Burbank / New Follies Theatre

548 S. Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90013 | map |

Also see: More Burbank Theatre ads from the 30s through the 60s

Opened: 1893 as the Burbank Theatre, a project of dentist Dr. David Burbank (also the namesake of the city). The theatre had a long career as a legit operation, movie theatre and burlesque house before its demolition in 1974.

Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this image of the 1905 postcard from his collection on Flickr.  The posters advertise the Burbank Stock Company's production of "My Wife's Husbands." Brent Dickerson also has a version of this on the Main St. Part 2 chapter of his epic "A Visit to Old Los Angeles." The San Diego State University Library also has a copy.

It was a busy block. In addition to the Burbank, theatres on the east side of the block included the Rounder at 510 S. Main (around in 1910), the Galway at 514 and the Sherman at 518 (running until 1919). On the west side of the street were the Gayety at 523, the Star at 529, the Optic at 533, the Picture at 545 (until 1926), the Art at 551 and the Bijou at 553 (until around 1914).

Architect: Begun by Chicago theatre architect James M. Wood and finished by Robert Brown Young. Wood evidently had quite a career erecting opera houses all over the country. The 1892 book "The Bay of San Francisco" has some intriguing info on him. It's on Google Books. RootsWeb also has an entry, with the same information.

Seating: 1,844 initially with 388 in the orchestra, 374 in the orchestra dress circle, 98 in the box seats, 346 in the balcony family circle, 48 in the loges, 340 in the balcony and 250 in the 2nd balcony. Later capacities were listed as 1,703 then down to 1,580 and finally 1,027.

Stage Specifications:  Proscenium: 37' wide x 33' high     Footlights to back wall: 45'    Stage wall to wall: 80'    Grid height: 65' with 50' between fly girders    Scenery grooves height above stage: 20'
Depth under stage: 16'    Number of traps: 6    Illumination: both gas and electric

This data comes from the 1897 edition of "Julius Cahn's Official Theatrical Guide." They note that at the time the theatre had an orchestra of ten. Fred A. Cooper was then the manager and J.M. Shawhan the press agent. It's also listed in the 1900-1901 edition. Both are on Google Books.

The theatre had a wood grid. The hemp sets were originally operated from a flyfloor stage right. Later an additional pinrail was installed at stage level so everything could be run with a smaller crew. The dimmerboard was offstage right. Dressing rooms were on stage left with some at stage level and another set one level up. There a large room upstage center and additional space in the basement.  

An 1895 program for the theatre. Thanks to Deanna Bayless for finding it for a post on Cinema Treasures. 

The theatre had troubles and went through a succession of managers without any lasting success. Then in 1900 it was leased to Oliver Morosco and known as Morosco's Burbank Theatre. Morosco was later involved in the Majestic Theatre on Broadway (which opened in 1908) and got a house named for himself when he opened the Morosco on Broadway (now the Globe) in 1913.

 

 

 

The theatre is seen in this detail from image 20 from the 1906 Sanborn Real Estate Map that's in the Library of Congress collection. Note their comments about the safety provisions onstage: "Double steel curtain with asbestos inside. Sprinklers operated by hand." At this time the 2nd floor space over the entrance was Morosco's dramatic school and a meeting hall. That's Los Angeles St. at the bottom of the image. 

 

Oliver Morosco standing in front of the Burbank. The photo appeared with "The Burbank Theatre," an article in the November 1913 issue of Theatre Magazine, available on Google Books. The article discusses the theatre, and Morosco's arrival there:

"The Burbank Theatre - Some years ago a capitalist in Los Angeles erected a theatre near the corner of Sixth and Main Streets. It was a brick structure, plain but commodious; ornate but with a huge and well-built stage and a thoroughly practical interior. Los Angeles was a scraggly, overgrown village. The theatre was a financial failure. A new management took it and failed. Another tried with the same result. Still others tempted fate until at last twelve managers drifted on the rocks while trying to guide the playhouse into the harbor of success.

"This was in June, 1900 and just about that time the treasurer of the Grand Opera House in San Francisco, a young man of twenty-three, quarreled with his father -- who owned the theatre, because he was expected to be treasurer, press-agent and even janitor, all in one, for fifteen hours of work each day, for which he received $15 per week, upon which he was supposed to support an invalid wife, his mother-in-law, and an infant son. As the Spanish War summer went on, the pay of the 'Frisco treasurer did not mount with the thermometer, nor was the outlook for the Burbank Theatre in Los Angeles any more promising than before. About August 1st the Burbank manager departed for more profitable fields, and the young San Francisco treasurer, taking his sick wife, baby and mother-in-law under his metaphorical wing, wrathfully shook the dust of his father's Thespianic temple from his feet, and went to Los Angeles. He rented two furnished rooms and the Burbank Theatre. No deposit on the latter was required by the disgusted owners; which was fortunate for the new manager, counting his total cash assets after the transfer from San Francisco, found that he possessed exactly seven dollars. The thirteenth manager to try this experiment took charge of the Burbank on August 13, 1900.

