Los Angeles Theatres: Metropolitan/Paramount Theatre: exterior views

1919 - The future location of the theatre. That's Claire and Clio posing on the steps of the church. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality for finding the photo on eBay for Noirish post #51400.

1922 - A glorious panoramic shot that includes the Philharmonic Auditorium on the left and, under construction, the Metropolitan Theatre. It's in the Library of Congress collection.

1922 - A detail of the rising theatre from the Library of Congress photo. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor R Carlton for including this panorama (and other fine ones) in his Noirish post #9753.

c.1923 - A card with rather fanciful coloring offering a look across the park to the Hill St. side of the building. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner, historian of the Grauman family's theatres, for locating this one. Visit his site devoted to the Chinese: www.GraumansChinese.org

c.1923 - A glorious postcard of the Metropolitan from the collection of Brooklyn-based theatre historian Cezar Del Valle. Note the verticals here say "Grauman's." Keep up with Cezar's latest explorations via his Theatre Talks website and Theatre Talks blog. Thanks, Cezar!

1923 - A rare early view showing the signage at night. It was part of a collage from a trade magazine. The film "Her Reputation" was a September release. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for finding the photo for a post on Cinema Treasures.

1924 - A corner view located by Ken McIntyre for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

1925 - A trade magazine photo giving us an interesting angle on the marquee. The marquee's end panel is advertising the theatre's "Wurlitzer Supreme." The photo was yet another post of Dallas Movie Theaters on Cinema Treasures.

1925 - Our last view before the Publix renovations and Grauman's name came off the building. They're running "Irish Luck," A November release with Thomas Meighan. That signage on the second floor says "The House of Paramount Pictures." The photo appears in Annual #23, "Grauman's Metropolitan Theatre" (1996), a publication of the Theatre Historical Society. The booklet is available in both printed format and as a pdf.

c.1926 - A C.C. Pierce photo looking across Pershing Square toward the theatre. The photo from the California Historical Society is in the USC Digital Library collection. A version of the photo is also in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing a copy from his collection on Flickr.

c.1926 - A new roof sign advertising it as the Metropolitan and the Hill St. vertical no longer calls it Grauman's. It's a detail taken from the copy of the photo above in Eric Lynxwiler's collection. 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."

1926 - A view looking east on 6th St. Note the new "Metropolitan" verticals and the roof sign. Even the water tower on the stagehouse roof says Metropolitan. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1926 - A photo that appeared in the July 17 issue of Exhibitors Herald. The caption: "This photo shows more space allotted in the marquee to a Mack Sennett comedy (Pathe release) than to the long feature at the Metropolitan theatre, Los Angeles, of which Frank L. Newman is managing director." Thanks to Mike Hume for finding the photo on Internet Archive.

1926 - A corner view from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1928 - A terrific look at the Metropolitan's 6th St. entrance during the run of "Rose Marie" with Joan Crawford and James Murray. That "Leave 'em Laughing" was a Laurel and Hardy two-reeler. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing the photo from his collection on Flickr. For a real treat, browse through over 500 great photos in his L.A. Theatres album on Flickr. And check out his Downtown Los Angeles album as well.

1928 - A November 23 view of part of the Hill St. side of the theatre when they were playing "Manhattan Cocktail" with Nancy Carroll. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

1929 - The Paramount showing off its revamped signage during the run of "The Doctor's Secret," a January release with H.B. Warner and Ruth Chattertion. Thanks to contributor Dallas Movie Theaters for posting the trade magazine photo on Cinema Treasures. The theatre had reopened as the Paramount on January 24, 1929.

1929 - Looking south on Hill St. with the theatre on the left. The building at the bottom is the California Club, at the northwest corner of 5th and Hill. It was replaced by the Title Guarantee Building in 1930. The photo from the California Historical Society is in the USC Digital Library collection. If you zoom in on the USC site you can see that the Hills St. vertical has been changed to read "Paramount."

1929 - The new Paramount signage on display with the theatre running "The Canary Murder Case," a February release with William Powell and Louise Brooks. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting the photo on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. It appears in Annual #23, "Grauman's Metropolitan Theatre" (1996), a publication of the Theatre Historical Society.

1929 - The Paramount running "Innocents of Paris," a May release with Maurice Chevalier. The photo appears in Annual #23, "Grauman's Metropolitan Theatre" (1996), a publication of the Theatre Historical Society.

1930 - A marquee shot from a trade magazine. Thanks to Charmaine Zoe for sharing it on Flickr. It's in her "Theatres: Stage and Movie" album where she's assembled over 700 photos of theatres around the country that appeared in various issues of Motion Picture News and other magazines.

