Los Angeles Theatres: Cinerama Dome: exterior views

Cinerama Dome: exterior views

6360 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028 | map |

July 1963 - A photo taken 15 weeks before the opening. Thanks to Roland Lataille for locating the shot for the amazing page about the Dome on his site In Cinerama.

August 1963 - A Los Angeles Public Library photo by Howard D. Kelly looking east. The 18 story highrise beyond the theatre is the 1963 Sunset Vine Tower, the first such building to be constructed after the city repealed the 13 story height limit. It was designed by Douglas Honnold of the firm Honnold & Rex.

August 1963 - Another construction view looking north across the site. That's Sunset Blvd. running left to right in front of the theatre. The RCA Building is rising across Sunset just to the left of the theatre. It's a Howard D. Kelly photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

August 1963 - A snapshot of the construction 11 weeks before the opening. Thanks to Sean Ault for locating it. Those first panels were lifted into place beginning August 29.

August 1963 - One of the first polygons going up after the first tier was in place. It's a photo from the Cinerama archives appearing on the theatre's new website www.cinerama.com

September 1963 - Preparing to lift another segment into place. Thanks to Michael Coate's site From Script To DVD for sharing this construction shot from the Pacific Theatres collection. It's on the Cinerama Dome page where you'll find many more great photos. Also see the site's This Is Cinerama in L.A. page for a history of Cinerama engagements.

September 1963 - This photo from the John Sittig collection appears in the Cinerama Photo Gallery on the site In70mm.com. Also on the site see John's fine 2018 article "Pacific's Cinerama Dome...Where Movie-going is an Event." The photo also appears on the From Script To DVD Cinerama Dome page.

September 1963 - The work nearing the top 8 weeks before the opening. Thanks to Esther Fitzpatrick for locating this one for a post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles. This shot has also been seen on the Facebook group Historic Los Angeles and on a Water and Power Associates Museum page of Early Views of Hollywood.

October 1963 ? - A view north toward the RCA Building across Sunset. The two towers on the left are atop the Warner, at the time running "How The West Was Won" in three-strip Cinerama. The buildings on the right are the Plaza Hotel and the Broadway department store at Hollywood and Vine. Thanks to Alison Martino for sharing this great shot on her Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

November 7, 1963 - Searchlights are in the sky over Hollywood for the opening of the Dome. It's a Hollywood Citizen - News photo by Peter Banks. Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality spotted it on eBay and has all the data on his Noirish post #7127. It's also been seen on the Facebook pages Vintage Los Angeles and Photos of Los Angeles.

November 7, 1963 - The premiere of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." It's a photo in the Herald Examiner collection of the Los Angeles Public Library. The theatre was built with 3 strip projection in mind but opened with 70mm. Also see another opening night view from the Library's collection.

November 7, 1963 - An Associated Press photo of the opening appearing with the April 2021 Hollywood Reporter story "Hollywood Flashback: Cinerama's Dome Debuted Before It Was Finished."

November 7, 1963 - A look at the theatre during its grand opening. Thanks to Kevin Charbeneau for sharing the photo from his collection. It was included in a post of 61 Cinerama Dome items on the Facebook page Lost Angeles. There's also a version of the image from Marc Wanamaker's collection on the Hollywood Historic Photos website. Also check out more theatre photos on that site.

November 7, 1963 - Thanks to Richard Wojcik on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles for this great postcard of the opening. Roloff de Jeu on Flickr has a version with "Glamourous Hollywood Premiere" across the top in his great "Cinema Postcards from the Americas" collection. The version Roloff has is also on Card Cow.

1963 - The Dome with its opening attraction on the marquee. Thanks to Alison Martino for the photo on her Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles where it generated lots of comments.

1963 - Moviegoers lined up for "Mad World." Thanks to Richard Wojcik for sharing this photo from his collection on the private Facebook group Mid Century Modern. Alison Martino later shared the photo on her Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page. Also see a closer look at the marquee from Richard.

1963 - A shot by Marvin Rand. Thanks to The Modernist Collection for sharing the photo in a Facebook post. It appears in "California Captured," a book of his photos from Phaidon Press. Their page about the book comments:

"The great 20th-century Californian photographer Marvin Rand recognised the Cinerama Dome as an important new LA landmark, and shot the building shortly after it opened, when it was still showing that very first movie. However, Rand didn’t ramp up the building’s space-age aspects. He had been born in Los Angeles in 1924, specialized in mid-century architecture, and treated it in a subtle, unassuming manner. In this picture, the pristine Dome and its sign is framed by Italian cypress trees and four lanes of cracked asphalt, suggesting, perhaps that the building didn’t represent some futuristic level of architectural and cinematic perfection, but just another passing development."

