It’s amazing how fast things fall apart. There’s water leaking from underneath the marquee, trash strewn about.
There’s another hearing tomorrow night about the Landmark Designation Application. 7 p.m., at City Council Chambers, City Hall, room 213. That’s at 1685 Main Street in Santa Monica.
Thanks for the responses, Chas, Joe. I have the Conservancy’s theater district walking tour book, and under “other theaters” it has a photo of the Belasco. The marquee reads “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” but according to Wikipedia the novel was turned into a stage musical in the late 40s. That probably explains that.
Chas, I was looking for your entry on the Belasco and couldn’t find it. Is it under another name? I also looked under Morgan, Walls & Clements and couldn’t find it that way. Strange…
I’ve spoken with both the shoe repair guy and the jewelry guy on the other side. They’re both nice people and it’s a shame to see them get kicked out. The shoe guy says his rent is presently a little under $900, and the other locations he has looked at are all in the $3-4,000 range. The jewelry guy says the places he’s looked at are even higher.
But hey, it’s progress. The city will make more money in taxes, the landlord will clean up. And we’ll get more minimum wage retail jobs. Hooray!
On closing night, I heard someone say that they were going to remove the marquee, but I have no idea how reliable that person was. I might attend the Nov 12 public hearing to get a better idea of what they’re planning for the property.
As for the Landmark 12, I saw Blade Runner there. It was a black box theater. Good projection and sound, with a good-sized screen, but the space is boring. I’ll probably only go there if they get something that I can’t see anywhere else (like BR).
Nushboy, I don’t think the hearing has anything to do with saving the business (unfortunately); it seems to be about saving the building.
I’ll be at the last show of “Sharkwater” tonight to say goodbye. I’ve lived around the corner from the NuWilshire for almost 14 years now. I hate to see it go.
There’s a public hearing Nov 12th to discuss designating the theater as a City Landmark. It will be at 7 p.m., at City Council Chambers, City Hall, Room 213, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica.
The end of Transformers takes place on Broadway, mostly in front of the Orpheum. But I believe one of the bad robots lands on the Tower and has a brief fight with one of the good robots. They worked the Eastern Columbia building in as well.
Patsy, from the description given above, I don’t think the main auditorium was cut in half. It sounds like they acquired some space next door and expanded.
I spent a lot of time in that theater while going to U of M; heck, some of my film classes were held there, watching classic movies. I even made a short film in 16mm about the theater and its history. It included an interview with Russ Collins, who is still in charge some 20 years later.
“To my knowledge there are only three of these structures left in Southern California. Randy’s, Kindle’s Donuts, (the first Wendell’s BiG DoNut) on South Normandie Avenue and West Century Boulevard in LA and Donut King: 2214 West El Segundo Boulevard, Gardena.”
Larry, your info is a little off. It’s not the Donut King on El Segundo, it’s the Donut King II at 15032 South Western Ave in Gardena.
And, there are at least two more Big Donuts still with us:
Dale’s Donuts at 15904 South Atlantic Ave, Compton
and
Bellflower Bagels at 17025 Bellflower Blvd, Bellflower. The design of this location is a little different than the other four. And they’ve painted purple raisins on the big donut sculpture, but there’s no disguising its true origins.
I was just by this little theater and they said that they would be holding a neon lighting ceremony around 5 p.m. on May 1st. I don’t know how much renovation they had to do on the exterior, but it looks great. Clean, green tile. Nice neon.
The panorama probably won’t open for another year.
“The total seating capacity is 320…Â The Kirk Douglas Theatre will also house a 1,500-square-foot space which will be used as a classroom for a series of special programs for children, and as a room for workshops and rehearsals…"
—from the Taper Ahmanson link above
“Wings,” the first movie to win the Academy Award for best picture, will be showing July 2nd with Bob Mitchell playing the Wurlitzer, if anyone’s looking for an excuse to visit this great theater. Tickets go on sale May 1st. According to their flyer, more info at:
I just did the LA Conservancy’s Broadway Theater tour (again!) and this time we went into the Million Dollar. Unlike Knatcal’s experience noted above, the theater was open to us but the balcony was closed. And the first few rows of seats on the main floor were blocked off by that yellow “caution” tape.
The problem, they explained to us, is the proscenium, a huge arch of block stone. In most theaters of that era, the stones would have simply been made of plaster — but in this case they are real. And unstable. The area of the theater that’s blocked off is the area that the proscenium would hit if it happened to collapse.
Apparently the owner is holding off repairs until a new tenant is found and their needs are taken into account.
