6838 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028 | map |
The El Capitan pages: overview | street views 1925 to 1954 | street views 1955 to present | ticket lobby | lobbies and lounges | auditorium | backstage |
Opened: May 3, 1926 with "Charlot's Revue of 1926." The theatre opened as a legit venue built by developer Charles E. Toberman (1880-1981). He was also was involved in the Chinese and the Egyptian theatres as well as many other Hollywood buildings. This view is from the Hollywood and Highland mall, now rebranded as "Ovation." Photo: Bill Counter - 2007
The El Capitan was the first of four Hollywood legit houses opening in a short period. The Carter De Haven Music Box, now called the
Fonda Theatre, opened October 20, 1926. Wilkes' Vine St. Theatre, now the
Montalban, opened January 19, 1927. The Hollywood Playhouse, now the
Avalon, opened January 24, 1927.
Phone: 818-845-3110 Website: elcapitantheatre.com | about the theatre | rentals and tech info
Filming Inquiries: Talk to Rebecca Reynoso at Cap Equity Locations, 323-375-4192. Check out their El Capitan page for over two hundred photos of the building. Or call the theatre's rental staff at 323-572-5062 or email them at locations@disneyspecialevents.com.
Architects:
Morgan, Walls & Clements did the exterior, the ticket lobby, and the department store portion of the building. Stiles O. Clements was the firm's lead designer. G. Albert
Lansburgh did the theatre. Much of the interior decorative work was by John B. Smeraldi, who was the decorator for the
Biltmore Theatre and Biltmore Hotel. The El Capitan was featured in a ten page article in the February 1927 issue of Architect and Engineer.
Lansburgh, based in San Francisco, had earlier done the Orpheum
(now the Palace) in 1911 and the RKO Hillstreet in 1922. 1926 was a busy year for his office as in addition to the El Capitan the firm also designed the present Orpheum downtown and the Shrine Auditorium. Morgan, Walls & Clements did many other local theatre projects including the Belasco (1926), the Mayan (1927) and the Leimert (1932). They would again team up with Lansburgh on the Wiltern Theatre.
A main floor plan. Note the trappable area of the stage. The theatre
entrance from Hollywood Blvd. is in the upper right. The rest of the
street frontage was department store space.
A balcony plan. Backstage we're at fly floor level in the lower left
with a paint bridge across the back wall leading to the "Art Room" off
left. Note the two organ chambers. Since it opened as a legit house it
had no need of an organ. It didn't get one until the Disney installation
decades later.
A section through the building. In the lower center note the
wood-paneled basement lounge. On the far right above "Longitudinal
Section" note the contour of the ticket lobby ceiling.
The plans appear in Volume 1 of "American Theatres of Today" by R.W. Sexton and B.
F. Betts. It was published in two volumes in 1927 and 1930 by the
Architectural Book Publishing Co., New York. It was reprinted in one
volume in 1977 and 1985 by the Vestal Press, New York.
Theatre Historical Society also did a reprint in 2009. It's available on
Amazon. Thank to Mike Hume for spotting these.
An elevation from plans in the Morgan, Walls & Clements Archive at the Huntington Library. To see what they have of the MW&C portion of this project start with
drawing #4177, the page this elevation comes from. From there you can page forward through seven sheets, ending with
drawing #4183. Thanks to Mike Hume for locating these. Visit the
Index to the MW&C Theatre Drawings that he compiled for his Historic Theatre Photography site. There's also a 22 page overall index by Mike Callahan on
Internet Archive.
A closer look at the onament at the top of the Hollywood Blvd. facade, from
drawing #4178. We get one head detailed and the instructions: "Repeat ornament. Heads in each panel are to be different." Click on any of these images for a larger view.
An elevation of the treatment of the marquee and two of the four vertical signs. It's from
drawing #4182. See the
ticket lobby page for details from some of the drawings for that area.
A side view of the marquee and the west vertical, also from
drawing #4182.
An example of the exterior work by Morgan, Walls & Clements is this
doorway into the office building lobby. What was once department store space
for Barker Bros. is now offices and a Ghirardelli Cafe/Disney
Store on the main floor. Thanks to Cap Equity Locations for the 2010 photo. This area is detailed on drawing #4180 in the Huntington Library collection.
Seating: 1,550 originally. It was listed as 1,520 after the 1942
remodel and 1,498 at the time of the 1964 refurbishment. The capacity
after the Disney/Pacific
Theatres restoration ended up at 998, plus ADA wheelchair areas on the
main floor. The main floor seats 471, the balcony seats 527. The rear of
the main floor has
lost a few rows due to the new projection booth and walling off the back
corners of the seating area for the addition of ADA compliant restrooms.
History as a legit house: At least one early rendering calls it the Toberman Theatre. Mike Hume notes that September 19, 1925 was the first reference he found to the El
Capitan name. Prior to that it was sometimes referred to as the "Hollywood
theatre building." An item he located in the January 8, 1925 issue of Iron Trade Review noted that Baker Iron Works had a contract for 600 tons of steel for the "Toberman theater, Hollywood." A story in the Variety issue of May 13, 1925:
"William Simpson Construction Co. have been awarded a contract to erect a six story and basement theatre and office building for C.E. Toberman Co., on Hollywood boulevard. The house will seat 2,000 and have a stock company. E.D. Smith, who was replaced as manager of the Biltmore and Mason theatres here, will be associated with Toberman and operate the house."
The Variety issue is on
Internet Archive. It's unknown what happened to the Simpson deal but in a June 28, 1925 L.A. Times story that Mike located they note that the general contractor then on the job was J.V. McNeil:
"A contract for plumbing in the new theater building now under construction on Hollywood Boulevard, between Highland avenue and Orchard [sic] street, has been awarded to the Thomas Haverty Company and the concrete pile for the foundation to the Raymond Concrete Pile Company. The J.V. McNeil Company has the general contract, Albert Lansburgh is the architect."
