Los Angeles Theatres: Palace Theatre: vintage exterior views

Palace Theatre: vintage exterior views

November 1910 - Steel going up for the new theatre. We're out beyond the back wall of the stage -- that's the grid at the top of the photo. This is one of 21 photos that appeared with the article "The New Orpheum Theater Building, Los Angeles" in the September 1911 issue of Architect and Engineer. Following the main article, G. Albert Lansburgh adds "An Architect's Tribute to Domingo Mora," the artist who did the sculptural work on the project. The issue can be viewed on Internet Archive.

Thanks to Mike Hume for finding the articles in Architect and Engineer. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography site for hundreds of great photos of theatres he's explored. And, of course, there's a lovely page on the Palace.

1910 - The sculptures by Domingo Mora for the terracotta panels of the four muses of vaudeville on the theatre's facade: Comedy, Dance, Song and Music. The photo makes an appearance as part of a five page spread of plans and images in the February 4, 1914 issue of The American Architect. It's on Internet Archive. This had initially appeared in the September 1911 issue of Architect and Engineer. The image of "Music" also appears in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

Thanks to Paul R. Spitzzeri for locating the coverage of the theatre in American Architect and including the pages in "'A Crown Jewel Ablaze...," his 2022 article about the theatre for the Homestead Museum blog. And thanks to Jason Vega for spotting Paul's article.

1911 - A construction view looking north along the 600 block toward the new Orpheum Theatre. It's a Warren Dickerson photo in the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum Seaver Center Collection.

1911 - A closer look at the construction from the L.A. County Natural History Museum. Note the new Pantages, now the called the Arcade Theatre, up in the 500 block. It's a Warren Dickerson photo. The LACNHM also has another similar view.

1911 - An uncredited pre-opening view of the theatre in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Note that we're still missing the light fixture to the right of the "Orpheum" lettering. And don't you love that open sidewalk elevator? It looks like a photo studio on five and shoes and clothing for sale on floors three and four.

That opening on the left end of the facade was an exit passageway that included doors leading up to the 2nd balcony. The arch on the right end of the facade led to the office building lobby as well as the south exit passageway for the theatre and another set of stairs to the 2nd balcony.

1911 - A lovely night postcard from the collection of Elizabeth Fuller on Flickr. She notes that her copy of the card was mailed in 1913. It's part of her wonderful Old Los Angeles Postcards collection. Thanks, Elizabeth! Note that they were still missing the fixture to the right of the "Orpheum" lettering.

1911 - Thanks to Brian Michael McCray for this delightful card from his extensive collection.

1911 - "Matinee Today." A facade view from the September 1911 issue of Architect and Engineer. The theatre's opening was June 26. Note that by the time of the photo they had one vertical sign installed.

1911 - A shot from a bit to the north. Photo: Architect and Engineer - September 1911. It's on Internet Archive. The image appeared again in the February 4, 1914 issue of The American Architect, also on Internet Archive. Thanks to Paul R. Spitzzeri for spotting it there and including it in "'A Crown Jewel Ablaze...," his 2022 article for the Homestead Museum blog.

1911 - A facade detail. Photo: Architect and Engineer - September 1911

1911 - A detail of the marquee. Note those great hanging fixtures on the corners and the little "Orpheum" letters along the marquee's north edge. Photo: Architect and Engineer - September 1911

1911 - A closer look at the sculptural grouping in the front of the marquee executed by Domingo and J.J. Mora. Photo: Architect and Engineer - September 1911

c.1911 - A look north on Broadway with the Orpheum, the Story Building (1909) and, up in the next block, the Pantages/Arcade Theatre (1910). It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

also c.1911 - The L.A. County Natural History Museum has a street level view by Warren Dickerson.

c.1912 - Looking east toward the Orpheum from 6th & Hill. Thanks to Ron Whitfield for posting the photo on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles. Ron had a 1914 date for this one but it's earlier as there's only one vertical sign.

c.1912 - A photo by Martin Behrman looking north on Broadway from 7th St. toward the Palace. It's in the California State Library collection where they give it a c.1918 date.

c.1912 - Thanks to Elizabeth Fuller for this postcard based on the Martin Behrman photo above. It's part of Elizabeth's terrific collection on Flickr. On the back it says: "On the road of a thousand wonders."

