Note to Max from Brazil – let me know if you come to LA. My wife is from Rio, and we were actually in Sao Paulo last month. We would be more than happy to show around LA and Hollywood.
I drove past this block yesterday. The entire block has been demolished and fenced off. It was always interesting to see the old Imperial when I drove through that neighborhood. Adios.
Here are some additional capsules from the LA Times:
8/31/13 – HIPPODROME TO OPEN TODAY.
BIGGEST VAUDEVILLE AND CIRCUS SHOWS ON COAST
Handsome New Playhouse on Main Street Between Third and Fourth Seats 3000 People—Every Seat in House Ten Cents—First Performance at One.
With a show as mammoth as is the theater itself, the Hippodrome, located on Main street, between Third and Fourth, and the largest theater on the Pacific Coast, will throw open its doors at 12:30 this afternoon.
9/1/13 – FIFTEEN THOUSAND SEE OPENING OF HIPPODROME.
Biggest Playhouse in Los Angeles Launched on New Enterprise With Overwhelming Support—Splendid Bill Makes Big Hit—Mason Begins New Season Today With “Quo Vadis” Pictures.
10/4/15 – ROW OVER TICKETS IS CAUSE OF SMALL RIOT
Six hundred excited persons, an ambulance, two automobiles and
a patrol wagon full of policemen early last night near the lobby of the Hippodrome Theater at No. 320 South Main street, kept that vicinity in an uproar for half an hour following a riot call sent to Central Police Station by Special Officer Sturgess.
6/28/25 – HIPPODROME INSTALLING NEW ORGAN
Special Dedicatory Service to Mark Completion of Work on Huge Instrument
The Hippodrome Theater in Main street, can be classified as one of the last of the larger downtown theaters in Los Angeles to install a pipe organ, to be used in connection with its presentation of feature pictures. After operating all these years with a large orchestra.
BIG VAUDEVILLE MAGNATES HERE.
ACKERMAN AND HARRIS COME TO PERFECT GIGANTIC PLANS
Blanche Bates and Katherine Osterman Take in the “Movies.” Morosco Engages Well-known Savage Star for Appearance at Morosco Theater.
Lester Fountain, who is to be the manager of the new Hippodrome, which will likely open the first of September, gave me a bit of information yesterday which is of vast importance.
Flames of undetermined origin destroyed the Granada Theater, 115 N. Market St., Inglewood early today, and also a cafe, candy store and gift shop in the same building.
The Cosmo was destroyed in a fire on 12/17/28, according to the Sheboygan Press. Presumably it was rebuilt:
300 Escape as Fire Destroys Movie Theatre
Fire starting from a stoker furnace Sunday afternoon destroyed the Cosmo Theater block here and drove more than 300 theater patrons, most of whom were children, into the street. The loss was estimated at $90,000. Today there was nothing of value to be found in the theater or the adjoining Belleview Cafe. The second floor of the showhouse had caved in when the flames shot up the walls and when the combined fire departments of Wausau and Merrill finally succeeded in gaining control of the fire. There was little left to salvage.
The fire started at about 2:50 p.m., Sunday and soon after that time the theater patrons smelled the smoke that arose from the basement. The children began to file out of the theater in an orderly manner and in a few minutes the place was emptied. The motion picture operator continued to run the picture on the screen in older to avoid a panic. The fire was not under control until 6:30 p.m.
In addition to the cafe, the building housed five business places and eleven apartments. In one section of the building is located the telephone office. Smoke poured into the latter place but the telephone operators stuck to their posts for two hours after the fire started. From 5 to 5:30 p.m., the city was isolated as far as telephone communication was concerned. One fireman was hurt in fighting the flames and he was removed to a hospital. Physicians said his injuries were not serious.
The Bennington Evening Banner reported on 2/10/59 that the entire Harte Theater block had been leveled in a fire the night before. I assume the theater was rebuilt after that conflagration.
I played a lot of miniature golf on the Boardwalk that summer. Also the rides at that big complex, I forget now what it was called. My great uncle was a night watchman at the complex, despite being almost ninety, and used to slip me rolls of free ride tickets. I was a very popular kid that summer.
Here is the same marquee in a different photo:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics37/00068392.jpg
This undated photo shows a different marquee:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics37/00068395.jpg
If I keep buying movies every time you give me a great tip, I will go broke. Go watch Spiderman 3. 8-)
Note to Max from Brazil – let me know if you come to LA. My wife is from Rio, and we were actually in Sao Paulo last month. We would be more than happy to show around LA and Hollywood.
I drove past this block yesterday. The entire block has been demolished and fenced off. It was always interesting to see the old Imperial when I drove through that neighborhood. Adios.
The Grotto closed its doors forever on December 28, 1953.
Here are some additional capsules from the LA Times:
8/31/13 – HIPPODROME TO OPEN TODAY.