"City Competes With Broadway," a February 7, 1926 L.A. Times article
about the four new legitimate theatres underway in Hollywood, commented that "a complete scenic
studio will adjoin the theatre as all but the first production will be
built on the spot." It's unknown what areas they could have been talking
about other than the trap room and space on the flyfloor levels. On
stage left that was an area shown as "Art Room" on the plans. The
article went on to note:
"The El Capitan's greatest attraction will be a
Green Room, built under the stage, where the audience and players may
mingle between acts, in the approved Drury Lane fashion. In being also a
rendezvous for film stars, this feature will go Drury Lane one better."
See the
Historic Hollywood Photographs website for over 25 construction photos. The collection, assembled by Bruce Torrence, is now owned by the McAvoy family.
This
nice illustration of the new playhouse made the front page of the local
weekly "Saturday Night" on April 17, 1926. The image appears on page 124
of the Bruce Torrence book "Hollywood: The First 100 Years" (Hollywood
Chamber of Commerce, 1979). In this early rendering they used it was called the Toberman Theatre. Also on those vertical readerboards was the copy "Otis Skinner in 'Other Men's Wives.'" Of interest here is the early version of the tower design with the space that was intended for signage.
A pre-opening ad for the initial attraction, "Charlot's Revue of 1926," starring Jack Buchanan,
Gertrude Lawrence, and Beatrice Lillie. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a post on the
Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.
"Dazzling Opening for Hollywood's First Home of Spoken Drama" was the
heading over this drawing by Charles Owens that appeared in the L.A.
Times on May 2, 1926, the day before the opening. It was accompanied by "
El Capitan is Dream Realized,"
a gushing article describing the new theatre written by Edwin
Schallert, the paper's film and stage critic. The link will get you a
PDF of the article.
Thanks to Mike Hume for finding this for the El Capitan page on his
Historic Theatre Photography site. Also in PDF format via Mike's page is "
El Capitan Draws Throng," a Times article appearing May 5 that reported on the grand opening.
A May 3, 1926 ad. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for
locating it.
Other 1926 productions included " The Green Hat" starring Ruth
Chatterton, opening August 8; "Castles in the Air," opening November 2
and "Lady Frederick," starring Pauline Frederick, opening December 19. Early 1927 productions included "The Firebrand," opening April 3. It was a play by Edwin Justus Mayer
about the 16th century sculptor and libertine Benvenuto Cellini. The
production starred William Farnum, Ethel Clayton and Ian Keith.
Booking and managing
the playhouse was more than Toberman or his original lessee, Edward D.
Smith, bargained for. The theatre went dark in mid-1927.
Henry Duffy (1891-1961) took over the operation and reopened the theatre on July 14, 1927 with "Laff That Off,"
a production that starred his wife
Dale Winter. It ran until the end of August. Duffy ran a string of west coast legit
playhouses but this was his first venture in Los Angeles. His circuit, at its height, included nine theatres. Find A Grave
has a page on Duffy, who was also a well known actor. His obituary is
reproduced by Noirish Los Angeles contributor Godzilla in the Noirish post #22917.
An August 28, 1927 newspaper item spotted by Eric Lynxwiler:
"Involving
a twenty-five-year lease costing more that $1,000,000, Barker Brothers
department store has announced that it will occupy all space in the El
Capitan Theater building at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard, except that held
by the playhouse. The Hollywood store will be opened about October 1, it
was announced."
There
were plans announced in October 1927 for an aerial beacon atop the
tower. The image here is the top 2/3 of one in the Herald Examiner collection
of the
Los Angeles Public Library. It was published with this caption:
"Photo-diagram shows how the world's largest and brightest aerial
beacon will look when it blazes forth from the 57-foot tower atop the
El Capitan Theater building located at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard in
Hollywood. The beacon will send out 10,000 spherical candle power of
monochromatic red light."
"Figs" was playing in November and December 1927. Shows in 1928 included "The Show Off," a production with Louis John Bartels, Helen Lowell and Juliette Crosby that ran from June 24 until July 28; "The Baby Cyclone," a play by George M. Cohan with Harrison Ford that opened July 29; "The Shannons of Broadway," a production starring its author James Gleason, that opened September 23.
1929 shows included "Burlesque," opening April 14 with its Broadway star Hal Skelly. Others in the cast included Laura Hamilton and Ralph Theadore. This program cover by Mark Triton appears, with four of the inside pages and many details about the production in an article by Paul R. Spitzzeri on the
Homestead Blog.
Other theatres listed in the program as part of the Duffy circuit in 1929 were the Hollywood Playhouse (Avalon) and President (Globe) in Los Angeles, the Alcazar and President in San Francisco, the Dufwin theatres in Oakland and Portland, the Moore and President in Seattle and the Vancouver in Vancouver B.C.
1933 productions included "Counselor At Law" with Otto Kruger, opening Easter Sunday, April 16. The Times noted in their June 13 issue
that the play was in its ninth and final week, to be replaced by
"Twentieth Century," opening on the 22nd. Charlotte Greenwood appeared in "The Late
Christopher Bean," a show that opened October 30. "Ten Minute Alibi," a British play by Anthony Armstrong opened
December 7 and played into January 1934. In the cast were John
Warburton, Walter Armitage and Peggy Campbell.
Sidney Kingsley's "Men in White" had opened on Broadway in September
1933. The production playing the El Capitan ran from March 11 until May
5, 1934.
The program for the 1934 Duffy production of Eugene O'Neill's "Ah, Wilderness" starring Will Rogers. Thanks to Lane Wallace for sharing it from his collection. You can, of course, click on it for a larger view. Also see
the back of the program.
An ad for "Ah, Wilderness" at the El Capitan. Also note "The Drunkard" at the Theatre Mart, still in its first year. It would run 35 more. Thanks to diligent theatre researcher Ken McIntyre for finding the ad.
Duffy gave up in 1937 and the theatre went dark except for occasional rentals to various promoters. He was back later.
