UNITED Theater on Broadway
929 S. Broadway,
Los Angeles,
CA
90015
929 S. Broadway,
Los Angeles,
CA
90015
44 people
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Showing 76 - 100 of 179 comments
“Coming Soon-Menudo the Film”:
http://tinyurl.com/d6ljdh
Here is a 1983 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dz7wd6
This was in the LA Times on October 24, 1931:
Plans have been completed for the erection of an elaborate theater marquee at the United Artists. This new improvement is to be installed by Friday when Ronald Colman’s new picture, “The Unholy Garden” is scheduled to open.
The new canopy sign will strike a new note in this type of architecture, it is said, being all in one color and being lighted by a combination of neon tubular and flasher incandescents.
Eddie Cantor’s latest comedy, “Palmy Days”, which started its third week at the United Artists yesterday, will have its final showings Thursday.
This was reported in Boxoffice in October 1961. As you can see by the post immediately above, the experiment with Spanish films only lasted about nine months.
LOS ANGELES-United Artist’s 1,500-seat theater at Ninth and Broadway has reopened under a new name, the Alameda. The house will present first-run Mexican features, and stage shows are contemplated after the first of the year.
Here is an item from Boxoffice magazine, June 1962:
LOS ANGELES-The downtown United Artists Theater has been closed by UA and turned back to Joseph Schenck Productions, owner of the building. The house, closed for several years, was reopened last October by UA.
It is one of the three most completely intact of the theaters of South Broadway along with the Los Angeles and Orpheum palaces.
This goes to Joe’s June 19th comment about the new booth install. In the first comment way back in 2002. It talked about the Todd-AO process at the UA Downtown Theatre. That is when the new booth was installed in the theatre. You could not project the new format well at an extreme angle of the old booth.
Here is an undated interior photo from the LAPL. I have not been inside this theater yet, so one of these Sundays I will have to get religion and give it a try.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015618.jpg
Lookin' GOOD!
If I were Paul Allen (or equivalent), I’d cut out a check right now to purchase the place outright, so that restoration could start tomorrow!
Cost? No man can say. But it would be WORTH IT.
Here is a photo taken yesterday:
http://tinyurl.com/3kajc9
Two recent (July 2008) photos can be seen here:
View link
and here:
View link
Thanks for the photo, Joe.
That is a sweet web site.
Back in November of 2005, there was a discussion about the 1950s era remodeling of the U.A. to accommodate 70mm projection. I’ve finally come across this picture on the Internet showing the position of the new projection booth and the remains of the mezzanine section, which was closed off by a curtain.
It looks as though the mezzanine remained intact, though the decorative detailing along its front was been removed. My guess would be that the mezzanine seating was abandoned not because of the space needed for the projection booth, but because the new screen was taller than the earlier one and its upper area would not have been visible to patrons seated in the mezzanine.
The photo is among many to be seen at this Los Angeles Movie Palaces page.
Incidentally, some time ago I saw one of those 1950s teen exploitation movies consisting of a threadbare plot and loads of music performances by early rock'n'roll artists (it may have been the 1956 release Rock, Rock, Rock, though I can’t swear to it), and I’m pretty sure the inevitable “Big Rock Show” scene was filmed in the U.A., probably just before the remodeling was done. There were only a couple of shots showing the auditorium, but that C. Howard Crane Gothic style was recognizable, and it was used in only a few theatres. The L.A. theatre would have been the most likely to show up in this movie, with the Detroit U.A. a close second.
I’m looking for hi-res shots of the UA building with the Jesus Saves signs or even the signs alone for use in my book L.A. Bizarro, and will provide photo credit(s) accordingly. If you have any worthwhile shots you can contact me at labizarro at gmail dot com. Thanks!
Here is a March 2008 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/23h6kv
Does the church ever use any of the neon signs?
Here is a 1931 photo from the LAPL. “Bat Whispers” is playing:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics44/00071989.jpg
Letha, what a spine-tingling experience! Were the stars at the UA? ‘Quo Vadis’ holds up extremely well today. Director Merv LeRoy, after a special screening in San Francisco (his home town), went out of the theatre alone and shed tears, as he had sold papers on that very street as an impoverished victim of the ‘06 earthquake. A very 'Hollywood’ moment. The ambiance of the UA would have been perfect for that masterpiece of an epic. Ustinov always steals the show, i.e. ‘Help me, Acte!’
pper would the actress’s name be Maria Felix?
letha, didn’t Quo Vadis have a premiere at the UA Four Star Theatre too?
I worked as an usherette, in 1950 or 1951, at the united artist theater for the premier of Quo Vadis. I had all the dialogue memorized from hours of standing in the isles waiting to guide/seat the patrons. We had our uniformes custom made for the grand ocassion. I especally loved Peter Ustinov in the role of Nero. It was my first job in the world.
As as child in the late 70’s I remember being taken to this theatre to watch spanish language movies. Can someone tell me if they remember the names of the movie stars pictures that hung on the inside entrance of the lobby. There was this one lovely picture in particular of a movie actress that I would always look up at and admire each time I was there. Does anyone know who she is?
Interesting article. Thanks.
Let’s not overlook the Charlotte Greenwood comedy, “Girls will be Boys.” That must have been interesting.
This is a 1931 ad. If anyone has heard of “Magnifilm”, let me know. Perhaps it was an early version of Cinemascope:
http://tinyurl.com/27fmte