Los Angeles Theatres: Music Box/Fox/Pix/Fonda Theatre: street views

Music Box/Fox/Pix/Fonda Theatre: street views

1926 - A June 1 photo from Marc Wanamaker's Bison Archives. Don't miss the 2024 book "Hollywood Behind the Lens: Treasures From the Bison Archives" by Marc Wanamaker and Stephen Bingen. It's from Lyons Press and available from your local bookseller or Amazon.

1926 - A July 5 photo from Marc Wanamaker. Thanks to April Clemmer for tracking down these two construction views in Marc's collection.

1926 - A detail from a November Dick Whittington Studio photo that's in the USC Digital Library collection. The initial show, "Fancies" was still running and Mr. DeHaven's name was still on the end of the marquee.

The poster at the left announces their second production: "'Hollywood Music Box Revue' - Gala premiere opening Thanksgiving night - with Lupino Lane, featuring 'Pick of the World Girls' chorus. Staged by Larry Caballos." The poster also announces the new name of the theatre: the "Hollywood Music Box" rather than the "Carter DeHaven Music Box."

1926 - A November Mott Studios photo taken either on a Wednesday or Saturday. That lyre out front is a portable sign that says "Matinee To Day." In that space to the left we see a store going in: "Upon Completion - Bernard Harris Candy Box." Note we can see into the rooftop patio area -- they hadn't yet built the pavilion that was later behind the facade. This is one of eight views of the theatre in the California State Library photo set #001384374. The set also has another less interesting take without the car, the lyre, and the spectators.

1926 - A detail from the previous Mott Studios photo. Note Carter DeHaven's name blacked out on the end of the marquee. Some neon was later added. See a shot from the 1930 MGM film "Our Blushing Brides."

1926 - A Mott Studios photo that appeared in the January 1928 issue of Architect and Engineer. The issue is available on Internet Archive. Note that Mr. DeHaven's name, while removed from the end of the marquee, is still on the roof sign advertising the "Revue of Revues - The Pick of the World in Girls."

1926 - A sanitized version of the previous photo. Note the fluffy airbrushed clouds as well as the absence of the roof sign and wires. Those second floor readerboards have also vanished and the Mott retouchers tried to patch up the columns a bit where they had been. The Los Angeles Public Library has a copy of this version. It's also in the eight photo set at the California State Library, their #001384374.

1927 - A wonderful view of the theatre before the run of "Chicago." Mr. Carter DeHaven is gone from the roof sign. It's now the "Hollywood Music Box," but still advertising the "Revue of Revues - The Pick of the World in Girls." Take a look at the 2nd floor readerboards and note that Fanny Brice was in the "Spring 1927" edition of the Music Box Revue, the show playing prior to "Chicago." Thanks to Maurice E. Ideses for locating the photo for a post on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

1927 - Performer Will Morrissey in front with Jack Anthony, a policeman who was also involved with the American Legion entertainment committee. The woman is perhaps Midge Miller, Morrissey's wife at the time and costar in the "Exposures" vaudeville revue that opened July 16. The performers were mentioned in a July 10 L.A. Times article and Morrissey's name can be seen on the second floor readerboard on the far left. Morrissey was also a lyricist, playwright and producer. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo. Thanks to Escott O. Norton for locating it in the USC Digital Library collection. Also see another shot of Morrissey and Anthony in front. There are also two shots of Midge and Will rehearsing onstage.

1928 - A view taken during the run of the revue "Women Go On Forever" starring Bessie Bariscale, a show that opened March 13. The photo once appeared on a now-vanished UCLA web page "Remapping Hollywould" [sic]. It's also been seen on the private Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles. In a "Women Go On Forever" shot in the Historic Hollywood Photographs collection, their #T-034-28, you can see a tent erected on the rooftop patio.

Michelle Gerdes comments: "The second story windows you see were not glassed in, only covered by curtains and that area is a bar reached by way of a roof top courtyard from only the balcony & booth. When they changed the facade of the theatre they covered it in metal sheeting, not sealing up the windows. Also they walled off the doors that went in to the bar area and people forgot completely about that great space, but not the pigeons! I was told that when they broke through the wall the bird shit was as high as the bar! Now it's a great place to hang out for drinks or rent for a party." Deanna Bayless adds: "It was a speakeasy up there during Prohibition."