A 1939 ad for "The Mikado - in Swing" directed by Alexander Leftwich. It played for seven weeks beginning July 30 and was then back for a return run. The Palos Verdes Peninsula News gave it rave writeup in their October 13 issue. The concept had originated as a 1938 Chicago WPA Federal Theatre Project show
called "Swing Mikado" directed by Harry Minturn that went on to New York. Mike Todd later did
his
own version on Broadway in 1939 called "Hot Mikado." The Library of Congress has a poster for this production's June 28 - July 1 tryout at the Savoy Theatre in San Diego where it was presented by the "Los Angeles Federal Theatre Division - W.P.A."
We don't see the FTP listed as producer in this ad -- perhaps support was pulled for some reason. Several images of performers in the Los Angeles
production appear on the website of
George Mason University. A number of performers in the cast had worked other FTP shows in L.A. The Federal Theatre Project also used other theatres in town for their productions including the Beaux Arts Theatre near MacArthur Park and the Mason, Musart, Mayan and Belasco downtown. In Hollywood they did many shows at the
Hollywood Playhouse on Vine St. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the ad for a post on the
Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.
In May 1939 Clifford C. Fischer brought a version of the "Folies Bergere" show that had been
playing the World's Fair in San Francisco to the Chinese. A second
"more daring" production took over the San Francisco run. Clifford
later brought that second company, dubbed "Folies Bergere of 1940," to the El
Capitan, opening November 1, 1939. The show was discussed in an October
17 article in the Times. Another 1939 production was a dramatization of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men." Charlotte Greenwood starred in "She Couldn't Say No," opening December 22.
One early 1940 production was the west coast premiere of "Oscar Wilde: The Man Who Shocked a Century" with Laird Cregar, a show that opened April 21.
In July 1940 Joan Blondell made her L.A. stage debut in "Goodbye To Love," a production that had earlier played San Francisco. Thanks to Scott Pitzer for posting this ad as well as a short article about the production on the
Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.
The "All New" Folies was back in 1940 with a new version of the show, "Folies Bergere of 1941." Thanks to Scott Pitzer for locating this October Examiner ad for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group. The show had opened October 21. After closing at the El Capitan, Fischer then
booked a tab version of the show into the Paramount downtown for a week
beginning December 3, where it played with the film "Dancing on a
Dime."
"It's Terrific!" The 1941 west coast premiere engagement of "Citizen Kane" was the only known film booking for the theatre up to this point. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. The premiere at the El Capitan was May 8 with a three-shows-a-day engagement beginning the next day at the El Capitan as well as at the RKO Hillstreet. It was reserved seats for the evening shows. Bruce Kimmel notes that the film played the El Capitan until June 25. It then reopened for an exclusive run at the Hawaii Theatre beginning October 16.
Henry Duffy was back with several productions in 1941 following "Kane." Laird Cregar starred in "The Man Who Came To Dinner," running from September 19 until October 18. Otto Kruger and Rose Hobart appeared in "The Male Animal" from October 19 until November 29.
"Springtime for Henry" with Edward Everett
Horton and Marjorie Lord was the last stage booking prior to the El Capitan's "moderne" remodel. It ran from December 4, 1941 until January 10, 1942. This image of the program cover
appeared on the now-defunct site TheaterPrint. After an impressive career as a playhouse with over 120 productions
staged since 1926, the El Capitan became a first-run film venue.
The new life as a film house: After a major renovation the theatre reopened as the
Paramount on March 18, 1942 under
the direction of Fanchon and Marco. The architects for the 1942
remodel were William L. and Hal Pereira. The auditorium's plasterwork was covered
with wavy corrugated panels. There was rattan furniture, fake palm
trees, ivy, and a coconut milk bar in the balcony lobby. Sketches for the project appeared in the January 3, 1942 issue of boxoffice in an article titled "Just Off the Boards." See a
PDF of the article courtesy of Mike Hume.
An item that appeared in the March 15, 1942 L.A. Times as the remodel neared completion. Thanks to Mike Hume for locating it. The project rated a full page article in the April 25, 1942 issue of
Boxoffice titled
"Completed..." The author noted:
"Just in time
for the auspicious opening of Paramount's "Reap the Wild Wind," that
company's first-run 'showcase' in Hollywood was launched on March 19th.
Formerly the El Capitan, a legitimate house, the new Hollywood Paramount
was remodeled at a cost of $178,000 and it now seats 1,520 persons....the
redesign of the front of the theatre is completely spectacular through
the application of neon grill fluted fins above a graceful marquee.
Unusual attraction boards were provided and the entrance lobby is
surrounded by glass cases employing a new method of display. The
boxoffice and marble lobby are festooned with growing plants."
A March 1942 ad for the Paramount's initial film. Thanks to Comfortably Cool for locating this for a post on Cinema Treasures.
As the Paramount, the theatre frequently played day and date with the Paramount downtown (the former Metropolitan),
also operated by the brother and sister team of Fanchon Simon and Marco
Wolff. The company also operated a string of theatres on L.A.'s south
side that included the Baldwin, the Rio, the Manchester and the Southside. For more about F & M see the family's
Fanchon and Marco website curated by Steve Simon.
The film that kicked off the 3-D craze played "Both Paramounts," opening November 26, 1952. Thanks to Comfortably Cool for locating the ad for a post on
Cinema Treasures. There's an article about the film on
Wikipedia. See two Facebook posts from Mike Ballew discussing the film's history:
post 1 |
post 2
This trade magazine ad taken out by Arch Oboler, the "Bwana Devil" producer, featured a shot of the Hollywood Paramount. Thanks to Greenbrier Picture Shows for featuring this and many other items about the film on a post about 3-D. Also see their articles "3-D Grabs Hold" and "3-D Concludes (For Now)." The ad also appears on Bob Furmanek's 3-D Film Archive page about Oboler's film "The Bubble."
