It was probably the Wilshire Theater in West Los Angeles that they used for the auditorium scenes in Silent Movie. The Fox Wilshire was still a major venue in 1976 and a big money maker. The Manager, Bob Shapiro, was old school and would never have allowed it to become “shabby” or anything less than perfect.
The original seating capacity was well over 2000. During it’s roadshow days it seated 1840, and that was with the two upper balconies closed off.
I drove by the theater this morning. The marquee is wonderful, though not exactly true to the original. Almost all traces of the ugly sixties modernization to the exterior are gone
Work has finally started on the theater. I went by today and noticed the rear doors were open. Other than some faded and chipped panels on the walls, the auditorium has been cleared out. They were in the process of knocking out the projection booth. I have to admit I felt a twinge of sadness seeing it like this.
By the way. The much discussed 1955 remodel didn’t happen until 1959. That’s when the theater lost most of its character, the Iris name and the great old marquee. It reopened in August of 1960 with “The Time Machine”.
It was probably the Wilshire Theater in West Los Angeles that they used for the auditorium scenes in Silent Movie. The Fox Wilshire was still a major venue in 1976 and a big money maker. The Manager, Bob Shapiro, was old school and would never have allowed it to become “shabby” or anything less than perfect.
The original seating capacity was well over 2000. During it’s roadshow days it seated 1840, and that was with the two upper balconies closed off.
I drove by the theater this morning. The marquee is wonderful, though not exactly true to the original. Almost all traces of the ugly sixties modernization to the exterior are gone
Work has finally started on the theater. I went by today and noticed the rear doors were open. Other than some faded and chipped panels on the walls, the auditorium has been cleared out. They were in the process of knocking out the projection booth. I have to admit I felt a twinge of sadness seeing it like this.
By the way. The much discussed 1955 remodel didn’t happen until 1959. That’s when the theater lost most of its character, the Iris name and the great old marquee. It reopened in August of 1960 with “The Time Machine”.