Los Angeles Theatres: Wiltern Theatre: history + exterior views

Wiltern Theatre: history + exterior views

Opened: October 7, 1931 as the Warner Bros. Western Theatre with "Alexander Hamilton" as the inaugural attraction. The city refused to close Wilshire Blvd. for the opening, so Warner Bros. built a temporary bridge across the street as a grand entrance and called it "The Bridge of Stars." This photo of the opening night preparations is from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Celebrities at the opening included Dolores Costello, Loretta Young, Dorothy Mackaill, Joan Blondell and many more. Dick Powell was the MC and Jack Warner put in an appearance.

Phone: 213-388-1400 Website: livenation.com | on Facebook

The project had been commissioned in 1929 by real estate man Henry de Roulet and the Pellissier family. Since the 1880s the family had had an 80 acre ranch on the property, later subdivided as residential lots. A covenant on the property specified that there would be no commercial development until 1925. And there were legal battles in an attempt to extend that restriction. But finally the real estate office de Roulet had on the corner came down and the Wiltern, one of L.A.'s great art deco theatres, went up.

Seating: 2,344 originally.

Architects: G. Albert Lansburgh did the theatre, Morgan, Walls & Clements did the exterior, retail spaces and office tower, now known again as the Pellissier Building. The building is clad with a special turquoise shade of Gladding-McBean terracotta that came to be known as Pellissier Green. The decorator for the theatre was Anthony Heinsbergen. His son Tony worked on the 1984-84 restoration.

Lansburgh had done an earlier theatre for Warners, the Warner Hollywood, which opened in 1928. He had also worked previously with Morgan, Walls & Clements -- the two firms had a similar division of responsibilities on the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

A plan of the first floor. The entrance at the lower right is at the corner of Wilshire and Western with Wilshire along the bottom of the image. The office tower rises above the corner and there are two-story retail spaces (not shown) along both Wilshire and Western. Thanks to Mike Hume for including the plan on the Wiltern page of his Historic Theatre Photography website.

Some of the Morgan, Walls & Clements plans for various tenant renovations in the office tower ended up in the firm's archives at the Huntington Library. See drawing #7113 from their microfilm reels 15-16. From there you can page ahead to the end of the first batch, drawing #7136. A second batch begins with drawing #7139 and runs to drawing #7262. Included in that second batch is an interesting plan showing the layout of the office building basement, drawing #7160. Thanks to Mike Hume for locating these.

An opening day ad.

The cover of the opening night program. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating these pages for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.

"Corners of the World." Presumably Wilshire and Western were now among the famous ones.

A personal welcome from Jack Warner.

A little blurb for the superhero of Vitaphone.

One of the congratulatory ads and a promise of "Musical Enchantment." Thanks, Ken!

The theatre was profiled in "A New Warner Theatre in Uptown Los Angeles," a two page article in the December 19, 1931 issue of Motion Picture Herald. It's on Internet Archive and also reproduced at the bottom of the page.

Times get tough for Warner Brothers: They had the theatre on a lease from the building's owners but closed it in May 1933 due to poor business. It was reopened about a year later as an independent (managed by Ben Bernstein) and called the Wil Tern or Wil-Tern. Evidently there were several other independent operators and even Fox West Coast had a bit of involvement as well during this period.

The name eventually lost the hyphen and space, becoming the Wiltern Theatre. The redone signage had a hyphen in the name on the front of the marquee but the vertical signs didn't. The 1936 city directory still spelled it Wil-Tern.

"Wait and See Them at the Wiltern" It's a cover from a 1938 program that surfaced on eBay. This was after Warners had left and the theatre was a second run venue. Among other things on the bill were a Bogart film and a Porky pig cartoon. Thanks to both Sean Ault and Michelle Gerdes for finding this one.

Warner Bros. returns: They returned as operators in 1939 and it was advertised as Warner's Wiltern and later the Stanley Warner Wiltern. The Warner theatres after the consent decree settlements of the 50s had ended up with a conglomerate assembled from the remains of several studio-owned circuits that was called RKO-Stanley Warner.

In 1956 the building was sold by the Pellissier family to Franklin Life Insurance Co. and the building became known as the Franklin Life Building. Pacific Theatres acquired the theatre in 1968 from Stanley Warner (along with most of the other southern California RKO-SW holdings) and was the final operator for the building as a movie theatre.