"The new manager's name was Oliver Morosco, and thirteen had always been his lucky number. He had no company, and no means to assemble one. Traveling shows were all controlled by the Syndicate's magnate in Southern California, the late H. C. Wyatt. In a dilemma he suddenly thought of his friend, T. Daniel Frawley, an enterprising actor-manager with a company on the North Coast, but with few places in which to play, Frawley came to Los Angeles, his opening production being 'Madame Sans-Gene,' with Mary Van Buren and Mary Hampton the two principal women of his company. He had scarcely 'caught on' in Los Angeles when Morosco hurried him away, the manager believing that a rolling stone is the only one which gathers no moss in the show business. Again the problem of finding an attraction. The next attraction was James Neill, presenting a company with Edythe Chapman as leading woman and the late Frank MacVicars as character man. The ingenue was a promising though very shy little girl named Julia Dean -- last seen on Broadway in 'Her Own Money.'"

Another photo appearing with the article in Theatre magazine. The caption: The famous Green Room of the Burbank Theatre." The article continues:

"The Neill company was followed by the Oliver-Leslie company -- so-called because it was jointly owned by Oliver Morosco and his elder brother, Leslie -- headed by William Beach and Helen McGregor. There were no prominent names in this organization, but its steady success paved the way to the Neill-Morosco corporation which was also a success. Then was organized the Oliver Morosco company, a galaxy of players whose record of good all-round performances has, in all probability, seldom been surpassed in American theatricals. The fortunes of the Burbank Theatre now began to mend. Morosco was able to secure plays as rapidly as released for stock, and, by following the traveling companies in quick succession, he became a dangerous competitor of the high-priced organizations sent out from the East."

"Perpetually packed. There's a reason." It's a 1907 L.A. Times ad for Morosco's Burbank. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it. 

 

A c.1907 program cover. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a thread about the theatre for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.  

 

"The Fact Is You Can't Go Wrong If You Go to the Burbank Tonight." It's June 1908 Times ad for the Burbank. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting it for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

 

An illustration of the exits that appeared in the August 1908 program for "The Judge and the Jury." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for sharing it with the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. See the page with the cast list.  

 

 

The side of "Morosed s [sic] Burbank Theatre" is seen in the center of this image from a map by the Birdseye View Publishing Co. that's in the Library of Congress collection. The map, with art by Francis Lawrence and "compiled" by Birdseye staffer Worthington Gates, was first issued in October 1909. The printing this detail is from includes some 1910 revisions. Also see an earlier version. Both versions show 1909 copyright dates. 

 

Another interesting downtown map is the 1913 Business Property Map by the Robert Marsh Co. that's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. The Marsh map shows many buildings and indicates sizes for some of the lots.

A 1911 ad for the Burbank's stock company: "World's Greatest." Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for spotting this one on eBay. Morosco got another house with the opening of the Globe in 1913.

 

 

A 1915 ad for Marjorie Rambeau in "Sadie Love," a show that was traveling to Broadway. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad for a post for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

The Burbank as Photoville in 1917. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for this Times ad. 

In a 1919 ad it's called Pelton's Burbank, featuring the New Burbank Musical Comedy Company. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the ad. It's in the 1921 city directory as Gore's Burbank.

A 1921 Times ad located by Ken McIntyre.  

 

 

The Burbank was the defendant in a lawsuit about segregated seating in 1921. Thanks to Bob Wolfe for sharing this image of the top of the front page of the April 29, 1922 issue of the California Eagle as a comment to a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. In an earlier discussion Bob had commented:

"Regarding segregated seating, California had had civil rights statues outlawing racial discrimination in theaters, among other venues. In 1919, the Legislature established a $100 minimum damage award. There are two published appellate opinions affirming $100 damage awards (one on a 22 cent ticket and a second from the Burbank Theatre on 6th and Main Street) to Black patrons who were deliberately seated in separate areas."

 

With the post of the Eagle's front page he added:  

"... Gore's Burbank Theater... lost its appeal of a racial discrimination lawsuit brought by a Black customer, John Emery Prowd and Ira Smith, who bought a ticket which entitled him to sit on the theater's lower level. Prowd and Smith, however, were ejected from their seats by the manager, F.L. Wolfe (no relation), who told them that they were Negroes, and that such persons either had to sit in the balcony or not patronize his play house at all.' They refused Wolfe's offer of a refund.

"Prowd sued for unlawful discrimination and for humiliation and was awarded $100.55 in damages. The Gores (the theater owners) appealed, arguing that Prowd failed to prove that they condoned or authorized Wolfe's conduct. The Court of Appeal refused to require this additional burden of proof and affirmed the damage award, holding that the theater management was liable for its employees' misconduct. See Prowd v. Gore (1922) 57 Cal. App. 458, https://casetext.com/case/prowd-v-gore. 

 

"Regrettably, these lawsuits were too few and far between. Prowd worked for a Black-owned newspaper (the California Eagle), was the son of a prominent L.A. minister, and was represented in court by a prominent African-American attorney, E. Burton Ceruti. L.A.'s mainstream press never mentioned anything about Prowd's lawsuit - or the legal precedent established by the published appellate opinion. An important learning opportunity was lost."