1931 - The corner of the building with the Times-Richfield Electric Newspaper scrolling across in 4' high letters. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the photo for a post on the Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. It also appears with Fred H.'s Noirish Los Angeles post # 21027 where he includes the text from an October 12, 1931 Times article about the experiment as well as a photo of the controller. The idea was that perhaps people would see the headlines and then want to buy the next day's paper to get the details.

1932 - The Paramount running "Island of Lost Souls" with Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

1933 - A dazzling look at the great marquee of the the Paramount. They were running "Three Cornered Moon" with Claudette Colbert -- plus we get the Sunkist Beauties on stage and more! The photo was taken by George Mann of the comedy dance team Barto and Mann. Note Mr. Mann's name on the marquee. The photo is in Brad Smith's great Theatre Marquees album on Flickr.

Mr. Mann was Brad Smith's father. Mr. Smith's wife, Dianne Woods, has taken on the task of preserving and organizing the Mann photos in the George Mann Archive. Don't miss a chance to browse the collection for a wonderful look at a lost theatrical world. Thanks to Michael Hudson-Medina for spotting the photo.

1930s - A view south on Hill toward 6th St. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for sharing this Frasher card from her collection.

c.1937 - An interesting view toward the theatre across Pershing Square taken from the top of the Pacific Mutual Building, 523 W. 6th St. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

c.1937 - Looking east on 6th St. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo from their Blackstock Negatives Collection.

c.1937 - This shot of a gentleman hopping off a Red Car in front of the Hill St. side of the theatre appears on "The Red Cars and L.A.'s Transportation Past," a page from the USC Library. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting this for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians were part of the stage show. No idea what the feature film was.

c.1938 - The vista west on 6th St. from Broadway toward the Paramount and Hill St. beyond. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

c.1939 - Another view west from Broadway. Note that Swelldom had done a remodel. And we get enough of a peek at the Paramount's marquee to see that they have gotten rid of their milk glass letters. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

c.1939 - Still stuck in traffic on 6th. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo from their Blackstock Negatives Collection.

c.1939 - Looking east on 6th. Note the new Santa Fe vertical on the building at the southwest corner of 6th & Hill. Thanks to Douglas Rudd for finding the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

1939 - The redone 6th St. signage advertising "Gulliver's Travels," a December release. Plus a Fanchon and Marco stage show! It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

1939 - A closer look at the marquee. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

1940 - A view south along the Hill St. They were recruiting for the 160th Infantry National Guard. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for discovering the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

1942 - A look east across Pershing Square with a beauty pageant in process. Beyond is the Hill St. facade of the theatre with 6th St. over on the right. It's a Ralph Morris photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1942 - A closer look at the B-52. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

1943 - "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" and "Captive Wild Women" were running when this shot was taken by an unknown photographer. It's from the collection of William Schlotter. Thank to Matías Antonio Bombal for sharing the image on a Facebook post. He comments: "Man, that letter spacing is perfection. I lament the lost art of marquee letter spacing and placement. Today you see what looks like left justified laundry lists... what the hell happened to showmanship! If you look carefully, you'll see a large cut-out of The Monster above the side reader board."

1944 - A parade view looking east on 6th St. The Paramount was running Cecil B. DeMille's "The Story of Dr. Wassell" with Gary Cooper. The photo is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1946 - A busy Hill St. The Paramount was running "Kitty." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the photo in the Metro Library and Archive on Flickr.

1947 - A Pacific Electric "box motor" freight car rounds the corner when the Paramount was running the 1946 Christmas release "Cross My Heart" starring Betty Hutton and Sonny Tufts. The second feature was "Rolling Home," a 1946 western. Thanks to Scott Collette for locating the photo in the Metro Library and Archive for a post on his Forgotten Los Angeles Facebook page. Paul Ayers shared a copy of the image he found in some unidentified publication via a Facebook post and noted that it was credited to Ray Younghans.

Dave Lessig comments: "The Pacific Electric Railway was a fully owned subsidiary of Southern Pacific following Henry E. Huntington's 1910 retirement, at which time Huntington gained full ownership of the Los Angeles Railway, which was a streetcar operator, whereas the PE was primarily an interurban railway."

1948 - Looking over from Hill St. with the theatre running "Sorry, Wrong Number" and "Sons of Adventure." Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Richkay for locating the photo for his Noirish post #58464. Bruce Kimmel notes that this program opened September 23.