Closing and resurrection: It closed January 6, 1980 with a final bill of "Americathon" and "Roller Boogie." The building was then stripped and slated for demolition. It was saved from the wrecking ball in 1980 by a proposed purchase led by developer Wayne Ratkovich of the firm of Ratkovich, Bowers, Inc. in a partnership with Anthony Mansour. By the time the deal was consummated in May 1981 it was announced as a joint venture of Ratkovich, Bowers with Vista Corp. and Bronco Ltd. Thanks to Mike Hume for the research. When the renovation began, the firm was Ratkovich, Bowers & Perez.

It was restored to its original opulence by theatre wiz Ray Shepardson and Los Angeles architect Brenda Levin. The 1983-1985 project included re-painting, work on decorative plaster and murals, reproducing original light fixtures, repairing a gaping 30' hole in the auditorium ceiling, reopening and then enlarging the orchestra pit, adding a backstage elevator, refurbishing the dressing rooms, enlarging the stage, installing new stage equipment, a new electrical service (with a transformer vault atop the stage left dressing rooms), installing new carpet and seats.

The building reopened in 1985 under the management of Bill Graham Presents with a UCLA sponsored engagement of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. In addition to spending $4.8 million on the theatre, the office tower was also renovated as part of the project. The total renovation cost was $9.8 million.

The program cover from the May 1, 1985 reopening. Thanks to Bill Gabel for posting it on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles. The building has been through several new owners since a sale by Ratkovich and his partners.

More renovations: It was fully reseated in 1985 for a capacity of 2,300. The main floor seats were removed in a 2002 re-do and the floor leveled into 5 terraces. The balcony seats remain intact from the 1985 remodel and now it has a capacity of 988. In 1985, Bill Graham wanted the house mix position in the balcony so some seats were left out for that installation. That area was filled in when the position was relocated to the main floor in 1991.

For a show with no seats on the main floor the capacity is now 1,312 on the floor and 988 in the balcony for a total of 2,300 -- the same legal capacity as it was before the 2002 remodel. When chairs are on the main floor the capacity there is 865. With the 988 in the balcony the total is then 1,850, plus or minus a few.

The $2 million renovation in 2002 was a project of Clear Channel Entertainment, who then operated the theatre. In addition to the main floor terraces, the project included flooring over the orchestra pit (which had been enlarged during the 1985 renovation) to provide a dance floor area. A new deck was installed to bring the stage level up two feet to compensate for the change in sight lines caused by the terraces. The L.A. Times had an August 2001 story about the renovations.

Status: It's a very busy live music venue, now operated by Live Nation. Production Manager Reid Bartlett does a terrific job of keeping the building both functional and looking great.

Pipe Organ: It was a Kimball 4/37, now removed. It was last played in 1979. The organ had come from the Forum Theatre, also a Warner Bros. operation at the time. For information on the Wiltern organ and its 1962 restoration, see Bob Alder's informative website: wilterntheatrepipeorgan.bobalder.com.

1926 - A view of the corner of Wilshire and Western from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. The office on the left corner is Henry de Roulet's real estate office. It sits on the site of the Wiltern.

1931 - The excavation beginning in January. The Dick Whittington Studio photo is in the USC Digital Library collection. Also see a similar shot they have.

1931 - A view of the chaos at Wilshire and Western even before the theatre opened. We're looking east on Wilshire. Notice the "Warner Bros. 2300 seats" signage on the construction barricade at the right. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting the photo on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

1931 - Framing going up for the Pellissier building. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection. With that is a view from the same time looking west on Wilshire.

1931 - Tower cladding nearing the top. It's a photo from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1931 - "Opens October 7" on the marquee. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection. Thanks to Scott Collette for locating it for a Forgotten Los Angeles Facebook post. He also shared it on Instagram.

1931 - "Welcome Warner Bros" says the signage across the bridge. This pre-opening photo was included in "A New Warner Theatre In Uptown Los Angeles," a two page article in the December 19, 1931 issue of the Motion Picture Herald. It's on Internet Archive. The article included three additional photos as well.

1931 - A view of the bridge from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1931 - A Mott Studios look at the October 7 opening night chaos. Note the bridge across Wilshire for the stars. The photo is in the California State Library collection, part of their set # 001385776 of ten photos.

1931 - Another Mott Studios opening night photo from the California State Library set # 001385776.

1931 - Coming to the big opening across the "Bridge of Stars." It's a shot from the Universal Newsreel coverage of the event that's on YouTube.

