:17pm and enlarge the picture you will see shot from the west side of the building looking east at the World and a small building and then the X-Theatre.

I guess I will read the previous posts before I post anymore pictures. I went to soooo many movies at the World and don't remember any other theaters directly to the east.

Another on the same side of the street going east was the old Hawaii Theatre at 5941 Hollywood Blvd., which was converted into the Salvation Army's Hollywood location. (next to the Florentine Gardens)

Was the "Hawaii theater" William mentions the same as the "Hawaiian Gardens" theater also near the Florentine gardens, used in the early 90s by Eric Caiden and Johnny Legend of Hollywood Book and Poster fame? I used to go to the Hawaiian gardens for their weird triple bills and recall Johnny telling me that this had been an adult theater at one time.

Another view of Hollywood Blvd. looking west including the old X theater:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k79/hollywood90038/hwdhollyblvdXtheaterjan212007004.jpg

shatter, the Hawaiian Gardens Theatre was the old X-Theatre twin. The former Hawaii Theatre is on the east side of the Florentine Gardens club and the former Hawaiian Garden aka: X-Theatre twin is on the west side of the Florentine Gardens and the former World Theatre is west of the Hawaiian Gardens/X-Theatre twin. I remember those shows that Eric Caiden did there.

shatter, For more info on the Hawaiian Garden theatre go to the X 1 & 2.

http://cinematresures.org/theater/8436/

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/8436/

I photographed the former Marcal/World Theatre in January 2005, in use as the Q-topia nightclub.....not much to show it was a movie theatre now, either externally or internally:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/368437948/

Here's an aerial photo of the World, and another theater. The World is the building on the left without the marquee. I don't know what the one with the marquee is, it also looks to be in pretty bad shape. Anyone know what the one with the marquee is?


http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=pph8k1545yvz&style=o&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=6892258

The one with the marquee is the old X-Twin Theatre.

I used to go to the World Theatre so much back in the 70s, I still remember the phone recording...Thank you for calling Pacific's World Theatre, located at 6025 Hollywood Boulevard one block east of Gower. If you are calling for other than program information, please call 462-6461. We have the same low admission price from opening until closing...$1.00 for adults and $.50 for children under 12 (from 2 years up to 12 years). We also have a late show every night and there is convenient parking in the rear of the theatre. Our box office opens every day at 12:15. This week our three pictures are rated......

Here is an October 1953 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/yqadln

Oh boy, the World Theater. They would throw together the craziest triple features, a b-movie like Vice Squad together with something like Ordinary People. I remember seeing The Boogens at this venue. Audience participation was heavy -- lots of talking back at the screen. It was a great place to catch up on movies that I missed on first-run. I think it closed in 86, because I saw Troll in 1986. Also saw Fear City in 1985.

The old World Theater today:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/hollywood90038/hwdoldWorldTheaterOct312007001.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/hollywood90038/hwdoldWorldTheaterOct312007.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/hollywood90038/hwdWorldTheaterOct312007003.jpg

Here are a few photos:
http://tinyurl.com/yuzpye

Here is a photo of the Mar-Cal:
http://tinyurl.com/ywrmng

City Lights with Charles Chaplin and Virginia Cherrill was released in February of 1931.

This screen gem was playing at the World in January 1984:
http://tinyurl.com/22zw6p

Angel with Cliff Gorman and Susan Tyrrell was released in January of 1984.

What was showing at the World on May 22, 1976:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/hollywood90038/WorldDontOpen.jpg

Here is an April 1964 ad:
http://tinyurl.com/ysjghm

Under Capricorn with Ingrid Bergman was released in October of 1949.

Here is a 1937 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/23dxqj

I wonder if the Marcal was an early revival house at the time that photo was taken? DeMille's The Godless Girl (banned in Finland!) was a 1929 release, and Capra's American Madness dated to 1932. I'm pretty sure the photo is from a later date than either movie, because the parked car at far right is streamlined, and the earliest streamlined cars to go into production dated to the mid-1930s. I'm thinking the car might be a Chrysler or DeSoto Airflow.

Now I note the banner hanging near the vertical sign. Does it read "Marcal's 3rd Year Revival Pictures"?

I DISCOVERED THIS THEATER IN THE EARLY 1980'S,WHEN YOU COULD SEE 3 MOVIES FOR $2.50.THEY WOULD WAIT UNTIL A NEW RELEASE GET ABOUT 3 MONTHS OLD AND THEN THEY WOULD PLAY IT WITH 2 OTHER OLDER MOVIES.BUT FOR A SATURDAY NIGHT,AND THE BUDGET YOU COULD'NT BEAT THE PRICE!
I REMEMBERED SEEING "THIEF,PIECE OF THE ACTION,AND THE FRISCO KID!

We know from the evidence above that this theater changed from the Mar-Cal to the World sometime between 1954 and 1964.

I moved to L.A. in 1989, so I definitely missed this place. Too bad.

I did however get a chance at a similar place, The Ritz, formerly the Pussycat, which was running 3 second run movies for $3 as late as 1992. Further down Hollywood Blvd. I went there at least a dozen times before it too vanished. Similar atmosphere: sticky floors, squeaky seats, and lots of folks yelling back at the screen. Never got maced though. It is now a church, and location of the awesome Skooby's Hot Dogs.

