Apollo Theatre

Yes, this has history, some good, some bad....like most on the Blvd.
George Vreeland Hill.

My sister was a cashier at the Apollo from 1942 to the end of the
Second World War. I went there a few times between 1939-1944.
I preferred theaters west of Gower St. It was a theater that showed
double features that had been released earlier at the larger theaters
The Blvd was nice then or I wouldn't have been there. I was only
eight.

Apollo Theatre address: 5544 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Ca.

Great comments. This was indeed an unusual theatre. In 1971, I saw a double bill of "Z" and "Lawrence of Arabia" for 49 cents!

The Apollo Theater (later Star Theatre) was burnt out by fire in December 1976. It dated from the First World War period.

The newspaper Hollywood Citizen, on January 14th, 1921, informed readers that West Coast Theaters had leased the Apollo.

I have been struck by the remarkable resemblance between the Apollo's facade and that of the Cooper Building in the eastern Los Angeles suburb of Alhambra, which contained a theater then called the Granada, which later became the Coronet, and then (c1964) the Capri, before it was demolished following an earthquake in 1971. Many Los Angeles commercial buildings of the era were similar, but the similarity between these two is remarkable enough that it seems as though they might have had the same architect.

Here is an interior shot of the Apollo Hollywood from 1946.

http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014448.jpg

Hollywood's APOLLO Theatre auditorium is almost identical to that of Oklahoma City's (900 seat) PLAZA Theatre.

A Wurlitzer organ Opus 415 Style 210 was installed in the Apollo Theater on 5/12/1921.

I am currently looking for any Old Theatres in which to lease or possibly buy in Reseda, Van Nuys, Hollywood or North Hollywood. It has been my Long life Dream to renevate and own my own Theatre/ Venue. Please e-mail me at richardwarrington@hotmail.com or call me at 310-597-9398 if you live here!! Thanks.Rick

P.S. If you also live in the areas in which I am looking and want to help please contact me as well!!

Richard, this theatre has also been gone for many years now also.

The Apollo/Star burned in December of 1976. Here's a photo of the event from the L.A. Times.

The URL for the photo I linked to above has apparently changed. See it here.

Here is a 1950 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/2c5oy2

Here is an expanded view of the photo in the caption:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014449.jpg

Here is a 1965 ad:
http://tinyurl.com/ywfy8w

Here's a great picture of the theatre in the December 3, 1976 Los Angeles Times with the following caption:

"THEATER BURNS--Firemen battle fire burning through collapsed roof of the Star Theater, 5446 Hollywood Blvd. No one was injured but the fire, visible for miles, snarled morning rush-hour traffic. Building was a total loss, with damage estimated at $250,000."

The link is:

http://unitproj.library.ucla.edu/dlib/lat/display.cfm?ms=uclalat_1429_b819_284402-2&searchType=subject&subjectID=218538

Here is an April 1964 ad:
http://tinyurl.com/2ueaxf

Soft Skin on Black Silk was first released in Spain in June of 1959.

There is still polished concrete on the sidewalk in front of where this theater once stood.

My father was assistant manager there sometime in the early 40s. He painted the posters that went in the frames on each side of the box office as well as placards for the lobby. At age 3, they tell me I used to play out front. Nice to see so much about the old theatre.

This is where I worked when I met Louis Federici. It was named the Star at that time. We were exhibiting nudist films and had a sell out audience on weekends. It was owned by an attorney and another "gentle"man, that I could never stand. They phoned the theater hourly to see how many tickets had been sold. I finally got fed up with the "gentle"man and quit. And was hired at the Hollywood Theater for the second time. This was around 1959-1960.

fscscott, the polished concrete on the sidewalk is called terrazzo.