Carthay Circle Theatre: history + exterior views

6316 San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035  | map |

More Carthay Circle pages: interior views | projection and sound |

Opened: The Carthay Circle Theatre, "The Showplace of the Golden West," was opened May 18, 1926 with the premiere of C.B. DeMille's "The Volga Boatman." The initial format was showings twice a day with all seats reserved. The photo is a construction view taken for Life appearing in the Google/Life Images collection. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Tourmaline for spotting the shot and including it with other Life images on Noirish post #35682.

The Carthay Circle rivaled the Chinese in terms of the number and importance of the premieres it held. Like the Chinese (and the Egyptian), the large open courtyard entrance provided a space conducive to handling premiere crowds and making elegant entrances. The theatre and the surrounding area was a project of developer J. Harvey McCarthy that he called Carthay Center. He had announced the project in 1922. A September 10 L.A. Times article that year located by David Saffer was headlined "Wilshire Tract To Be Opened."

Initially the theatre was an independent operation run by Fred Miller, who had a 15 year lease. Miller at various times had run downtown theatres including the Alhambra, Miller's and the California as well as the Gateway in Glendale, the Figueroa south of downtown, and the Elmiro in Santa Monica. The original address of the Carthay was on Eulalia Boulevard. It was renamed San Vicente Blvd. in 1929.

By May 1929 the theatre had become a Fox house and was being advertised as the Fox Carthay Circle. This transition occurred before William Fox took control of West Coast Theatres later in the year. Fox was in deep trouble in 1932 and closed a number of theatres when they went into receivership. When the theatre reopened on August 4, 1932 with a world premiere engagement of "Back Street" it was once again being managed by Fred Miller. Later Fox resumed management and the theatre stayed with the company and its successor National General Corporation until the closing in 1969.

 

 

 

The first scheme that was proposed for the site was the Carthay Center Playhouse, a 900 seat house for "spoken drama" designed by Carleton Monroe Wilslow for Joe Toplitzky and "a syndicate of local capitalists." The article appeared in the June 1, 1924 issue of the L.A. Times. Thanks to David Saffer for locating it.  

Architect: The project ended up being much larger than the one proposed in 1924. And with different architects. While A. Dwight Gibbs gets the credit in later articles about the building, it appears that Alex B. Rosenthal was the lead architect as late as December 1925.  

 

 

 

This image of an early version of the design by Alex Rosenthal was one of five projects in a collage in the August 16, 1925 issue of the L.A. Times under the heading "Sumptuous Architectural Designs Feature Southland Construction." The caption: "Circle Theater, store and office building for Carthage Center [sic], designed by A.B. Rosenthal."

 

This article appeared in the August 16, 1925 issue of the Times along with the illustration above.

 

 

In this December 6, 1925 Times article located by David Saffer it was noted that Rosenthal and Gibbs were the architects. Earlier, Rosenthal had done the California Theatre for Fred Miller. It's unknown why Rosenthal isn't credited in later writeups. 

The theme of the theatre was the early history of California, expressed in  it's decorative style as well as in murals commissioned for the building and its collection of paintings and artifacts. The painting on the asbestos and in the organ grille areas was by Frank Tenney Johnson. Other paintings were by Alson Clark. The sculpture in the Tower Room was by Henry Lion. It may have just come from the brain of a press agent but this item located by David Saffer appeared in a paper in Illinois in March 1926:

"While digging the excavation for the new Fred A. Miller Carthay Circle theatre at Carthay Center here the excavators unearthed a considerable showing of gold at depth of 20 feet. The gold was placed on exhibition in a nearby drug store window. Geologists say the site of the new theatre was once the bed of the Los Angeles river. There hasn't been any gold rush to the site yet." 

A rendering of the new theatre appeared in the Better Theatres section of the April 17, 1926 Exhibitors Herald. Thanks to Mike Hume for finding it on Internet Archive. The caption on a page headed "Construction Closeups" read: "New Carthay Circle - Artist's conception of the beautiful new Carthay Circle in exclusive Wiltshire [sic] district of Los Angeles. This Spanish Theatre is being erected by Far West Theatres, of which Fred Miller is head. The Carthay Circle will seat 1,800."

A plan of the main floor of the Carthay Circle showing the arrangement on the site and the circular layout that inspired the name. This appeared as part of a November 1928 article in Architect and Engineer, available on Internet Archive. 

 

Note the dimmerboard offstage right. Coming in the stage door on that side, one would walk behind the wire-guide rigging. The only backstage views to surface so far are those from a scene in the 1953 film "99 River Street." 

A balcony plan from Volume 2 of "American Theatres of Today" by R.W. Sexton and B. F. Betts. That book also had an early version of the main floor plan that was somewhat different than the Architect and Engineer version seen above, including having the dimmerboard offstage left. 

A section of the Carthay Circle from "American Theatres of Today." The work 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 can be found on Amazon. The book has many great photos and plans of other Los Angeles Theatres as well.

 

Pipe Organ: It was a Wurlitzer 3/11, style 235. The music director for the theatre when it opened was Carli Elinor. Frederick Burr Scholl was the initial organist.

 

 

Thanks to Jim Lewis for locating this May 13, 1926 L.A. Times story about Fred Miller poaching Scholl from the Egyptian, where he'd been since that house had opened in 1922.

