A Tale of Two Capitans

The name “El Capitan” was used at different times for two different theatres at two different locations. It must have been a coveted name to have earned that distinction! In the first photo for today’s post from March 2002, we see what is the commonly known Hollywood Boulevard location. Edited from the El Capitan website:

1926: Dubbed "Hollywood's First Home of Spoken Drama" the El Capitan Theatre made its debut as the largest legitimate theatre in Hollywood on On May 3, 1926. Stars filled the 1,550 seat theatre for the premiere of the fresh-from-Broadway play CHARLOT'S REVUE, starring Jack Buchanan, Gertrude Lawrence and Beatrice Lillie.

1941: Business was faltering, and the theater then began showing movies. On May 8, 1941, Orson Welles premiered his first feature, and very controversial, film “Citizen Kane,” at the El Capitan Theatre. Welles was unable to locate a theater owner willing to risk screening his film so he turned to the El Capitan.



1942: The theater closed for a two month renovation and reopened in March 1942 as the Hollywood Paramount (it had been purchased by Paramount Pictures), a new, streamlined "art moderne" first run movie house. Its inaugural film presentation was Cecil B. DeMille's “Reap the Wild Wind.”

1989: The Walt Disney Company joined forces with Pacific Theatres and launched a two-year, remodel of the El Capitan Theatre. The remodel was led by renowned theatre designer Joseph J. Musil with the supervision of the National Park Service's Department of the Interior, and guidance from conservator Martin Weil and architect Ed Fields.

1991: The theatre reopened its doors to the public on June 19, 1991 for the world premiere of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE ROCKETEER.



In 2011, the 20th anniversary of the film, “The Rocketeer” was shown again at the El Capitan, with leading man Billy Campbell in attendance. I was there, too.



This vintage 1946 shot shows the OTHER El Capitan, just a few blocks away on Vine Street.



Originally known as The Hollywood Playhouse, it was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style by the architectural firm of Gogarty and Weyl. During the Great Depression, the theatre was renamed The WPA Federal Theatre (after the Works Progress Administration), and used for government-sponsored programs. Later, the theatre hosted many CBS Radio Network programs, including Fanny Brice’s “Baby Snooks” show and Lucille Ball’s “My Favorite Husband” program (the precursor to “I Love Lucy”). In the 1940s, it was renamed The El Capitan Theatre, and used for a long-running live burlesque variety show called Ken Murray's Blackouts.



In the 1950s, the theatre became a television studio and it was from a set on its stage that Richard Nixon delivered his famous “Checkers speech” on September 23, 1952. This event is often mistakenly said (especially on the Internet) to have taken place at the other El Capitan. The theater was also home to The Colgate Comedy Hour, the Lawrence Welk Show, and This is Your Life. In 1963, ABC television used the theater for Jerry Lewis’ weekly TV program, and renamed it The Jerry Lewis Theatre. After the cancellation of Lewis’ show, ABC renamed the building the Hollywood Palace and launched The Hollywood Palace, a variety series which had guests such as Judy Garland (below in 1965), Groucho Marx, and Louis Armstrong.



The program was successful and continued for seven years until 1970, after which ABC continued to use the building as a studio for occasional broadcasts. In 1978, ABC sold the theatre to private businessman Dennis Lidtke, who restored it and reopened it four years later with an abridged name, The Palace. It can be seen in the film “Against All Odds.” The punk band The Ramones played their 2263rd and final show here on August 6th 1996. It was recorded for Billboard live for the album We’re Outta Here. The building was purchased by Hollywood Entertainment Partners in September 2002 and renamed The Avalon. Here’s how it currently looks:



A December 2014 shot of the other El Capitan:



See more vintage and contemporary Hollywood photos at my main website.

Stooges Sunday: Micro-Phonies

While their seemingly low-brow physical comedy may not appeal to cinema snobs, The Three Stooges still rank high as a Daveland favorite, especially thanks to the genius of Curly Howard. Today, I pay homage to one of my favorite Stooge shorts, “Micro-Phonies,” released November 15, 1945. Shot in only four days, it was filmed not long after Curly had suffered a stroke.



BEWARE PLOT SPOILERS! The film begins with The Stooges horsing around on the job at a recording studio. Moe hits his head on the radiator and when he comes to, hears “the voice of an angel.” 



The angel is none other than frequent Stooge costar, Christine McIntyre as Alice Andrews. Yes, that is her gorgeous voice trilling away to “Voices of Spring” by Johann Strauss.



She is recording it as a surprise to snag a job without her father knowing. Convoluted, but go with it. Meanwhile, The Stooges get into an altercation with an Italian violin playing grump, Signor Spumoni (Gino Carrado). They escape back into the recording studio and start clowning around at the mic. Larry puts on Alice’s record and Curly begins to lip-sync to it.



Moe and Shemp take the cloth and fruit basket off the piano and adorn Curly while he continues to mime to Alice’s record.



Rich society matron Mrs. Bixby (Symona Boniface, another frequent Stooges costar) “hears” Curly singing and assumes that he/she is the new voice she came to audition for her radio program. She is impressed and whips out the contract for “Senorita Cucaracha” to sign. Mrs. Bixby also invites them to perform at a party she is giving that evening.



Larry and Moe dress up in tuxes, taking on the identities of Signor Mucho and Signor Gusto. In all Stooges comedies, the names of the characters, products, etc. are part of the gag.



Alice and her father (Sam Flint) just happen to be at the same party and she recognizes The Stooges from earlier in the day.