 

A December 31, 1922 ad for Gore's Burbank. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for sharing it as a post on Photos of Los Angeles. 

 

A 1927 Times item about a new burlesque show at the theatre. 

A lovely 1920s program cover from the collection of Michael Edward Prince Grey. He added it as a comment on a thread about the theatre for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group. He adds: "My mama Stella was an usherette at the Burbank Theater. My aunt Pat was a dancer there, but not a burlesque dancer. Both mama Stella and aunt Pat were born in 1908."

 A 1929 Times ad.

 

"Burlesque That is Different -- 85 People 85 -- 45 Youthful Dancing Girls 45." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating another 1929 ad from the Times. 

 

"Five Shows Get Closing Orders." This story appeared in the November 22, 1929 issue of the Times: 

 

 

The Follies Theatre at 337 S. Main was the Burbank's main competitor. The Girlesque Theatre was a recently opened venue in the Adams Hall Building, 537-547 S. Main. The La Parisienne at 234 S. Main was evidently a club rather than a theatre. It was in the building that had once been home to the Manhattan/Denver/ Theatre. It's unknown what attractions, other than strippers, were featured at World's Museum, 508 S. Main. That was a storefront in the Rennie Hotel building. The other space there was once the Rounder Theatre, later called the Girlesque, the Gaiety and the Paris After Dark Theatre.     

 

"America's Greatest All-Colored Musical Revue." It's a March 1932 ad from the California Eagle, a newspaper covering the African American community in Los Angeles. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this for a post for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group. 

 

 

By the mid-1930s Harry Popkin was running the theatre. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this 1936 item to add as a comment to a post for Photos of Los Angeles.

 

 

A 1937 article about producer Grover Franklyn's "Off With the Wind" plus the "Beef Trust Chorus." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this as well as many other ads for a thread about the theatre for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

 

 

A 1937 ad for "Off With the Wind" and the "Beef Trust." Also see a Los Angeles Public Library "Beef Trust" photo. 

 

The theatre got a moderne makeover in 1937. This story appeared in the October 17 issue of the Times. Thanks to Joe Vogel for researching the date. 

 

This matchbook cover features the redone theatre facade and the Dreamland dance hall on the second floor of the building. Ken McIntyre located the matches for a post for the Photos of Los Angeles group.

 

 

The "Paris After Dark" review, directed by Paul Morokoff, was a 1937 attraction. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting the ad as a comment on Photos of Los Angeles. 

 

 

 

A 1938 article about Miss Evelyn Myers and her "Sultan's Fantasy." Funnyman Buster Lorenzo was also appearing. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this. Also see an Evelyn Myers ad.

 

It was briefly called the Mexico c.1939. There's one photo in the USC Digital Library collection that shows (on the far right edge) the vertical redone and the copy "Peliculas Mexicanas" on the marquee. Both the 1939 and 1940 city directories still list it as the Burbank. Also see a detail from that photo. 

 

 

 

Storma Lane featured in 1940. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this February 3 ad for a 2023 thread about the Burbank and the Follies on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. A news item appearing the same day noted: 

 

"All new show planned by Burbank theater -- Tonight a complete array of stage features will be seen in the special midnight show at the Burbank burlesque theater. Dancers Storma Lane, Ginger Willis, Margie Riggs, Flo Oxford and Jada are planning to make tonight's show an outstanding one, according to producer John Baker. All seats for the midnight show are reserved." 

An interesting July 1940 ad for a film booking at the theatre. The producer of this, Harry Popkin, at the time also ran the Million Dollar Theatre. Thanks to contributor Granola for finding the ad for a post on Cinema Treasures.

 

 

A sailor saves the day during a little fire emergency in November 1944. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting the news. 

 

 

 "Dynamic- Dashing- Dazzling" Diane Ross was the feature at the time of this November 1946 ad. And, of course, you could see those "Atom Bomb Dancers." Also see the ad that ran below this for "Hollywood Beauties" and "Harlem Cuties" down the street at the Follies. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this a 2023 thread on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.   

This listing in the 1947 Film Daily Yearbook shows the extent of Harry Popkin's theatre holdings. In addition to the Burbank he had seven other theatres on Main St. His company at one time was also called Circle Theatres. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting the listing.

 

 

Arrebella Andre was exhibiting "her smile and other charms" in 1949. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo.

A comp ticket stub for "Theatrical Personnel." Thanks to Sean Ault for the find. 

In 1952 Robert Biggs, Lillian Hunt and the rest of the team that had been running the Follies Theatre at 337 S. Main moved their operation to the Burbank. It was then advertised as the New Follies or the New Follies Burlesque. Thus when the old Follies started operating again with different management there was confusion about the two theatres. See Leslie Zemekis' great 2013 article for Huffington Post "A School for Strippers: The ABCs of Stripping" about life at these theatres.

 

 

Sad news for Betty Rowland in 1952. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the April 5 story.  