 

 

"On Ether Waves This Evening." Thanks to Jim Lewis for locating this July 1, 1926 item featuring Scholl that appeared in the L.A. Evening Express. 

Scholl was the organist for the May 1927 opening of the Chinese. He's listed in the opening night program. Page 394 of the October 1927 issue of American Organist has an article about him (with his first name spelled Frederic) plus a photo. It's on Google Books. Kurt Wahlner has a bio of Scholl on his Grauman's Chinese site. See an October 21, 1960 L.A. Times obituary that was located by Jim Lewis. 

The organ was removed in 1956, at the time of the renovations for TODD-AO. The initial owner after removal was photographer Harlen Helm, who installed it in an old Safeway store somewhere on Denker Ave. It was later sold to Sam Willey, who had it stored in Lancaster, where it burned in 1983.  

A c.1926 Wurlitzer ad from the collection of Tom B'hend and Preston Kaufman that was reproduced in an article about the theatre appearing in the October 1983 issue of the magazine The Console. The issue is in the Ronald W. Mahan Collection. Thanks to Ron for sharing the image. 

Rigging: Wire guide, offstage right. 

Lifts: Neighborhood historian Kent Adamson reports that "according to the notes at the Academy Library Fairbanks Special Collections, it had a double hydraulic elevator. The entire orchestra pit could rise from the basement, including the Wurlitzer organ, or the organ could rise separately after the orchestra pit, (and rise higher)." It's not known if this was actually a hydraulic system or the more typically used screw jack type of lift. Or even if there were lifts. The section drawing in American Theatres of today shows no pit lift. Another curiosity, if the organ console were on a lift: in some early photos it's centered, in others it's house left.

The organ most likely didn't have a separate lift. In the October 1983 issue of Console Terry Helgesen noted: "Carli Elinor...was selected to conduct the huge concert orchestra, augmented by the 3/11, Style 235 Wurlitzer organ, all placed on the elevating orchestra platform."

 

Seating: 1,518

 

 

 

A sketch appearing in the L.A. Times the week of the theatre's opening. Thanks to Comfortably Cool for posting it on Cinema Treasures. 

 

 

A May 18, 1926 ad. It was located by Comfortably Cool for a post on Cinema Treasures. 

 

The cover of the program for "The Volga Boatman." Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this from his collection on Flickr. With co-author Tom Zimmerman, Eric is responsible for the Angel City Press book "Spectacular Illumination: Neon Los Angeles 1925-1965." Also see Eric's 2016 book "Signs of Life: Los Angeles is the City of Neon." 

 

Freda Berkoff was among the 50 Russian performers in "Volga," the "Prologue Supreme" that was on the program before the feature. Also see the "Mr. and Mrs. Theatregoer..." and "For Your Convenience...." pages from the program. Thanks, Eric! 

The theatre's debut was described in a May 29, 1926 Exhibitors Herald article:

"Carthay Opening Hollywood's Most Brilliant -- Proves Big Social Event. Hollywood, May 25 -- The big social event in film circles last week was the opening of Fed Miller's Carthay Circle theatre on the Western edge of the city. It was one of the most brilliant premieres ever held in Hollywood, a city accustomed to many of these events. The opening was a credit to Fred Miller and his staff, and a tribute to Miller's popularity. The new theatre is located off the beaten path, midway between Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, but this fact did not lessen the attendance and thousands of fans lined the square before the theatre to watch those who entered.

"Mr. Miller arranged a fitting program for the opening of the new house, and used as his opening attraction Cecil B. DeMille's production, 'The Volga Boatman,' which was acclaimed by all who attended the premiere to be the finest thing he has done since 'The Ten Commandments.' A beautiful prologue preceeded the picture, created and staged by Jack Laughlin. Following the picture, Lew Cody, acting as master of ceremonies, introduced Mr. DeMille, Lenore J. Coffee, who wrote tha adaptation and continuity, and the various members of the cast..." 

Thanks to Mike Hume for finding the article on Internet Archive. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography site for historical data and many fine photos of the theatres he's explored.

The fact that the theatre soon became widely known acted as free promotion for McCarthy's newly developed Carthay residential district. This ad extolling the virtues of the neighborhood appeared on Noirish Los Angeles post #719 from contributor Ethereal Reality. He also included a nice selection of photos of the theatre. Also see his Noirish post #5770. And for more photos see post #2584 by Sopas EJ.

The July 10, 1926 Exhibitors Herald had a big article titled "Aztec, Carthay Circle, Reflect Pioneer Spirit in Construction." They noted that the theatre was "magnificient in its locational isolation" but was being rewarded with substantial patronage as it fell into a class of theatre with "exceptional constructional features." The Aztec in the title is the one in San Antonio. Thanks to Mike Hume for finding the article on Internet Archive. | article continuation | photos |

An ad featuring the theatre in the Better Theatres section of the September 4, 1926 Exhibitors Herald that was located by Mike Hume.

The theatre's lighting was discussed in "Life o' the Show-House: Light," an article by Nellie Barnard Parker from the publication "Light" that was reprinted in the February 19, 1927 Exhibitors Herald. Thanks to Mike Hume for finding the article on Internet Archive. It also discusses the Egyptian, Orpheum and Forum theatres. Ms. Parker comments:

"The Circle theatre has a three-combination pre-set board with dimmers operated either by hand or by a 15 h-p motor, the latter giving a more even blending. A dual control makes it possible for the stage manager to operate the lights as well as the man in the projection room but set-ups must be made in the latter place. With characteristic Los Angeles 'unobtrusiveness,' at least eight theatres claim to be the 'finest in America.' Notwithstanding and exteriorly at least, the Circle looks the part. Located in an exclusive residential district, its imposing pure whiteness is an architectural and illuminating triumph. Claude D. Seaman [of L.A. based Cole Lighting], working in conjunction with Dwight Gibbs, the architect, from the inception of the idea, has achieved results which show the advantages of such co-operation.