1963-1964 - The west side of the theatre. Thanks to Tom Anderson for locating this shot for a post about the film on the Lost Angeles Facebook page.

1963-1964 - A postcard from the site Card Cow with "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," the theatre's initial attraction, on the marquee.

1963-1964 - A "Mad World" card from Alison Martino's collection that put in an appearance on the Mid Century Modern Los Angeles Facebook page. A version of the same card appears on the Card Cow site.

1963-1964 - A sparkling view looking east with "Mad World" on the marquee taken by George Mann. Thanks to Alison Martino for posting the photo on her Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

1963-1964 - A postcard view west on Sunset -- another using a photo taken during the "Mad World" run. It's from the Richard Wojcik collection, appearing on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

1964 - "Rent a new Car $2.50." This nice "Mad World" windshield shot from JMB Productions Archives appears on the blog The Gravenstein. Thanks to Eitan Alexander for spotting it.

1965 - Looking east from Cahuenga during the run of the George Stevens film "Greatest Story Ever Told." It opened February 18 for a 43 week run. That's the RCA Building on the left. Thanks to Chris Nichols for spotting this slide taken by Leslie Sheraton in the San Francisco Public Library collection. Their Leslie Sheraton Color Slides of California page offers an overview. They have 572 items from that collection online. The shot popped up on the Los Angeles Historic Facebook page without credit. It also appeared uncredited on the Martin Turnbull Facebook page in a post that received many comments.

1965 - A "Greatest Story Ever Told" shot in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Richard Wojcik has a closer shot of the theatre taken during this engagement that he posted on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

1966 - A view with the Dome running "Battle of the Bulge" in "Super Cinerama." The film opened December 17, 1965 for a 27 week run. Thanks to Richard Wojcik for the post of the photo from his collection on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.

1966 - A postcard look east on Sunset Blvd. with a photo taken during the run of "Grand Prix." It's from the Richard Wojcik collection that appeared on the page for the non-public Facebook group Mid Century Modern Los Angeles.

1967-1968 - The Cinerama Dome during the run of "Camelot." The film opened November 2, 1967 for a 51 week run. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the shot for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

1967-1968 - Another "Camelot" view. Thanks to Tom Anderson for sharing this one in a post for the Mid Century Modern Facebook group.

1968 - "Ice Station Zebra" opened October 24 and got a 29 week run. Thanks to Stephen Fleay for this November photo. Alison Martino shared it in a post on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

1969 - "Paint Your Wagon" opened October 22 for a 35 week reserved seat run in 70mm. Thanks to Kevin Charbeneau for sharing this image from his collection. He had put it up for sale on eBay.

c.1970 - A fine look at the back of the theatre. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting this one when it was for sale online.

c.1970 - Looking north. That's what is now called the Montalban Theatre with the blue side wall at the top of the shot. Thanks to Moviejs1944 for locating the shot for a post on Cinema Treasures.

1971 - "Song of Norway" opened in November 1970 and had a 35 week run. Thanks to Kevin Miller for sharing this July photo in a post on the Mid Century Modern private Facebook group.

1972 - "Silent Running" opened March 10 for a seven week run. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this photo when it was offered for sale online.

1972 - "Deliverance" ran in 70mm for eighteen weeks beginning August 16. It's another photo Sean Ault spotted online when it was for sale.

1973 - An Ed Ruscha shot taken during the run of "The Day of the Jackal." The film opened May 17 for a thirteen week engagement. The photo from the Getty Research Institute's Streets of Los Angeles Archive was featured on a 2020 "5 design things to do Oct 12-18" page on the Stamen Design site. They designed the interactive website and were linking to a KCRW page that week that's still online but now missing its photos. Ruscha also shot the building in 1990 and 2007. The Getty has digitized more than 60,000 photos out of the more than half million he took documenting various L.A. streets. See the Getty site "12 Sunsets: Exploring Ed Ruscha's Archive."

1973 - The Dome running "The Sting." It opened December 25 for a thirteen week run. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo for a Facebook post on Ken's Movie Page.