1931 - We get a snippet of the opening night footage included in a "Motion Picture Parade of Progress" montage at the beginning of the trailer for the 1940 Warner release "Dr. Erlich's Magic Bullet." Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for spotting the theatre. The trailer is on IMDb.

1931 - We're up on the "Bridge of Stars" in this opening night view from the amazing Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection, now owned by the McAvoy family. It's their #PRM-010-2. On the site you might want to browse over 800 more theatre photos and over 200 Wilshire Blvd. photos. This shot had also been kicking around on various Facebook pages.

1931 - We get a slightly different version of the scene above thanks to Mary Mallory in "Wiltern Theatre Jazzes Up Theatre Construction," her fine 2014 Daily Mirror/Hollywood Heights history of the theatre.

1931 - A Mott Studios opening night view looking south on Western. Thanks to Darrell Goodwin for sharing the photo in a 2020 post on the theatre's birthday on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page. Stiles O. Clements, the designer of the building, was his great grandfather. He has the Morgan, Walls & Clements photo archives. Thanks to Mike Hume for spotting the post. The photo also appears in the California State Library collection, in their set # 001385776.

1931 - A postcard based on the opening night photo above. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for sharing the card from her collection.

1931 - A view from the USC Digital Library with "Alexander Hamilton" on the marquee.

1931 - Another view with the theatre's opening attraction on the marquee. Thanks to Ad Sausage for the photo from their collection. Visit the organization's Ad Sausage Archives Facebook page and the website at www.adsausage.com/losangeles for an amazing selection of material culled from newspapers and other sources.

1931 - A look under the marquee during the opening engagement. It's a photo on the USC Digital Library website from the California Historical Society collection. There's also a copy in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1931 - A Mott Studios view in the California State Library set # 001385776. That set of 10 includes 5 more daytime views. There's also one daytime shot indexed set # 001400491.

1932 - A California Historical Society photo in the USC Digital Library collection. The Wiltern was running "Man Wanted,"an April release with Kay Francis.

1932 - "Extra - Big Warner Bros. Studio Preview Tonite." The regular feature was the July release "The Purchase Price" with Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent. The photo appears, uncredited, on the website of Martin Turnbull.

1932 - The great signage for the November 1 premiere of "The Kid in Spain" with Eddie Cantor. It's a photo from the Corbis agency. It now appears on the site of Getty Images, the firm that acquired Corbis. They don't list a photographer but credit the image to Bettman Archives.

1932 - Another view taken during the premiere of "The Kid From Spain." Thanks to Scott T. Rivers for locating it for a post on the Cinema Treasures Facebook page.

Also see a version of this shot from the collection of Jim Shultz. He comments: "There is no identification of the photographer. It’s just printed on paper and in rough shape. More interesting in the large original glass plate negative that goes with it. Given that that technology ended in the late 1920s, this is probably one of the very late examples of it. They are both 9 by 7 and fastened to a wooden board. This little piece of LA memorabilia has followed me around for 50 years (I grew up in Whittier in the 60s and 70s) and my great uncle, Fred Hecht, worked at the Wiltern as its night watchman for most of those years."

1934 - "25 cents Two Major Features" "Free Parking" A fine look at the theatre during its Wil-Tern days as a second run house after Warner Bros. left. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo. There are also several other takes in the series on the USC Digital Library website. They're running "Emma" with Marie Dressler, a January 1932 release, and "The Most Precious Thing in Life," a June 1934 release with Jean Arthur.

1934 - A detail from the 1934 USC image above.

1935 - A shot of the theatre running "No More Ladies" with Joan Crawford. It's a photo from the Los Angeles Public Library that gives us our last look at the marquee using milk glass letters.

mid 1930s - Looking west. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection.

1936 - An aerial view that's in the USC Digital Library collection. The stagehouse is over on the right.

1937 - 25 cents at the Wiltern. That "Vallee" bullboard was for an appearance at the Cocoanut Grove. Thanks to Tom Anderson for locating this version of the photo for a post for the Lost Angeles Facebook group. A smaller version appears on the the Los Angeles Public Library website from their Blackstock Negative Collection.

1938 - A Dick Whittington Studio photo looking west toward the Wiltern. That's the stagehouse over on the left. The photo is in the USC Digital Library collection.