"The architectural lines of the building have been carried out in light by the scientific placement of fourteen 250-watt powerful floodlights. The tower is surmounted by a 200-watt Mazda lamp on a rod. Two thousand lamps are used in the sign. The lighting feature of the interior is a circular ceiling of Spanish wood incorporating in its design intricate filigree work, ornamental beams and central lighting fixture admirably adapted for artistic illumination, Four thousand three hundred and fifty-two lamps are used in the building, giving an effect which for a time was the talk of the town and echoed far across the high Rockies -- eastward." 

Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this program cover on Flickr. It's in his superb Paper Ephemera collection.

The theatre only ran three films during its first year. The nineteen week run of "The Volga Boatman" was followed by a seven week run of "Bardelys the Magnificent" with John Gilbert and then "What Price Glory," running for more than six months.  

 

The cover of the program for the May 6, 1927 premiere of "7th Heaven" with Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. Thanks to John Hulscher for sharing this image of the copy in his collection. It's one of over 20 programs from the theatre that he was selling on eBay.  

 

A sign with triangular revolving panels advertising the theatre on Wilshire Blvd. in May 1927. The copy, in addition to advertising "7th Heaven," also touted the music of Carli Elinor and the prologues by Laughlin. The sign is featured on the Noirish Los Angeles post #22028 by Gaylord Wilshire where he also has views of the other panels advertising Lockheed Brakes and a trip to Catalina.

 

Well, it's a guess but perhaps this was the program cover for the premiere of W.S. Van Dyke's 1927 film "California" starring Tim McCoy and Dorothy Sebastian. It's from the John Hulscher collection.

An ad appearing in the October 26, 1927 issue of the Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. Thanks to Bob Foreman for locating it. Visit his Vintage Theatre Catalogs site for a vast compendium of information on early theatre tech. 

 

 

 

Advertisements for F.W. Murnau's "Sunrise," a November 1927 release with Janet Gaynor. Playing at the Criterion downtown: Warner's "The Jazz Singer." The photo is in the AMPAS Tom B'hend - Preston Kaufmann Collection. 

 

The program cover for the premiere of John Ford's February 1928 release "Four Sons" starring Francis X. Bushman, George Meeker, James Hall and Charles Morton. It's from the John Hulscher collection. The assumption is that the Carthay ran a silent version. It was also released with a Movietone music and effects track.

Sound at the Carthay Circle: Evidently sound came to the theatre in the spring of 1928. "Street Angel," an April 1928 release, played the theatre in Movietone. See the Projection and Sound page for some early booth views.

The outside of the program for "Street Angel" with Janet Gaynor, a William Fox production at the theatre. It was an April 1928 release.

 

The inside of the "Street Angel" program. "...with the Most Amazing Scientific Discovery of the Age -- MOVIETONE." Many thanks to Lane Wallace for the program.

 

A three dimensional ad for "Lilac Time" positioned at an unknown location in 1928. It's a photo located by Martin Turnbull. Thanks to Mark London for sharing it in a post on the Carthay Circle History Facebook page.  

 

 

 

The program cover for the July 16, 1928 premiere of "Lilac Time." Thanks to Mark London for sharing it as a comment on the post about the sign for the film. 

 

A "Lilac Time" billboard. Thanks to Mark London for sharing the photo.  

The Carthay Circle was profiled in a four page article in the November 1928 issue of Architect and Engineer that on Internet Archive. The article begins: 

"In the day time, the white loveliness of the new Carthay Circle Theater, Los Angeles, beckons for miles away and later in the blue of the night when the thousands of city lights are sparkling, the bright and far reaching illumination of the lofty tower forms a welcoming beacon of light. Simple, massive, and dignified, the building stands out because of its intrinsic beauty..." 

 

 

 

"Hear Eddie Cantor!" It's a November 1928 ad for "Paramount's 100% All-Talking Hit! 'Interference'" 

The Paper Ephemera collection of Eric Lynxwiler on Flickr includes this Carthay Circle program cover. On the back page is copy telling the patrons about the various paintings hung around the theatre. The paintings are "Depicting the Great Historical Events on California's Romantic and Colorful Road to Statehood." The program also tells us that the Carthay Circle maintains 50 branch ticket offices throughout Southern California.

 

Inside the program it turns out that our show is the sound feature "The Barker," a December 1928 release from First National with Milton Sills, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Dorothy Mackaill and Betty Compson. It's on Flickr. Thanks, Eric!

 

 

The cover for the program for the January 29, 1929 premiere of "The Divine Lady" starring Corinne Griffith. It's from the John Hulscher collection. 

 

 

 

"In All California There's No Theatre Like This." Thanks to Mark London for sharing this 1929 ad as a post for the Carthay Circle History Facebook group. "8 minutes from Culver City."

 

By March 1929 William Fox had taken control of the operation and the theatre was then advertised as the Fox Carthay Circle. 