BIGGEST VAUDEVILLE AND CIRCUS SHOWS ON COAST
Handsome New Playhouse on Main Street Between Third and Fourth Seats 3000 People—Every Seat in House Ten Cents—First Performance at One.
With a show as mammoth as is the theater itself, the Hippodrome, located on Main street, between Third and Fourth, and the largest theater on the Pacific Coast, will throw open its doors at 12:30 this afternoon.
9/1/13 – FIFTEEN THOUSAND SEE OPENING OF HIPPODROME.
Biggest Playhouse in Los Angeles Launched on New Enterprise With Overwhelming Support—Splendid Bill Makes Big Hit—Mason Begins New Season Today With “Quo Vadis” Pictures.
10/4/15 – ROW OVER TICKETS IS CAUSE OF SMALL RIOT
Six hundred excited persons, an ambulance, two automobiles and
a patrol wagon full of policemen early last night near the lobby of the Hippodrome Theater at No. 320 South Main street, kept that vicinity in an uproar for half an hour following a riot call sent to Central Police Station by Special Officer Sturgess.
6/28/25 – HIPPODROME INSTALLING NEW ORGAN
Special Dedicatory Service to Mark Completion of Work on Huge Instrument
The Hippodrome Theater in Main street, can be classified as one of the last of the larger downtown theaters in Los Angeles to install a pipe organ, to be used in connection with its presentation of feature pictures. After operating all these years with a large orchestra.
Here is a blurb from the LA Times dated 7/8/13:
BIG VAUDEVILLE MAGNATES HERE.
ACKERMAN AND HARRIS COME TO PERFECT GIGANTIC PLANS
Blanche Bates and Katherine Osterman Take in the “Movies.” Morosco Engages Well-known Savage Star for Appearance at Morosco Theater.
Lester Fountain, who is to be the manager of the new Hippodrome, which will likely open the first of September, gave me a bit of information yesterday which is of vast importance.
I found this on the LA Library database. I can’t add it as a new theater as they don’t provide the name:
http://tinyurl.com/2m6fvm
LA Times reported on 10/1/71:
THEATER IN WHITTIER DESTROYED BY ARSON
Fire destroyed the 50-year-old Roxy Theater in Whittier early Thursday despite the efforts of nine fire units from three cities.
The LA Times reported the fire on 12/19/45:
Flames of undetermined origin destroyed the Granada Theater, 115 N. Market St., Inglewood early today, and also a cafe, candy store and gift shop in the same building.
The LA Times reported that a fire swept the Bell Theater on September 14, 1944. Damage was $50,000.
The Cosmo was destroyed in a fire on 12/17/28, according to the Sheboygan Press. Presumably it was rebuilt:
300 Escape as Fire Destroys Movie Theatre
Fire starting from a stoker furnace Sunday afternoon destroyed the Cosmo Theater block here and drove more than 300 theater patrons, most of whom were children, into the street. The loss was estimated at $90,000. Today there was nothing of value to be found in the theater or the adjoining Belleview Cafe. The second floor of the showhouse had caved in when the flames shot up the walls and when the combined fire departments of Wausau and Merrill finally succeeded in gaining control of the fire. There was little left to salvage.
The fire started at about 2:50 p.m., Sunday and soon after that time the theater patrons smelled the smoke that arose from the basement. The children began to file out of the theater in an orderly manner and in a few minutes the place was emptied. The motion picture operator continued to run the picture on the screen in older to avoid a panic. The fire was not under control until 6:30 p.m.
In addition to the cafe, the building housed five business places and eleven apartments. In one section of the building is located the telephone office. Smoke poured into the latter place but the telephone operators stuck to their posts for two hours after the fire started. From 5 to 5:30 p.m., the city was isolated as far as telephone communication was concerned. One fireman was hurt in fighting the flames and he was removed to a hospital. Physicians said his injuries were not serious.
The Bennington Evening Banner reported on 2/10/59 that the entire Harte Theater block had been leveled in a fire the night before. I assume the theater was rebuilt after that conflagration.
Here is a photo:
http://tinyurl.com/33om3b
I played a lot of miniature golf on the Boardwalk that summer. Also the rides at that big complex, I forget now what it was called. My great uncle was a night watchman at the complex, despite being almost ninety, and used to slip me rolls of free ride tickets. I was a very popular kid that summer.
There are some pbotos on this page:
http://www.fiveflagscenter.com/history.html
There is a drawing of the Rex on this page:
http://www.kinema.uwaterloo.ca/white962.htm
You should rent “Fantasia”, if you haven’t already. Plenty of dinosaurs and classical music.
There are two photos on this page:
http://tinyurl.com/22pucr
I guess a million is appropriate, given the name of the theater.
Here is a photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2eordz
This is the same Tillmany photo as above but larger and thus more detail:
View link
There are some photos on this page:
http://tinyurl.com/yrqgee
Perhaps the Princess? Any ideas?
http://tinyurl.com/2btf36