1913 - A lovely October view of the Orpheum by G. Haven Bishop showing off their use of stud lighting. Note that they got the second vertical up. When they got the second one up each said "Orpheum" on one side and "Vaudeville" on the other. It's a photo in the Huntington Library collection, part of a set commissioned by Southern California Edison Co. to show off the wonders of electric illumination. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the photo. Also see more of the So Cal Edison collection on the HDL site.

1913 - A detail from the G. Haven Bishop photo above.

c.1913 - Another early view of the Orpheum's facade. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

c.1913 - An early postcard. Thanks to Michael Phillips for the post on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

c.1915 - A view north toward 6th St. The Palace of Pictures at 642 S. Broadway can be seen in the Forrester Building, the second in from the right. Beyond the Orpheum is a building to its north that would be replaced in 1928 by the Schaber Cafeteria. Then it's the Symphony Theatre at 614, and the Story Building on the corner. Down in the next block note the south side of the Pantages, now called the Arcade Theatre. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for sharing the postcard from her great collection. Also see another version of the card with different coloring.

c.1915 - The photo taken by Brown Brothers of New York that the card above is based on. Thanks to L.A. Magazine senior editor Chris Nichols for spotting this on eBay when it was offered for sale by Evans Archive. Chris is the author of the books "Bowlarama: The Architecture of Mid-Century Bowling" (with Adriene Biondo) and the Taschen book "Walt Disney's Disneyland."

1916 - Looking south from 6th toward the Symphony Theatre, the second building in from the corner. The Orpheum, two buildings beyond, in this rendition looks like it has a brick facade. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for sharing the card from her collection. The card also appears in the collection of the Metro Library and Archive on Flickr where one commentator calls our attention to the 1916 copyright date in the lower left.

c.1917 - Looking north on Broadway from 7th St. The Orpheum is down in the middle of the block. It's a California Historical Society photo in the USC Digital Library collection. On the corner it's the Haas Building, constructed in 1914. That dome we see a shadow of in the bottom right is on a building on a lot where the State Theatre would rise in 1921.

c.1917 - A great C.C. Pierce view from Spring St. looking southwest toward Broadway. In the middle is the roof and stagehouse of the Palace. The Union Oil Bldg. (now the Bartlett Bldg.) is at 7th St. and Spring. Behind the theatre note Bullocks at 7th & Broadway. The photo is in the USC Digital Library collection.

c.1917 - A detail from the C.C. Pierce photo above. There's a sign on the north wall of the theatre building over near Broadway that says: "Orpheum Circuit of Theatres, the standard of vaudeville, encircling the entire globe."

1919 - A traffic issue with a car on the tracks blocking a streetcar. The photo is from page 156 of the California Railroad Commission's "Report on Service, Operating, and Financial Conditions of the Los Angeles Railway Corporation." It's in an album from the Metro Library and Archive on Flickr. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for spotting it. The building down the block with the roof sign is the Symphony Theatre.

1920 - Note the new streetlights in this postcard view looking south. There's a partial view of the Orpheum signage on the north side of the building. The card is in the City of Angels: 1920s album on Bizarre Los Angeles, the Facebook page curated by J. Craig Owens. Thanks to Stephen Russo for spotting the post.