The building is now Vanguard nightclub. No traces of it being a movie theatre remain. One of the ugliest buildings on Hollywood Blvd.
<a http://www.grooveallnight.com/html/ca/los-angeles/vanguard.html </a>

Here is a January 1950 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/3hurdn

Shouldn't this theatre be in the Hollywood section for searches on the site?

Google maps this address to Los Angeles. Google also maps the Hollywood Theater to Los Angeles even though that address for that theater reads Hollywood, CA. And they both have the same zip code. There is nothing like consistency. LOL

Here is a September 1969 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/3g8hxt

Here is an excerpt from an LA Times article dated April 6, 1949:

District Attorney Simpson yesterday conducted a reverse showup in an attempt to clear the strange Marcal robbery, for which one man has been convicted and a second man is now claiming credit.

Six stenographers from Simpson's staff were in the showup with Wilda Bieber, 19, former cashier of the theater, while the newly confessed bandit, Charles P. McGranahan, ex-sailor, vainly attempted to point her out as his victim.

Miss Bieber, who is now a ballet dancer, recently gave testimony before Judge Clement Nye which resulted in the conviction of Calvin Fowler, 29, bartender. Fowler was sentencec to serve from five years to life in San Quentin for the robbery, which occurred on January 15, 1948.

McGranahan was arrested in Glendale on March 17 and according to Glendale police has confessed to five holdups. He was placed in teh same County Jail cell with Fowler, and on learning from the latter that Fowler had been convicted of the Marcal Theater holdup, immediately "confessed" to that robbery.

After the showup, Deputy District Attorney S. Ernest Roll said he and the other officers are convinced that McGranahan is merely attempting to take the blame to save Flower a trip to prison. Miss Bieber's only comment was, "It was Fowler, all right. McGranahan looks like a mere child". Roll said further investigation will be conducted.

I know I posted this before about why this theatre is the only theatre that is still not listed in Hollywood. The X 1 & 2, Hawaii, Apollo are all in the Hollywood section.

This is part of a 1930 criminal case involving a hold-up at the Mar-Cal Theater:

In view of appellant's contention that the evidence presented before the jury is insufficient to sustain the verdict rendered we will give a rather extended statement of such evidence. On the evening of April 8, 1929, between the hour of 6 and 7:30 the appellant, in company with one "Gazick," now deceased, went to the auto rental place of Nicholas Macela at 1015 West Seventh Street, Los Angeles. Mr. Macela had only two automobiles on the lot at the time for rent, a Buick coupe and a Jordan coupe. After some discussion as to the relative speed of the two cars, during which appellant asked which car was the faster of the two, he rented the "Blue Boy Jordan Convertible Coupe," which car he was told by the proprietor was the faster of the two. He paid the proprietor twenty-five dollars therefor. Appellant then signed his name as "J. J. Daley." Mr. Gazick, who accompanied Davis, was described as being about five feet six inches in height and wearing a gray sweater and a cap. Appellant was dressed in a suit of dark clothes.

About 8:30 of the same evening Miss Schnauer, the cashier of the Mar-Cal Theater, at 6021 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, was held up while sitting in the box office of the theater. As she was rolling up some of the money that she had collected that evening a person described as about five feet six inches in height and who wore a gray sweater and a cap came into the box office. He pointed a gun at Miss Schnauer, who thereupon screamed and ran to the door of the theater, where she shouted to the door boy that someone was taking her money. One Alexander, a police officer, who was at that time sitting in the theater, heard her. He opened the front door of the theater and saw a man coming out of the box office with a gun in one hand and what looked to be money in the other hand. The officer fired a shot at the robber and then jumped back into the theater, where he remained for a period of thirty to sixty seconds. A man in the street pointed to a Jordan coupe which was parked near the theater, and as he pointed he said, "There they go." Alexander then fired another shot, which went high. He then commandeered an automobile that was going in the same direction as the Jordan coupe, but after a little time lost sight of the latter on a side street leading off Hollywood Boulevard. The scream of the cashier attracted the attention of a man across the street, a Mr. Tate, who saw a man coming out of the lobby of the theater with a gun in his right hand and what resembled money in his left hand. The man fell down several times, stumbled and faltered, but proceeded to go and get into the Jordan coupe which was parked, as stated before, near the entrance of the theater. As Mr. Tate came across the street to the Jordan coupe, while the holdup man was getting into his car, he saw another man in the automobile. The two told him to go back where he had come from. The floor of the lobby of the theater was bloody and was strewn with money.

Here are some early 1980s photos:
http://tinyurl.com/cc4jxa
http://tinyurl.com/c2ozdk

The first photo claims to be from 1983 and the second photo gives the year as 1982. No charge for giving the years. :)

Here's a google street view of the theater:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=6025+Hollywood+Boulevard,+Hollywood,+CA+90028+United+States&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=34.10166,-118.320608&spn=0.008671,0.01914&z=16&iwloc=A&layer=c&cbll=34.101667,-118.320503&panoid=YdK9VJv_xk0zWQZ1waSCYg&cbp=12,67.28,,0,-3.88

The address should change to 6021 Hollywood Boulevard.
In Bway's post from May 26, 2009, there is a Enterprise truck parked in front of the former World/MarCal theatre.

The World can be seen adjacent to the X in this 1982 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/nexa95