1939 - Rush hour traffic. It's a detail from a larger Dick Whittington photo in the USC Digital Library collection. At the Wiltern: "Return of the Cisco Kid," an April release. Note the new white background on the readerboards

1939 - An October 11 photo of work being done on the marquee. The center section is getting a readerboard and fluorescents are being installed in all three sections. The photo from the Automobile Club of Southern California on the USC Digital Library website.

Also in the USC collection: late 30s view looking east - down from Manhattan Pl. | looking west - 1939 | 1948 birdseye view - looking east "The Voice of the Turtle" |

1940 - The new modern white readerboard faces and marquee letters get shown off in "The Marquee," a photo spread in the Better Theatres section of the June 1, 1940 issue of Motion Picture Herald. It's on Internet Archive.

1940 - Thanks to Richard Wojcik for sharing this great photo from his collection. It was a post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.

1940s - Thanks to Brian Michael McCray for this terrific postcard from his collection. We're looking west toward Western Ave. A slightly different version of the card can also be seen in the collection of Eric Lynxwiler on Flickr. Browse through Eric's Wilshire Blvd. set for a great stroll along the boulevard. There are photos, postcards, restaurant menus, matchbook covers and lots more.

1940s - Looking north on Western Ave. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this one when it was for sale online. Any ideas on those cars? Glenn Norman suggests that this could be either pre-war or post-war. But due to the streetlights we see it's certainly not after 1948.

1945 - Looking east with the Wiltern running "The Horn Blows at Midnight." Thanks to Todd Landis for posting the photo on the Facebook page for the non-public group Mid Century Modern Los Angeles.

1947 - "Possessed" with Joan Crawford and Van Heflin. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the snapshot for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. Bruce Kimmel comments: "Somewhere around July 18, a mere five months from a monumental birth."

This is our last look at the older streetlights along the west side of the building. Glen Norman comments: "The street lights on this part of Western were converted to overheads in the late 1940s using a luminaire style that first appeared around 1948."

1948 - The Wiltern running "June Bride" with Bette Davis and Robert Montgomery. It was out in October but this was probably a second run engagement. The photo is one that Bill Gabel located for a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

1954 - A dazzling 1954 view looking east on Wilshire toward the Wiltern from the Neat Stuff Blog. It's from a 2009 post called "Vintage Los Angeles." The photo is credited to "Nice Pictures" on eBay.

1956 - A view of the theatre the night of the invitational preview for "Anything Goes." The photo as a post from Ken McIntyre on Photos of Los Angeles. It can also be seen as part of the terrific Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection, their item #T-056-1.

1958 - A great view of the Wiltern running "No Time For Sergeants" with Andy Griffith and Nick Adams. That's Mr. Adams in the photo. It's from the Bruce Kimmel collection, a post on Vintage Los Angeles.

1965 - A look north on Western with "Fall of the Roman Empire" on the marquee. The initial 70mm Ultra Panavision roadshow run of the film had begun June 12, 1964 at the Hollywood Paramount according to the 70mm in Los Angeles section of the site From Script To DVD. Many thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the image when it was for sale online.

1965 - A photo from the Bill Gabel collection looking north on Western. At the Wiltern it was a Lee Marvin double feature: "Ship of Fools" and "Cat Ballou." The photo appeared as a post on Photos of Los Angeles.

1967 - William Friedkin's "Good Times" with Sonny and Cher. Thanks to Jessica Litman for sharing this one on the Mid Century Modern Facebook page. Lisa Kerkhove Koers notes that the Indy 500 race they were advertising started on May 30, took a rain hiatus, and finished on May 31.

1967 - The theatre running "Rough Night in Jericho," an August release with Dean Martin and Jean Simmons, along with "The Perils of Pauline" starring Pat Boone. It's a photo from the collection of Wiltern production manager Reid Bartlett. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for sending it along.

1971 - In addition to a fight telecast the theatre was advertising "Brother John," starring Sidney Poitier and Will Geer, along with "The Night Visitor" featuring Liv Ullman, Max von Sydow and Trevor Howard. Thanks to Sean Ault for finding the photo when it was for sale online.

1971 - The Wiltern as a 2,300 seat art house? In this 1971 photo of the Wiltern located by Sean Ault they're running Ingmar Bergman's "The Touch," released in the U.S. in July. "Blue Water, White Death" was opening soon. Thanks, Sean!

1972 - A look south on Western toward what was then called the Franklin Life Building. Mr. Ethereal Reality found it on eBay and has it on his Noirish Los Angeles post #23935.