Looking down toward 7th, the reddish building with the green dome is on the southwest corner. Framing would be going up on that lot in early 1921 for Loew's State, which would open in November. Glen Norman comments: "As this is pre-1921, then this postcard photo must have been snapped right after the street lights went up in late 1919. They were put into service in early 1920." See Glen's Facebook album "A Million Lights, They Flicker There" for a fine rundown of the history of street lighting on Broadway with over 100 photos.

c.1921 - An interesting card from the Michelle Gerdes collection taken at a period of transition. Down the block from the Orpheum we still have the Symphony Theatre in business. Across 6th, the new Silverwood's building has risen, replacing the single story structure that once housed Tally's New Broadway Theatre. The new building opened in 1921.

Beyond, the Pantages vertical still has his name on it. Although he moved his vaudeville shows to the new theatre at 7th & Hill (later renamed the Warner) in August 1920, he continued until March 1922 to operate this house with stock company presentations, calling it Pantages Broadway. It's now called the Arcade Theatre.

early 1920s - Thanks to the Facebook page Bizarre Los Angeles for this card with a view from the west side of the street. And also thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Gaylord Wilshire for spotting the card on Facebook.

early 1920s - Another version of the card above with quite different coloring -- they've got the Orpheum brick red. The card was mailed in 1923. Thanks to Elizabeth Fuller for this one on Flickr. It's part of her wonderful Old Los Angeles Postcards collection that at last look was up to 686 cards.

early 1920s - Here's the photo the two postcards above were based on. It's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

c.1925 - A view of Desmond's department store with the sidewall of the Palace beyond. Note the 5th floor studio windows to the left of the Orpheum signage. It's a photo in the California State Library collection. Desmond's opened in 1923.

c.1925 - A card from Elizabeth Fuller's collection on Flickr. She notes her copy was mailed in 1940. It's based on a photo from the 1923-26 period as Desmond's is there and the signage on the theatre still reads "Orpheum."

1926 - A lovely shot looking north toward 6th St. Thanks to Yasmin Elming for spotting it in the Los Angeles Public Library Herald Examiner collection. The photo was taken February 10 and has the following snipe on the back: "Exterior view of the 3rd Orpheum in Los Angeles, which opened June 26, 1911, on Broadway between 6th and 7th Streets. Owned by the Orpheum, to be retained but converted to other uses." The "other uses" turned out to mean they would run it as a film house until someone else could be found to operate it. The new Orpheum at 842 S. Broadway opened Feb. 15.

c.1927 - Looking north from the Loew's State building toward the Orpheum, here renamed the Palace. It's a photo by Charles C. Pierce from the California Historical Society collection that appears on the USC Digital Library website. There's also a version of the photo on the Huntington Library website.

c.1927 - A detail from the C.C. Pierce photo above.

1928 - A facade view of the theatre as a film house renamed the Broadway Palace. Note that new signage covers the "Orpheum" lettering on the facade. They're running "Mad Hour," a First National picture with Sally O'Neil, Alice White and Donald Reed. The photo is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1928 - A view looking south on Broadway from the Los Angeles Public Library. Note the "Broadway Palace" lettering in neon on the edge of the marquee.

1929 - The Fox Palace running "Hallelujah," an August release. It's a detail from a photo in UCLA's C.C. Pierce Collection appearing on the UCLA Library website. This is the earliest view to surface showing the new deco marquee and the Fox name atop the verticals.

1929 - A closer look at the deco marquee. It's another detail from the UCLA C.C. Pierce photo.

1931 - A parade view north on Broadway. The photo was a find by Ken McIntyre.

1931 - A Dick Whittington Studio photo giving us a nice look at the deco marquee on the Fox Palace. Dick's job for this assignment was to photograph the store to the south of the theatre. It's a USC Digital Library photo.

1931 - A detail from the Dick Whittington photo above. On the marquee: Beverly Hillbillies, a popular band of the 30s. See a bit about them on the Noirish Los Angeles post #36931 by BifRayRock. And a thanks to Bif for finding the photo in the USC collection.

1932 - A look at Desmond's department store, Schaber's Cafeteria and, beyond, the north wall of the Palace, here with "Fox Palace" signage. It's one photo in a set of six Mott Studios photos of Desmonds (3 exteriors, 3 interiors) in the California State Library collection.

