6126 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028 | map |
Vintage views:
A 1926 photo from the McAvoy/Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection, #T-023-22. There are 20 additional Music Box images to browse in the collection. Original seating capacity was 980 with 660 on the
main floor and 320 in the balcony.
The treatment of the inner foyer ceiling and balcony soffit, from drawing #1013 in
the Morgan, Walls &
Clements archives at the Huntington Library. Click on any of the the
images for a larger view or follow the links to jumbo versions on the
Huntington's site.
Thanks
to Mike Hume for locating the plans for the project. The first set of 23 images begins with drawing #996 and goes to drawing #1018. A set of 8 structural drawings begins with drawing #1776 and goes through drawing #1783. Visit the Index to the MW&C Drawings that Mike has been compiling for his Historic Theatre Photography site. There's also an index by Mike Callahan on Internet Archive.
The main ceiling treatment, also from drawing #1013.
A 1st floor plan, from drawing #998 on the Huntington's site.
A section view toward the proscenium, one of a number of interesting details on drawing #1007 on the Huntington's site. The horizontal dashed lines half way up the proscenium are the height of the top and bottom of the balcony rail. The fire escapes from the front of the balcony are seen on the left and right edges of the image. The upper dashed line below stage level is the floor of the orchestra pit. The lower one is the floor of the green room/trap room.
A section looking west through the building's centerline from drawing #1007,
a sheet showing revisions as late as July 28, 1926. Note a penthouse on
the roof just downstage of the proscenium wall that got crossed out.
There are also deleted lounge and restroom areas in the basement. The
patio above the lobby was to get a fountain, also shown here as
something to omit. See drawing #1015 for the layout and dimensions of the seating risers.
A 1926 Mott Studios photo of the proscenium niche house left in the California State Library photo set #001384374. The Los Angeles Public Library also has a version of it.
An elevation of the house left niche and exit door from drawing #1012 on the Huntington's website. Mike Hume notes that there's an arrow pointing behind that cartouche at the top of the niche with a note saying that about a 6" hole should be left for a spot light. Also note the light trough shown in the panel in the upper right corner of the image.
A plan view of the niche from drawing #1012. That's the proscenium wall at the top with the smoke pocket for the asbestos curtain shown. The center of the image, with the note "omit mechanism," shows a moveable top for the urn and piping going into the bottom of it.
This Mott Studios rear auditorium shot is in the California State Library collection. They also have another take of it as their item #001384375. A cropped version appeared in the January 1928 issue of Architect and Engineer, available on Internet Archive. It's also in the October 1927 issue of Architect and Engineer as part of an ad for Calacoustic sound absorbing plaster.
The stairs from the mezzanine level lobby come up at the back of the balcony near the side walls. The door on the left at the top of the balcony goes to a ladies restroom. On the right it's to a men's room, a storage room below the booth, and a ladder for booth access. That back beam got four "light boxes" for both uplight and downlight as well as four spots that shined upward to hit reflectors on the ceiling.
There's an early look to the rear of the house in the McAvoy/Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection, their #T-023-24 as well as a later one from the theatre's radio days with a mic hanging down, their #T-023-5. Also see additional Music Box images in the collection.
A section view to the back wall with a more ornate decorative treatment on that beam in front of the booth than we see in the photo above. And here there are no projection ports. In the middle of the drawing is the colonnade of the mezzanine lobby, flanked by double doors on each side leading to the rooftop patio. At street level we're looking toward Hollywood Blvd. from the inner foyer. The basement, at the bottom of the drawing, was going to be lounges and restrooms, all omitted during construction. This is from drawing #1007 on the Huntington's site. See drawing #1014 for two different section views of the stair system as well as a plan of the men's room at the top of the balcony.
The front of the balcony, a treatment appearing on drawing #1013
on the Huntington site. We're looking at the house left half with an area at the right, on the centerline, for spotlights.
A Mott Studios photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. It's also in the California State Library photo set #001384374. Note the four uplights positioned along each of the beams. They were on both front and back. There's no attic. The ornament on the ceiling and on the concrete-encased roof girders was painted directly on the raw concrete.
A detail from from drawing #1007 on the Huntington's site showing the location of the uplights on each beam.
And how did you relamp the lights on the beams? You went on the roof, unscrewed a cap, located above each location, and dropped a line down for a boatswain's seat. It's another detail from drawing #1007.
This detail of the projection booth "above storage rm." also comes from drawing #1002. As a second exit, there was a door that's not indicated here out to stairs down to the rooftop patio. The plan included this note: "Contractor to provide sufficient portholes with approved shutters to take care of a double stereopticon, two projection machines and four spotlights together with their necessary view ports for projection room."
A 1926 Mott Studios view. It's a photo in the California State Library collection, their item #01384371. The photo also appears in the collection of the USC Digital Library. A similar view but taken from the centerline of the auditorium is in the Historic Hollywood Photographs collection, their #T-023-23.