1973 - Getting the copy up for a preview screening of "Cahill U.S. Marshall." Thanks to Bill Gabel for locating the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.

1975 - The theatre running "Aloha, Bobby and Rose" along with "The Lords of Flatbush." Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing this photo from his collection.

1977 - Welcome to the Wilmount. The Western Ave. vertical is half dressed for the filming of "American Hot Wax" where it's standing in for the Brooklyn Paramount. Which, of course, looked nothing like the Wiltern. Many thanks to Matt Spero for his great photo.

1977 - A street level view of the theatre dressed for "American Hot Wax," a March 1978 release. Thanks to Matt Spero for his photo. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for more photos from Matt as well as many other views.

1978 - The Wiltern has "Corvette Summer" and "Avalanche" on the bill. The photo is by Anne Laskey is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Also see two additional photos that same year by Ms. Laskey: vertical sign detail #1 | vertical sign detail #2

1979 - A fine boxoffice shot taken while the theatre was running the June release "Meatballs." Carey Roberts deciphered the lettering on the readerboard and determined that "Nightwing" was the 2nd feature -- which they have as "Night Wing." Brad Erickson notes that "Foul Play" was initially in that slot with "Nightwing" replacing it two weeks later. Thanks to Rick Watts for locating the photo for a post on the Lost Angeles Facebook group. Gary Parks notes that the photographer was Ave Pildas and that the photo originally appeared in his 1980 book "Movie Palaces."

1979 - Lillian Gish makes an appearance at the Wiltern for an August 9 AFI screening of her film "The Wind." Thanks to Matt Spero for his photo.

1979 - A closer look at the boxoffice. It's a Matt Spero photo taken at the screening of "The Wind."

1980 - Thanks to Tom Keller for this fine "For Sale" photo on Vintage Los Angeles.

1980 - A view of the desolate building with someone optimistically thinking the stripped and damaged theatre would reopen in 1981. Thanks to Meredith Jacobson Marciano for the photo on Vintage Los Angeles.

1981 - "In Escrow." Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this April photo.

early 1980s - A look south on Western during the theatre's closed years. Note the "Warner" signage still above the center readerboard. Thanks to Sean Ault for the photo.

early 1980s - Looking east on Wilshire. It's a photo from the Sean Ault collection.

early 1980s - The Wilshire street level facade after the building had been sold to developer Wayne Ratkovich and his partners. After a massive capital infusion, the restored theatre debuted in May 1985. Thanks to Meredith Jacobson Marciano for the photo on Vintage Los Angeles.

1983 - Getting some sign work done so it could be turned on for the Olympics. Thanks to American Classic Images for the January photo.

1985 - Brenda Levin's Levin and Associates was the architectural firm for the restoration of the Wiltern. On their Wiltern Theatre page is this great view of the marquee.

1986 - A photo by William Reagh in the California State Library collection, their item # 001383182. It's also in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1988 - A William Reagh photo from the California State Library collection, item # 001383457.

More exterior views from the Los Angeles Public Library collection: opening week exterior | opening week entrance | opening week - boxoffice and marquee soffit | another opening street view | opening night floodlit exterior | as the Warner - c.1933 | 1930s Warner view - Barbara Stanwyck | another exterior - as Warner | across the street - as Warner | aerial view - as the Wiltern | from across the street - 1935 | looking east - c.38 - Herman Schultheis | looking east from above - c. 1938-39 | Wilshire side storefronts - Thrifty Drug - c.1938 | looking east with Foster and Kleiser billboards - 1938 | another aerial view - a bit later - added drive-in on the SW corner | theatre + drive-in view - street level - c.1939 | west from Serrano - 1940s | looking east on Wilshire - Dick Whittington - 1951 | looking southeast - 1956 - "Miracle in the Rain" | looking east - 1964 - "Carpetbaggers" | Western Ave. facade - 1980 - Ken Papaleo | night view - 1983 "The Wiltern's On Its Way" - Anne Knudsen | under the marquee - c.1983 - Herald Examiner | night color shot - 1985 "Under the Direction of Bill Graham Presents" | floodlit for reopening - 1985 - James Ruebsamen |

2002 - A marquee shot from Ken McIntyre. The "See You In The Fall" means they were busy ripping out the main floor seats and re-doing the floor with terraces.

2006 - A wonderful look at the Wiltern by Carol Highsmith from the Library of Congress collection. Thanks to Julie Owens for posting it on Photos of Los Angeles.