 

 

The cover of the circular program for the March 12, 1929 premiere of Allan Dwan's film "The Iron Mask" starring Douglas Fairbanks. Thanks to John Hulscher for sharing this image from the program in his collection. 

 

 

The program cover for the June 10, 1929 L.A. premiere of Janet Gaynor in F.W. Murnau's "4 Devils." The New York premiere had been on October 3, 1928. It's from the John Hulscher collection.

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this June 1929 ad for "4 Devils" with Janet Gaynor.

 

The cover for the program for the July 25, 1929 world premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's "Dynamite" starring Conrad Nagel, Kay Johnson and Charles Bickford. It's from the collection of John Hulscher.

 

A cute sign for the theatre is seen on the left in this 1929 shot of a flower stand at Pico and Western. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

 

 

The cover for the October 1929 program for the Will Rogers film "They Had To See Paris." Thanks to Javier Gonzalez for sharing this from his collection. 

 

 

The inside of the program for "They Had To See Paris." The presentation opened with a Fox Movietone newsreel -- "It Speaks for Itself."  The Mickey Mouse cartoon on the program has been determined by Javier to be "Mickey's Follies," a talkie that used the Powers Cinephone system. The other item before the intermission was the 20 minute MGM short "The Song Writers' Revue." Also see an ad for Paralta Studios that was on the back page, offering "Portraits of Personality." The program, minus the live orchestra, moved to the Palace where it opened November 27. Thanks, Javier!  

 

 

It's the program cover for the January 29, 1930 premiere of "Devil May Care" with Ramon Navarro - "his first Talking Singing Picture." It's from the John Hulscher collection. 

 

70mm Fox Grandeur in 1930: The Carthay Circle was one of the few Los Angeles theatres (or theatres anywhere) to be equipped for the 70mm Fox Grandeur process. "Happy Days" had a seven week run in 70mm at the theatre beginning February 28. See the Projection and Sound page for more about the process. 

 

A March 10, 1930 ad for "Happy Days." Thanks to Comfortably Cool for posting it on Cinema Treasures. 

 

More in the 1930s: 

 

"All Quiet on the Western Front" had its world premiere at the theatre on April 21, 1930. This ad from the collection of Tom B'hend and Preston Kaufman was reproduced in the October 1983 issue of The Console. Thanks to Ron Mahan for sharing the image. 

 

 

The cover of the program for the May 1930 release "So This Is London" starring Will Rogers. It's from the John Hulscher collection. 

 

 

The program cover for the October 10, 1930 premiere of "Just Imagine" with El Brendel, Maureen O'Sullivan and John Garrick. On the cover it's the film's writers Buddy DeSylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson. It's from the John Hulscher collection.

 

The cover of the program for the November 1930 release "Min and Bill" with Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery. It's from the collection of John Hulscher. 

 

 

 

"Lightnin" with Will Rogers was a November 1930 release. The ad was reproduced in the October 1983 issue of The Console. Thanks to Ron Mahan for sharing the image.

 

"Fox Theatres Everywhere." It's a Fox West Coast circuit-wide pass for 1931. Thanks to Bob Foreman for spotting these images when the medallion came up for sale on eBay. For a vast treasure trove of historic theatre delights visit Bob's site Vintage Theatre Catalogs. 

 

The cover of the program for the March 13, 1931 premiere of "Strangers May Kiss" with Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery. It's from the John Hulscher collection.

 

"Seed" played the theatre in April 1931. The ad was in the October 1983 issue of The Console. Thanks to Ron Mahan for sharing the image.  

 

 

If you came to the April 17 premiere of "Seed" you got not a skimpy program but a special edition of the book. This image is of the copy in John Hulscher's collection. 

 

The cover of the program for the premiere of the August 1931 release "Rebound" with Ina Claire and Robert Ames. It's from the collection of John Hulscher. 

 

 

"Devotion" with Ann Harding had its premiere September 15, 1931. The program comes from the John Hulscher collection.   

 

A Times ad for the October 15, 1931 premiere of "Consolation Marriage" with Irene Dunne, Pat O’Brien, John Halliday, Myrna Loy, Lester Vail and Matt Moore. Thanks to Larry Harnisch for including this on a Daily Mirror blog post about the film. 

 

The cover of a program, perhaps for "Consolation Marriage"?  That film had its premiere on November 15. The program was offered for sale online by John Hulscher.  

A fling as a legit house in 1931 and 1932: The fully equipped stage at the theatre was occasionally used for legit shows.

An ad for a 1931 production of "Lysistrata" that appeared in the December 21 issue of Playgoer magazine for the Biltmore Theatre. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for locating this when it was offered for sale online.  

 

"Lysistrata" resulted in a vice squad raid with the entire cast being taken to jail. Terry Helgesen once commented that the vice squad was laughed at because one of their warrants was for the arrest of the playwright, Aristophanes.

 

There was a full season in 1932 that included shows such as "Murdered Alive" (with Bela Lugosi) and "Sons 'O Guns." 

 

Back to film exhibition: 

The premiere of "The Great Ziegfeld" was April 15, 1936. This image of the cover is from the copy of the program in John Hulscher's collection. 

Mervyn Le Roy's "Anthony Adverse," starring Fredric March and Olivia de Havilland, premiered on July 29, 1936.