1974 - Getting decorated for the run of "Mame." It's a photo from Ken McIntyre on Photos of Los Angeles.

1974 - More prep for the "Mame" premiere. Thanks to Ken McIntyre on Photos of Los Angeles for the shot. It's also been on Vintage Los Angeles.

1974 - A shot of the "Mame" getup taken at the premiere for the film on March 26. Thanks to Kevin Miller on the non-public Facebook group Mid Century Modern Los Angeles for the photo. He notes: "Since it was Easter the film's costume designer, Theodora Van Runkle, designed a gigantic Easter bonnet measuring 550 ft. in circumference to sit a top the dome! Hundreds of guests arrived in vintage cars, wearing 1920s period costumes and Daily Variety columnist Army Archard announced the arrival of each star! Merv Griffin taped his nightly tv talk show from the premiere that night. It was one of Hollywood's biggest & grandest premieres in recent memory."

1975 - "Rollerball" in 70mm at the Dome. Thanks to John Stewart for his photo, one of 25 appearing in his Los Angeles Theaters set on Flickr. John is the long-time projectionist at the Austin Paramount. Thanks also to Mike Hume for advising of John's collection. Michael Coate notes that the film opened June 25 for a 19 week run.

1975 - Thanks to Richard Lenoir for sharing this "Rollerball" shot he took, one of five views of his August visit to the Dome that he shared in a post for the private Facebook group Friends of 70mm.

1975 - And for you fans of the fountains and gardens at the Dome, here's Richard Lenoir's shot of the area west of the entrance. Thanks, Richard!

1975-1976 - Stanley Kubrick's "Barry Lyndon." Michael Coate notes that it opened December 19 for an eight week run in 35mm. Thanks to Charles Smith for sharing this photo he took as a post on Cinema Treasures.

1976 - "Logan's Run" was a six week engagement in 70mm Dolby beginning June 22. The film later moved over to the Hollywood Paramount. Thanks to the Classic Hollywood/Los Angeles/SFV website for locating this shot by an unidentified photographer.

1976 - Thanks to Richard Lenoir for this "Logan's Run" signage photo. A street view plus a look at the screen during the film were also included in his post for the private Facebook group Friends of 70mm. Thanks, Richard!

1977 - Martin Scorsese's "New York, New York" had a four week run beginning June 22. Thanks to Jason Horton for locating this photo for a post on the Lost Angeles Facebook group.

1977 - The November 18 opening of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Thanks to Bill Gabel for the photo, a post on Photos of Los Angeles.

1978 - Thanks to John Ford for this summer "Revenge of the Pink Panther" shot he posted on Vintage Los Angeles.

1978 - A "Revenge" shot by Robert Landau that was shared for the Los Angeles and Southern California Nostalgia Facebook group by Torbjörn Eriksson.

1979 - "Apocalypse Now." Thanks to Richard DuVal for taking this shot in September. Pancho Ds shared this and two other views of Richard's from the same day on a Friends of 70mm Facebook post. Also see an earlier post on the page. The film opened August 15 in a version with no credits -- you got a program. The Dolby mix included split surrounds. See Michael Coate's article "Still Loving the Smell of Napalm in the Morning..." on the site The Digital Bits.

1979 - Steven Spielberg's "1941" premiered December 13. Thanks to Richard DuVal for the photo. It appears, uncredited, with two other shots from this engagement by Richard in a post by James Kroeper on the Friends of 70mm Facebook page.

1980 - "The Blue Lagoon." It's a Roy Hankey photo in Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1981 - "Apocalypse Now" was back for a five week reissue engagement in June. The photo from Hulton Archives/Getty Images appears with the 2013 LAist article "Celebrating 50 years of film at Hollywood's Cinerama Dome."

1981 - A look across Sunset Blvd. during the run of "Zoot Suit," an October release that played the Dome in 70mm and Sensurround Plus. It's a photo by Brad Adams that appears with the article "About Zoot Suit" on the site in70mm.com. Much of the film was shot nearby in the Earl Carroll Theatre. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a few shots in the theatre from the film.

early 1980s? - A luscious view of Hollywood and, of course, the Dome. It's one of many classic Los Angeles photos from the estate of Barbara Harlen in the Kingsley Collection. The photo has also appeared on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

1982 - Steven Spielberg's "E.T." opened June 11. Thanks to Michael Coate for sharing this photo in a post on the Friends of 70mm Facebook page. He notes that initially 28 theatres were running it in 70mm, with 4 more added in July.