2006 - A fine detail of the top of the Pellissier Building by Tejana as part of the Wilshire Beauty set on Flickr.

2006 - A view of the marquee at night by Tejana on Flickr. Also see another night marquee shot and her vertical sign photo.

2007 - A view from across the street. Photo: Bill Counter

2007 - Looking west on Wilshire - one of the two vertical signs. Photo: Bill Counter

2007 - A boxoffice view. Don't you love the marquee soffit? Photo: Bill Counter

2007 - An entrance door detail. Photo: Bill Counter

2007 - One of the terrific deco display cases. Photo: Bill Counter

2008 - Floyd Bariscale has yet another great Big Orange Landmarks article with his Pellisier Building post. This exterior view is one of his many fine photos. Also see Mr. Bariscale's Pellisier Bldg.set on Flickr.

2009 - The site Public Art In Los Angeles has many photos of signage and historic buildings. Check out the Wilshire Neon Signs page. Their Wiltern page has this photo by Don Howe.

2012 - A night view of the signage on Wilshire. Photo: Bill Counter - 2012

2012 - Another view looking west along Wilshire on a rainy evening. Photo: Bill Counter

2012 - A neon detail by Ken McIntyre on Photos of Los Angeles.

2012 - A lovely detail from Ken McIntyre of the great plasterwork of the marquee soffit. Well, it used to all be plaster. It was deteriorating and some pieces have been replaced with fiberglass replicas. Ken had the shot on Photos of Los Angeles. Also see his vertical sign photo.

2012 - A superb vertical sign detail by Jijo Reed appearing on Photos of Los Angeles.

2012 - A detail of the top of the sign by Jijo Reed on Photos of Los Angeles.

2013 - A gaze up at one of the Wiltern's vertical signs by Jenny Goodwin. Thanks, Jenny! The photo appeared on the LAHTF Facebook page.

2013 - A marquee photo by Jenny Goodwin from the LAHTF Facebook page.

2013 - Thanks to Brian Washington on Photos of Los Angeles for this marquee detail.

2014 - The view up one of the Wiltern's vertical signs. Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein. Sandi's Avoiding Regret photo essays "Wiltern Theatre, Public Areas" and "Wiltern, Off Limits Areas" have lovely photos of the theatre taken during the LAHTF tour that year. Thanks, Sandi!

2014 - The wide angle view from marquee soffit to the top. Photo: Mike Hume. For more of his fine work see the Wiltern page of his Historic Theatre Photography website.

2014 - The Wilshire side of the Pellissier Building. Photo: Mike Hume

2014 - The Wiltern boxoffice. Photo: Wendell Benedetti - Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation. The photo originally appeared on the LAHTF Facebook page. Thanks, Wendell!

The LAHTF is actively involved in the study and preservation of the many vintage theatres in the Los Angeles area. The group frequently supports events and offers tours of the buildings. www.lahtf.org | LAHTF on Facebook

Also on the LAHTF Facebook page: looking up the facade - Stephen Russo - 2014 | front door panels - Wendell Benedetti - 2014 | 2014 LAHTF tour line - Wendell Benedetti | two facade views - Shawn Dudley - 2016 |

2014 - A shot of the marquee soffit by Beerener that appeared on the Wiltern Instagram feed.

2014 - A soffit detail. Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein - Avoiding Regret. Thanks, Sandi!

2017 - Thanks to Jijo Reed for this view looking west on Wilshire. Look up at the stagehouse and you can see the extension added during the 1984-85 restoration of the building. It was a post on Photos of Los Angeles.

2017 - The Wilshire side of the tower. It's a Howard Gray photo on Photos of Los Angeles.

2017 - A Howard Gray marquee detail on Photos of Los Angeles.

2017 - An entrance detail from Howard Gray on Photos of Los Angeles.

2017 - A fine look up. It's a Howard Gray photo on Photos of Los Angeles.

2017 - The busy corner of Wilshire and Western. Thanks to Howard Gray for his photo, a post on Photos of Los Angeles.

2019 - The crowd for the matinee L.A. Conservancy showing of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Photo: Mike Hume

2019 - One of the readerboards for the June 29 Conservancy events. Photo: Mike Hume

2019 - Thanks to Sean Ault for this one.

2019 - Madonna at the theatre with her custom "Madame X" neon installed atop the center readerboard. Thanks to Sean Ault for the photo.