I took a stroll down to this address yesterday. There’s a newish building standing there, offices upstairs, retail below. I’ve lived here since 94, and that’s all I remember ever being on that corner. I think the original building was demolished.
If anyone can confirm, you may want to change the status.
The Cinematheque is generally only open in the evenings on weekdays. On weekends they offer tours, a special documentary “Forever Hollywood” and then normally two movies. Their programs are usually themed (Film Noir, etc.), and whenever possible they get people involved in those movies to come by for a Q&A session. These can be classic old movies or stuff that has recently been released. They seem to rely heavily on volunteers; if you spoke to someone and didn’t get a clear answer about the Cinematheque’s mission, it’s possible they’re just helping out to get access to the cool movies.
As for the Egyptian itself, edward1 is correct that it’s a disappointment. Partly because it has been greatly reduced in size, but also because of improvements to correct acoustic problems. The beautiful walls and ceiling, for the most part, have been covered with panels that leave the place feeling like a black box in one of them newfangled multiplexes. But it appears that they have been preserved, which is good.
If you can get past that, then the Egyptian is still a good place to see movies because of their programming. They’ve also just reopened the Aero in Santa Monica, which is closer to where I live, so I give the Cinematheque a thumbs up.
I went to a screening at this theater last night; they were showing “Song of the Islands,” a little musical with Betty Grable and Victor Mature. Before the feature they had a performance on the Wurlitzer, a silent Laurel and Hardy short, and a singalong to several old tunes. It was a fun show.
The interesting thing about this theater is that the workings of the Wurlitzer are all visible behind the console (the small screen was raised during the performance), and they have been edged in fluorescent paint. Black lights make them glow, and you can see the various drumsticks and tambourines and baffles moving while the organist plays.
It’s amazing how fast things fall apart. There’s water leaking from underneath the marquee, trash strewn about.
There’s another hearing tomorrow night about the Landmark Designation Application. 7 p.m., at City Council Chambers, City Hall, room 213. That’s at 1685 Main Street in Santa Monica.
I stopped by yesterday and found the doors chained. The status should be changed to closed.
I stopped by yesterday. The vertical El Monte sign remains, but there’s little else left of this place.
Thanks for the responses, Chas, Joe. I have the Conservancy’s theater district walking tour book, and under “other theaters” it has a photo of the Belasco. The marquee reads “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” but according to Wikipedia the novel was turned into a stage musical in the late 40s. That probably explains that.
Chas, I was looking for your entry on the Belasco and couldn’t find it. Is it under another name? I also looked under Morgan, Walls & Clements and couldn’t find it that way. Strange…
I’ve spoken with both the shoe repair guy and the jewelry guy on the other side. They’re both nice people and it’s a shame to see them get kicked out. The shoe guy says his rent is presently a little under $900, and the other locations he has looked at are all in the $3-4,000 range. The jewelry guy says the places he’s looked at are even higher.
But hey, it’s progress. The city will make more money in taxes, the landlord will clean up. And we’ll get more minimum wage retail jobs. Hooray!
On closing night, I heard someone say that they were going to remove the marquee, but I have no idea how reliable that person was. I might attend the Nov 12 public hearing to get a better idea of what they’re planning for the property.
As for the Landmark 12, I saw Blade Runner there. It was a black box theater. Good projection and sound, with a good-sized screen, but the space is boring. I’ll probably only go there if they get something that I can’t see anywhere else (like BR).
Nushboy, I don’t think the hearing has anything to do with saving the business (unfortunately); it seems to be about saving the building.
I’ll be at the last show of “Sharkwater” tonight to say goodbye. I’ve lived around the corner from the NuWilshire for almost 14 years now. I hate to see it go.
There’s a public hearing Nov 12th to discuss designating the theater as a City Landmark. It will be at 7 p.m., at City Council Chambers, City Hall, Room 213, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica.
The end of Transformers takes place on Broadway, mostly in front of the Orpheum. But I believe one of the bad robots lands on the Tower and has a brief fight with one of the good robots. They worked the Eastern Columbia building in as well.
Patsy, from the description given above, I don’t think the main auditorium was cut in half. It sounds like they acquired some space next door and expanded.
I spent a lot of time in that theater while going to U of M; heck, some of my film classes were held there, watching classic movies. I even made a short film in 16mm about the theater and its history. It included an interview with Russ Collins, who is still in charge some 20 years later.