Disney favored the house and held many premieres there including "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for sharing the ad with the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

 

Another L.A. Times "Snow White" ad. Again thanks to Ken McIntyre for the post for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

 

 

Shirley Temple in "Wee Willie Winkie" premiered June 25, 1937. The program is in John Hulscher's collection.  

"Holiday," starring Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant, premiered May 24, 1938. This is the cover of the program in the John Hulscher collection.

 

The cover of the program available for 25 cents during the 1938 run of "Marie Antoinette" starring Norma Shearer and Tyrone Power. The premiere had been July 8. It's from the collection of John Hulscher.

"Gone With The Wind" at the Carthay Circle: David O. Selznick selected the Carthay Circle for the west coast premiere of "Gone With the Wind" on December 28, 1939. Selznik  had done a preview of a rough cut of the film at the Fox Riverside on September 9. The Atlanta premiere had been held December 15. The regular engagement beginning December 29 was also at the United Artists. 

 

The cover of a "Gone With the Wind" program. It's from the collection of John Hulscher.

Fantasound stereo at the Carthay Circle in 1941: This theatre was one of the few in the country to exhibit Disney's "Fantasia" with the elaborate sound system that was intended by the studio. See the Carthay Circle Projection and Sound page for more about the process.

 

 

Leopold Stokowski, Lilian Disney and Walt Disney at the "Fantasia" premiere on January 30, 1941. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing the photo from his collection. It appears on Flickr. Check out the Angel City Press book Eric wrote with Tom Zimmerman: "Spectacular Illumination: Neon Los Angeles 1925-1965." Also see Eric's 2016 book "Signs of Life: Los Angeles is the City of Neon." 

 

 

The cover of the program used for "Fantasia" at the Carthay Circle. It's from the John Hulscher collection.

 

More legit at the Carthay Circle: In the early 1950's, the Carthay Circle again had a run as a legit house. In 1951 Charles Skouras made the theatre available for a run of the Moral Re-Armament musical "Jotham Valley."

 

"America's Most Beautiful Legitimate Theatre." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding this December 1952 ad for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. Bruce Kimmel notes that "Affairs of State" opened September 30 and ran until mid-January 1953. 

This was a production from Henry Duffy, who had run a major west coast string of legit theatres in the 1920's and 30's. Following "Affairs" was a Duffy production of "Life With Mother" starring Billie Burke and Carl Benton Reid. It opened January 25, 1953.

Stage shows during the 1954-1955 season included "Anniversary Waltz" with Marsha Hunt, "The Fifth Season" and "Oh Men!, Oh Women!" Producers during the season included Jack Present, Joseph Justman and Harry Zeven.

A 1955 L.A. Times ad for "King of Hearts." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding it for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group. 

The stage event of 1955 was the death onstage of 47 year old Isabel Bonner during a hospital bed scene in "The Shrike." Carthay area historian Kenny Adamson reports that Ethel Waters appeared for a week in 1955 in her revue "An Evening With Ethel Waters." 

 

An August 1956 ad in the Times that Ken McIntyre located for Shirley Booth in "The Desk Set."

 

 

Marsha Hunt, Leon Ames, Patrick O'Neal and Gordon Hanson onstage in "The Little Hut," an adaption of Nancy Mitford's 1951 book by Andre Roussin. The show had run on Broadway in 1953. This production was directed by Lamont Johnson with Jack Present and Harry Zevin as producers. It opened September 4, 1956 following an engagement at the La Jolla Playhouse. It's a flyer that popped up on eBay. Such legit use wasn't possible after the TODD-AO conversion later in 1956.

70mm TODD-AO at the Carthay Circle: This was the third Los Angeles theatre equipped for TODD-AO, with "Around the World in 80 Days" opening December 22, 1956. It ran for 127 weeks. See the Interior Views page for photos of the proscenium demolition work and the finished screen installation. 

 

Renovation work included draping much of the auditorium and installing a new main floor projection booth. Terry Helgesen, in the article about the theatre in the October 1983 issue of Console, noted that the remodel included chopping off the first five rows of the balcony and closing off the front balcony exits. 

 

The cover of a Playgoer program during the run of "Around the World in 80 Days." It was on eBay from the Honolulu Thrift Shop.

Many other 70mm roadshow runs followed including "Porgy and Bess" (1959), "Can-Can" (1960), "The Alamo" (1960), "El Cid" (1961), "The Agony and the Ecstasy" (1965) and "Shoes of the Fisherman" (1968-69). The theatre also got the 70mm moveover run of "The Sound of Music" (from the Fox Wilshire) in 1966 and a run of the 70mm version of "Gone With the Wind" in 1967. The houses that had earlier been equipped for TODD-AO were the Egyptian and the downtown United Artists.

Matches, anyone? Thanks to Mark London for posting this view of a matchbook advertising the two "World's Most Famous Show Places" on the Carthay Circle History Facebook group.

Closing: The last year of operation was 1969. "The Shoes of the Fisherman" with Anthony Quinn was the final film to play the theatre.

Status: It was demolished in 1969. National General Corporation put an office building complex on the site.

 

More exterior views:

1926 - Ready for the opening. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. 

 

1926 - A pre-opening shot of the tower from a newspaper collage. It's from the Herald Examiner collection of the Los Angeles Public Library. The caption used when the photo appeared May 15: "Closeup view of the steeple of the new Carthay Circle Theatre in Carthay Center, which will be given a gala opening next Tuesday evening. The steeple rises to a height of 136 feet above the pavement."

