Tag Archives: theaters

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Landmark Vista Theatre Turns 100

Posted on October 9, 2023 by lmharnisch

The Vista Theatre in 1951, via Water and Power Associates. The Vista Theatre opened October 9, 1923. Built as an upscale house for smaller studio releases, it remains viable even today, as director Quentin Tarantino restores it. One of the … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: T.L. Tally – L.A.’s Pioneer Film Exhibitor, Part 2

Posted on November 16, 2020 by lmharnisch

“The Great Corbett Fight” at Tally’s theater. Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Former Texan T. L. (Thomas) Tally pioneered early film exhibition practices in the film metropolis of Los Angeles, catering to the needs of his audiences. … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: T.L. Tally – L.A.’s Pioneer Film Exhibitor, Part 1 (Updated)

Posted on November 16, 2020 by lmharnisch

T.L. Tally, Moving Picture World, 1915. Note: This is an encore post from 2017. Los Angeles has stood at the forefront of not only motion picture production, but the fields of exhibition and distribution as well. Former Texan T. L. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Main Street, Mary Mallory, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Mack Sennett, Theater Owner

Posted on January 13, 2020 by lmharnisch

The Woodley Theatre, from Motography, July 14, 1917. Comedy king Mack Sennett recognized the self-promotion power of owning his own movie theater long before film studios owned theater chains or Netflix looked to acquire the Egyptian Theatre. In 1917, savvy … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

October 1947: Firefighter Sits Through Movie With Dead Friend to Avoid Audience Panic

Posted on October 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Moviegoers Walter Saul of Cincinnati and his wife had just settled into their seats for a double feature with his friend Aloysius Bollin and son Joseph … Continue reading →

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Oct. 15, 1907: Fire Threatens Orpheum

Posted on October 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Oct. 15, 1907 Los Angeles On a rainy night in Los Angeles, a fire broke out in the four-story brick office building at 235 S. Spring St. housing the Orpheum Theater and … Continue reading →

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Oct. 14, 1897: ‘La Boheme’ Receives American Premiere in Los Angeles

Posted on October 5, 2018 by lmharnisch

    Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. San Francisco has long claimed the first American performance of Puccini’s “La Boheme” in March 1898 and is given credit for that distinction in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1897, 1947, Comics, Music, Stage, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Hamburger’s Department Store, Arrow Movie Theater

Posted on September 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

A postcard of Hamburger’s Department Store is listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $2.99. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. The classy, oversize May Co. Department Store located at 801 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Aug. 13, 1947: ‘Cuando Lloran los Valientes’

Posted on August 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Imagine my surprise to find that The Times reviewed Mexican movies, usually in critiques signed “G.K.,” who praised this classic of Mexican cinema starring Pedro Infante, … Continue reading →

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July 1, 1947: ‘Mom and Dad’ — Elliot Forbes and Sexploitation in the 1940s

Posted on July 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Well, we know where this story is going. Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. I had never heard of this particular cinematic triumph, but it was apparently a fixture of sexploitation … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

June 21, 1947: ‘The Drunkard,’ L.A.’s Favorite Melodrama

Posted on June 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. In the summer of 1933, expecting nothing but a brief run and modest ticket sales, two theater people from Carmel, Preston Shobe and Galt Bell, hatched … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Stage, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A Theater Rises on Broadway

Posted on June 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 2, 1907 Los Angeles The Hamburger Department Store announces plans for a theater just south of its new building on South Broadway at 8th Street, designed by the architecture firm of … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: T.L. Tally – L.A.’s Pioneer Film Exhibitor, Part 2

Posted on November 20, 2017 by lmharnisch

  “The Great Corbett Fight” at Tally’s theater.   Former Texan T. L. (Thomas) Tally pioneered early film exhibition practices in the film metropolis of Los Angeles, catering to the needs of his audiences. Always enamored with technology, he seemed … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Organist C. Sharp Minor, Major Talent

Posted on October 30, 2017 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Music was an integral part of silent films, giving emotional texture or humorous voice to the films’ precious images. Different types of music and musicians accompanied them: orchestras, bands, photoplayers, pianists and … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: T.L. Tally – L.A.’s Pioneer Film Exhibitor, Part 1 (Updated)

Posted on October 16, 2017 by lmharnisch

T.L. Tally, Moving Picture World, 1915. Los Angeles has stood at the forefront of not only motion picture production, but the fields of exhibition and distribution as well. Former Texan T. L. (Thomas Lincoln) Tally pioneered in these fields, seeming … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Main Street, Mary Mallory, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Inside L.A.’s Movie Palaces

Posted on June 22, 2017 by lmharnisch

Gary Martin, one of the members of the Brain Trust, writes to tell us that the Theatre Historical Society of America will meet in Los Angeles next week and offer tours of many theaters.

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: El Portal Theatre Entertains San Fernando Valley

Posted on October 27, 2014 by lmharnisch

El Portal Theatre, courtesy of Mary Mallory. For the first couple of decades of the twentieth century, construction of a grand, elaborately decorated motion picture theatre in a small town suggested either that the burg was developing rapidly into an … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, Architecture, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Wiltern Theatre Jazzes Up Movie Theater Construction

Posted on May 5, 2014 by lmharnisch

The grand opening of what was then the Warner Western Theater, courtesy of Mary Mallory.     The history of one street corner can often show the growing pains of a burgeoning city. What started out as a rural location … Continue reading →

Posted in 1931, Architecture, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Studio City Revolves Around Movies

Posted on December 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Studio City Theatre, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Celebrities and movies have existed as an integral part of Studio City’s economic life from its very beginning. Established as a motion picture district in 1928, Studio City would see entertainment-related businesses … Continue reading →

Posted in 1938, Film, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, Theaters | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Mason Opera House

Posted on December 21, 2013 by lmharnisch

This program from the Mason Opera House for a 1920 performance of “The Mikado” has been listed on EBay, with bids starting at $5.50. The Mason was one of the leading theaters on Broadway. It was demolished in the 1950s … Continue reading →

Posted in 1920, Architecture, Broadway, Downtown, Food and Drink, Found on EBay, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments