World Theatre
6021 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
6021 Hollywood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90028
14 people
favorited this theater
Showing 76 - 94 of 94 comments
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.
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.
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
Heh. I should have known! I think I might have dated one of them!
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?
PS And will be shown again on TCM 14 June 2004.
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?
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.)
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
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.
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.
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?
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……..
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.
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.
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.
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).
Is this the same theatre that’s now boarded up, directly to the left of The Florentine Gardens club?
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.