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Los Angeles Theatre: vintage auditorium views

615 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90014 | map |

The Los Angeles Theatre pages:  history | vintage exterior views | recent exterior views | entrance | grand lobby | main floor inner lobby | lobby - 1st balcony level | basement - intermediate lounge | basement - main lounge | ladies room and nursery | men's room | vintage auditorium views | recent auditorium views | stage | boothretail and support spaces |


A look in from the back of the main floor. Note the narrow seating sections. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387266 - 1931. The Library has over 125 Mott Studios photos of the theatre, cataloged rather arbitrarily in twelve different sets. See a list down at the bottom of this page.



A closer view of the house traveler. Photo: Los Angeles Public Library - 1931



The organ console. It was a 2/10 Wurlitzer that had been moved over from the Tower. The image is a detail from a much larger photo in the USC Digital Library collection. 



The decorative act curtain, downstage of the traveler. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931



The rear of the main floor. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931



The house left wall. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387269 - 1931. The Los Angeles Public Library also has a version of the photo.



The house left organ grille area. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387266 - 1931 



Back along the house left wall to the main floor and balcony boxes. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931



The house right organ grille. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387266 - 1931



The top of the proscenium. Photo: Los Angeles Public Library - undated



The dome above the proscenium. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931



 The main ceiling dome. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387264 - 1931   



A wider ceiling view. The proscenium is at the left. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931. There's also a version of the photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.



The rear of the house from the stage. Check out that fancy upholstery. Two of those aisles were later eliminated. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931 



Another look to the rear with some of the balcony spots on. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931



A view to the rear of the house appearing in "Recent Creations in Theatre Design," an article in the April 11, 1931 issue of Motion Picture Herald. Also included was a shot of the lobby fountain. The issue is on Internet archive.



A 40s or later look to the booth. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.



An undated proscenium view from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Note that the pit had been covered but a section removed so the organ console can be played.


At the 1st balcony level:


The proscenium with the decorative act curtain in. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931. The Los Angeles Public Library also has a version of the photo.



A view showing the house traveler. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931. A version of the photo is also in the USC Digital Library collection.



A nice view of the draperies from the left side of the 1st balcony. Photo: Los Angeles Public Library - 1931



The movie screen revealed. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931



A look in at one of the boxes house left. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387267 - 1931



A look back from a 1st balcony box. The glassed in areas are the theatre's two cry rooms. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931



A closer view of the front of the house left cry room. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387267 - 1931



The house right organ grille area. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387269 - 1931



A 1950s or later view from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Note the missing drapes at the sides of the proscenium and the covered orchestra pit.



A 1950s or later look house right. Note the surround speaker. And look down at that section of seating and see where one of the aisles has been filled in with two extra seats. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.



A c.1995 1st balcony view by Berger Conser Architectural Photography. Anne Conser and Robert Berger are the authors of the great book "The Last Remaining Seats: Movie Palaces of Tinseltown," available on Amazon. The Robert Berger Photography website has a portfolio of 16 photos from "The Last Remaining Seats."


Up in the 2nd balcony:


Looking across to house right. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387269 - 1931. The Los Angeles Public Library also has a version of the photo. And another.



The house right wall. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387266 - 1931



The rear of the 2nd balcony. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931



The rear dome. Photo: Mott Studios - California State Library set # 001387268 - 1931



A fine look at one of the cupids that are along the side walls. Photo: Berger Conser Architectural Photography - "The Last Remaining Seats: Movie Palaces of Tinseltown" - c.1995



The figure atop the house left organ grille. Photo: Berger Conser Architectural Photography - "The Last Remaining Seats: Movie Palaces of Tinseltown" - c.1995

Mott Studios photos: Of the over 125 Mott Studios photos from 1931 in the California State Library's collection, about 25 are of the auditorium. The collection includes a number of alternate takes and different printings. The photos of the Los Angeles are in twelve sets:

set # 001387262 - 18 views of lobby and lounge areas
set # 001387263 - 16 exterior, lobby and lounge views
set # 001387264 - 18 lounge, lobby, auditorium views
set # 001387265 - 11 facade, entrance, lobby views
set # 001387266 - 12 auditorium and lobby views
set # 001387267 - 16 views - mostly lobbies and lounges
set # 001387268 - 18 auditorium views 
set # 001387269 - 18 views of auditorium and lobbies 
set # 001387270 - 2 boxoffice views
set # 001454717 - 7 views, mostly lobby/lounge areas
set # 001454721 - 11 views - lobby and lounges, 1 auditorium shot 
set # 001454734 - 1 photo - house left organ grille

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