1934 - The Fox Palace showing off its north vertical during its red period as we look south toward 7th. This side of the south vertical is covered with a banner for "The Rise of Catherine the Great," a British film with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. released in the US in February 1934. The top of that sign says "2 Features." Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for sharing this great card from her collection.

1934 - A fine view north from 7th. The theatre's far vertical has a banner on it saying "Bulldog Colman" and "Del Rio." They were running the October release "Madame Du Barry" with Delores del Rio and Reginald Owen along with "Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back," an August release with Ronald Colman and Loretta Young. John Whitney comments: "The photo was taken by L.A. Times photographer William Snyder on November 24th, 1934. It was published the next day accompanying an article about the first day of a strike by the Amalgamated Assn. of Street and Electric Railway Employees against the Los Angeles Railway Corp."

It's a photo that appeared, uncredited, in a Yesterday Today post titled "61 Vintage Photos of Life in Los Angeles during the 1930s." On a page where he also has the photo, Martin Turnbull explains that sign to Beach Road: "Before it was called PCH, it was called Roosevelt Highway, and before that, it was called Beach Road North, which made sense because it was a road that followed the beach northward up the coast."

1930s - A heavy traffic day on Broadway. We get a bit of the Palace over on the far left. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for the photo, a post for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. Note on that south vertical the "2" of "2 Features" is covered.

1937 - Looking south on Broadway. It's a photo from the Dick Whittington Studio in the USC Digital Library collection. The Palace was running "Great Guy," with James Cagney. By this time the Palace was a second run house operated by Downtown Broadway Theatres, Inc., a firm later known as Metropolitan Theatres. "Great Guy" had initially opened for a one week run January 30 at the Pantages and the RKO Hillstreet. It played the Palace for three weeks beginning February 10. The second feature was "One in a Million" with Sonja Henie.

Note that by this time the entrance on the north end of the facade for the boxoffice and stairs up to the second balcony had been filled in for retail use. The archway had also served as the Broadway end of an exit passage from the house left main floor and first balcony exits. They were redirected toward the alley when the Broadway end of the passage was closed off. The stagehouse got a bit of modification to deal with the change. The second balcony and other levels also had an exit corridor on the south side of the building. On Broadway the opening at that end of the facade is used to access the office building's lobby.

1937 - A detail from the photo above. To left of the Schenley's and Palace Theatre signs on the north side of the building, you can see the sloping glass windows of the 5th floor loft space. Disregard that "Fox" at the top of the vertical. But this time they were no longer running the theatre.

1937 - The first view we have of the theatre's new neon, installed sometime between February and the time this photo was taken. "Saratoga" and "Ever Since Eve" were both July releases. It's a photo that popped up on eBay.

1938 - Running "In Old Chicago" and "Dr. Rhythm." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

1939 - A look north from the top of the State Theatre building. That's the Bullock's roof garden on the left. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the shot for a post for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

1939 - A terrific view looking north on Broadway during the run of "The Story of Vernon & Irene Castle," a March release. The Dick Whittington Studio photo is in the collection of the USC Digital Library. A close look at the photo reveals that the vertical signs were still all incandescent at this time.

1939 - A Christmas season view from the USC Digital Library with the Palace running "Babes in Arms," an October release. Note the Los Angeles Theatre vertical across the street from the Palace. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo.

1940 - A rainy day look north on Broadway in mid-January. It's a Dick Whittington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection. On the marquee: Greta Garbo in "Ninotchka," a November 1939 MGM release. The co-feature was "We Are Not Alone." Also see another take the same day.

1940 - Another "Ninotchka" take from the Dick Whitttington Studio that's in the USC Digital Library collection. Thanks to Scott Collette for including this one in his great post on the Forgotten Los Angeles Facebook page of 17 downtown Whittington views from 1940. Part of the set is also on Instagram. Also see another take from that rainy evening that Scott located in the USC collection.