VistaVision
at the Paramount:
In 1955 the theatre got a rare installation of the specially designed
Century horizontal VistaVision projectors for the runs of "The Seven
Little Foys" (opening June 23, 1955) and "To Catch a Thief" (an eight
week run beginning August 3, 1955). This image of a VistaVision machine is from a
short about the process appearing with the DVD for "Funny Face."
Michael Coate, in his Digital Bits article "...Remembering Hitchcock's 'To Catch a Thief'," notes that the Paramount was one
of six theatres nationally to get a horizontal print. Other theatres getting the 8 perf prints were the New York Paramount, the Omaha Orpheum, the Capitol in Washington D.C., the Saenger in New Orleans and the Imperial in Toronto.
A faded frame from a horizontal VistaVision print of "To Catch a Thief." Thanks to Michael Coate for the image. Paramount didn't believe in mag stereo for their releases. Here we see an optical track encoded with low frequency control tones (30, 35 and 40Hz) for the Perspecta Sound process. The system's "Integrator" used the tones to direct the signal to left, center or right stage channels.
Scroll down on the Warner Beverly Hills page for more about the process. The Warner got two of the first six prototype Century machines for "White Christmas" in October 1954. The downtown Paramount (the former Metropolitan) evidently also got the horizontal machines for the run of "White Christmas." There are also some links for information about the process on the Film and Theatre Technology Resources page.
Roadshows
at the Paramount: The Paramount got the roadshow run of "Gigi" (MGM)
which opened July 10, 1958 in 35mm with 4 channel mag sound. During a 1964 renovation the
theatre was equipped with Norelco AAII machines for 70mm presentations and got to play a
few roadshows in 70 including "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (opening
June 1964), "In Harm's Way" (April 1965), "Dr. Zhivago" (opening
December 1965) and "Dr. Doolittle" (opening December 1967).
An April 1967 "Dr. Zhivago" ticket from the collection of former Paramount projectionist Joe Seeling.
70mm non-roadshow runs: There was lots of 70mm product in later
non-roadshow engagements including "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), "Where
Eagles Dare" (1969), "MacKenna's Gold" (1969), "Close Encounters"
(a moveover from the Dome, 1977) and "The Rose" (moveover from the Egyptian, April 1980). Some of this information on 70mm runs comes from the site
From Script to DVD which has a nice page on the theatre as well as a year-by-year chronicle of 70mm engagements in Los Angeles.
The February 20, 1974 ad for "Panorama Blue." Thanks to Michael Coate for posting it on the Friends of 70mm private Facebook group.
Other names, other operators: A number of other circuits ran the house
after F&M left and before Pacific Theatres acquired it. The Fanchon & Marco lease on the Paramount as well as their Southside Theatres circuit were sold off in late 1958 to Edwin F. Zabel
and veteran producer and exhibitor Robert R. Lippert Sr. with the operational transfer occurring on
January 9, 1959. "Zabel-Lippert Takeover L.A. 10 Starting January 9" was the December 17 Variety story. Marco Wolff had been running the F&M operations but he retired in 1957 to do, of all things, Christian Science work. His brother Roy was running the company at the time of the sale.
Zabel had previously worked 30 years for
National Theatres, the holding company that operated Fox West Coast. For
various tax reasons the deal for the F&M assets was engineered via Scott Radio Laboratories, an Illinois company. Zabel and Lippert were the firm's controlling
stockholders and were soon running the company, which was rebranded as
ElectroVision Corp., aka EVC. Variety noted that the F&M lease on the Paramount that the new operators acquired ran until 1978. | full article |
A February 26, 1959 L.A. Times story titled "New Officers Elected By Scott Radio" noted that shareholders had elected Zabel president and Lippert as secretary. The company had been around since 1927 and the Times mentioned their new venture:
"...10 theaters with other property in the Southern California area formerly controlled by the Fanchon & Marco chain were recently acquired for $2.5 million... The acquired theater circuit includes the Paramount Hollywood, one of the film capital's premiere houses whose policy is the exclusive first-run showing of fine films. Other theaters are: Imperial and Ritz, Inglewood; Bay, Pacific Palisades, and Balboa, Baldwin, Manchester, Rio, Southside and AAA located in Los Angeles..."
"Scott Radio Changes Name," an April 9, 1959 L.A. Times story, discussed the change to ElectroVision, something that more accurately reflected their business interests. Also mentioned were their theatre operations:
"Presently Electrovision operates motion picture theatres in the metropolitan Los Angeles area as well as the Fanchon & Marco Agency which books and produces variety entertainment at fairs, conventions, supper clubs, musical comedies, extravaganzas and other observances. Negotiations are underway for the purchase of additional theaters..."
The Times had a little item in their June 24 issue titled "Lippert Heads
ElectroVision" noting that he had become chairman of the board. "ElectroVision in Aquisition," a July 8, 1959 Times article, discussed the company's purchase of theatres operated by Robert Lippert. At the time his circuit numbered 14 drive-ins and 15 indoor theatres. At the bottom of the piece it was mentioned that EVC had earlier picked up the F&M holdings. | full article |
A 1959 Times ad located by Ken McIntyre showing the Paramount as being operated by EVC, the ElectroVision Corp.
Fred
Stein's Statewide Theatres took over the Electrovision houses in 1961. It was mentioned in passing in a September 11, 1961 Boxoffice article about new theatre construction. They kept the
Paramount name and did a major refurbishment in 1964. The January 18,
1965 issue of Boxoffice had a big story titled "Dramatic Effects in Remodeled Theatre" with photos and a discussion about what
they did to upgrade the circuit's then flagship house. | article page 1 | page 2 | page 3 |
Loew's
took over the Paramount, along with all the other southern California Statewide circuit houses, in November 1967, initially continuing to call it the Hollywood Paramount adding in the ads "now a Loew's Theatre."
A December 1967 ad by Loew's touting all the modernization work they were doing to their L.A. area theatres. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this for a thread about the theatre on the private Facebook group
Photos of Los Angeles.