 

 

An April 1953 story announcing the engagement of "The Bubble Girl," Lili St. Cyr. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the item for a thread about the performer for the Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.  

 

 

Ms. St. Cyr without her bubble. Thanks to Ronald Schwartz for locating the photo. Tony Valdez comments: "There’s an old story about her appearing at the Orpheum. Details are sparse but the point was she somehow got tangled up and was left exposed without a bubble. That’s when the audience realized that she was wearing a body suit, completely covered up, and not nude at all."

The dancers hold a meeting to discuss the need for higher wages. The caption that ran with the newpaper photo on July 19, 1955: "Exotic Dancers (Strip-Teasers) Protest Pay - Meeting to Ask for More Money Are, Left to Right: Champagne, Peggy Stuart, Jennie Lee, Novita, Daurene Dare, Rusty Lane. Also pictured are: Betty Rowland, Diane Dunbar and Virginia Valentine."

Another view of the 1955 gathering.  

A 1955 L.A. Times article about the pay dispute. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the article and the two photos for a post for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

 

 

Lili St. Cyr back for a return engagement in 1965. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the item for a thread about the performer for the Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. Ms. St. Cyr had appeared at this theatre in 1953 and at the original Follies, 337 S. Main, in 1951.

 

Here's your pass for a free show. Sorry -- both the pass and the theatre have expired. The image appeared along with "Backstage at the Follies," an article by John Wright in the 3rd quarter 2011 issue of Marquee, the publication of the Theatre Historical Society. Thanks to Bob Foreman for spotting it.

 

A 1966 Times ad located for a post by Ken McIntyre for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.  

By the 60s the Follies show that once had a cast of 60 was down to about eight girls, a comic and a straight man. The specialty acts were gone. In 1966 there was a management change. The house went non-union, the band was replaced by taped music, and the end was near. There was a closure after revocation of a police permit in October 1967.

 

This article appeared in June 1968. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the item for a thread about the performer for the Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. The theatre did reopen.

Status: The theatre closed in 1971 was demolished in March 1974. The L.A. Times ran a big story about the demolition, with several photos, in their March 14 issue. After decades as a parking lot, there's now a new mixed-use building on the site.

Interior views:

The gentlemen's lounge in 1898. It's a photo from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.  

A proscenium view in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. They date it as 1912. 

A 1954 view of the stage by Delmar Watson Photography that appears in Jim Heimann's 1999 book "Sins of the City - The Real Los Angeles Noir" from Chronicle Books. It's available on Amazon. Korean War veteran Roger Wing Whitter died on the Follies stage after breaking into the theatre and exchanging bullets with police. He was lovesick after his mash notes to dancer Loretta Miller had gone unanswered. He was hit with one police bullet and then shot himself. His last message was scrawled on a wall and on the stage in chalk: "Good-bye Angel Face." He was found clutching an 8 x 10 photo of Ms. Miller that he had pulled out of a lobby display case. The Times had ran several photos and a story on December 2. A December 3 Times story noted that Ms. Miller had done several shows with a black ribbon in her hair after the death but then decided she was done with the business.

From 1952 onward the stage shows at the Burbank were directed by Lillian Hunt, seen at the right. She was with the management team that had moved down the street from the Follies Theatre in 1952. Here she's in the basement rehearsing some of the dancers. The photo from the collection of Leslie Zemeckis appears with "A School for Strippers: The ABCs of Stripping," her great 2013 article for Huffington Post. It's about life at the Follies and at the Burbank with Hunt, owner Robert Biggs, and Lillian's daughter Pepper Aarvold, who grew up backstage. Also putting in appearances are Tempest Storm, Lily St. Cyr and Patti Wagon.

Stagehand John Wright at the dimmerboard c.1960. The photo appeared with his 1992 article "Back Stage at the Follies" that appeared in the publication Greater L.A. Metro Newsreel. It was reprinted in the Q3 2011 issue of Marquee, the magazine of the Theatre Historical Society. The full article is reproduced lower on the page.

John Wright backstage at the board showing the order of an afternoon show c.1960. The photo appeared with the article "Back Stage at the Follies" in the Q3 2011 issue of Marquee.

Getting a bit of secretarial work done in the office. It's a photo by John Wright that appeared with the article "Back Stage at the Follies" in Marquee. 

 

 

A peek under the balcony during the 1974 demolition. It's a photo located on eBay by Sean Ault. This one and the other color views below were from a seller calling himself Banana Louie. 

 

 

A proscenium shot during demolition. This is the best view we have of the look of the front of the auditorium following the 1937 moderne renovation. Note the painted panel where the upper level of proscenium boxes once were. Thanks to Sean Ault for locating this one on eBbay.

 

An image that appeared with John Wright's article in the June, July and August 1992 issues of the Tom B'hend and Preston Kaufmann publication Greater Metro L.A. Newsreel. Sad to say the publication's reproduction left something to be desired. Thanks to Ron Mahan for scanning the image. The full article is reproduced lower on the page. Note the curlicue treatment along the side wall where the main floor boxes had been.

 

 

A view to the booth later during the demo. It's another that Sean Ault located on eBay. The theatre was replaced by a parking lot.