1926 - Banners were out to celebrate the grand opening. On the marquee: "Carli Elinor's Concert Orchestra - C.B. DeMille's 'The Volga Boatman.'" The panel at the center has copy about the prologue to the feature called "Volga." Under the marquee it's a sign reading "Tickets Now On Sale." Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this photo from his collection. It appears on Flickr.

1926- A postcard based on the "Volga Boatman" photo above. This is from Elizabeth Fuller's Old Los Angeles Postcards collection on Flickr. 

1926 - A California Historical Society photo in the USC Digital Library collection. On the marquee is the theatre's opening attraction "The Volga Boatman."

1926 - Another shot later in the run of "The Volga Boatman." The signage below the marquee says "Reserved Seats on Sale." It's a Padilla Co. photo appearing with "Theatrical Theatres," an article in the January 1929 issue of Pacific Coast Architect. They also discuss the United Artists and the Dufwin in Oakland. Thanks to Mike Hume/Historic Theatre Photography for finding the article on Internet Archive.

1926 - A view showing the canopy leading to the entrance. It's from the Dick Whittington Studio and taken when the theatre was running "What Price Glory." The photo is in the USC Digital Library collection where they also have another version.

c.1926 - Floodlit at night. Note the orb at the top of the tower.  It was said to appear as if it were a scintillating star due to the observer's "retinal aberration." It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. 

1926 - An aerial view from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Also see a c.1926 aerial view that's in the USC Digital Library collection.

1927 - A May photo that's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. There's a statue of Diane, Janet Gaynor's character from "7th Heaven," opposite the entrance doors.

1927 - A fine photo taken by Mott Studios during the run of Frank Borzage's "7th Heaven." The film, starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, premiered at the Carthay Circle on May 6th. The photo, along with five other exterior views, is in the California State Library collection as their set #001384379. Ten interior photos in the collection are cataloged as set #001384380.

1927 - Looking toward the theatre's entrance. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library

The artist's model for the statue seen in the lower right corner of the previous photo. It's in the collection of Rick Spector. He notes that the statue is of Diane, Janet Gaynor's character in "7th Heaven." Rick thinks that it was there opposite the entrance doors for the full run of the film in May 1927. "Diane," the theme song from the film, is on YouTube. Thanks, Rick!

1927 - Through the arcade of a nearby building. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library

1927 - A tower detail. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library

1927 - Another tower detail. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library

c.1927 - An early postcard from Elizabeth Fuller on Flickr. Her delightful Old Los Angeles Postcards collection has (at last count) 686 cards for you to browse. Thanks, Elizabeth!

 

 

 

 c.1929 - A view from Ken McIntyre on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. The signage doesn't yet say "Fox." The photo also appears in BifRayRock's Noirish Los Angeles post #26417.

c.1929 - An undated view from the California Historical Society in the USC Digital Library collection showing the relationship of the theatre to the street and the smaller retail businesses in front.

c.1929 - A night shot of the miner by Padilla Co. from the January 1929 issue of Pacific Coast Architect. Thanks to Mike Hume for spotting it. 

 

1929 - A November view from the southwest by Spence Air Photos that's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. That's the Carthay Center School at the bottom of the image. It has survived. Note the appearance of "Fox" on the theatre's roof sign.  

 

 

c.1930 - A photo taken from the roof looking northwest toward Hollywood. Wilshire Blvd. is two blocks away from us. The photo from the California Historical Society is in the USC Digital Library collection.

 

1930 - A view looking south from McCarthy Vista toward the Pioneer statue, a piece by Henry Lion honoring the 1849 California pioneers. The theatre is beyond, across San Vicente Blvd. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. 

 

 

1931 - The Friday March 13th premiere of "Strangers May Kiss" starring Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this photo from his collection on Flickr. It also appears in the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Group Pool on Flickr that's curated by Michelle Gerdes. 

 

1931 - The premiere for "Seed," a May release starring John Boles and Genevieve Tobin. It's one of a number of theatre photos on display outside the Ted Mann Theatre at the Academy Museum. The image is from the Tom B'hend-Preston Kauffman Collection, a part of the AMPAS Margaret Herrick Library.

1931 - Thanks to the wonderful McAvoy/Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection for this photo of an unidentified event. Browse their site for 19 more Carthay Circle photos. And there are more filed under their category of premieres. Or, if you have an afternoon to spare, take a peek at the over 250 theatre photos in the collection.

1933 - A small piece of a Pettits Studio panorama taken at the corner of La Cienega and Pico. In this detail we're looking northeast across La Cienega to the Pico Fairway driving range and the theatre beyond.

The full photo can be seen on the Huntington Library website -- it's in their Verner collection of Panoramic Negatives. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor BifRayRock who found the image in the HDL collection and included it in his Noirish post #26417.

 

1936 - The July 29 premiere of Mervyn Le Roy's "Anthony Adverse" starring Fredric March and Olivia de Havilland. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this photo from his collection on Flickr. It's in his Los Angeles Theatres album, at last look numbering nearly 700 photos. 

 

1936 - Another "Anthony Adverse" shot from Eric Lynxwiler that appears on Flickr. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for spotting both of these 1936 photos from Eric and adding them to the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Group Pool that she curates on Flickr. 

