The Music Box @ Fonda

As the Pix, this theater held numerous "sneak previews" back when that meant you did NOT know what was going to be shown before it hit the screen. This was the first theater you would encounter after exiting the 101 Freeway onto Hollywood Blvd.

This Spanish Colonial style theater opened on October 18, 1926. Architects were Morgan, Walls, & Clements.

If you've noticed work being done on the facade of the Henry Fonda Theatre lately, it's not for the premiere of a new production but for the introduction of a new special event space. Restaurant owner and event planner, Thad Smith (Blue Palm) has leased the Henry Fonda and is currently in the midst of Phase I of a multi-million dollar renovation of the historic 1927 building.

The theatre, which has sat empty since it played host to "Tony & Tina's Wedding" last year, has long been in need of a makeover. When Smith went through it, he found the once elegant rooftop garden had been overrun by pigeons, the theatre walls were peeling and mirrors were cracked. He and his team are now working carefully to return the theatre to its former grandeur.

Along the way, Smith has made some amazing finds. While redoing the theatre's interior, Smith noticed part of the wall seemed hollow. He tore it out, revealing a long-hidden VIP box where wealthy patrons would be seated. He also discovered original wood floors in the veranda of the rooftop garden club and old lighting fixtures stored away that will be reinstalled.

While several preservation groups have concerns that the theatre will no longer function as a live performance space (the seats are being removed) and that restoration will not be accurate, Smith assures the community that he is doing what he can to breathe new life into a great old building that he cares deeply about. All changes are cosmetic, he says, and he is working from historical materials to ensure authenticity. Look for the new Henry Fonda to open in the fall.

(Information courtesy of the Hollywood Entertainment District BidBiz Newsletter.
www.hollywoodbid.org)

Drove past recently and the theater is no longer called the Henry Fonda. It has become a rock music venue.

The vertical sign still says The Henry Fonda Theatre. But they are working on restoring the theatre's auditorium. I have had a few calls about photos to the original auditorium from the new operators. The new name is The Music Box, which is the original name.

I saw Cat Ballou in the Pix theatre in 1965. I remember the Pix for its spectacular Neon Marquee. I wish the new owners will restore neon to the marquee of this theatre. A tacky plastic vertical marquee was put up for one of our greatest actors Henry Fonda who deserved better. Brucec

They use both names
HENRY FONDA
and
MUSIC BOX
The ads say something like "The Music Box at the Henry Fonda" or something like that.

Here is the website: http://www.henryfondatheater.com/home.htm

I think this concert venue would make a great movie theater! Sorry, but after 250 "Michael" posts I simply couldn't resist!

I am trying to remember when the theater open up. I know it was the Guild in 1947 as I saw film Ivy there with Joan Fontain

Odd note. I was watching "My Favorite Year" (1982) on AMC today and in one scene, supposedly on Broadway in New York, they pass a movie theater called the "Music Box." The film was primarily shot in New York, but I cannot find any reference to a Music Box Theater in New York on this site.

It's possible that this was a set on the backlot of a Hollywood studio. Any one know?

Thanks.

Trolleyguy, the Music Box on 45th Street in New York City is a legitimate theatre, which is why it doesn't appear on this site.

Bryan Krefft
Cinema Treasures

The address of this cinema is 6126 Hollywood Boulevard.

When the photo post is working again I have a great picture I took of The Pix marquee. Someone should also post a listing for The X who knows more about that theatre.

The X theater was a twin theater known as the X 1 & 2. It was operated by Carlos Tobalina, who started his career doing softcore fare before going into hardcore XXX in the 1970's. Tobalina also ran the "luxurious Mayan" theater during its days as an adult theater. Shots of the X(ticket booth and poster cases) can be seen in the 1981 "documentary" called Exhausted. (This was the film that inspired PT Anderson's 1997 film Boogie Nights.)

I think the X may have been a "storefront" theater instead of an old theater that converted into an "adults only" or porno format. (For those who are familiar with the history of porn theaters, many in the Pussycat and Mitchell Brothers chains were old theaters who converted into a porn format.)

Will someone please settle the "which theatre was the X Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard" debate once and for all?

I think just did. The X Theatre was located just east of the old World Theatre (aka: Marcal). It was a storefront twin theatre, not a old theatre that turned into porn operation.

What was the address of the X Theatre?

I saw a rock show (The Hives) here in august of 2004 and was really impressed. Very nice, well managed and beautiful. They have a rooftop lounge with a bar, and the balcony still has the seats. I will definately go back and I urge anyone who wants to see a rock show in a great converted movie house to check out the Music Box.