 

 

A view toward Main after most of the auditorium was gone. On the left we still see a bit of the rear of the main floor house right with the horizontal bands of color from the moderne renovation. At the center we have the arch from the inner lobby out to the street. At the right there's a trace of where a set of stairs to the balcony once was. Thanks to Sean Ault for finding the photo on eBay. 

More exterior views:

c.1904 - The Burbank is in the lower left. Beyond, it's the new Pacific Electric Building, opened in 1903. It's a photo from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1905 - A photo by Martin Behrman appearing in the California State Library collection. Playing at the time: "My Wife's Husbands." The photo is also on the USC Digital Library website from the California Historical Society. It's also in the Huntington Library collection where they date it 1903 and attribute it to C.C. Pierce. The postcard at the top of the page is based on this photo. The show was reviewed in the January 9, 1905 L.A. Herald. It's on the website of the California Digital Newspaper Collection.

1905 - A detail from the Huntington Library's version of the previous photo.

1907 - Morosco's Burbank Theatre signage is at the very bottom of the photo. The theatre was set back deeply from the street. The auditorium is the structure to the right. We're looking northwest from the Pacific Electric Building. The building across the street with the wallpaper sign later housed the Star Theatre. To its right is the People's Theatre, much later known as the Gayety. It's a C.C. Pierce photo from the California Historical Society appearing on the USC Digital Library website where they date it as c. January 1, 1907.

1907 - The sccond panel of the C.C. Pierce photo, here giving us a view of the stagehouse. It's on the USC Digital Library website.

 

 

c.1908 - A postcard view south toward 6th St. with the theatre on the left. At 6th there's the Santa Fe Building, dating from 1907, and the Pacific Electric Building beyond. They've survived but the Central Building across on the west side of the street has not. Note a bit of the Burbank's roof sign. The card is one that appeared on eBay. Brent Dickerson has a smaller version of this with the Main St. Part 2 chapter of his epic "A Visit to Old Los Angeles."

c.1908 - This is the photo the card above was based on. It's a California Historical Society photo on the USC Digital Library website. A few years later the Optic Theatre would appear out beyond the far right edge of this image. What we get on the far right in this shot is part of the squat two-story Adams Hall building, home to the Picture Theatre and, later on the second floor, the Girlesque Theatre. The second building in on the right was later home to the Bijou Theatre at 553 and the Art Theatre at 551.

 

c.1908 - A shot from the same period as the previous one but not just an alternate take. Although we see the same signage on various buildings there are many differences including awning deployment, different windows open in the Santa Fe Building, etc. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing this one from his collection on Flickr. He gives it a 1912 date. And thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting the image and posting it on Photos of Los Angeles.

 

1920s - Photoplays and a "Big Musical Revue." It's a photo from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. It used to be on their website indexed as #00015252 but evidently got lost in a software re-do. 

1936 - "89 Darlings on the Stage!" A photo taken for Life magazine by Alfred Eisenstaedt. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality for including it on Noirish post #967. Scott Collette includes this photo as well as the one below in a post surveying Main St. burlesque theatres on his Forgotten Los Angeles Facebook page. He also has the album on Instagram. See a May 7, 1936 ad for this show that Scott located. In the ad they call it "Harlem Scandals."

1936 - "2 Shows in One!" -- "Hot Harlem" and "Beauties on Parade." It's a nother Alfred Esisestaedt look at the ticket lobby taken for Life. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor BifRayRock for including it on his Noirish post #40557. 

 

1937  - A great view of the theatre advertising their "Beef Trust Chorus" with a total weight of 4,000 pounds. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. The collection also includes another similar shot.  Also see a "Beef Trust Chorus" ad that was located by Ken McIntyre.

 

1939 - The theatre had a very brief period being called the Mexico. On the extreme right note the redone vertical as well as the marquee copy: "Peliculas Mexicanas." It's a detail from a Dick Whittington Studio photo in the USC Digital Library collection. Thanks to Joe Vogel for noting the presence of the Burbank in the image.  

1940s - The entrance to the upstairs Dreamland dance hall. Thanks to Frank Kiki Baltazar for finding the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.

 

 

1944 - A fine view on the cover of the August issue of Pacific Electric magazine. Thanks to Engineer Al for sharing this on Noirish Los Angeles post #60022.  The magazine's text: "COVER PICTURE—Pacific Electric office building and terminal at Sixth and Main, where busses leave the Pacific Electric Station, where Pasadena cars turn north on Main Street, where the Watts-Sierra Vista Line picks up and discharges innumerable passengers, where pedestrians and automobiles are apparently always in a hurry."