2020 - This photo, taken during the Coronavirous shutdown, appeared in the Washington Post on March 30. Thanks to David Counter for spotting it. The "See you in April" promise turned out to be overly optimistic.

The Wiltern in the Movies:

This image is seen in George Cukor's "What Price Hollywood?" (RKO Pathe, 1932) starring Constance Bennett and Neil Hamilton. Mary Evans, the character played by Constance, gets turned into a star and we get a montage of houses playing various Mary Evans pictures as her stardom rises. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the Fox Wilshire and Warner Beverly Hills marquees plus several views of the Chinese from the film.

A shot showing the Wiltern in "American Hot Wax" (Paramount, 1978). It was standing in for the Brooklyn Paramount, complete with change of neon on the marquee and vertical signs. It's a photo from the Internet Movie Cars Database.

A view of the poster for "American Hot Wax" on the site Movie Poster showing the "Paramount" neon on the marquee and verticals. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for many more shots from the film. The concert scenes were also filmed at the Wiltern.

The marquee is used in the opening credits of "Coming Attractions" (Cinema Finance Associates, 1978). Note the "Pacific's" neon on top of the "Warner" letters. Ira Miller directed the film, retitled "Loose Shoes" for a 1982 reissue. It's a comedy structured as a series of skits and trailers. Featured are Bill Murray, Buddy Hackett, Royce D. Applegate, Lewis Arquette, Tom Baker and Dorothy Van. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for another Wiltern view as well as marquee shots of the Whittier, La Reina, Palace, Orpheum and Rivoli in Long Beach. The Gilmore Drive-In is seen at the film's end.

We're supposedly in New York (of course) in John Carpenter's "Escape From New York" (Avco Embassy, 1981) but the theatre we go to is the Fox St. Louis on the outside. Inside, we're at the Wiltern. In this shot the locals are putting on a show. The film stars Kurt Russell and Lee Van Cleef. Yes, it's pretty murky. We spend a lot of time in the theatre but don't see much detail. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for ten additional shots from the film.

Yes, there's a lot of jumping off the balcony during a show in Allan Arkush's "Get Crazy" (Embassy Pictures, 1983). We spend about half the film's running time at the theatre, a rock and roll venue called the Saturn. Of course an evil real estate developer wants to demolish it. The film features Daniel Stern, Gail Edwards, Allen Garfield, Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, Lou Reed, Malcolm McDowell and many more. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for thirteen more shots of the Wiltern from the film.

Morris Day checks his hair in the mirror in front of the Wiltern near the beginning of "Purple Rain" (Warner Bros., 1984). Most of the opening sequence was shot at the First Avenue Club in Minneapolis but we get a couple exterior Wiltern shots cut in.

Walter Hill's "Streets of Fire" with Diane Lane (Universal, 1984) used the theatre for some concert sequences but we don't get to see much of the building. Here we get a murky look from the stage into the auditorium.

Rick Moranis backstage at the dimmerboard in "Streets of Fire."

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover get a Pepsi and a hot dog at Wilshire and Western in Richard Donner's "Lethal Weapon" (Warner Bros., 1987). The film later features lots of mayhem on Hollywood Blvd. with views of the Pussycat and Vogue theatres. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for those shots.

We're using the Wiltern as the Brooklyn Paramount again in the Luis Valdez film "La Bamba" (Columbia, 1987). The footage is some that was shot for "American Hot Wax" in 1977. But this time the Wiltern isn't used for the interiors. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for more shots from this film about young rock and roll star Ritchie Valens.

The Wiltern is featured as (would you believe?) the Wiltern in the Chuck Norris thriller "Hero and the Terror" (Cannon/Golan-Globus Productions, 1988). The mayor comes to the grand opening of the restored theatre and grouses that he had to spend $14 million of city money to get the job done. He doesn't know yet that Simon Moon, a killer known as "The Terror" is hiding out there.

It's a treat seeing seats on the main floor in "Hero and the Terror." The film spends a LOT of time in the theatre and it's a nice document of the look between the 1985 restoration and 2002 when the seats got pulled out and the floor terraced.Our killer is finally dispatched by falling through a skylight and then through the theatre's ceiling. Sorry, there are no skylights in the theatre's attic. For 22 more shots (is that too many?) from "Hero and the Terror" see the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post.

