El Rey Theatre
5515 Wilshire Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90036
5515 Wilshire Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90036
34 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
The El Rey (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fox West Coast Theatres, Mann Theatres
Architects: Clifford A. Balch
Functions: Concerts, Live Performances
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
323.936.6400
Manager:
323.936.6400
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Mar 29, 2007 — A sister of San Clemente's Miramar Theater shines bright
- Nov 25, 2003 — Southern California Cameos
The El Rey Theatre was opened March 24, 1937. It became part of the Fox West Coast Theatres chain on August 4, 1940. It was taken over by Mann Theatres on July 1, 1973. In 1984 the El Rey Theatre was a location for a scene in the movie “Night of the Comet”. It closed in the mid-1980’s. Now it hosts concerts and live events.
Contributed by
B Erickson
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Recent comments (view all 65 comments)
The El Rey is featured in CSI as a burlesque club, season 11, episode 12 “A Kiss Before Frying.”
Some of the photos of the filmimg of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” show the El Rey as it looked in the late ‘80s. I think I’ve seen a better set, but here’s some smallish ones:
http://www.davesrailpix.com/pe/htm/perr01.htm
http://www.davesrailpix.com/pe/htm/perr02.htm
http://www.davesrailpix.com/pe/htm/perr08.htm
You can see the El Rey’s marquee in the film when Eddie and Roger are fleeing in Bennie the Cab.
My guess is that’s not the real El Rey; it looks like they dressed up some street and recreated the El Rey. For one thing, the street looks too narrow to be Wilshire Blvd. There’s an island at that point as well, planted with trees, that’s been there since the early 90s, I believe. I also think this is closer to downtown: that skyscraper in the background looks like the Aon Center. If this was the El Rey, there’d be another building down the street with the address 5455 on it (see Ken MC’s photo of 1/16/2009). It would block the view of those other buildings.
What does everyone else think?
Went to the El Rey tonight (10-12)for the first time in 25 years. Very few vestiges of the movie house, but it is a fairly attractive concert venue, in a utilitarian sort of way. Glad to see the street lobby box office is still being used for ticket pick up.
Glad I only paid $5.50 on Goldstar, as the two bands from Italy, Caparezza and Apres La Classe, were a loud and dangerous insult to the ears. It’s a joke: there were three sound engineers in the booth needed to produce garbage bass distortion. Even many young people fled to the outer lobby and street for relief. It was hard to tell if the guitarists had any talent as they mainly played mindless chords. The two drummers, however, were quite good.
The supreme irony from Apres La Classe was that they used taped big band intros of “Take the A Train”, “Caravan”, and the “Theme From the Godfather”, for three numbers. First taped class and then live trash.
The El Rey sign at night is positively gorgeous.
Going back to the pictures from Roger Rabbit, that is not the real El Rey. In the second linked photo, one can clearly see the One Wilshire building in the background, which puts this location somewhere downtown.
I WAS A UNION PROJECTIONIST THERE IN THE EARLY 70’s. IT WAS A NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE SHOWING 2nd RUN FILMS. LUCKILY IT GOT SAVED AND BECAME A LIVE THEATRE FOR MUSICAL EVENTS.
Theatre, as a movie house, certainly lasted past 1975. I saw films there in 1982, 1983 and 1984.
Interestingly enough, I now work for the company that bought this venue – AEG: Anschultz Entertainment Group.
The El Rey’s marquee is shown lit up at night in season 3, episode 19 of The Beverly Hillbillies.
I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the El Rey - that’s where I saw Psycho on its opening day. Few remember that it was a wide release in LA - and the El Rey was the nearest theater to me. An unforgettable day. I saw other movies there, too, obviously, but Psycho was the most memorable.