1950 - An Alan Weeks photo looking south on Hill toward the Paramount. That's a Venice Short Line car in the foreground. The photo is in the collection of Metro Library and Archive on Flickr. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for spotting it.

1950 - A portion of the Hill St. side of the building. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

1950 - Looking west on 6th. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

1951 - A look down on the 6th St. side of the building. It looks like a big opening for "Here Comes The Groom" with Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. It's a view that's part of a set of nine Herald Examiner photos on the USC Digital Library website.

1951 - A view from street level after some hydrant trouble erupted across the street. The Herald Examiner photo is in the USC Digital Library collection. Also in the set is a view looking around 180 degrees into the alley on the north side of the Los Angeles Theatre. There's also a view from above -- with water.

c.1951 - Clearing Pershing Square for the dig to build an underground parking garage. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

c.1951 - Digging deeper in Pershing Square. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

1952 - The theatre got a big modernization by ABC Paramount, who took it back from Fanchon & Marco. They had been operating it since 1932. Here we see the redone 6th St. marquee advertising "Bwana Devil" in 3-D. The film opened to enormous business on November 26 both here and at the Paramount in Hollywood. Thanks to Lawrence Kaufman for including the photo in a huge Facebook post about the film. There's also a murkier version of this shot in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

c.1952 - A look across the then-lovely Pershing Square toward the Hill St. side of the theatre. Note the new signage. Thanks to Sean for sharing the photo from his collection.

1953 - The April 16 opening of "House of Wax" in 3-D and, of course, Warner Phonic 3D stereo sound. Thanks to Bob Furmanek for sharing the photo. The engagements at the Hollywood and Downtown Paramounts were the film's west coast premiere. Ken McIntyre's post of the photo on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group included a nice ad as well as an April 14 article about the all-night "House of Wax" marathon.

1953 - A shot from the Warner Pathe News footage taken at the "House of Wax" premiere. It's on YouTube as well as on the Getty Images site. See Lawrence Kaufmann's Facebook post for more about the film's premiere events.

1954 - North on Hill St. with "Perfect Hell 36" and "Unholy Four" playing in October when Palmer Connor took this slide. It's in the Huntington Library collection.

1950s - A peek through the trees of Pershing Square toward the Paramount. The Hill St. marquee is over on the right. Thanks to Sean Ault for the photo.

1956 - A look north on Hill toward 6th St. and the Paramount from the Sean Ault collection. The end panel of the marquee is advertising John Huston's "Moby Dick." Thanks, Sean! A lower resolution version of the photo is in the Metro Library and Archive collection on Flickr.

1956 - Another view during the run of "Moby Dick." It's from the Metro Library and Archive collection on Flickr. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for finding the photo in Metro's collection.

1956 - Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing this photo from his collection. It can also be seen in the collection of Metro Library and Archive on Flickr. The Paramount was running "Giant" with, as their marquee said, "Top Stars."

late 1950s - A look north on Hill St. from the Sean Ault collection. Thanks, Sean!

1957 - All dressed up with furs in wintertime L.A. and only 25 cents for Pershing Square parking. We're looking at the Hill St. side of the theatre during the run of the January release "Top Secret Affair" with Susan Hayward and Kirk Douglas. The co-feature was "Duel at Apache Wells" starring Anna Maria Alberghetti and Ben Cooper. It's a photo by Chris Shaw. Thanks to his son Robert for sharing this shot as well as the photo below as part of a post on the South Bay/Los Angeles Days of Old Facebook group.

1957 - A "Top Secret Affair" view east on 6th toward Broadway. It's another photo by Chris Shaw.

1958 - Another view north on Hill. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this when it came up for sale online. He notes that the seller had it labeled as being taken in February. Bruce Kimmel notes that they might have been running "Darby's Rangers," a film that opened February 10.

1958 - A wonderful view east on 6th toward Broadway. Bruce Kimmel notes that "The Naked and the Dead" opened August 20 and on the 27th got the different second feature seen on the marquee. "The Respectful Prostitute" was a 1952 French film getting perhaps its first L.A. showing. Also on the bill was film from the Harris vs. Patterson fight. Thanks to Richard Wojcik for sharing the photo from his collection. It appeared as a post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.

1960 - A view across Pershing Square toward the west side of the theatre. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the photo on eBay.

1960 - A great Herald Examiner corner shot by Charles Leavitt. The marquees are advertising the September auction of the contents of the building. The leasing sign for the 35 story building turned out to be a joke. The site was a parking lot for years. The photo is in the USC Digital Library collection.