1983 - John Badham's "War Games" opened June 3. Thanks to Michael Coate for sharing this photo from his collection in a post for the private Facebook group Friends of 70mm.

1983 - The "War Games" signage. It's photo taken by Richard Lenoir. He shared this view and five others taken in July during the run of the film in a post for the Friends of 70mm Facebook group.

1983 - An image by photojournalist Elisa Leonelli appearing on Calisphere from the Claremont Colleges Library Special Collections. Thanks to Esotouric's Secret Los Angeles for locating the image in the collection for use in a 2022 Facebook post about the Dome getting a new liquor license.

1987 - Looking toward downtown. It's a Paul Chinn photo in the Herald Examiner collection at the Los Angeles Public Library.

1988 - A view in the Los Angeles Public Library collection taken by Chris Gulker during the run of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."

1998 - Looking south on Morningside Court during the run of "Woo" with Jada Pinkett Smith. It opened May 8 for a two week engagement. This street now leads into the parking garage. Many thanks to Casey Maddren for sharing this photo and other pre-ArcLight shots he took that month in a 2014 post on his blog The Horizon and the Skyline that is titled "Hollywood Journal - Preservation Prevails."

1998 - North on Morningside toward Sunset. Photo: Casey Maddren.

1998 - A closer look at the concrete block screen wall. Photo: Casey Maddren. Steve Wilfong comments: "They had an outdoor smoking area that was an enclosed patio with open, decorative bricks for the outside wall. People would cram out there during intermission of long movies."

1998 - On Ivar looking east behind the theatre toward Morningside Court and Vine St. beyond. Photo: Casey Maddren. Thanks!

1998 - "His face is 90 feet wide at the Cinerama Dome." The Associated Press photo taken during the run of "Godzilla" appeared Pat Saperstein's April 2021 Variety story "The Cinerama Dome: A Landmark of Hollywood History in Photos." The film opened May 20 for a seven week run.

1998 - A shot taken during the run of "The Rugrats Movie," opening November 20 for a five week run. The photo by Mike Nelson from AFP/Getty Images appears with the 2013 Laist article "Celebrating 50 years of film at Hollywood's Cinerama Dome." "Jack Frost" had a premiere December 5 at the Mann Village and Bruin theatres and then opened wide on the 11th but didn't play the Dome.

2002 - A shot from Film-Tech.com with "This Is Cinerama" on the marquee. It was the first three-strip presentation at the theatre. It's on the site's Cinerama Dome page which you can find by going to pictures and scrolling down to the Cinerama Dome listing under "singles, twins, trios, quads."

2004 - A view of the Dome taken during during the run of "Shrek 2." Ken McIntyre located the shot for a post for the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

2004 - "Spiderman 2" in July. Thanks to Richard Wojcik for locating the photo for a post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles. It also appears with the 2013 LAist article "Celebrating 50 years of film at Hollywood's Cinerama Dome" where they note that they grabbed it off Flickr.

2007 - A view during the run of "The Heartbreak Kid." Photo: Bill Counter

2009 - The view west on Sunset. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF

2009 - The boxoffice windows east of the entrance doors. One now buys tickets inside at the ArcLight boxoffice. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF

2009 - The signage at night. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF

2009 - The Dome from across the street. Photo: Don Solosan - LAHTF. Thanks for all your great photos, Don!

2012 - The crew of the Cinerama short "In The Picture" gathered in front on April 23 following the 3-strip showing of "How the West Was Won" for the TCM Festival. Thanks to theatre historian Kurt Wahlner for providing the photo.

Standing, left to right: Cinerama Camera Restoration/Technician Ken Stone; Co-Director of Photography John Hora, A.S.C.; Camera Operator Lance Fisher, S.O.C.; Co-Director of Photography Douglas H. Knapp; Cinerama Camera Number 3; Camera Film Loader David Tondeur; Gaffer Joe di Gennaro; Sound Recordist Lincoln Morrison; Co-Producer Tom H. March. Kneeling front left to right: Production Assistant Mike Cahill; Producer/Director/Writer/Editor David Strohmaier; Camera Assistant Kurt Wahlner; Producer Anthony Saenz.