 

 

1936 - The November 25 west coast premiere of "Lloyd's of London" with Tyrone Power and Madeline Carroll. The photo from the Terry Helgesen collection was reproduced in an article about the theatre appearing in the October 1983 issue of the magazine The Console. The issue is in the Ronald W. Mahan Collection. Thanks to Ron for sharing the image. Also see another view of the "Lloyd's" premiere from the L.A. Times.

 

1937 - A shot taken during the run of MGM's "The Good Earth" starring Paul Muni and Louise Rainier. It's a drama set in China -- note the water buffalo and the thatched hut. The premiere was January 29. The center panel of the marquee: "In two crowded hours comes the drama you've waited 3 years to see." Thanks to Martin Turnbull for locating the photo for his Hollywood's Garden of Allah Novels Facebook page. 

 

 

1937 - The May 17 premiere of MGM's "Captains Courageous." It's a shot that appeared on a page of listings for a 2016 Christie's vintage Hollywood photos auction, credited to CSU Archives / Everett Collection / REX / Shutterstock. A slightly cropped version is on Wikimedia Commons, credited to Acme News Pictures. Getty Images also has a version from Bettman Archives. The marquee copy is touting it as a followup to "Metro Goldwyn Mayer's Success 'Mutiny on the Bounty'" from 1935. 

1937 - A shot taken by McAlpin at the September premiere of "High, Wide and Handsome." Thanks to Martin Turnbull for locating this for a page on his website.

 

1937 - "High, Wide and Handsome" was a July release with Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this photo from his collection on Flickr. It also appears in the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Group Pool on Flickr that's curated by Michelle Gerdes. Bruce Kimmel notes that the film opened August 13.

1937 - The September 9 west coast premiere of "The Life of Emile Zola."  It's a Los Angeles Times photo on Calisphere from from the UCLA Library's Times Photographic Archives.

1937 - A postcard using a Bob Plunkett photo from the Elizabeth Fuller Old Los Angeles Postcards collection on Flickr. The theatre was running "The Life of Emile Zola." There's also a slightly different version of the card in the California State Library collection as their item #001378595. Eric Lynxwiler has a very nice scan on Flickr of a copy of the card in his collection. 

Also from 1937: "Wee Willie Winkie" premiere - USC | another "Winkie" view - USC - they have lots |

1939 - Floodlit for the premiere of "The Little Princess," a March release with Shirley Temple. It's a photo in the Herald Examiner collection at the Los Angeles Public Library.

1939 - Preparations for the December 28 west coast premiere of "Gone With the Wind." Thanks to Dave Swantek for sharing the photo by Virgil Morris as a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. Martin Turnbull also featured the photo on his Hollywood's Garden of Allah Novels Facebook page.

1939 - The bleachers for "Gone With the Wind." The arrow is pointing to the early arrivals who had claimed their seats by 11:30 am. Photo: Dave Swantek - Photos of Los Angeles

 

1940 - A shot taken by Dick Whittington Studio during the run of  Disney's"Fantasia." It's in the USC Digital Library collection. 

 

 

1940 - A November 11 Corbis photo of the lights for the premiere of Chaplin's "The Great Dictator." It's also been seen, uncredited, on the blog of Martin Turnbull.

1940 - A daytime shot during the run of the "The Great Dictator." Thanks to Teresa A. Anderson for sharing the photo from a family scrapbook on the California History Facebook page. And thanks to Kevin Walsh for spotting the post. 

c.1940 - A premiere night postcard from the site Card Cow.

c.1940 - A premiere postcard from Elizabeth Fuller's Old Los Angeles Postcards collection on Flickr. Thanks, Elizabeth!

c.1940 - Another busy premiere night. It's a card from the Elizabeth Fuller collection on Flickr.

1940 - A Dick Whittington Studio shot looking across the new May Co. building at Wilshire and Fairfax with the Carthay Circle Theatre appearing in the upper center. Thanks to Nile Hight for the post of the photo on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page.

 

1943 - The December 21 premiere of "The Song of Bernadette." It's a photo from the Herald Examiner collection at the Los Angeles Public Library.

 

1945 - The December west coast premiere of John M. Stahl's film "Leave Her To Heaven" starring Gene Tierney and Cornel Wilde. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this one from his collection on Flickr. And thanks to Michelle Gerdes for spotting the post and adding the image to the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Group Pool that she curates on Flickr. 

1940s? - The entrance neon and red carpet. Thank to Nile Hight for locating the photo for a post on the Carthay Circle History Facebook page.

1947 - Thanks to David Saffer of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation for this version of it. One with lower resolution is on the Los Angeles Public Library website. 

 

 

1949 - A photo of the October 23 premiere of "The Heiress" taken by Max Yavno (1911-1985). See his obituary in the L.A. Times. Thanks to Gary Meyer for locating the photo on the auction site Invaluable. It also appears on a page of Yavno's work on the site Artnet. There's also a similar view of the premiere by an unknown photographer that's in the Herald Examiner collection at the Los Angeles Public Library.

 

 

1950 - A view by an unknown photographer that popped up on eBay. It was a color slide that had faded to nothing but pink. Thanks to Mark London for spotting it for a post for the Carthay Circle History Facebook group and working on the image.  

 

1952/1953 - The theatre during a period when it was getting used as a legit house by promoter Henry Duffy. "Affairs of State" opened September 20, 1952 and ran until mid-January 1953. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this "Vintage Chrome" shot for a Facebook post on Ken's Movie Page.