1928 - The ticket lobby during the run of "Women Go On Forever." It's a shot that appeared on a page about the theatre in "Hollywood Today 1928," a 64 page rotogravure magazine published by the Hollywood Daily Citizen. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for scanning all the pages and sharing the publication as an album on Flickr.

1928 - Another "Women Go On Forever" ticket lobby view. Note that guy waiting to sell you a ticket over to the left of the display cases. Thanks to the Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection, now owned by the McAvoy family, for the photo, their #T-023-11. The open colonnade above the entrance doors is still visible inside the lobby. Here on the exterior it's been hidden for decades by the Skouras-style dropped ceiling.

1928 - A shot taken in May during the two week run of the Pasadena Playhouse production of Eugene O'Neill's "Lazarus Laughed." It's from the page about the theatre in the Hollywood Citizen's roto section "Hollywood Today 1928." It's on Flicker courtesy of Eric Lynxwiler. Note that the paper did some retouching, eliminating some lettering from the roof sign.

c.1929 - A view west toward Hollywood and Vine. Note the Bank of Hollywood Building, later renamed the Equitable Building, with only one tower. It's a photo from the McAvoy/Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection, their #T-023-4. Note the "Famous Milk Shakes" on signage of the storefront in the foreground.

More photos in the McAvoy Historic Hollywood Photographs Collection: There are over 20 Music Box images to browse, including interior views. In addition, there's a 1972 Pix "Africa Uncensored" exterior shot, #T-043-1, as well as two 1987 images as the Henry Fonda with the marquee advertising the Bolshoi Ballet, #T-020-1 and #T-020-2.

1930 - A view east when the Civic Repertory Theatre was mounting a show titled "The Hero," a production that opened April 1. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the image for a 2013 post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

1930 - We get a view of an interesting painting on south wall of the rooftop patio in this "Hero" shot from Marc Wanamaker's Bison Archives. Thanks to April Clemmer for sharing this one as well as a straight-on facade view from Marc's collection that was taken during the run of the same production.

c.1930 - Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Tovangar2 for finding this view looking east. It's featured on Noirish post #42011. The photo appears in the Arcadia Publishing book "Historic Hotels of Los Angeles and Hollywood" by Linda McCann, Dace Taube, Claude Zachary and Curtis C. Roseman. There's a preview on Google Books.

1931 - Parking west of the building. Note the interesting contour of the side of the theatre. The marquee copy advertises a production of the play "Porgy" by DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, based on his novel. The production of it at the Music Box opened January 5. The play was later the inspiration for Gershwin's 1935 "Porgy and Bess." It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

c.1939 - A look west on Hollywood Blvd. with the theatre in use by CBS. Down the street, this side of the Taft Building, the vertical sign for the Tele-View Theatre can be seen. It was later renamed the Hitching Post and the Paris. This is one of over 800 images in the great book "The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History" by Gregory Paul Williams, available on Amazon. This photo is on page 190. There's a preview of the book to browse on Google Books.

c.1949 - A look at the theatre, then called the Guild, as the home of the Tide Show. Fox West Coast had taken the theatre over in 1945 and for several years ran it as a film house before leasing it out. Note that they've added windows to enclose the upstairs pavilion. The Dinah Shore Tide Show ran between 1945 and 1952. After 1948 its home was here at the Music Box/Guild Theatre. It's a photo from Marc Wanamaker's Bison Archives collection that appears in his Arcadia book "Hollywood 1940-2008." It's available on Amazon or at your local bookseller. There's a preview on Google Books.

1954 - A view east with the new "Fox" vertical seen on the right as Pacific Electric car 5156 heads west. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing the photo from his collection. It was probably taken in September, the last month of rail service on this line. The theatre had become the Fox in May 1954.

1954 - A detail from Sean's photo.

1956 - "Thrill Girls of the Highway." It's a great shot from Marc Wanamaker's Bison Archives taken during the run of "The Violent Years," starring Jean Moorhead, Barbara Weeks and Art Millan. It was written by Ed Wood, Jr. and directed by William Morgan. Thanks to April Clemmer for locating the photo in Marc's collection.