2013 - A look up at the signage by Alison Martino on her Facebook page Vintage los Angeles. Thanks, Alison!

2013 - The rear of the Cinerama Dome. We're looking north toward Sunset Blvd. At the right is the entrance to the ArcLight lobby. At the left is the portion of the new development containing restaurants and retail. Photo: Bill Counter

2015 - The Dome got all dressed in yellow for "The Minions" in June. Thanks to Lydia Zerne for her photo, which she once added as a comment to a Facebook post. There are more "Minions" views to be seen on Photos of Los Angeles.

2015 - A shot Steven Taylor took in July. He shared it in a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.

2015 - The Dome from above, one of many treats on Ian Wood's 6 minute video "Los Angeles." It includes flyovers of Capitol Records, the Griffith Observatory, City Hall, the canals of Venice, Lake Hollywood and more. Don't miss it!

2017 - Thanks to David Silver for this great January view west across the Dome from 18 floors up. He posted it on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

2018 - Moonrise on Sunset Blvd in October. Photo: Bill Counter

2019 - "Avengers: Endgame" was the current attraction but they were getting ready for "Godzilla" to come out the top. Thanks to Zzub McEntire for his May photo.

2019 - "Godzilla" from the top. The photo appears, uncredited, with the 2021 Cinema Scholars post "The Past and Future of Hollywood's Cinerama Dome" by Hugh Feinberg. Thanks to Ben McVay for spotting the story.

2019 - The beast at night. Thanks to Jorge Garcia for his May photo on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.

2019 - A wider "Godzilla" view. It's another uncredited photo with "The Past and Future of Hollywood's Cinerama Dome" by Hugh Feinberg.

2020 - Looking east toward the theatre on June 1, at this point with the complex boarded up in expectation of protests about police brutality and racial inequality. Thanks to Brad Stubbs for his photo, one of 71 in his "BLM Protest 6-1-20 Hollywood" album on Facebook.

2020 - The theatre's entrance. On the right note the signage still up for "The Hunt," the last film running before the March virus shutdown. Thanks to Brad Stubbs for the June 1 photo.

2021 - An Associated Press drone shot that appeared with "Arclight Cinemas And Pacific Theatres Won’t Be Reopening; Parent Company Decurion Hands Keys Back To Landlords," an April 12, 2021 story by Anthony D'Allessandro on Deadline.

2021 - A lovely shot by Ted Soqui that appears with "The History Los Angeles Has Lost to the Pandemic," a May photo essay on his site Capital & Main: Investigating Money, Power & Society. Also check out his site Ted Soqui Photography. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Lwize for spotting the shot for Noirish post #57121.

2021 - A photo taken for the Times by Jay L. Clendenin. It appeared with "Movies and theaters are coming back. But what about L.A.'s treasured art houses?," a July 13, 2021 article by Ryan Faughnder and Mark Olsen. The story also featured several photos taken at the Music Hall in Beverly Hills.

2022 - Still boarded up in July. Photo: Bill Counter

2022 - A look east across the entrance in July. Go Get 'Em Tiger wasn't getting anything at all. Photo: Bill Counter

2023 - A view from the old RCA building across the street, now the home of the L.A. Film School. It's a photo taken by Mace Wyndu. Thanks for sharing it!

2023 - The Dome hit the New York Times in "A Dormant Dome for Cinephiles is Unsettling Hollywood," a fine August 16 article by Adam Nagourney that discussed many of the trends currently buffeting the exhibition industry. This photo by Alex Welsh for the Times is one of four appearing with the article.

More exterior views in the Los Angeles Public Library collection: "Mad, Mad World" - another premiere night view | "Grand Prix" - 1966 - looking down at the entrance | "1941" signage view - Anne Knudsen - 1979 | dome texture - 1988 - Chris Gulker | parking lot and Dome - undated - Gary Leonard | aerial Vine St. redevelopment view - 2002 - Gary Leonard |

On the In70mm site see Michael Coate's "Cinerama Dome - Playdates Chronology - 1963 - Present."

1 comment:

B CounterMarch 15, 2024 at 6:59 PM
Yes? Meaning it appeared in the film? Right. It certainly did. On the main Cinerama page we discuss all the feature films that the Dome has appeared in. It's also listed in several posts on our Theatres in Movies site: https://theatresinmovies.blogspot.com
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