Is this the New Fox that housed a moveover engagement of "Windjammer" in CineMiracle beginning in late 1958 after that 3-panel film left the Chinese?

This opened as the 980 seat capacity Carter DeHaven Music Box Theatre on 20th October 1926. It was designed by noted theatre architects Octavious Morgan, J.A. Walls and Stiles O. Clements in a Spanish Colonial style.

Initially it was used for staging elaborate musical revues in which artists such as Fanny Brice starred in productions designed to rival the 'Zeigfeld Follies'. After the show, theatregoers could mingle with the stars and dance and watch cabaret shows in an open-air room located above the theatre's main entrance. This room was also a well known 'speakeasy' serving alcohol during the prohibition era. Within a year the theatre had become a drama playhouse and productions included Clark Gable starring in "Chicago" and Bella Lugosi starring in "Dracula" following on from his first big screen success in that role.

In 1936 it became a radio studio theatre and artists such as Mae West, Al Jolson, Joan Crawford, James Cagney, Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper and Jean Harlow all graced the stage, broadcasting dramas as 'The Lux Radio Theatre'. This possibly only lasted until 1938 as CBS had then taken over the former Vine St Theatre (now the Ricardo Montalban Theatre) and broadcasts of 'The Lux Radio Theatre continued from there. The Music Box Theatre was most likely 'dark' until it returned to legitimate stage use briefly in the early 1940's when, again known as the Music Box Theatre, a production of "Life With Father" had an extensive run in 1942. Again, the theatre possibly had another 'dark' period.

It became a full time movie theatre known as the Guild Theater from February 1945 when Fox West Coast Theatres took control and it was re-modelled in the foyer areas to an Art Deco Moderne design, which included a stylish pavement mounted pay-box. Cladding was put on the facade of the theatre hiding the original Spanish style decorations and the auditorium was given the 'Skouras' style treatment that many Fox West Coast Theatres were given at this time. It later became the Fox Theatre, showing first run movies.

A later change of management in the mid-1950's altered the name to Pix Theater (the Fox name was transfered to the former Iris Theatre further West on Hollywood Blvd) and a spectacular neon display was mounted on the new marquee and vertical sign. Many 'Sneak Previews' were held at the Pix and in 1975 the premier of "Jaws" was held here, followed in 1976 by the premier of "Rocky". But this was a last gasp as it briefly went over to screening Spanish language movies and closed as a full time move theatre in 1977, after which it lay empty and un-used for many years.

In March 1985 it re-opened as the Henry Fonda Theatre, a legitimate theatre with a production of "Twelve Angry Men" and it came under the management of Nederlander Theatres. Many Broadway productions have played here in recent years including "Driving Miss Daisy", Glengary Glen Ross", "Lend Me A Tenor" and "Nunsense". It has also been used for concerts by Marianne Faithful, Cyndi Lauper, Ray Davies and Adam Ant, among many others to numerous to name.

The current seating capacity is 863 and in June 2002 it was getting started on an on-going restoration which has now brought many of the original architectural features back into sight. The former open-air cabaret room has been restored back into use again and serves as a reception area. The theatre now thrives on a mixed diet of concerts, live performances and special events. The current lessee's hope to eventually remove the cladding on the front of the theatre and reveal and restore the original Spanish style facade.

I found a marvelous photo of a pre-1938 Music Box Theater when it was the home of the Lux Radio Broadcasts prior to moving to the CBS Radio Playhouse on Vine Street (now the Ricardo Montalban Theater).....

http://www.knx1070.com/info/history/photos/LuxRadioTheater.jpg

This theater was also known as the Guild Theater as KenRoe posted on Jan1.

The Los Angeles Times records the date on which this theater re-opened as the Guild as February 2nd, 1945.

Actually, that opening was February 1st, 1945. ((Can't read my own scribbling.)

The theater looked to be in half way decent shape when I went by last week, although I don't think it looked anything like the photo above anymore. There where advertisements on the marquee for future events in February in old "movie title" letters.

can anybody inform us how the presentation of "Windjammer" in 1958 in its moveover after the run at the Henry Fonda (then called the New Fox) was done? True 3-panel? Curved screen? curtains? 7 channel or 1-channel mixdown.

