Movie theater history in SoCal.

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bkshopr_IHB

bkshopr_IHB

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I figure that in SoCal everyone watched movies and how much do viewers know about the history of movie palaces.



Sorry I cut and pasted "gay design" and it should not be there before "El Capitan" I can't revise spelling errors for poll.
 
Unless you really visited and toured the landmarks the answers are not in the internet. This is really hard. IHO pulling his hair out.
 
[quote author="acpme" date=1246074728]i took a total guess...</blockquote>


You have a 100% record with BK trivia and may be this one will blemish your perfect record?
 
I will take a shot at one of the trivias:



Sunset (The Los Angeles Plaza) was actually the original theatre district before moving to Hollywood Blvd(Main Street, then to Broadway, Downtown LA).
 
[quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1246077346]BK, do you know what is happening to The Bay Theatre in Seal Beach? I hear it is up for sale.</blockquote>


It would be really hard to find the right venue to utilize an old theatre. It can never become a viable theater due to code compliance and the lack of technology to appeal to today's viewers. Retro movies are not OC and LA bordering demographic. The culture is not here to have a viable solution other than using it as a general assembly gathering hall for a church congregation in exchange for maintenance and up-keeping a local landmark.
 
well i know its not "all of the above", which seems to the popular pick right now.



the egyptian theater is older than the chinese so #2 can't be true.



i'm a big disney buff and as any self-respecting disney annual passholder knows, they're currently in the process of a major reconstruction of disney's california adventure. the entrance will be rethemed to 1920s hollywood, sort of a juxtaposition to main street over in disneyland. the big landmark at the end of this street will be the carthay theater, which is where snow white premiered. so not all premieres happend on hollywood blvd even after the 1920s.



the carthay was on san vicente, near where park la brea and the grove is at now - fairfax district. which reminds me of another notable theater which was also in the area... the pacific theater? it was the iconic art deco theater that burned down, located where a park now sits next to the grove. i know this also because of disney -- the main entrance of the disney mgm studios in orlando is styled after the theater.

was fairfax the original theater district? this maybe eliminates #3?



so if 1,2,3 are all false, that leaves #4, #5, or none of the above. given that #4 is so specific, i'll have to go with that one!
 
Fox Carthay Circle was on Wilshire. Carthay Development was a residential development built shortly after behind this famed theater borrowing from its brand of "rich and famous". Carthay Circle was LA's first neighborhood to buried its electrical power line underground.



Designed by Dwight Gibbs in the Spanish Baroque/Mission Revival style. It was built in 1926 and Cecil B. DeMille's "Volga Boatman" was the first movie to premiere here. The theatre had 1510 seats and a grand Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.



It was the site of many movie premiers but Egyptian was built before this theatre so technically Hollywood Blvd predated over Carthay Fox. Carthay was torn down in 1969 to build a office building.



<img src="http://laist.com/attachments/la_jacy/Carthay-Premiere.jpg" alt="" />
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1246074882]Unless you really visited and toured the landmarks the answers are not in the internet. This is really hard. IHO pulling his hair out.</blockquote>
None of these are in Irvine so I'm not interested.



Kidding. I can probably google-fu this but I'll wait to see what the answers are.



Very good thread.
 
[quote author="irvine_home_owner" date=1246081300][quote author="bkshopr" date=1246074882]Unless you really visited and toured the landmarks the answers are not in the internet. This is really hard. IHO pulling his hair out.</blockquote>
None of these are in Irvine so I'm not interested.



Kidding. I can probably google-fu this but I'll wait to see what the answers are.



Very good thread.</blockquote>


It is google fu proof to eliminate the cheaters.
 
[quote author="acpme" date=1246078900]well i know its not "all of the above", which seems to the popular pick right now.



the egyptian theater is older than the chinese so #2 can't be true.



i'm a big disney buff and as any self-respecting disney annual passholder knows, they're currently in the process of a major reconstruction of disney's california adventure. the entrance will be rethemed to 1920s hollywood, sort of a juxtaposition to main street over in disneyland. the big landmark at the end of this street will be the carthay theater, which is where snow white premiered. so not all premieres happend on hollywood blvd even after the 1920s.



the carthay was on san vicente, near where park la brea and the grove is at now - fairfax district. which reminds me of another notable theater which was also in the area... the pacific theater? it was the iconic art deco theater that burned down, located where a park now sits next to the grove. i know this also because of disney -- the main entrance of the disney mgm studios in orlando is styled after the theater.

was fairfax the original theater district? this maybe eliminates #3?



so if 1,2,3 are all false, that leaves #4, #5, or none of the above. given that #4 is so specific, i'll have to go with that one!</blockquote>


You have excellent logic when taking a multiple choice test. I will call you when I get on Regis' game show.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1246082143][quote author="irvine_home_owner" date=1246081300][quote author="bkshopr" date=1246074882]Unless you really visited and toured the landmarks the answers are not in the internet. This is really hard. IHO pulling his hair out.</blockquote>
None of these are in Irvine so I'm not interested.