Plasterwork at the proscenium, a detail from drawing #1012 on the Huntington Library site. Note the "light trough" in the panel in the upper center of the image.
A section view looking through the orchestra pit and footlight trough toward the plasterwork on the house left side of the proscenium. It's also from drawing #1012.
The front balcony exit house left, from drawing #1013
on the Huntington site.
An undated look with the house curtain flown partway out and a different curtain visible farther upstage. It's from the Marc Wanamaker Bison Archives collection. Thanks to April Clemmer for sharing this one. Visit her Old Hollywood site for information on walking tours and special events she hosts. She's also on Facebook.
A 1936 ghost light shot from the Marc Wanamaker collection. Thanks to April Clemmer for locating it.
The "Tribute to Henry Fonda" on the Movie
Pal website includes this photo of the theatre during its 80s legit period as the Henry
Fonda. Note that the niches either side of the proscenium have been filled in.
Also on the "Tribute to Henry Fonda" page
is
this nice 80s view looking toward the back of the house. It's perhaps
the last photo available showing the theatre when it still had seats
on the main floor. Note the walled in lobby area at the back of the
main floor. It's now been opened up again to its 1926 configuration --
except with bars added in both the auditorium space and in the inner lobby..
Main floor views as a music venue:
A look in from the lobby with the main floor set up in couch format for a
c.2009 event. The floor got leveled when the theatre was converted from
legit use. The photo is one that once appeared on the Music Box
website. Note the earlier paint job.
A peek in from the lobby in 2019. Photo: Bill Counter
The rear of the main floor. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Hollywood 90038 for this photo. It was once on the site's Fonda Theatre page but has vanished.
A balcony soffit fixture detail. A 40s fixture with some 1926 plaster showing above it. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
Another look across the bar. Thanks to Albert Domassin for his photo on Flickr.
A view across the house mix position in front of the bar. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
A c.2010 detail of the lounge area near the house right proscenium niche. It's a photo that was once up on the Music Box website of an earlier management team.
The top of one of the proscenium niches. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
A c.2012 photo that once appeared on the Fonda Facebook page. The wall decor was inspired by the work of Hieronymus Bosch.
The view across the house on a busy night in 2016. Thanks to Steve Raymond for his set of seven Music Box photos appearing on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page.
Another view to house right. Note the height of the built-up stage. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
The proscenium as seen from the middle of the main floor. Thanks to Goldenvoice for the 2015 photo, one appearing on the Fonda Facebook page.
A closer proscenium view. Note the sound absorbent material added to the once ornately painted ceiling. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
A proscenium plaster detail. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
House left near the proscenium. Note the height of the floor at what used to be an exit door. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
The rear of the auditorium viewed from the stage. Note the front of the booth opened up as a private box. It's a Don Solosan photo that appeared on the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Facebook page, taken during a 2010 "all-about" tour. Thanks, Don!
A 2016 view back toward the balcony. Thanks to Steve Raymond for his 2016 photo. This is one in his set of seven Music Box views he posted on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page.
The rear of the auditorium in 2019. The original painted detail on the
ceiling got covered at some point with sprayed-on grayish sound
absorbent material. Photo: Bill Counter
Up in the balcony:
A balcony view of the theatre's earlier paint job. It's a photo that was on a 2009 version of the theatre's website when the venue was under different management.
A c.2009 photo that once appeared on the Music Box Facebook page.
Thanks to Don Solosan for this 2010 photo.
A view that appeared on the Music Box website c.2012.
A look across in 2019. Photo: Bill Counter
A closer view of the house right proscenium niche. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
Along the rail to house left. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
A look across in 2019. Photo: Bill Counter
A closer view of the house right proscenium niche. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
Along the rail to house left. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
A look to the backwall. The Music Box upholstery is from the earlier
management, before it got rebranded as the Fonda. Thanks to Cat
Lukaszewski for her photo, one of nineteen in her Fonda album taken at a Friends Of The Fonda open house in August 2019.
Across the balcony from house right. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
The house right stairs down to the upstairs lobby. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
The view down from back row. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
The view down from back row. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
A look across the back from house left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
The back wall. That little part in the drapes hides a door up to the booth. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
A look into the booth and bar. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
A look into the booth and bar. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
The bar under the booth. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
In the booth:
A panoramic vista. Thanks to Don Solosan for his 2010 photo.
A look down in 2019. Photo: Bill Counter
Leslie Blumberg, the owner of the building, talking with friends in her
private box. The door behind her goes to a toilet room. A door to the
right gets you out the back of the booth to a fire escape down to the
patio. Photo: Bill Counter - 2019
The house left end. The booth was used with film equipment for decades. The whole front wall has been opened up. The doorway at the end leads to stairs down to the back of the balcony. Photo: Mike Hume - 2019
The Music Box/Fonda pages: history | street views | rooftop patio | lobby areas | back to top - auditorium | backstage |
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