Music Box Theatre
6126 Hollywood Boulevard,
Hollywood,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6126 Hollywood Boulevard,
Hollywood,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
19 people
favorited this theater
Opened as the Carter DeHaven Music Box Theatre on 20th October 1926, this theatre went through several owners and corresponding name changes. It became a radio studio theatre in 1936, then returned to legitimate theatre use as the Music Box Theatre in the early-1940’s.
Before being renamed as the Henry Fonda Theatre, it went over to screening movies and was re-named the Fox Theatre (not to be confused with the Fox Theatre at Hollywood Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue, which was the old Iris Theatre) and then the Pix Theatre.
When the theatre was still known as the Pix Theatre, it had a really nice neon marquee. The Pix Theatre was the movie house that premiered “Jaws” on Hollywood Boulevard in 1975. A year later they showed “Rocky”. Not a very large theatre but it showed many blockbuster’s in the 1970’s before becoming a live venue named the Heny Fonda Theatre.
In recent years it has come under new management (leased from the Nederlander Organisation) and presents concerts, live performances and special events and was known as the Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre.
In 2007, a restoration was begun to bring it back to its 1926 appearance, and it was renamed The Music Box @ Fonda. In 2010, it reverted back to its original Music Box Theatre name. It was closed suddenly in early January 2012.
Contributed by
William Gabel, B Erickson
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Recent comments (view all 98 comments)
They’ve dropped Henry Fonda from the marquee and name. It’s just The Music Box now.
As for restoring the theater, they’ve done quite a bit of work in the past year. Thaddeus Smith gave us a tour the other day and pointed out several areas where they had uncovered the original stencils, lobby ceiling, the “speakeasy,” etc., and in a few places they have preserved these as they are so people can see the history. Other changes they have made are easily reversible. The best of adaptive reuse.
The LAHTF will be presenting an All About on November 13th, 10:30 a.m. Everyone is invited to this event. We are also trying to arrange to go into the old Hawaii a block to the east (this is now a Salvation Army church).
The good news is that they’re very busy (36 events booked in October alone; 81 for the next 3 months), which will make it easier for them to preserve the building.
Here’s our Insider’s Peek of the Music Box.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P96-4Aud_c4
You’re fast, Hollywood — I just got home from the event! Great pictures, by the way.
Of course, the theater was originally named for the father of movie star Gloria De Haven. Does anyone know if she’s active in the preservation/restoration plans?
Today this theater first opened its doors for business 85 years ago in 1926 !!
Just read that it is closed! http://blogs.kcrw.com/musicnews/2012/01/rip-music-box-for-good/
MJuggler, that really stinks!
The closure was the end result of a legal dispute between the property owners and the theatre’s, now former, operator; naturally, each side has a different take on the scenario. However, the property owners are actively seeking a new operator and are committed to reopening as soon as possible. This is NOT a case of a site which doesn’t make money and there are no plans to operate it as anything other than a live theatre.
Thanks for that good-news update, CTCrouch!
I saw The War Wagon at the Pix. The walls were covered with maroon drapes and the screen seemed bigger than would fit on the stage – possibly it was constructed forward of the proscenium.