In April 1968 the theatre got a Loew's vertical sign and in the ads starting April 11 it became Loew's or Loew's in Hollywood rather than the Paramount. This sign was the first vertical for the theatre. Well, except for the very curious original ones. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this.
General Cinema bought most of the southern California
Loew's houses in 1972 and beginning July 12 this one was then advertised as the Cinema on
Hollywood Boulevard, the Hollywood Cinema or, in true General Cinema fashion, just Cinema. The unchanged "Loew's" vertical was still being lit at night many, many months later. It shows up in November 1973 footage at the beginning of the film "Aloha, Bobby and Rose."
Century Cinema Circuit took over in December 1973, initially continuing to call it the Hollywood Cinema. Soon they returned the Paramount name to the
theatre, and re-did the vertical sign to say Paramount. Century was a firm started in 1973 by Fred Stein (formerly of Statewide) and his son Robert. Fred and his wife Miriam had 2/3 of the stock while Robert and his wife Carol had 1/3. They were in bankruptcy in fall 1976.
Seattle-based
Sterling Recreation Organization bought some of Century's assets and assumed the debt that the Steins owed General Cinema. SRO took over in late 1976 or early 1977 and gave the theatre another refurbishing and
continued to use the Paramount name.
The Toberman estate
owned the building until 1984 when they sold it to Tom Harnsberger and
Nick Olaets, who embarked on a renovation of the retail and office
areas. Pacific Theatres took over the theatre lease in 1985 when
SRO pulled out of the L.A. market.
Closing as the Paramount: The last day of operation was September 17, 1989 with "The Package" as the last film to play. Thanks to Mike Hume for the research.
"Watch For Our New Look" was the copy in Pacific's ads beginning September 18.
The 1989-1991 restoration: The original plan had been to restore the theatre, including having a working stage. Dick Cook, the head of Disney's Buena Vista Distribution arm, envisioned the house as sort of a miniature Radio City Music Hall. The project architects were the Los Angeles firm Fields Devereaux Architects with Edwin Fields and J. Peter Devereaux as principals. Joe Musil, who had delighted Disney executives with his transformation of the
Crest Theatre in Westwood, was to be the lead designer. Joe's first plan was sort of a riff on the theatre's original East Indian decor.
A proposed redesign for the inner lobby. It's one of many models for different versions of the project that Musil made that are now in the Ronald W. Mahan collection.
But Disney had Pacific Theatres as a partner in the project and they couldn't comprehend doing a 1,200 seat single screen house. Six auditoria would have been more their style for 1989. They compromised on a twin.
The balcony was to be one house and a stadium style house on the main floor would have its screen almost at the back wall of the stagehouse. Thanks to Mike Hume for the illustration and the research. They were going to call the complex the Boulevard, with the two houses designated the Music Hall and the Roof Garden.
So Musil went back to work designing two theatres. This image is of the model he did for the 450 seat balcony theatre, somewhat "Arabian Nights" in style. Disney didn't want it to look like a "curtain job." The mission was to make it elaborate and "look like it had always been there." Thanks to Ron Mahan for the photo.
But Disney shifted focus and decided they wanted two deco-themed theatres and expressed a desire to make these even more elaborate than the design at the Crest. This is a shot of the model for a deco version of the balcony theatre.
A closer look at the proscenium of the proposed deco style balcony theatre.
Some of the sidewall decor Musil proposed. The Hollywood murals were to have featured famous names and buildings in the area including, as we see here, the El Capitan.
The model for the downstairs theatre at the time the complex was to be two deco-themed auditoria. Thanks to Ron Mahan for sharing this photo of the model in his collection.
With the discovery that most of the 1926 decor still existed behind the
1942 vintage plaster shell, Disney bowed to pressure by preservation
groups and agreed to do a restoration -- and keep the house as a single
screen. Part of that pressure on Disney was that the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation submitted an application to the city to have the building declared a Historic-Cultural Monument. The City Council approved the application in June 1990. Hollywood Heritage and the L.A. Conservancy were also instrumental in the process.
Musil made another series of models for all the rooms showing how the final version of the project would appear. This ticket lobby model shows off the restoration of the badly damaged walls and the new boxoffice. The original ticket windows had been over on the right. Photo: Mike Hume
A model showing how the basement lounge would look after restoration. Here we see two cocktail bars that Disney decided not to include. Photo: Mike Hume
A view toward the stage of Musil's final model of the auditorium, now in the Ronald W. Mahan Collection. And, yes, this does have a working stage with lights that come on, drapes that open, and drops and screen that can be flown. Here it's seen with an Austrian drape.
The model with the Peacock curtain in.
Joe Musil's model displaying the Elephant curtain. Thanks to Ron for these photos. Also see an image of the model with the
movie screen flown in.
Some old ticket fragments from the Ronald W. Mahan Collection that were discovered during the 90s restoration.
The Pomona-based firm Restoration Studio, headed by J. Ronald Reed, did all sorts of reconstruction work during the 1989-1991 restoration. Here Juan Sequeira is creating molds for reconstruction of missing exterior cast-stone details. The photo appeared on the firm's
Facebook page.
Sequeira and his staff working on restoring the decorative details on the ticket lobby ceiling. The photo initially appeared on the Restoration Studio
Facebook page. Katherine Reinwald notes that she's the painter on the left.
A photo of the outer lobby ceiling restoration underway from the
Facebook page of Restoration Studio. J. Ronald Reed and Juan Sequeira got a National Trust award for their work.
A bit of painting after the re-creation of the proscenium boxes. They had been chopped off during the 1942 renovations. The 1991 photo by Gary Krueger appeared in the souvenir program for the 1991 reopening. A copy of the program is in the Ronald W. Mahan Collection. Thanks to Ron for sharing this image.