 

 

 

c.1946 - A fine view toward Main St. from inside the Broadway/Spring Arcade. It appears that work was being done on the theatre's facade. Thanks to Sean Ault for locating the photo.

c.1952 - A screenshot from footage that's included in Rick Prelinger's "Lost Landscapes of Los Angeles - 2016," an hour and twenty minutes of wonderful clips from various sources that was originally presented in a program at the Los Angeles Public Library. Also see "Lost Landscapes of Los Angeles - 2019." This second installment was presented at the Library by the organization Photo Friends as part of the series L.A. in Focus. Both compilations are on Vimeo.

c.1952 - The lettering above the readerboards alternately flashed "Burbank" and "Burlesque." Here it's the latter in another shot from Rick Prelinger's 2016 compilation.

c.1952 - A moment later in the cruise up Main we get a look at the unlit Dreamland signage north of the theatre entrance. The dance hall was upstairs in the theatre building. It's another shot from Rick Prelinger's 2016 compilation. Thanks, Rick! 

c.1953 - A delightful view of the signage and displays at the Burbank with the feature attraction "Patti Waggin." Thanks to Robert Stone II for finding the photo.

c.1953 - A lovely photo of the demure Ms. Waggin in front of the theatre. Thanks to Bill Gabel for finding the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.

c.1953 - Ms. Waggin with her onstage alter ego. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for this one added as a comment to a Photos of Los Angeles thread that featured many other Burbank items.

c.1955 - Tempest Storm in front of the Burbank. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for adding the photo as a comment on a thread about the theatre on Photos of Los Angeles.  

 

 

c.1955 - Lili St. Cyr taking a bubble bath onstage. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Canyon Kid for sharing this shot on Noirish post #59510. 

 

 

c.1955 - An 8 Line streetcar headed south. It's a photo in the Metro Library and Archive collection on Flickr. At the New Follies: Sande Marlowe, Lolana Frenchy and the Nudie Cuties. The photo also surfaced in a post by John Waco of various 40s and 50s views from different sources on the Lost Angeles Facebook page. He claimed his unnamed father was the photographer.

c.1957 - Looking north from 6th with the Art Theatre on the left and the Follies on the right. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing the photo from his collection.

1958 - We're looking north toward 6th during a Metropolitan Coach Lines strike with the Pacific Electric Building on the right. The arched entrance of the Art Theatre is visible in the end spot in the building on the left, just beyond the red "Loans" sign. And just to the right of the telephone pole is a partial view of the "Follies" vertical of the Burbank. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing the photo from his collection. He notes that the guy on the right is Earl "Smokey" Stover, a funny dude who ran buses and trolleys in L.A. from the postwar 40's into the 60's.

1964 - A William Reagh photo from the California State Library collection. The feature the week of the photo was "Baby Bubbles."

c.1965 - A look east across the parking lots to the Burbank. The Optic is out of the frame to the left. On the right that's the side of the building housing the Art Theatre. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing the photo from his collection.

c.1965 - "New Show Friday." It's a detail from Sean's photo. Note the signage for "Dreamland" and "Dancing" on the second floor.

1967 - A look north on Main with the Pacific Electric Building at the right. Across 6th is the Santa Fe Building and, down the block, the Burbank. It's a photo from the Sean Ault collection.

1968 - Another view looking north. Note the sign still visible behind the bus on the south wall of the Burbank. Thanks to Sean Ault for the photo.

1968 - A detail of the sign from the photo above: "Morosco's Burbank Theatre - The best players and the best plays in America for the money."

c.1968 - "Best in Town - Wild Wooly Beaver."  It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.

c.1968 - Another view from an unknown photographer in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

c.1971 - A fine view north from 6th with the arched entrance of the Art Theatre on the left and the "Burlesk" vertical of the Burbank on the right. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. 

c.1971 - Props and display items in the lot next to the theatre after closing. It's a photo by John Wright that appeared with the article "Back Stage at the Follies" in the Q3 2011 issue of Marquee. 

1973 - Looking north toward 5th with the Optic on the left and the closed Burbank on the right. It's a photo by Victor Plukas in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

c.1973 - Another look at the sign on the theatre's south wall. It's a photo from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

 

c.1973 - The theatre's back wall as viewed from Los Angeles St. The concrete patch was to repair damage from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo.  

 

 

 

1973 - Looking south from 5th. Halfway down the block we see the Galway's vertical sign saying "Theatre." The second building in from 5th once housed the Rounder Theatre. Closer to 6th we get a glimpse of the Burbank with its vertical reading "Burlesk." It's a photo by Victor Plukas in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Also see a 1972 view south by Plukas that's in the collection.

 

 

1974 - Another view south from 5th. The Galway is lost in the gloom half way down the block but we do get a glimpse of the Burbank this side of the Santa Fe Building. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this on eBay, one of a group of Main St. and Broadway views taken by an unknown photographer early in the year.  

 

 

1974 - A closer view south before Cleveland Wrecking's scaffolding went up. That's a bit of the marquee of the Optic Theatre in the upper right. It's a photo located by Sean Ault on eBay, part of the same group as the previous photo as well as  all the color 1974 images below. The seller was someone calling himself Banana Louie.