“To my knowledge there are only three of these structures left in Southern California. Randy’s, Kindle’s Donuts, (the first Wendell’s BiG DoNut) on South Normandie Avenue and West Century Boulevard in LA and Donut King: 2214 West El Segundo Boulevard, Gardena.”
Larry, your info is a little off. It’s not the Donut King on El Segundo, it’s the Donut King II at 15032 South Western Ave in Gardena.
And, there are at least two more Big Donuts still with us:
Dale’s Donuts at 15904 South Atlantic Ave, Compton
and
Bellflower Bagels at 17025 Bellflower Blvd, Bellflower. The design of this location is a little different than the other four. And they’ve painted purple raisins on the big donut sculpture, but there’s no disguising its true origins.
I was just by this little theater and they said that they would be holding a neon lighting ceremony around 5 p.m. on May 1st. I don’t know how much renovation they had to do on the exterior, but it looks great. Clean, green tile. Nice neon.
The panorama probably won’t open for another year.
“The total seating capacity is 320…Â The Kirk Douglas Theatre will also house a 1,500-square-foot space which will be used as a classroom for a series of special programs for children, and as a room for workshops and rehearsals…"
—from the Taper Ahmanson link above
That’s how you lose 800+ seats.
Odd, there’s nothing at the towertheaterla site. Think I’ll have to get up early and go to this. The last time I was in the Tower, it was a church.
Maybe it’s when the building was constructed? According to the description, it was a restaurant before it became a theater…
“Of the three main theatres along Hill Street only the Warner Downtown still stands.”
The Mayan and Belasco are on Hill Street, and are still standing.
Manwithnoname,
Do you know what the 1908 in that photo’s caption refers to? According to KenRoe above, it opened in 1925.
“Wings,” the first movie to win the Academy Award for best picture, will be showing July 2nd with Bob Mitchell playing the Wurlitzer, if anyone’s looking for an excuse to visit this great theater. Tickets go on sale May 1st. According to their flyer, more info at:
www.silentmoviesLA.com
They move the organ to what used to be the “animal room” — from when they were a vaudeville house with acts featuring live animals.
I just did the LA Conservancy’s Broadway Theater tour (again!) and this time we went into the Million Dollar. Unlike Knatcal’s experience noted above, the theater was open to us but the balcony was closed. And the first few rows of seats on the main floor were blocked off by that yellow “caution” tape.
The problem, they explained to us, is the proscenium, a huge arch of block stone. In most theaters of that era, the stones would have simply been made of plaster — but in this case they are real. And unstable. The area of the theater that’s blocked off is the area that the proscenium would hit if it happened to collapse.
Apparently the owner is holding off repairs until a new tenant is found and their needs are taken into account.
Oh, and another thing: the address on the building now is 2530 Wilshire, not 2524. This also leads me to believe they tore down the original building.
I took a stroll down to this address yesterday. There’s a newish building standing there, offices upstairs, retail below. I’ve lived here since 94, and that’s all I remember ever being on that corner. I think the original building was demolished.
If anyone can confirm, you may want to change the status.
Christian,
The Cinematheque is generally only open in the evenings on weekdays. On weekends they offer tours, a special documentary “Forever Hollywood” and then normally two movies. Their programs are usually themed (Film Noir, etc.), and whenever possible they get people involved in those movies to come by for a Q&A session. These can be classic old movies or stuff that has recently been released. They seem to rely heavily on volunteers; if you spoke to someone and didn’t get a clear answer about the Cinematheque’s mission, it’s possible they’re just helping out to get access to the cool movies.
As for the Egyptian itself, edward1 is correct that it’s a disappointment. Partly because it has been greatly reduced in size, but also because of improvements to correct acoustic problems. The beautiful walls and ceiling, for the most part, have been covered with panels that leave the place feeling like a black box in one of them newfangled multiplexes. But it appears that they have been preserved, which is good.
If you can get past that, then the Egyptian is still a good place to see movies because of their programming. They’ve also just reopened the Aero in Santa Monica, which is closer to where I live, so I give the Cinematheque a thumbs up.
I went to a screening at this theater last night; they were showing “Song of the Islands,” a little musical with Betty Grable and Victor Mature. Before the feature they had a performance on the Wurlitzer, a silent Laurel and Hardy short, and a singalong to several old tunes. It was a fun show.
The interesting thing about this theater is that the workings of the Wurlitzer are all visible behind the console (the small screen was raised during the performance), and they have been edged in fluorescent paint. Black lights make them glow, and you can see the various drumsticks and tambourines and baffles moving while the organist plays.
p.s. Their popcorn is very good.