The Wiltern lobby is used as the lobby of the Hotel Earle ("A Day or a Lifetime") in Joel and Ethan Coen's "Barton Fink" (Fox, 1991). Here John Turturro, just arrived in Los Angeles, is checking in. Steve Buscemi plays the desk clerk. In this shot we're looking down the lobby at the rear of the main floor toward the rotunda. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Moviees post for two more Wiltern shots plus three shots of the Orpheum, doubling as a New York theatre. .

One of the Wiltern verticals is on the right in this shot looking north on Western from 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 six shots of action at the Chinese plus quickie partial views of the Hollywood and the El Capitan.

We get a shot looking south on Western toward the Wiltern late in Terrence Malick's "Knight of Cups" (Broad Green Pictures, 2015). The film stars Christian Bale, Brian Dennehy, Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman. In addition to many scenes in and on the roof of the Palace Theatre, the film also has brief views of the Los Angeles, Warner Downtown and State theatres. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for more from the film.

The Wiltern on Video: Check out Don Solosan's "Insider's Peek," a 5 minute tour of the building done as promotion for the 2014 Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation tour.

Wilshire and Western in the 20s: Curbed L.A. had a story about a traffic circle (named 'Rosy') at Wilshire and Western in the 20s. Also see the story about the intersection, and its traffic, on Paradise Leased. Ethereal Reality's Noirish Los Angeles post #6470 also has views of the intersection in the 20s. There's a bit more on Hoss C's Noirish Los Angeles post #21722.

More Wiltern information: See the Cinema Treasures Wiltern Theater page for lots of interesting history and discussion. The Cinema Tour page on the theatre has some nice photos from Bob Meza. The Wiltern Theatre page at Emporis has some specs for the building.

Darrell Goodwin, in a 2020 post on the theatre's birthday on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page notes that he's a great grandson of Stiles O. Clements, the building's designer. He notes that he has the photo archives from the firm of Morgan, Walls & Clements. He adds: "It's my understanding that USC has the complete photo archives, and The Huntington Library the actual blueprints. What I have is what was retained by the firm. It's a lot, but nowhere near everything."

Sandi Hemmerlein's 2014 Avoiding Regret photo essays "The Wiltern Theatre, Public Areas" and "The Wiltern Theatre, Off Limits Areas" have lovely photos of the theatre taken during a 2014 LAHTF tour. See Mike Hume's Wiltern Theatre page on his Historic Theatre Photography site for many great photos of the building along with lots of historical data.

Mary Mallory has a fine history of the theatre in her 2014 Daily Mirror article "Wiltern Theatre Jazzes Up Theatre Construction." Aaron Blevins covered the 2014 LAHTF tour in a story in the Park La Brea News / Beverly Press. See also the Wikipedia listing for the Wiltern.

Paul Wright has a nice 31 photo album of photos taken at an October 2019 open house on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page.

For more on Wayne Ratkovich see Patt Morrison's L.A. Times March 2015 story "Developer Wayne Ratkovich on revitalizing L.A.'s historic buildings."

Ray Shepardson (1944 - 2014)

Theatre genius Ray Shepardson ("Formerly of almost every theatre in America") had been instrumental in saving more historic theatres in this country than any other individual. Ray directed the 1984-85 Wiltern restoration project, along with architect Brenda Levin, for developer (and local hero) Wayne Ratkovich. It's a 2010 Chicago Tribune photo.

Shepardson projects included Cleveland's Playhouse Square, the St. Louis Fox, the Detroit Fox, the State and Orpheum in Minneapolis, the Chicago Theatre and many, many more. See the website for Ray's Market Value Productions for more information about his work. There's also a nice theatre restoration Flickr album.

A few articles: "Remembering Ray Shapardson.." - Cleveland Plain Dealer's account of Ray's memorial service: "...a helluva show for a great showman" | "Farewell to Ray Shepardson..." - an article by Paul Barrosse | Cleveland Plain Dealer obituary | Cleveland Scene | Cleveland Arts Prize - 1985 |

The article appearing in the December 19, 1931 issue of Motion Picture Herald:

The issue can be browsed on Internet Archive.

2 comments:

AnonymousApril 16, 2021 at 11:23 PM
The capacities cited above are incorrect after the 2002 theater remodeling. The total balcony capacity is 988. The "standing event" capacity for the combined floor (1312) and balcony (988) total the 2300 figure (which was the legal capacity before the remodeling). The "seated event" capacity (floor - 865 : balcony - 988) make it the 1850 total (give or take a few seats). Sorry that I just got around to reviewing this website - amazing history and photos! Thanks.
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