 

1974 - Cleveland Wrecking Co. has their scaffolding up ready for yet another theatre demo project. Photo: eBay / Sean Ault

 

 

 

1974 - A detail of the north end of the facade. Photo: eBay / Sean Ault 

 

 

1974 - A fine look at the center of the facade. Photo: eBay / Sean Ault

 

 

 

1974 - A detail of the south end of the facade. Photo: eBay / Sean Ault 

 

1974 - A view from the south. Photo: eBay / Sean Ault

 

 

1974 - A look along the south wall toward the stagehouse. Photo: eBay / Sean Ault

 

 

1974 - Morosco's signage on the south wall. Photo: eBay / Sean Ault

 

 

1974 - A fine view north across 6th St. Photo: eBay / Sean Ault

 

 

1974 - A closer look from 6th. Photo: eBay / Sean Ault

 

 

1974 - On the marquee: "Biggest Bust of All" and "Nation's Greatest Stripper - Cleveland Wrecking Co." It's a Herald Examiner photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1974 - Up on the scaffolding. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Also see a wider view from the south that's in the Library's collection.

1974 - A last look at the signage. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo by an unknown photographer. 

 

 

1974 - The back wall signage. Photo: Sean Ault - eBay

 

 

1974 - The back wall of the theatre after the buildings behind had been leveled. Photo: Sean Ault - eBay  

 

 

1974 - A look into the dressing room area that had been upstage of the stage's back wall. Photo: Sean Ault - eBay 

Many thanks to Sean for locating all of the 1974 color views on eBay. They dribbled out a few at a time over a period of several months, all from a seller who identified himself as Banana Louie.

 

2008 - A display at Cole's French Dip in the Pacific Electric Building at 6th and Main celebrating the lost glories of Main St. It's a photo by Rob Stills on Flickr. Also see his 2008 photo of Tempest Storm.

2019 - The mixed-use building called Topaz is now on the site of the Burbank Theatre. Photo: Bill Counter



"Back Stage at the Follies" This article by John Wright appeared in the Q3 2011 issue of Marquee, the magazine of the Theatre Historical Society.  It originally appeared in the publication Greater L.A. Metro Newsreel in 1992. Both versions are included here.

From Marquee in 2011:

Thanks to Bob Foreman for furnishing the article. Visit his Vintage Theatre Catalogs site for an immense collection of technical theatre data.


And here's the original version of John Wright's article about the Burbank from the June, July and August 1992 issues of the Tom B'hend / Preston Kaufmann publication Greater Metro L.A. Newsreel. The issues are in the Ronald W. Mahan Collection.

The issues of Newsreel are from the Ronald W. Mahan Collection. Thanks to Ron for scanning them.  

 

 

The Burbank in the Movies:  

 

In "Foot Patrol" (Los Angeles Police Dept., c.1946) we teach the new recruits that they need to keep an eye on various trouble spots, including the local burlesque houses. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for several views of the Follies Theatre down the street.

 

 

This shot of the Burbank is seen 3 minutes into nearly 11 minutes of 1950 footage intended for use as process shot backgrounds in film or TV shows. A lovely colorized and remastered version of the footage is on YouTube from NASS as "1950s - Views of Los Angeles in color..." The original is on Internet Archive as Pet 1067 R 4.

 

 

The alternate lettering of "Burlesque" atop the marquee is seen a moment later in the 1950 footage. The theatre also pops up again 6 minutes into the colorized version. In the original version on Internet Archive the Burbank is at 5:05 and 7:47. On Main St. we also get views of the Muse, Optic, Gayety, Regent, Follies, Hip and Liberty theatres. 7th St. footage includes the Warner and Loew's State.

The burlesque feature "'B-Girl Rhapsody" (Broadway Roadshows, 1952) was filmed at the Burbank. It's a film version of a stage show and we don't see anything of the theatre. It stars Lily Ayers and Crystal Starr. The direction was by James R. Connell and Lillian Hunt. Ms. Hunt managed the shows at the theatre. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a poster for the film.

We get a view of the house curtain coming in at the end of "Peek-A-Boo" (Billiken Productions, 1953). And that's about all we see of the theatre's interior. It's another filmed burlesque show featuring Venus, Patti Waggin, The Duponts, Leon DeVoe, Jennie Lee, Marlana, and others. Lillian Hunt was the director. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a poster for the film.

We get a lovely panorama of the east side of the 500 block of Main St. in "Illegal" (Warner Bros., 1955). L.A. District Attorney Edward G. Robinson is in a hurry to get to a hospital to hear a confession from a dying man. It turns out he's sent the wrong guy to the electric chair. He resigns his position, becomes a defense attorney, and gets involved in a tricky situation with a local mobster.

Near the left is a view of the distinctive lettering of the Galway Theatre. Over toward the right it's the Burbank, here with its vertical saying "New Follies." And on the far right it's the Santa Fe building at 6th and Main and, if you want to stay at the Hotel Cecil, they have a room for you for $1.75. Lewis Allen directed the cast which also includes Nina Foch, Hugh Marlowe, Albert Dekker, Ellen Corby and Jayne Mansfield, making her screen debut. We also get some other nice Los Angeles location shots for chases and, of course, for going into court buildings. 