1960 - An October Palmer Connor photo of the Hill St. side of the building. On the left is a Boos Brothers cafeteria getting dismantled. We're looking at the backstage wall above the cafeteria. A bit of the theatre's Hill St. marquee can be seen at the right edge of the picture. It's in the Huntington Library collection.

1960 - A look east on 6th toward the theatre in October. It's a Palmer Connor photo in the Huntington Library collection. Also see a similar view from farther away.

1960 - The Hill St. side of the closed theatre. It's an October photo by Palmer Connor in the Huntington Library collection.

1961 - Looking north on Hill St. It's a Palmer Connor photo taken in June from the Huntington Library collection. The image on the corner is of the building that was supposed to replace the theatre.

1961 - The theatre is on the left and Pershing Square on the right in this view looking south on Hill St. It's from three minutes of footage taken in June or July for process shot use that begins 33:15 into Rick Prelinger's "Lost Landscapes of Los Angeles - 2019." A colorized version of the Hill St. footage is on YouTube. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting it.

Rick's hour and thirty minute program of wonderful clips from a variety sources was presented at the Los Angeles Public Library by the organization Photo Friends as part of the series L.A. in Focus. Also see an earlier compilation: "Lost Landscapes of Los Angeles - 2016." Both programs are on Vimeo.

1961 - A view closer to 6th St. from the footage in the 2019 Prelinger compilation.

1961 - A shot alongside the Paramount taken from the footage in the Prelinger compilation. The vertical of the Warrens Theatre, the former Warner Downtown, is down a block at 7th. In addition to a closer look at the Warrens, the footage also has nice views of the Town Theatre and the Hillstreet.

1961 - A November 8 photo by L. Mildred Harris from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. The Library has also displayed it on their Photo Collection Facebook page.

1962 - The demolition is underway. It's a view across Pershing Square dated April 16 that's in the L. Mildred Harris Slide Collection at the Los Angeles Public Library. On the left we're looking in toward the house right auditorium side wall. Thanks to Yasmin Elming for spotting the image when the Library posted it on Facebook.

1962 - We're looking into the balcony from the parking lot north of the theatre. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. There's a bit of the bridge that connected the building to the long-unused Broadway entrance seen on the far left of the photo.

1962 - Another view in from the stage end of the building. Look down in the alley at the left. It appears there's still a floor slab remaining from the bridge to the Broadway entrance. Thanks to Richard Wojcik for the photo from his collection.

1962 - Mostly gone. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this June photo taken from the Biltmore. He has it on Flickr. Also see another similar shot from Eric's collection.

1962 - A view looking south toward 6th St. It's a Connor Palmer photo taken in June that's in the Hintington Library collection.

1962 - Another June view a bit closer to 6th St. The second floor of the bluish-gray building on the left is where the bridge from the theatre once cut through to the Broadway entrance. It's a Palmer Connor photo in the Huntington Library collection.

1962 - A look at what's left of the 6th St. facade. It's another photo taken in June by Palmer Connor that's in the Huntington Library collection.

1962 - The crumbling southeast corner of the building. Sid Grauman's office was on the second floor here. Broadway is a half block farther right. The June photo by Connor Palmer is in the Huntington Library collection.

1962 - Another look along 6th St. in June. Note in the rubble the curve of the theatre's original marquee. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing the photo from his collection on Flickr.

Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality found three additional demo photos on eBay that he's included with his Noirish post #25065.

1962 - A view west on 6th in June. Ken McIntyre had located the shot for a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. Thanks to John Nelson for sharing this version with the Southern California Nostalgia group.

1963 - A view east on 6th toward Broadway after the theatre site was turned into a parking lot. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the photo for a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

1966 - A look east across the north end of Pershing Square with 5th St. over on the left. At the far right is the parking lot where the north end of the Metropolitan Theatre building once was. Thanks to Bill Gabel for posting the photo on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

1975 - Looking west from Broadway. Thanks to the Historic Los Angeles Facebook page for sharing the photo.

1977 - A view north on Hill. The theatre had been over on the right. The photo taken by Neville Samuels appears on Flickr.

1981 - New construction rising on the site of the Paramount. Thanks to Sean Ault for the photo from his collection.

1 comment:

wbhistJanuary 24, 2022 at 6:13 PM
The news zipper around the Paramount in 1931 used a different control system from what would be used on two Hollywood buildings in the late 1940's to early '50's - the Taft Building on Hollywood and Vine, and the Warner Downtown on 7th and Hill, both of which used Trans-Lux Flashcast zippers, produced in conjunction with KFWB radio which the studio owned until 1950.