Disney and Pacific Theatres did a lush restoration job guided by Joe Musil, seen here discussing drapes and tassels. Ten days before the reopening, Matt Spero shot a fine twenty one minute tour of the theatre featuring Musil,
who died in 2010. It's
on YouTube:
Part One and
Part Two. Thanks, Matt!
The theatre reopened as the El Capitan in June 1991 with "The Rocketeer," plus a stage show, as the initial attraction. There was a preview screening of on Monday the 17th according to a Times report in their June 19 issue. An invitational event "to celebrate the grand re-opening" was held on Tuesday, June 18. The official "world premiere" of the film, again by invitation only, was Wednesday the 19th. The public opening was June 21.
An invitation for the June 18 event. Thanks to Comfortably Cool for posting it on
Cinema Treasures.
An ad announcing the opening of "Pacific's the El Capitan Theatre" on June 21. Thanks to Ron Mahan for sharing this one. Also see
another pre-opening ad that appeared in June 18 issue of the Times.
Although there was a stage presentation for the opening, the stage wasn't fully usable until several years later when they did a second phase that included new rigging, installation of the Mickey lift and other improvements. Note the ad's mention of a "THX Lucasfilm presentation." They had built a THX-style steel-stud baffle wall part way upstage. Later this was removed and replaced with a screen and line array speaker systems that could fly.
A 1991 Christmas week ad for the 70mm run of "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) plus a
stage show at "Pacific's El Capitan Theatre." The ad was reproduced in
the January 1992 issue of the Tom B'hend /
Preston Kaufmann publication Greater Metro L.A. Newsreel. They noted
that the ad was designed by Joe Musil, who had also been the designer
for the restoration project. The Newsreel issue is
in the Ronald W. Mahan Collection. Thanks to Ron for scanning the ad.
"Sleeping Beauty" was back for another 70mm run in 2002. "Tron" had a 70mm run in 2004. The projection is now digital. The theatre has a Dolby Atmos sound system installed.
Pipe Organ: The theatre is now proudly the home of the 36 rank Wurlitzer that was originally installed in the San Francisco Fox. The instrument was rebuilt and installed by George Buck and his crew from Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's been augmented with a flute celeste rank, all-electric stop actions, an expanded specification by Gordon Kibbee, and a computer-controlled switching system and combination action. Thanks to Dennis James for the information. The organ made its debut on June 20, 1999 with the film "Tarzan." The house organist is Rob Richards.
Covid shutdown and operational changes: Pacific Theatres and Disney remained partners in the operation
until Covid restrictions forced the closure of the theatre in March
2020. Pacific then exited the partnership. Ed Collins, the general manager of the theatre for 36 years, retired in
2020.
By this time the building was owned by
CUNA Mutual Group, an insurance company. They had purchased it from Tom Harnsberger and
Nick Olaets. In November 2008 it was sold to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner
of the L.A. Times as well as other businesses and properties. Disney is presently the sole tenant. In addition to
the theatre, they operate the Disney store east of the theatre
entrance, a partnership with Ghirardelli. All of the office space on the
upper floors is either occupied by Disney or sub-leased to the Jimmy
Kimmel show.
Current status: The theatre generally plays first run Disney product, frequently with added stage shows
and exhibits related to the film. The current general manager is James M. Wood.
General manager James Wood in the theatre between showings of "Black Widow" in July 2021. It's a photo taken for the Times by Jay L. Clendening that appeared with Josh Rottenberg's July 14 article "With movie theaters reopened, dedicated employees predict a major Hollywood comeback." Rottenberg discussed reopening issues with employees at the Alamo Drafthouse, the Laemmle Glendale, the Landmark and the Nuart. Wood commented about his time at the El Capitan:
"I’ve worked here for 20 years, and I'd dreamed of being the general manager, running this grand movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard. I became the general manager at the end of February 2020. In my wildest dreams I never thought I’d have to shut the theater down three weeks into my new job.
"The first day back, the elation of people coming in the front doors was unreal. I think that the thing that really got most people was the popcorn smell. I saw people break into tears when they came back into the theater. There was one gentleman who for as long as I can remember had been coming with his wife. He brought his wife’s ashes with him because he said this was what they did together: go to the movies at the El Cap. It was emotional."
The other El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood: This building should not be confused what is now called the Avalon
on Vine St. That theatre, originally known as the Hollywood Playhouse, had a run as the El Capitan in the 40's and
50's when this Hollywood Blvd. venue was called the Paramount.
The Paramount/El Capitan in the Movies:
The El Capitan is on the right in this look up the street from Robert Florey's
"Hollywood Boulevard" (Paramount, 1936). It's all about the fleeting
nature of fame in the town and what happens when a largely forgotten
star's salacious memoirs appear in a scandal magazine. John Halliday,
Marsha Hunt and Robert Cummings are featured. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for a couple shots of the Chinese from the film.
The El
Capitan's roof sign is seen in the upper center of this shot from "It
Happened in Hollywood" (Columbia, 1937). That vertical we see near the "Hotel Christie" signage is for the Barker Brothers store in the building. Fay Wray and Richard Dix star. She's a
glamorous actress, he's a
horse-riding western star who will be down on his luck when talkies come
in and his studio thinks westerns are over. Harry Lachman
directed. The cinematography was by Joseph Walker. This footage was from the 1932 "Grand Hotel" premiere at the Chinese. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a later shot looking down Hollywood Blvd. toward the Warner.
One of the theatre's vertical signs is seen in this
process shot from "Scatterbrain" (Republic Pictures, 1940). The film
stars Judy Canova as a girl rounded up in the mountains who
is brought to Hollywood and becomes an unlikely movie star. Here she
is with Eddie Foy, Jr. and we're pretending it's the balcony of an
apartment just west of the El Capitan. Also featured are Alan Mowbray, Ruth Donnelly,
Wallace Ford, Joseph Cawthorn, Billy Gilbert, Emmett Lynn and Isabel
Jewell. Gus Meins directed. Ernest Miller was the cinematographer. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for some night Hollywood & Vine shots, including one where we look down and see the Tower Theatre.