Did the 'Cinemiracle' "Windjammer" ever play the New Fox (Music Box)? I thought it just played an exclusive 36 week run at Graumann's Chinese Theater. Would the 900 seat New Fox be large enough, or even have a proscenium opening wide enough for the Cinemiracle screen?

yes, the day after it left the Chinese, it moved over to the New Fox. Can get the dates for you if want. But it was probably in January'59 (or very late '57). Your questions are my questions. From what I learned, "WJ" ran until the Christmas booking of "Auntie Mame." Without going thru all my notes, it ran at the NF for at least 2 or 3 months. Didnt do well. Any comments, pls?

i meant to say late December 58 or early Jan 59. probably in Dec.

When they opened Cinerama in NYC at the Broadway Theatre. They installed a new special curved screen which was wider than the proscenium. And when the reissue 70MM of "This is Cinerama" played the Fox Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills. They installed a special screen for that engagement. When National Theatres were testing the new process. They used their Melrose Theatre (880 seats) for testing and demonstrations. So the New Fox Theatre is about the same size. The problem is for Cinemiracle presentations the booth had to be setup for head-on projection as in what Cinerama did. The Cinemiracle screen was made of conventional seamless material and was substanially less curved than that of Cinerama, being about 120 degrees instead of 146. Its most likely that on the move-over they used the Chinese Theatre's print and track.

Couple photos of the Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre.
Exterior view
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/Chuck1231/California%20Theatres/HenryFondaMusicBoxTheatreHollywoodG.jpg
Auditorium
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/Chuck1231/California%20Theatres/HenryFondaMusicBoxTheatreInteriorHo.jpg

If you want to see the incredible neon marquee of the Pix, just rent or buy the DVD of The First Nudie Musical - there's a really long tracking shot during a musical number where you see it for a very long time (The Reincarnation Of Peter Proud is playing. In the same number there's also a great shot of the Hollywood.

This site has one exterior and two interior photos of the theater.
members.tripod.com/ ~movie_pal/fonda.html

I just finished watching 12 Angry Men on TCM and remembered the play of the same name opening this theater as the Henry Fonda back in 1985. I was lucky enough to attend the dedication night show which featured among other performers, Gene Kelly dancing with Debbie Reynolds, and Jimmy Stewart giving his reflections. Does anyone else have recollections of this evening as my memory tells me that there were many other notables there. It was a fabulous evening.

I am re-posting the link which johngleeson posted above on May 26, 2006. Scroll down towards the bottom for 3 photographs of the Henry Fonda Theatre:
http://www.members.tripod.com/~movie_pal/fonda.html

These posted links are a welcome site, because I always thought it looked as if this house originally had a forecourt like the Egyptian and Chinese. Vintage photographs prove that it did not.

Well not a forecourt, but the Music Box Theatre did have (still does have) an open air foyer/bar above the main entrance. The back of the bar is actually the upper section of the facade and is a small covered area, but the remainder of the area is open.

The Henry Fonda Theater when it operated as the Pix at
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k79/hollywood90038/hwdPixakaHenryFonda.jpg

Here's an aerial view of the theater:

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=pph6j4545rqs&style=o&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=3597252

To clarify the questions above regarding "Windjammer" I can confirm that it indeed ran at this theatre (when it was called the Fox) for 15 weeks beginning Christmas Day, 1958.

For a full list of Los Angeles' Cinerama history, see:
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/cinerama_la.htm

To clarify the questions above regarding "Windjammer" I can confirm that it indeed ran at this theatre (when it was called the Fox) for 15 weeks beginning Christmas Day, 1958.

For a full list of Los Angeles' Cinerama history, see:
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/cinerama_la.htm

Here is a September 1942 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/2ryaew

Here is a February 1944 ad:
http://tinyurl.com/2edj6o

It was the Guild by the time of this June 1948 ad:
http://tinyurl.com/2o4gb5

Here is an article in today's LA Times, by Randy Lewis:

The Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood is getting a new (old) name to go along with its new (old) look: the Music Box @ Fonda. The change revives the name the building had when it opened in 1926 - the Music Box - while retaining the identity it's had since it reopened in 1985 as the Fonda.

Current owners are restoring the original Jazz Age look of the building, which over the decades has gone through an assortment of names, including the Fox and the Pix, a spokeswoman said. Most of the original facade still exists, she said, and what didn't survive previous remodels will be re-created. The renovations are expected to be finished by early next year.

Note that in 1942 the theater was called Abbott's Music Box Theater.