1956 - A wider "Violent Years" shot. Thanks to Marc Wanamaker for sharing this photo from his collection. Bruce Kimmel comments: "This double bill opened on June 20th. Interestingly, the second feature isn't even listed on the marquee but you can see it on the two display windows at the bottom - 'Macumba.' By the way, 'The Violent Years' had a one-week exclusive engagement at the Paramount Downtown in May."

1957 - A view east toward the Fox in mid-March. The Pantages was running "The Wings of Eagles," a film that opened February 20. It's a screenshot from Getty Images footage that's included in Rick Prelinger's "Lost Landscapes of Los Angeles - 2016," an hour and twenty minutes of wonderful clips from various sources that was originally presented in a program at the Los Angeles Public Library.

Also see "Lost Landscapes of Los Angeles - 2019." This second installment was presented at the Library by the organization Photo Friends as part of the series L.A. in Focus. Both compilations are on Vimeo.

1957 - Moving closer to the theatre in the Getty footage.

1957 - A detail from the previous Getty image. Some of this footage is also on YouTube as "Hollywood Blvd. 1957" with the title on the footage itself saying 1953.

c.1958 - Thanks to Martin Pal for his Noirish Los Angeles post #28606, chock full of Music Box photos. Included is this entrance view of the theatre featured on the Capitol album "Swingin' At the Cinema."

1960 - "Brigitte Bardot's Latest - Babette Goes To War." That's Harry Sugarman in the foreground pointing to the terrazzo being installed for the new Walk of Fame. Thanks to the Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection for the photo, their #WFC-032.

1962 - The theatre following the Hollywood Flood when rains washed mud down from the hills. Thanks to Sean Ault for the photo from his collection. The vertical and marquee signage we see had earlier said "Fox." Eric Lynxwiler reports that the "P" above the readerboard is the old letter "F" but just with piece added to turn it into a "P."

1962 - A detail from the previous photo showing off the Pix signage. Bruce Kimmel notes that "Sergeants 3" opened at the Pix on February 9 and adds:

"It would be ever so much fun to get in the time machine and skip going to the Pix and instead go see 'Flower Drum Song' at the Warner, or 'El Cid' at the Carthay Circle, or for laughs 'Lover, Come Back' at the Stanley Warner, or 'King of Kings' over at the Egyptian (saw it there many times), or 'Light in the Piazza' at the Beverly, or go back to the Chinese to see 'West Side Story' before it ends its over a year-long run, or, if we like weighty, we can just jog across the street and see 'Judgment at Nuremburg' at the Pantages. What a time!"

1962 - A newspaper photo of the flood damage. Thanks to David Thwing for posting the photo on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

1962 - A fine look at the partially covered facade when the Pix was running the June release "Mermaids of Tiburon" along with "Jack the Giant Killer." Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality spotted this shot on eBay for his Noirish post #60836. Thanks to Martin P., aka Asavwasa, for spotting the post. This version of the shot comes from Tom Anderson, who shared it with the Lost Angeles Facebook group. Bruce Kimmel comments: "This double bill opened on June 13 and played one week."

1960s - The Pix vertical in the daytime. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

1960s - A great view of the Pix sign at night. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo.

1965 - Hollywood got its first "Ghoul Premiere" with the January 19 opening of Roger Corman's "The Tomb of Ligeia" starring Vincent Price and Elizabeth Shepherd "in blood color and DeathScope." Robert Towne did the screenplay. Attendees included many costume contest entrants plus Vincent Price, Elsa Lanchester, Carroll Borland and Vampira actress Maila Nurmi. Thanks to Scott Collette for locating four minutes of television footage that he shared on his Forgotten Los Angeles Facebook page. It's also on Instagram. He notes that the footage, archived with UC Berkeley and preserved by California Revealed, is credited to NBC so it presumably aired on KNBC.

1965 - Looking east across Hollywood and Vine toward the Pix. It's a detail from a photo Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality found on eBay for his Noirish post #94594. Thanks!

1965 - A view east from Argyle during the run of the May release "Cat Ballou." It's a photo by Mario De Biasi that's in the Mondadori Portfolio on the Getty Images website. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group post.

1965 - A fine "Cat Ballou" signage view by Sid Avery that appears on the MPTV website.

