Friday, June 22, 2012

A New DCA: Carthay Circle Restaurant



The Carthay Circle Theatre is best known among Disney aficionados as the location of the star studded "Snow White" premiere on December 21, 1937. Riding the peak of her popularity, Shirley Temple attended with her mother, father, and friends.





Comedian Bob Burns is shown here holding one of the dwarfs.



These are some scary looking costumes.



Today, the central icon that towers over the new DCA entrance is a recreation of the original theatre that was demolished in 1969.



Larger than its Orlando counterpart, it's still a bit smaller than the original...but still very impressive!





Let's transition to night, shall we?





What a gorgeous fountain that has been built outside the theatre. I'd hardly call this a mere detail!



The marquee proudly proclaims the grand opening of the restaurant and lounges inside.



Some of my favorite exterior details include these two tile murals:



Griffith Park Observatory can be seen in the background of this one. When viewing these two works of fine art, the original tile entry into DCA is hardly missed.



And the light fixtures...



Oh the beautiful golden glow of the bulbs that evoke an era gone by.



I can't wait for my first opportunity to dine inside; from the reports of friends that have gone inside, the photos alone blew me away.



NEXT UP: Mad T Party! See more Carthay Circle Restaurant photos on my Carthay Circle Restaurant web page.

2 comments:

Douglas McEwan said...

How lovely to have a replica of the Carthay Circle Theter back with us after all these years. I always wondered at the original's failure. I assume it was due to its location, on Wilshire, no where near Hollywood or Westwood, where most of the big First-Run and Limited-Release hard-ticket theaters in LA are. But I could certainly be wrong.

I only saw one movie in the real Carthay Circle, but it was a memorable day indeed. I was 7, and my entire family went to see Mike Todd's Around the World in 80 Days there, a gorgeous, huge-screen movie in a gorgeous show-palace of a theater. Nice to sort-of have it back.

Connie Moreno said...

I'm right there with you, Dave.As soon as I get a job, I'm going to celebrate THERE!