Lloyd Bridges goes into an office building just west of the Paramount in
Richard Fleischer's counterfeiting tale "Trapped" (Eagle-Lion, 1949).
Down the block is a murky view of the marquee. The
film also stars Barbara Payton and John Holt. A real treat
is the electrifying finale at the Los Angeles Railway's
streetcar barns at 7th and Central. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a couple shots of a nice U-turn in front of the Chinese and a quick look at the Holly Theatre, then called the Hollywood Music Hall.
We get a quick look at the Paramount marquee at the beginning of Robert Aldrich's "The Legend of Lylah Clare" (MGM, 1968). He, of course, includes this shot as a plug for his earlier film "The Dirty Dozen," released in June, 1967 and still playing when "Lylah" was shot. The main interest is
Grauman's Chinese, where they come back for a big premiere. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for shots from many of those scenes. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for the photo. His main interest is also the Chinese as you can see by visiting his
Grauman's Chinese website.
The vertical for the El Capitan as Loew's makes a brief appearance in Paul Mazursky's "Alex in
Wonderland" (MGM, 1970). Here film director Donald Sutherland is up on a crane in the middle of a dream sequence involving all sorts of carnage on Hollywood Blvd. On the left there's a bit of the Hollywood Theatre vertical. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for twenty more shots from the film including views of the Vogue Theatre, New-View/Ritz and the Los Angeles Theatre.
We get the bottom half of the vertical of Loew's in this hazy night view as Jack Lemmon heads east on Hollywood Blvd. in John Avildson and Steve Shagan's "Save The Tiger" (Paramount, 1973). In "Save The Tiger" we spend a lot of time at the Mayan Theatre. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post about the film for shots from those scenes.
We start way down near the Pantages in the November 1973 footage that opens the title sequence of "Aloha, Bobby and Rose" (Columbia
Pictures, 1975). A moment later we zoom in and get this look at the Loew's vertical. General Cinema had been running the theatre since mid-1972 and never got around to changing the sign. They'd be gone a month after this footage was shot. The film
features Paul Le Mat, Dianne Hull, Tim McIntyre, Leigh French, Noble
Willingham,
Martine Bartlett and Robert Carradine. Floyd Mutrux directed. William A.
Fraker did the cinematography. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the Pantages, Egyptian, Pix, Las Palmas and New-View theatres.
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong drive by the Paramount in a truck made of
marijuana in Lou Adler's "Up In Smoke" (Paramount, 1978). Also featured
are Wally Ann Wharton, Zane Buzby,
Stacy Keach, Strother Martin and Edie Adams. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for several more shots from the film as well as a promo shot done in the Chinese forecourt.
Tommy Chong gets a ride on Hollywood Blvd. with the Paramount vertical behind him in "Cheech and Chong's Next Movie"
(Universal, 1980). He also directed.
The biker really wanted a date but he gets turned down. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the Ivar, Pussycat and Egyptian theatres from the film.
A shot with the Paramount in the distance and the Pantages vertical on the
right from Robert Hammer's film "Don't Answer the Phone!"
(Crown International, 1980). It's a grisly exploitation film
with a serial killer and lots of semi-naked women. Featured are James
Westmoreland, Nicholas Worth, Ben Frank and Flo Lawrence. The
cinematography was by
James L. Carter. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies
post for an evening view of the Chinese that also shows the Paramount vertical as well as shots of the Egyptian, Cave, Vine and Sunset Pussycat
theatres.
A view west toward the vertical of the Paramount from Michael
Winner's "Death Wish II" (Filmways, 1982). Thanks
to Thomas Joe for noting the appearance of the theatre in the film,
which he saw during its run at the Paramount. It stars Charles Bronson
(of course), Jill Ireland and Vincent Gardenia. Thomas Del Ruth and
Richard H. Kline did the cinematography. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the Pussycat, Vogue and Chinese theatres from the film.
The Paramount with "The Empire Strikes Back." Nicolas Cage takes Deborah Foreman across the hill to cruise the sights
of Sunset Blvd. and Hollywood in Martha Coolidge's "Valley Girl"
(Atlantic Releasing, 1983).
Also
featured are Cameron Dye, Heidi Holicker, Elizabeth Daily, Michael
Bowen, Michelle Meyrink, Colleen Camp and Frederic Forrest. The
cinematography was by Frederick Elmes. On the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post see views of the Chinese, the Chinese Twin, the Vogue, Pussycat, Tiffany and the Sherman in Sherman Oaks.
We see a lot of Hollywood Blvd. in Robert Vincent O'Neill's "Angel" (New
World, 1984) including this view east with part of the Paramount
vertical and the Hollywood Theatre signage. Fifteen year old Molly is a
high school student by day, a
hooker by night. The film stars Donna Wilkes,
Cliff Gorman, Dick Shawn and Rory Calhoun. John Diehl is the killer
preying on teenage hookers. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a dozen shots from the film.
We get this nice look west toward the Paramount vertical during the title
sequence of Mark Lester's "Armed and Dangerous" (Columbia, 1986).
The film was written by Brian Grazer, Harold Ramis and James Keach and stars
John Candy, Eugene Levy and Meg Ryan. The cinematography was by Fred
Schuler. On the right there's the "..CIF.." of
the Hollywood Pacific. Farther right that "..age.. "
in purple script is on the Pantages vertical, a neon overlay for
"La Cage aux Folles." Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the theatres in the film. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the Egyptian, the Cave Theatre, the Westlake and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
We get lots of low altitude
shots on the boulevard including this view looking toward the Paramount in its disco-ball marquee days in David Winters' "Thrashin'" (Fries Entertainment, 1986).
It's about two skateboard gangs battling for supremacy. The film
features Josh
Brolin, Robert Rusler and Pamela Gidley. Thanks to Eitan Alexander for
the screenshot. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for shots of Grauman's Chinese, the Chinese Twin, and the Hollywood Theatre.