Police lieutenant Max Showalter visits the Burbank to see a dancer (Marian Carr) who knows "The Indestructible Man" (Allied Artists, 1956). The film stars Lon Chaney Jr. as the man in question.

The "Follies Stage Entrance" of the Burbank in "The Indestructible Man." We go inside to a dressing room, but the interior shots were done on a soundstage somewhere. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for another look at the displays plus a night view.

A view during the filming of "Voice in the Mirror" with Julie London and Walter Matthau (Universal-International, 1958). Across the street the Burbank is advertising "Patti Waggin And Her Educated Torso" as their featured attraction. It's a photo that appears on page 31 of the Arcadia Publishing book "Location Filming in Los Angeles" by Karie Bible, Marc Wanamaker and Harry Medved. The page with the photo is on the Google Books preview. The theatre doesn't actually appear in the film. But we do get some shots of the Star Theatre, 529 S. Main. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for those.

A view of the facade from "Crimson Kimono" (Columbia, 1959). The theatre makes an appearance early in Samuel Fuller's epic. Our feature attraction at the Burbank Burlesque, Sugar Torch, dodges a bullet in her dressing room but soon gets shot during a run down the middle of Main St. The story about detectives after the killer features Victoria Shaw, Glenn Corbett and James Shigeta.

 

 

"We are now in the skid row area of a large Eastern city of the United States." Well, that's how the narrator introduces Main St. footage in "The Forbidden" (Olympic International, 1966). On the marquee: "On Stage - In Person - Chili Pepper - Sweet and Spice." This "Mondo Cane" style mock-documentary takes us to nightclubs and other venues around the world -- wherever there's a chance to show sin and bare breasts. The film was written and directed by Benjamin Andrews and Lee Frost. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for views of the Art Theatre and Optic Theatre from this segment plus shots of the Cinematheque 16, Tiffany and Follies theatres. 

 

A lovely view out the window toward the Burbank from "Maidens of Fetish Street" (Cameo Pictures, 1966). The film is also known as "Girls on F Street." Thanks to Nathan Marsak for the screenshot, one included on his Noirish Los Angeles post #29000. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for views of the Follies at 337 S. Main (also at this time with a vertical that said "Follies") as well as shots of the Galway and the Art Theatre from the film.  

 

45 minutes into Jules Dassin's "Uptight" (Paramount, 1968) we see Julian Mayfield going for a walk by the Burbank. The story about Black revolutionaries, and a betrayal, is set in Cleveland. The film also features Raymond St. Jacques, Ruby Dee, Frank Silvera, Roscoe Lee Browne and Janet MacLachlan. Dassin, Mayfield and Dee share the screenplay credit. Boris Kaufman was the cinematographer. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a view of the theatre's signage reflected in water in the gutter as well as several views of the Galway Theatre.   

 

 

In this shot from "Change of Habit" (Universal, 1969) we're looking south toward 6th with part of the "Burlesk" lettering on the Burbank's vertical visible behind Mary Tyler Moore. The film also stars Elvis Presley, Barbara McNair, Jane Elliott and Ed Asner. It was directed by William A. Graham with cinematography by Russell Metty. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the theatre in the film and getting the screenshot. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a view of the Galway Theatre's signage in a promotional still for the film.

 

 

We get some scenes with hit-man James Coburn at the Burbank at the beginning of "Hard Contract" (20th Century Fox, 1969). The film also features Burgess Meredith, Lee Remick and Karen Black. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for several more Burbank views including one inside the boxoffice where we see the Art Theatre across the street.

In "Uptown Saturday Night" (Warner Bros. / First Artists, 1974) we get Main St. Los Angeles subbing for Chicago. Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby are crossing the street with the Burbank behind them. At the time of the filming the theatre was closed and awaiting demolition. The Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post includes another shot showing the Burbank as well as views of the Regent, Optic and Follies theatres. 

The Burbank's signage is included in an array of archival burlesque footage with the titles of the 1993 made for TV version of "Gypsy" starring Bette Midler. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for that title shot as well as views of the Orpheum, State and the Palace from the film.

 

More information: An extensive history is on the Cinema Treasures page for the Burbank Theatre. Also see Time magazine's obituary of Oliver Morosco.

Check out Leslie Zemeckis' great 2013 article for Huffington Post "A School for Strippers: The ABCs of Stripping." Leslie is the director of the 2010 documentary "Behind The Burly Q" and author of the 2013 book "Behind the Burly Q: The Story of Burlesque in America." It's available from Amazon or your local bookseller. Also see a preview on Google Books.

Jeff Bridges "Main Street Then and Now" posts for the Los Angeles Conservancy's Historic Theatre Committee blog have some interesting period photos of Main Street theatre sites plus modern views.

Other burlesque houses: The other principal burlesque theatre on Main Street was the Follies Theatre at 337 S. Main. It opened as the Belasco. In the 40s the Aztec Theatre at 251 S. Main was also a burlesque house. It was later known as the Linda Lea Theatre. The Downtown Independent was later on the site.

The other Burbank Theatre: There was also a theatre in Burbank called the Burbank Theatre. It opened as the Victory Theatre in 1919. 

 

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