1965 - A peek in the boxoffice. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for sharing the the photo in a post for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

1965 - A great photo from the Ricard Wojcik collection. We're looking northeast with the back of the Pix's stagehouse in the center of the photo. Richard posted it on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles where it provoked many comments.

1969 - "All New Luxury - All New Comfort - All New Pix." Thanks to April Clemmer for locating this December photo taken while the Pix was running "The Gypsy Moths."

1972 - Thanks to the McAvoy/Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection for this "Africa Uncensored" shot, their #T-043-1. The film was a November 1971 release.

1972 - Thanks to April Clemmer for locating this October "Amaluk" shot.

1974 - "Andy Warhol's Dracula," directed by Paul Morrissey, was a November release. "It's Alive" was out in October. Thanks to the All Movie Theatres Facebook page for sharing the photo.

1974 - The Pix boxoffice during the run of "Lenny," a November release playing with "Save The Tiger," from 1973. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo.

1970s - Another boxoffice view from the Pix days. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for sharing the photo with the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

1975 - The line for the opening of "Jaws." Thanks to Moviejs1944 for locating the photo for a post on Cinema Treasures. Also see a shot with an armored car in front from the early days of the "Jaws" run that was located by Ken McIntyre. The film opened June 20 with the Pix getting the exclusive for Hollywood. It had a 19 week run.

1975 - The theatre during the run of "Jaws." Thanks to Bobby Cole for posting the photo on the LAHTF Facebook page.

1975 - Looking east toward the Pix. Thanks to John Stewart for his photo, one of fourteen appearing in his Los Angeles Theaters set on Flickr. John is the long-time projectionist at the Austin Paramount. Thanks also to John's friend Mike Hume for advising of the collection.

1975 - The Pix at night in September. It's a John Stewart photo on Flickr. See "The Game Changer: Celebrating 'Jaws' on its 40th Anniversary," the article Michael Coate did in 2015 for the site The Digital Bits.

1976 - Looking east on Hollywood Blvd. with a bit of the Pantages below us and the Pix down the street. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this version of the photo for a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. You can find it on the website of the Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photograph Collection, their #HB-497. It's included as one of 226 photos in their gallery Hollywood Boulevard 1941-1990.

1977 - Looking east toward the Pix. Thanks to Meredith Jacobson Marciano for sharing her photo on Flickr.

1983 - Thanks to Terry Guy for this January photo of the Pix in its Spanish language days. He has it on Flickr. The photo has put in appearances on Photos of Los Angeles and is included among many other Music Box photos in Martin Pal's Noirish Los Angeles post #28606.

1983 - A photo taken in January that appeared on the now-vanished American Classic Images website. "Conserje en condominio" with Cantinflas was a 1974 release.

1983 - Thanks to American Classic Images for this great view of the signage from the west.

early 1980s - Another nice shot of the facade when the theatre was still named the Pix. It was shared by Ken McIntyre as a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

c.1984 - End of the line for the theatre as the Pix following its closure by Pacific Theatres. At the end it was Spanish language film house. The marquee is advising their customers to go up the street to the Vine Theatre instead. When the house reopened it was a legit venue under Nederlander management. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the photo.

1985 - "12 Angry Men" was the inaugural production after the theatre reopened as a legit house called the Henry Fonda following a renovation by Pacific Theatres and the Nederlander Organization. Thanks to April Clemmer for locating this shot with Shirlee Fonda, Henry's widow, out in front.

1985 - The dormant theatre plugging the L.A. Civic Light Opera production of "South Pacific," running at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion from May 14 through July 6. Thanks to April Clemmer for locating the photo.

1985 - Debbie Allen in a pre-Broadway L.A. Civic Light Opera revival of "Sweet Charity." But not playing at the Fonda. After the July 16 to August 31 run at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion it played San Francisco from September 7 until November 2. The production opened at the Minskoff Theatre in New York on April 27, 1986. Thanks to April Clemmer for sharing the photo from Marc Wanamaker's collection.

1985 - The Henry Fonda with an engagement of Harold Pinter's "Old Times" starring Harold Pinter himself along with Liv Ullmann. Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this October photo. See the November 1 L.A. Times review.

