Filmcity / El Patio / Music Box Theatre

7080 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028 | map |

Opening: The original building opened in 1914 as the home of the Woman's Club of Hollywood. It was on the south side of the street just east of La Brea Ave. The auditorium, dating from 1922, is seen on the right in this photo by Viroque Baker that appeared on page 18 of the July 1, 1922 issue of Holly Leaves. It's on Google Books. The article it appeared with noted: 

 

 "There are numerous high lights in the record of the Woman's club of Hollywood for the year just ended. The outstanding achievement was the building of a new club auditorium, which seats about 1200, erected at a cost of approximately $65,000, while the furnishings, not yet completed, will cost several thousand more..."

The photo can also be seen the Woman's Club of Hollywood website.

Architect: Arthur K. Kelly designed the 1914 building. A Mr. E. Fossler was the contractor. It's not known who did the 1922 auditorium addition.

In the mid-40s the Woman's Club moved to a new home at 1749 N. LaBrea, a building that had been the Hollywood School for Girls. The auditorium was turned into a legit venue and rebranded as the Filmcity Theatre by January 1945.

 

A January 5, 1945 ad for the show "Ladies Room" at The New Filmcity Playhouse. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this for a thread about the theatre on the Ken's Movie Page Facebook group.

In July 1945 there was a run of Ibsen's "Ghosts" (in German), a production of the Jewish Club of 1933. It's mentioned in the book "German Language Theatre in Exile - Hollywood 1933 - 1950." A snippet is on Google Books. They give the theatre name as the El Patio when it evidently was still called Filmcity. 

 

It was called the Film City Drama Theatre in this April 3, 1945 ad for a stage version of "Lady Chatterly's Lover." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad. 

 

 

 

An October 25, 1945 ad for the revue "Opening Night" starring Eddie Rio and Dr. Giovanni, pickpocket. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this.

 

A November 22, 1945 ad for "Opening Night" located by Ken McIntyre. 

By 1946 the building became known as the El Patio Theatre. One production in late 1946 was "Macbeth," featuring a cast of young performers. It's mentioned in the book "Richard Barr: The Playwright's Producer." A snippet is on Google Books.

A 1949 L.A. Times ad for the group The Masquers using the El Patio for a production of "The Front Page." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad.

Another 1949 event was a run of "Borschtcapades," a Yiddish variety review. 

Tony Valdez noted that the El Patio was used in the early 1950s by KTTV for live broadcasts of some shows. One in 1950 was "McMahon's All Star Minstrels." It's mentioned in Joel Tator's book "Los Angeles Television." It's on Google Books. 

By 1955 the venue was known as the Music Box Theatre.

A 1955 L.A. Times ad for "Hellzapoppin of '56" at the Music Box with Olsen & Johnsen. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the ad for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. Bruce Kimmel notes that the show opened in December.

There wasn't anything listed for this address in the 1956 telephone directory. It's in the 1960 and 1961 telephone directories as the Music Box with the address listed as 7080 Hollywood Blvd.

A 1960 Times ad for "The Threepenny Opera" at The New Music Box Theatre. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it.

Tex Ritter appeared in a production of the musical "Stovepipe Hat" in 1961.

 

A 1962 ad for "Strip For Action." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting this one on the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. 

 

 

 

One 1964 attraction was a nine day run of "Faces of Oscar Brown Jr." Thanks to Bruce Kimmel for locating the ad. He comments: "I loved the Music Box. I saw the amazing Oscar Brown, Jr. there four times in 1964."

 

A 1965 ad for James Baldwin's "The Amen Corner."

 

The last show to play the theatre was Milt Larsen's 1965 revue "They Called it Vaudeville." It's one of a number of ads in another thread about the theatre Ken McIntyre started on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.  

 

The cover of the program for "They Called it Vaudeville." It's from the site Quicker Than the Eye.

Closing: The Music Box closed in 1965 after the run of "They Called it Vaudeville."

Status: The building was demolished later in 1965. One of our contributors notes: 

"The roof had collapsed after some heavy rains and the building was in shambles. My theater group, the Los Angeles Youth Theater, scavenged what we could for our theater (the Hollywood
Center Theater on Las Palmas, off Sunset) before the building was demolished. The lot was cleared sometime in October, I believe, to make way for the medical center built there."

The office building on the site dates from 1972.

1915 - A photo of the building that appeared in the December 31 issue of the Hollywood Citizen. The photo appears on the Woman's Club of Hollywood website.

1918 - "A Club sponsored children's Christmas party in 1918 shows them holding pictures of guest Charlie Chaplin." It's a photo from the Woman's Club of Hollywood website.

 

mid-1920s - The Hollywood Children's Chorus. It's a photo by Charles W. Beam in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.  

 

 

 

1934 - A photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

 

 

2019 - The building now on the site. It dates from 1972. That's LaBrea Ave. off to the right. Photo: Google Maps 

More information: See the History of the Club page of the Woman's Club of Hollywood website. And that's about all there is so far.

Of course this was not the Music Box Theatre famously on Hollywood Boulevard in the 20s. That one was later called the Guild, Fox, Pix, Henry Fonda, Music Box at Fonda and now just the Fonda Theatre. Check out the pages on the original Hollywood Music Box Theatre for a history and many, many photos. 

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