Here is a 1970 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/yptu66

Henry Fonda Music Box today and as The Pix:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/hollywood90038/hwdHenryFondaTheaterOct312007001.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/hollywood90038/hwdHenryFondaTheaterOct312007004.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff204/hollywood90038/hwdPixakaHenryFonda.jpg

Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2ebx4q

Ken mc, Before the Pacific's Pix closed it ran spanish films. The spanish films moved over to the Vine Theatre for awhile before returning to $2.00 dollar tickets. Around that time the World Theatre closed.

The Pix had a wonderful neon marquee and the Henry Fonda Music Box has a terrible plastic marquee.brucec

The Pix's marquee dates back to when it was called the FOX Theatre. It was a Great marquee once. (A Lot of movement)

The Henry Fonda marquee is visible on the left in this undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2dpwsl

Here is another photo of the Music Box/Henry Fonda Theater.

Here is a March 1970 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/32qmfy

Bullitt with Steve McQueen was released in October of 1968 and Bonnie and Clyde with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway was released in August of 1967.

OK I admit, I saw Jaws there in '75. Of course, I also bowled around the corner at Hollywood Legion Lanes (now Bally's)

There is a nice color photo of the Pix on this page:
http://tinyurl.com/28y78r

Here is an interior photo from the USC archive:
http://tinyurl.com/2nk547

Here is an undated photo of the marquee:
http://tinyurl.com/3bco7u

WOW

Is that a good wow or a bad wow? I liked the picture myself.

It was a good wow. If it was a night photo, it would have been a great wow.

OK, thanks.

Here is a night view:
http://tinyurl.com/375pu9

Here is a view of the box office, circa 1974:
http://tinyurl.com/27ch54

I know a number of people that would be interested in this link.

That was a couple of albums ago. You've got to get up to speed.

I am up to speed. I wonder if the owners of the photos are up to speed.

Here are some March 2008 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/28du82
http://tinyurl.com/ywqe5h
http://tinyurl.com/2as55d
http://tinyurl.com/ytspko

Here are two LAPL photos, circa 1928:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics41/00070164.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater1/00014717.jpg

Here is a recent shot of the marquee.

When the Henry Fonda/Music Box was the Pix it had a wonderful neon marquee. The plastic signage on this theatre is awful.brucec

I happened to be at a memorial service at the Pix, uh, the Music Box at the Henry Fonda this evening. It actually sort of turned my stomach to be in a theater with no seats. I saw a lot of movies at the Pix, probably starting in the mid-60s all the way through when it went Spanish. When it was turned back into a legit theater, its original proscenium, which is fairly small, was used. It took me a few minutes of staring and nosing around to figure out things - clearly the original proscenium was not used when the theater converted to widescreen. What they did, in fact, was put a new screen, masking, and curtains in FRONT of the old proscenium, completely covering it from view. That gave them a pretty good sized scope screen, and I'm sure the Cinemiracle screen was installed that way, too. I saw Cat Ballou there, a sneak preview of Woman Of Straw, Torn Curtain, Jaws and many others. As I said in a post above, if you want to see that glorious Pix marquee in all its nighttime glory, simply rent or purchase the DVD of The First Nudie Musical and watch The Lights And The Smiles musical number. I directed the film and we shot it all over 1975 Hollywood Blvd. Great shots of the Hollywood Theater and the Pix and the rest of the boulevard.

The other link expired so here is another shot of the marquee.

Here is an item from Boxoffice magazine, September 1946:

LOS ANGELES-Simultaneous with the new season's product announcement by Universal-International, the Fox West Coast has perfected details of its realignment of first-run houses here so as to furnish an established local showcase outlet for the output of the newly formed production company.

Effective about September 20, U-I films will be booked on a first-run, day-date basis at the Guild, United Artists, Ritz, Iris and Studio City theaters. The latter two houses heretofore have been subsequent-run outlets and are being redecorated and refurbished to become members of the first-string lineup.

At about the same time, a fourth showcase, the Loyola, will be added to the Chinese, State and Uptown, with the four houses to book 20th Century Fox product.

Here is a photo of the Music Box Theatre which I took last week.

Here are some early 80s photos:
http://tinyurl.com/cdqb9z
http://tinyurl.com/c2d75z
http://tinyurl.com/ctucqc
http://tinyurl.com/c5xrnm

Aside from the marquee a little different and the name, it doesn't look too much different today.

Early day LIFE image when still known as Music Box,
http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=f37a46a20c210377&q=hollywood%20source:life&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhollywood%2Bsource:life%26hl%3Den