1940s - A view looking north from Loew's State toward the Palace with "Newsreels" as the vertical sign lettering. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

1940s - A look north during a busy shopping day. The photo was a find by Ken McIntyre.

1943 - A Los Angeles Times view looking north from Loew's State toward the Palace. The photo is now in UCLA's Los Angeles Times Photographic Archives. Thanks to Stephen Russo for finding this one in the collection.

1943 - A look up Broadway during a parade for Madam Chaing Kai-Shek. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the photo.

1944 - The Palace was running newsreels and down the block the Los Angeles had "The White Cliffs of Dover," a June release. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for sharing the photo from his collection. It's one that was in a group of snapshots he acquired. Visit Kurt's meticulously researched site about the Chinese: GraumansChinese.org.

1944 - A detail from Kurt's photo.

1945 - A wonderful look at the Palace facade from page 17 of "Theatres in Los Angeles" by Suzanne Tarbell Cooper, Amy Ronnebeck Hall and Marc Wanamaker. Most of the photos in the book are from Mr. Wanamaker's Bison Archives. Note the vertical sign on the far right: "Newsreels." The page with the photo appears in the book's preview on Google Books.

1945 - The Armistice Day Parade. The verticals are back to saying "Palace." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo.

1947 - The Palace during the opening of "The Best Years of Our Lives." Thanks to David Saffer for the photo, a post on the LAHTF Facebook page. And thanks to Bruce Kimmel for researching the booking. He notes: "'Best Years' began exclusively at the Beverly in Beverly Hills. On Friday January 24, 1947, the Palace was added and it ran there for quite a while - I know all through April and perhaps even into May."

1947 - A daytime view during the run of "The Best Years of Our Lives," a big hit for the theatre. It's a Frasher Foto card on the website of the Online Archive of California.

1950 - The Marines marching by in October. At the Palace it was "Tea For Two" and "Louisa." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.

1951 - Cleaning off the north storefront at the Los Angeles. At the Palace: "Trio," a December 1950 release. It's a photo by Quimby Stewart for the Los Angeles Examiner. Thanks to James J. Chun for posting it on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

1951 - A snapshot view north from 7th that appeared on eBay. The date comes from the seller.

1951 - Looking north on Broadway during Christmas season. Note the banner on Clifton's for a show called "My LA" at the Forum Theatre on Pico. Thanks to Rand Noel for the photo, a post on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles. Ken McIntyre also has a post of a another version of the photo with somewhat different cropping.

c.1952 - A look north toward the Palace. We're below 7th St. with Loew's State on the left. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the photo on eBay.

1953 - A November 27 photo of "Christmas Value Days" shot by a Mr. or Ms. Lapp for the Examiner. It's one of five views in a set in the Examiner Negatives Collection that appear on the USC Digital Library website. Thanks to Scott Collette for locating the photo to include in a post on his Facebook page Forgotten Los Angeles. The Palace was running "All the Brothers Were Valiant" with Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger and Ann Blyth. The co-feature was "Botany Bay" with Alan Ladd, James Mason and Patricia Medina.

1950s - A colorful view north from 7th St. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the photo.

1950s - Looking south from 6th toward the Palace and Los Angeles theatres. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for the postcard, appearing in his great collection on Flickr.

1950s - Another terrific vintage card from Eric Lynxwiler on Flickr. It's in his lovely Paper Ephemera collection. For a real treat, browse through his Los Angeles Theatres album on Flickr -- over 400 great photos. And check out his Downtown Los Angeles album as well. Thanks, Eric!

1956 - "Walk In - Dance Out." You could learn to dance on the 2nd floor and then have Dr. Finley - Dentist fix your teeth on 3. The man on the lift was dealing with the span wires that supported the streetcar power line. A number of them had to be disconnected to allow a crane to be set up on the west side of the street. Rail service would continue until March 1963. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing the photo from his collection.