Kidding. I can probably google-fu this but I'll wait to see what the answers are.



Very good thread.</blockquote>


It is google fu proof to eliminate the cheaters.</blockquote>
Cheaters don't have black belts in google-fu. Remember... I made the Internet.
 
[quote author="irvine_home_owner" date=1246082973][quote author="bkshopr" date=1246082143][quote author="irvine_home_owner" date=1246081300][quote author="bkshopr" date=1246074882]Unless you really visited and toured the landmarks the answers are not in the internet. This is really hard. IHO pulling his hair out.</blockquote>
None of these are in Irvine so I'm not interested.



Kidding. I can probably google-fu this but I'll wait to see what the answers are.



Very good thread.</blockquote>


It is google fu proof to eliminate the cheaters.</blockquote>
Cheaters don't have black belts in google-fu. Remember... I made the Internet.</blockquote>


I thought Al Gore made the internet. Hey dude for making the internet and you are struggling in buying a house in Irvine? Shouldn't you be living in Mrs. IR's lot #12 in Shady Canyon?
 
The correct answer is none of the above but #4 is only 1/2 correct.



#1) In 1920 there was no theatre on Hollywood Blvd.



#2) Movie stars made appearances at many movie palaces along Broadway in Downtown LA and not at Chinese until 1927. Egyptian was built in 1922 being the first in Hollywood.



Here is a list of Broadway theatres before 1920 and still standing today. I have seen some of them from my "Se Habla Espanol Bruce Lee days"

<img src="http://www.geocities.com/los_angeles_coast/Palace_Aud1.jpg" alt="" />

Cameo 1910

<img src="http://www.geocities.com/los_angeles_coast/Los_Angeles_Stage1.jpg" alt="" />

Arcade 1910

<img src="http://www.geocities.com/los_angeles_coast/Palace_Los_Angeles_towards_back.jpg" alt="" />

Palace Theatre 1911

<img src="http://www.bringingbackbroadway.com/stellent/groups/electedofficials/@cd14_contributor/documents/classmaterials/lacity_005538.gif" alt="" />

Morosco 1913

<img src="http://www.geocities.com/los_angeles_coast/Million_Dollar_Theatre_Stage.jpg" alt="" />

Million Dollar Theatre 1918

<img src="http://www.geocities.com/los_angeles_coast/Warner_Bros_Los_Angeles_1970.jpg" alt="" /><img src="http://www.geocities.com/los_angeles_coast/Warner_Bros_Los_Angeles.jpg" alt="" />

Warner brothers 1920.

<img src="http://www.geocities.com/los_angeles_coast/State_Theatre_Interior.jpg" alt="" />

State 1921





#3) Sunset Blvd was the filming and stage locations. No theater was built there first. Sunset did begin at Olvera Street but there were no theatre there except for a Mission church.



#4) Joseph Musil was the gay designer who was hired by Disney to refurbish El Capitan theatre in the early 90's. He also designed the theatre in CA Adventure. His studio is in the Historic Santora Building in the Artist Loft District. His studio is a museum open to the public and there is a model of El Capitan there along with numerous retro projects he designed. He is 73 and lives in Park Santiago. This is only a 50% correct question because the theatre was originally designed in 1926 and the interior was totally destroyed during 1950's modernization with dropped T bar ceilings.



<a href="http://www.ronaldnaversen.com/musil.pdf">http://www.ronaldnaversen.com/musil.pdf</a>



#5) The very first theaters were on Broadway and executed in the Renaissance Revival vocabularies.



The later exotic styles of the 20's on Hollywood were inspired by the discoveries of the Egyptian tombs as well as China opening their Forbidden City to the westerners after the fall of the Last Emperor 1915 (Qing Dynasty).



#6) Correct answer

#7) Not correct
 
I picked the half right answer. I am terrible with years/dates, but I did remember the personal history lesson I received from BK on Joseph Musil and his rehabbing of the El Capitan. I didn't know that he lived in Park Santiago, or had a loft in SA, but it does make sense when the models of the El Capitan and the history lesson BK gave me happened in Santa Ana on Broadway between 3rd and 5th.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1246108765]I picked the half right answer. I am terrible with years/dates, but I did remember the personal history lesson I received from BK on Joseph Musil and his rehabbing of the El Capitan. I didn't know that he lived in Park Santiago, or had a loft in SA, but it does make sense when the models of the El Capitan and the history lesson BK gave me happened in Santa Ana on Broadway between 3rd and 5th.</blockquote>


Santora Arts Building. I love trivia, too.
 
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