In "Twins" (Universal, 1988) Arnold Schwarzenegger is new in LA and taking a nice evening walk when we get this view toward the Paramount's vertical and a bit of the Fox on the far left. He's looking for his long-lost brother, played by Danny DeVito. The film, directed by Ivan Reitman, also features Kelly Preston, Chloe
Webb, David Caruso, Nehemiah Persoff and Hugh O'Brien. The
cinematography was by Andrzej Bartkowiak. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for another Fox shot as well as views of the Chinese and the Granada in Wilmington.
We get a look east toward the El Capitan in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (20th Century
Fox, 1992). The film, written by Joss
Whedon and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui, features Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Paul Reubens, Hilary Swank, Luke Perry and
David
Arquette. James
Hayman did the cinematography. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for five more shots outside the Galaxy 6 and six shots of the action inside the
Tower Theatre, used as the live/work space of vampires.
We get a view looking out from behind the boxoffice of the El Capitan in Barry Levinson's "Jimmy Hollywood" (Paramount, 1994). Joe Pesci and Christian Slater are exploring the stars on the sidewalk. The film finishes up with lots of time inside the abandoned Egyptian Theatre. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for shots from those scenes.
Miguel Ferrer almost makes it to the El Capitan Theatre in "Where's Marlowe?" (Paramount Classics, 1998). But we only see this entrance to the office building. He's playing a detective in this mockumentary about the difficulties two filmmakers have doing a movie people actually want to see. Also featured are John Livingston, Mos Def, John Slattery and Alison Dean. Daniel Pyne directed. The cinematography was by Greg
Gardiner. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for three views of the Rialto in South Pasadena, standing in for a theatre at a film festival in Utica, New York.
We get lots of action at the Chinese but this is about all we see of the El Capitan in F. Gary Gray's "The Italian Job" (Paramount, 2003).
Edward Norton had betrayed his colleagues after a heist in Venice. Mark
Wahlberg figures out he's got the $35 million in gold in Los Angeles and
comes looking for it. The film also stars Charlize Theron, Jason
Statham, Seth Green, Mos Def and Donald Sutherland. The cinematography
was by Wally Pfister. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for seven shots of action at the Chinese plus quickie partial views of the Wiltern and the Hollywood Theatre.
Demi Moore, who really wants to bomb a movie premiere, swings down from the roof of a mythical theatre in McG's
"Charlie's Angels: Full
Throttle" (Columbia, 2003). She's followed by Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu
and Drew Barrymore, coming down using strings of lights grabbed off the roof. Russell Carpenter did the cinematography. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies
post for 28 more theatre shots from the film including views of
the Chinese (as a mythical "Los Angeles Theatre"), the real Los Angeles Theatre, the Hollywood, the Rialto, Tower and Orpheum.
A view toward the El Capitan, one of seventeen theatres we see in Alex
Holdridge's "In Search of a Midnight Kiss" (IFC First Take, 2008).
Scoot McNairy and Sara Simmonds meet via a Craigslist ad and are
wandering the city on New Year's Eve. Also featured are Brian McGuire,
Kathleen
Luong, Robert Murphy, Twink Caplan, Bret Roberts and Stephanie Feury.
The
cinematography was by Robert Murphy. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for thirty-two more shots of the theatres seen in the film.
The exterior gets many shots as the Muppet Theatre in "The Muppets" (Disney, 2011). Initially we get this run-down and abandoned version. Thanks to Linda Hammonds for the screenshot. At the end there's a big scene filling Hollywood Blvd. and the marquee is lit up with "Muppet Theatre" instead of "El Capitan" atop the readerboard. The auditorium shots used a studio set. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a shot of the Roxie terrazzo during a musical number and a view of Kermit in the Los Angeles Theatre lobby.
We get this great aerial view when Justin Timberlake flies into town
with his not-quite-girlfriend Mila Kunis in Will Gluck's
film "Friends With Benefits" (Sony/Screen Gems, 2011). The El Capitan is in the lower left
with the Chinese just above it. The Dolby (here
still called the Kodak) is to the left of the Loew's hotel, at this time
still called the Renaissance. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for another aerial view showing the Chinese forecourt as well as three Pantages shots from a breakup scene at the
beginning of the film.
We get a look at the El Capitan as one of the perps leaves the Chinese forecourt after a bombing in "Iron Man 3" (Marvel/Disney, 2013). Research gone wrong has produced a product that allows a human to be weaponized. The film stars Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth
Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Rebecca Hall and Ben
Kingsley. Shane Black directed. The cinematography was by John Toll. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for more shots of the destruction of the Chinese.
We see lots of the outside of the El Capitan in Fred Durst's "The
Fanatic" (Quiver Distribution, 2019). John Travolta plays a fan with behavioral issues who gets
carried away when his favorite star won't give him an autograph. Also
starring are Ana Golja as a friend who tries to help and Devon Sawa as
the
star who gets into big trouble by not being a good celebrity. Conrad Hall was the cinematographer. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for several more Hollywood Blvd. shots.
More information: Visit Mike Hume's fine El Capitan page on his Historic Theatre Photography site. See the Cinema Treasures page for lots of discussion about the theatre plus over a hundred photos. Many photos of the exterior, interior and the booth taken after the Disney restoration are on Cinema Tour.
The Cinema Sightlines page on the El Capitan has a history of the renovation and many great photos by T J Edwards. Also see Garan Grey's 2009 review of the theatre on the site. Wikipedia also has lots more photos of the El Capitan.
A fine article about the Disney/Pacific Theatres renovation appears on the In70mm.com website. It's in the August 1991 International 70mm Association Newsletter. The site Film-Tech has a fine page on the El Capitan with many interesting booth views and other treats from 2005 and 2006 taken by Brad Miller.
The El Capitan pages: back to top - overview | street views 1925 to 1954 | street views 1955 to present | ticket lobby | lobbies and lounges | auditorium | backstage |
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