1956 - A shot later in the day showing the crane problem on the west side of the street. At the Palace it's "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" with Gregory Peck, Jennifer Jones and Fredric March. This booking was after the film's 7 week exclusive run at the Chinese from April 13 until May 28. Down in the 500 block one can see the sign atop the Roxie. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing the photo from his collection.

1957 - A Richard Wojcik collection photo looking south on Broadway. Thanks, Richard, for the post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles. The "Holiday Show" at the Palace looks like it's "The Little Hut" with Ava Gardner and "Funny Face" as the 2nd feature.

There are also several other versions of the photo with different cropping. See the one Ken McIntyre posted on Photos of Los Angeles and the one Eric Lynxwiler has on Flickr.

1958 - Looking north on Broadway toward the Palace and the Los Angeles during the Dodgers welcome parade on April 18. It's a photo taken by Larry Sharkey for the L.A. Times. Thanks to Bobby Cole for locating it for a post on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

1958 - A great shot looking south on Broadway from Sixth. We get a bit of the Los Angeles Theatre on the right and nice views of the Palace signage on the left. It's from the Richard Wojcik collection. The photo has also appeared on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page where Jesse Vega noted that the film playing the Palace is "Kings Go Forth," a June release with Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood.

1958 - Thanks to Bruce Kimmel for squinting hard to date this one. His report: "'Man of the West' is on the marquee - it moved over to the Palace on October 29 - it had played the State prior to that. The second feature was 'Me and the Colonel.' Whew!" Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this one for a post on Photos of Los Angeles. It's a photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto via Getty Images.

1959 - A wonderful postcard view of the bright lights of Broadway. The Palace is halfway down on the left with the Los Angeles Theatre across the street. The card appeared on the now-vanished website Yesterday LA. There's also a version of the card in Eric Lynxwiler's collection on Flickr.

1960 - "Elmer Gantry" playing the Palace. The U.S. premiere for the film had been at the Hollywood Paramount on June 29. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this shot for a Facebook post on Ken's Movie Page. And thanks to Richard Brian and Daniel Kravetz for noting that the 2nd feature was "Hell To Eternity," an August 1960 release starring Jeffrey Hunter and David Jannsen. Bruce Kimmel notes: "This double bill opened on September 28 at the Palace."

1961 - Thanks to Richard Wojcik for this terrific 1961 shot looking north toward the Palace from 7th St. It was a post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.

c.1961 - Looking north on Broadway toward the Palace in an image from the Sean Ault collection.

1963 - A peek in toward the snack bar while the theatre was running "Spencer's Mountain," a May release with Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara, along with "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm." The latter had a 28 week run in three-strip Cinerama at the Warner Hollywood beginning in August 1962. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing the photo from his collection.

1963 - The Palace with "55 Days at Peking," a May release along with "The Thrill of It All," from July. Thanks to Sean Ault for finding the photo.

c.1964 - A look north at the bright lights of Broadway. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this one when it was for sale online.

1965 - A view north on busy Broadway. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor HossC who found the photo on eBay and included it on his Noirish post #25165. The Palace was playing "Operation Crossbow," an April release.

1965 - November 23 was very rainy day on Broadway with the Palace running "The Nanny" with Bette Davis and "Ship of Fools" as the second feature. It's a photo taken by Frank Q. Brown that's in the L.A. Times Photographic Collection appearing on the UCLA Library Digital Collections website. It makes an uncredited appearance in an interesting "Flooding in Early L.A." section on a page from the Water & Power Associates.

1971 - Three big hits for $1.50: "The Devils," "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" and "Black Jesus." Many thanks to Sean Ault for sharing this photo from his collection.

1972 - A Los Angeles Public Library photo. "Wild Rovers" was a mid-1971 release.

c.1973 - Thanks to Ken McIntyre for this look at the Palace in its grind house prime. The bill: "Superfly," Shaft" and "Five Fingers of Death."