1953 - Henry Duffy's production of "Life With Mother," starring Billie Burke and Carl Benton Reid, opened January 25. Thanks to Alison Martino for finding the photo for a post on her Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.

1953 - A detail from another photo taken during the run of "Life With Mother." Thanks to Mark London for spotting it on eBay. He had it as a post on the Carthay Circle History Facebook page.

1955 - A view with another legit offering, "The Shrike," onstage. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. In 1956 the stage would be made unusable after the TODD-AO renovations for "Around the World in 80 Days."

More exterior views in the LAPL collection: searchlights - grand opening? | 1929 reflection in pool - Padilla Co. photo | outside the entrance - Herman Schultheis -"Wee Willie Winkie" | night view - reflecting pool and statue | pond and statue by day | canopy to entrance - Herman Schultheis | 1937 exterior - WPA collection | 1938 tower floodlit - "Marie Antoniette" | 1940 premiere - "All This And Heaven Too"| fans in 1944 - "Wilson" | premiere night - "Wilson" | entrance 1949 - with Marine band "Sands of Iwo Jima" | another floodlit view - "Jothan Valley" - 1951 ....and many more if you look through the Library's photo collection.

1950s - A lovely photo from the Richard Wojcik collection appearing on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles. Thanks, Richard!

1959 - The 70mm roadshow engagement of "Porgy and Bess." It's a photo by the African-American photographer Harry Adams, known as "One Shot Harry." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding it for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. There's a watermarked copy on the website of the Cal State Northridge Oviatt Library.

 

1964 - An ominous view added to the Carthay Circle History Facebook page by Kenny Adamson. Some of the shops near the theatre had already been demolished and work was underway on one of the new buildings. At the time of the photo they had a second-run engagement of "Mary Poppins," a film that had opened at the Chinese on August 27 for a 17 week run. The Carthay Circle would continue to operate until 1969, the year of its demolition. 

 

The Carthay Circle in the Movies:

Jean Harlow shot a film at the theatre but, at this point, it's unknown what film it was. This shot, taken from the unidentified film, appeared in the October 1983 issue of Console.

Theatre scenes for the Charley Chase short "Neighborhood House" (Hal Roach/MGM, 1936) were shot at the Carthay Circle. Originally previewed as an hour-long feature, it was cut down to a two reeler for release. Thanks to the site Another Nice Mess for the screenshot, appearing on their page about the film. As can be seen, the plot revolves around a Bank Night giveaway at the theatre, and everything that goes wrong.

The Carthay Circle's fame as a Hollywood movie palace for premieres is shown in Busby Berkeley's "Hollywood Hotel" (Warner Bros., 1937) with Dick Powell.

In "Hollywood Hotel" we're supposedly going to a premiere of the fictional film "Glamour Girl" but in this shot it's revealed on the marquee that the footage they're using is from the premiere of "The Life of Emile Zola" (also 1937).

The Carthay Circle appears in the 1940 Our Gang comedy "The Big Premiere."

Our only views of the theatre's backstage come from the noir drama "99 River Street" (United Artists, 1953). Here John Payne is in front of the board and Evelyn Keyes has just gone onstage. The film, directed by Phil Karlson, is set in New York and Jersey City. Payne is a has-been boxer who unknowingly participates in a scene that he thinks is a murder in a theatre. It's actually just an audition for Keyes and he isn't amused. Payne is also involved in another murder plot involving his wife. That one was for real. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for ten more shots from the film's sequence at the theatre. 

Sid Pink's 3-D feature "I Was a Burlesque Queen" (1953) shot using the stage at the Carthay Circle. Sid had taken the 1947 black and white British film "Linda, Be Good" with Elyse Knox, Marie Wilson and John Hubbard and filmed additional sequences in 3-D. All of the 3-D footage is lost. Thanks to Bob Furmanek for a post about the film on the 3-D Film Archive Facebook page. The premiere was at the United Artists Long Beach.

Doris Day taking a seat in the balcony in "Caprice" (20th Century Fox, 1967). Note the re-done side wall paneling and the beige drapes. Much of the theatre's ornate Spanish style decor was "modernized" during 1950s

In "Caprice" Doris gets into a fight with Irene Tsu and Michael J. Pollard in the balcony. Ms. Day falls over the edge and lands on a main floor patron below. In the extreme lower right corner of the image you get a bit of the curve of the beige curtain that enveloped the whole front of the auditorium -- all the way around to the front of the balcony. It was installed as part of the renovations for the 1956 TODD-AO run of "Around the World in 80 Days." Also note the new "modernized" treatment of the balcony soffit. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for several more shots.

The exterior of the Carthay Circle appears in the Carl Reiner film "The Comic" (Columbia, 1969) with Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Michelle Lee. Here we're at the theatre in the 20s for a premiere of a film starring the character played by Van Dyke. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the Silent Movie Theatre and Montalban Theatre from the film.  

More information: Check out the Cinema Treasures page for many fond recollections.

There's a Carthay Circle History group on Facebook. Check out their photo album. Of interest on their page: 1925 - dedication? | 30s lantern slide | color video clip - theatre exterior |

The site From Script to DVD has a page on the Carthay Circle. L.A. Weekly did a fine 2017 article about the theatre and the surrounding neighborhood. 

 

 Fred Miller died in 1939. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this newspaper item.

The Carthay Circle pages:  back to top - history + exterior views | interior views | projection and sound |

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