1986 - A telephoto view west on Hollywood Blvd. It's a Tony Barnard photo for the L.A. Times appearing on Calisphere. It's also on the UCLA Library site. There's also a second take of the same vista. The UCLA site has a zoom feature so you can go in and pan around.

The vertical for the the Henry Fonda is on the left. The Egyptian is down there somewhere. Way down is the El Capitan (with its vertical saying Paramount). On the right beyond the X Theatre are the World Theatre hiding behind it (with a blank marquee), the Pantages, and the Warner (by this time with Pacific on its vertical).

1987 - On the Historic Hollywood Photographs website see two shots of the marquee of the then-dormant theatre advertising the Bolshoi Ballet, their images #T-020-1 and #T-020-2.

1990s - A play called "Party," which the L.A. Times noted produced "explosive laughs." Thanks to April Clemmer for locating the photo. Also see another "Party" shot she found taken a bit more from the west. Visit the April's Old Hollywood site for information on walking tours and special events April hosts. She's also on Facebook.

c.2000 - Another view taken after the failure of the Nederlander / Pacific Theatres attempt to return the building to legit theatre use. The marquee was plugging "The Lion King" at the Pantages. Thanks to Ken Roe for his photo, appearing as a post on Cinema Treasures.

2002 - The theatre reactivated as a music venue. It's a Betty Sword photo in the collection of theatre historian Cezar Del Valle. Pay him a visit on the Theatre Talks blog. Thanks, Cezar!

2007 - At the time of this shot from the east the stagehouse was doing extra revenue duty as a billboard for "American Gangster." Photo: Bill Counter

2007 - A facade detail from the previous photo.

2007 - The ticket lobby still shows off the Fox West Coast circuit Skouras-style remodel it got in the 40s. Photo: Bill Counter

2007 - The Henry Fonda name still on the vertical at this time dated from the Nederlander operation of the venue as a legit house in the 1980s. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - The marquee says "You Can't Stop The Music" -- but the building owner obviously could stop it when she was unhappy about certain changes in the operation and an unauthorized sublease. Here in February the theatre was closed following eviction of the tenants -- the building was then leased to concert promoter Goldenvoice. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - The theatre obviously began life as a legitimate theatre -- just look at the size of the stagehouse in relation to the rest of the building. Here the vertical sign is still saying "Henry Fonda." Photo: Bill Counter

2013 - The theatre rebranded as the Fonda. Thanks to Martin Pal, who included the photo in his Noirish Los Angeles post #28606.

2018 - A view from the west. Yes, there's a nice Spanish style facade still under that 1950s vintage cladding on the second story. There once was talk (by a previous operator) about restoring the facade. Photo: Bill Counter

2019 - Looking east. Photo: Bill Counter

2019 - Friends Of The Fonda night at the theatre. Photo: Bill Counter

2019 - A marquee detail. Thanks to Cat Whalen for sharing her photo taken at the Friends Of The Fonda open house in August.

2019 - The theatre's owner, Leslie Blumberg, and, seated, a friend of the family checking people in for the gathering of the short-lived Friends group. It was a thrust by the owner to apply pressure on the developers of the lot to the east so that they would grant an easement allowing continued truck access through their property for loading in shows at the back of the theatre. Photo: Bill Counter

2019 - The west side of the 40s vintage ticket lobby. Photo: Bill Counter

2019 - A detail of the ceiling of the entrance area. Photo: Cat Whalen

2019 - The east side of the building. An apartment complex is planned for the parking lot. Photo: Bill Counter

2019 - A look along the back wall toward the loading door. Currently, the theatre has a key to the gate and trucks and buses can drive through the parking lot to Gower St. after a load out. The theatre has negotiated an easement through the parking structure of the new development to the east so they'll continue to have the same kind of access. Photo: Bill Counter

2019 - A rendering from HKS Architects of the new tower going up to the east of the theatre. In the rendering it's on the far right, mysteriously missing its stagehouse. The drawing appeared with Bianca Barragan's August 2019 Curbed L.A. story about the new building's approval: "21-story tower next to Hollywood's Fonda Theatre gets go-ahead from city." The project by Trammel Crow and MetLife will have retail and restaurant space on the ground floor and 220 residential units above.