1974 - Thanks to Matt Spero for sharing this photo from his collection. The Palace was in its "3 Big Hits" era.

mid-1970s - Looking south toward the Eastern Columbia Building. Thanks to John Nelson for locating this one for a post on the private Facebook group Southern California Nostalgia.

c.1976 - The "3 Big Hits" were "Jaws, "Hard Times" and "Bruce Lee Super Dragon." Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this one when it appeared for sale online.

1977 - Another great photo from the Richard Wojcik collection. Take a peek and you can even see the Roxie sign in the next block. Two of the Palace's features were the 1976 films "The Eagle Has Landed" and "Mako: Jaws of Death."

1977 - A photo by Tom Sitton that's in the LA County Natural History Museum collection. Thanks to Mike Hume/Historic Theatre Photography for finding it on the National Park Service website. It appears with a 42 page photo gallery that accompanied the 1978 application to get the Broadway Theatre and Commercial District listed on the National Register.

1984 - Looking south on Broadway. It's a photo from the Herald Examiner collection of the Los Angeles Public Library. It's unknown when the shot was taken but it ran in the Herald Examiner on November 30, 1984 with this caption: "The Palace Theatre was once part of the Orpheum vaudeville circuit. Today it specializes in triple features."

1984 - A look at the Palace after the theatre's transition to Spanish language product. Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for the photo. "Tres contra el destino" and "Del otro ladeo del puente" were 1980 releases.

1984 - The Palace with "Las mujeres de jeremías," a 1981 film also known as "Bordello." Thanks to American Classic Images for the photo. "El sexo me da risa" was a 1979 release.

c.1984 - An image from an unknown source located by Ken McIntyre for a post on the Facebook group Ken's Movie Page. "La silla vacia" was released in Mexico in June 1984. "Viacrucis nacional" was a December 1981 release also known as "Semana santa en Acapulco."

c.1984 - An entrance view that once appeared on the American Classic Images website. "Todo un hombre" was a 1983 film

1987 - Thanks to Mike Tuggle for this great shot. It appeared as a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

1988 - A shot by Dave Glass that he shared on Instagram. Thanks to Art Siegel for spotting the post. See Dave's archive on Flickr. He's based in San Francisco.

1988 - "Horse-drawn carriages mark the beginnings of holiday season on Broadway, in Los Angeles." The Leo Jarzomb photo was taken November 25. Thanks to Eitan Alexander for finding it in the Herald Examiner collection of the Los Angeles Public Library.

c.1989 - A fine look at the theatre's neon discovered by Ken McIntyre. It was a post on Photos of Los Angeles.

c.1989 - A photo by Gary Graver. More of his theatre photos can be seen in two compilations on YouTube: "Second Run - part 1" and "Second Run - part 2." Thanks to Sean Graver for use of the photo.

c.1992 - A photo by Berger Conser Architectural Photography. For terrific photos of many Los Angeles theatres get a copy of Anne Conser and Robert Berger's book "The Last Remaining Seats: Movie Palaces of Tinseltown." It's available on Amazon. As a preview head to the Robert Berger Photography website where there's a portfolio of sixteen photos from "The Last Remaining Seats."

c.1993 - Thanks to Ken McIntyre for sharing this photo from his collection.

1993 - "Jurrasic Park" was a June release. Note that the theatre was still catering to a Hispanic clientele but had shifted away from Mexican films. The policy was to run subtitled prints of Hollywood films, whenever possible day and date with the release of the films in English speaking areas. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting this shot when it was for sale online by Alamy. He shared it as a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.

1995 - Running subtitled prints for a first-run engagement of "Goldeneye" along with "Nick of Time." The photo is from the Broadway Theatre Tour on the Grace Market Research website.

Los Angeles Theatres

Palace Theatre: vintage exterior views

No comments:

Post a Comment