The guests look forward to hearing Senorita Cucaracha. Seated on the couch at left is Bess Flowers, known as the “Queen of the Extras,” who bears the distinction of appearing in the most films nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.



Planning to lip sync again, The Stooges settle on “Sextet from Lucy” (actually Lucia di Lammermoor, by Gaetano Donizetti).



See the guy at the piano?



He’s silent screen comic Chester Conklin, seen below in Charlie Chaplin’s final silent film, “Modern Times” (1936).



Signor Spumoni is also at the party and decides to spoil the fun for The Stooges. He pulls the plug on Mrs. Bixby’s record player.



“What is it,” asks a concerned Mrs. Bixby, “laryngitis?” “No,” replies Moe, “fallen arches.”



Alice confronts the trio and asks them to perform again, but to her voice this time, as she wants to impress her father and Mrs. Bixby without them knowing who it is.



Alice again sings “Voices of Spring” from behind the curtain…



and Senorita Cucaracha lips syncs to the impressed society guests, especially Mrs. Bixby and Alice’s father who bemoans, “If only Alice could sing like that!”



Signor Spumoni figures out what is going on when Alice accidentally hits him through the curtain. He reveals the trickery once again.



Alice ends up getting Mrs. Bixby’s job, but The Stooges get a stack of records tossed at them as they make a hasty retreat. THE END!



Regular readers of my blog will recall the post about Shirley Temple lip syncing to “The Sextet from Lucia di Lammermoor” in “Captain January” nine years before The Stooges did (ably assisted by Guy Kibbee and Slim Summerville). The difference is that Shirley and crew were just having fun; they weren’t attempting to fool anyone.



The ultimate lip-synch gag came in 1952 with “Singin’ in the Rain,” when Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) did the honors for the shrill Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen).



See “Micro-Phonies” for yourself!



See more photos at my main website.

Vintage Pool Days

While the rest of the country is thinking of Fall, Southern Californians are sweating their #$%es off in record temperature heat. How about a dip in the pool to counter that? These first two images show starlets Mari Blanchard and Lori Wilson at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel pool, circa 1953.



The shot below shows the El Mirador Hotel pool. From the vintage caption (sorry, part of it is missing, so there are a few missing words):

PLAY TIME…For Betty Furness and Isabell Jewell, both Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer featured players…on the diving board at the swimming pool at the El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs. Miss Furness having completed her movie, “The Kid From College” is enjoying a …December 13, 1934



The two actresses starred together in “Shadow of a Doubt,” released February 15, 1935, and yes, it was an MGM production. I could find nothing on “The Kid From College.”

Just make sure you don’t stay in the pool too long, or you could end up like William Holden in “Sunset Boulevard” (1950).



See more photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: All Dolled Up

For her 1934 starring vehicle, “Bright Eyes,” Shirley Temple’s character got to dress up in over-sized adult clothes and parade around as if she was an elegant society lady. Here is candid shot of Shirley with director David Butler, in between takes at the Pasadena location for this scene. The accompanying publicity blurb:

WHAT, NO LOLLIPOP? —Shirley Temple is positive Director David Butler will buy her that chocolate lollipop now she’s donned a feathered hat and long dress. The dimpled starlet plays at being grown-up for a scene in Fox film’s “Bright Eyes,” in which she is featured with James Dunn.

Little Shirley patiently awaits her next scene:



SMALL GIRL. IN A BIG CHAIR — Shirley Temple takes a few moments off for rest in Director David Butler’s set chair. Butler is directing Shirley in his own story, “Bright Eyes,” which will be her last picture for 1934.



In the scene, Shirley pushes a baby carriage around the property with her doll. Below is a screenshot of the house that was used for exterior locations:



How that house looks today:



Jane Withers and Shirley pushed their baby carriages up that very same driveway ninety years ago!



Shirley’s character was kind and loving to her little dolly, whereas Jane Withers’ bratty counterpart constantly swatted hers. Hey Jane, careful — that’s a very valuable Lenci doll!



You can see tensions boiling between the two; who is going to get to keep the dolls once the filming is done?



Named “Pinkie,” the 37” tall Lenci doll began the worldwide tidal wave of dolls gifted to Shirley in real life. From her autobiography Child Star:

For props we were each issued a doll, mine modest and frumpy, befitting my role, and hers a giant glorious Lenci from Italy with dangling blond curls and exquisitely costumed in ruffles and a velvet bonnet garlanded with lifelike flowers. Following her stage role, Withers became possessive, denying me even a peek, clutching it and turning away. Ultimately it developed into a quiet offstage competition for something she really did want, but I did not. Toward the end of “Bright Eyes,” Sheehan caught wind of the doll competition and offered Mother the Lenci doll in order to gain her cooperation on some other minor matter. Believing I really coveted it, Mother acepted his bribe, thinking perhaps to employ the doll in some secondary inducement with me. Her hope vanished when Sheehan publicly announced that I was starting a doll collection with the Lenci as my first. This action was tantamount to removing a finger from the dike. From all over the box-office world a thousand dolls of every type and nationality flooded in. In fact, the concept of a collection of anything beyond slingshots had no appeal whatsoever. It was a Pyrrhic victory; winning the Withers war imposed the unwelcome burden of becoming curator for an unwanted collection. 

Below is a photo I shot when the doll came up for auction in 2015.



Pinkie had a place of prominence in Shirley’s Santa Monica bedroom (photo below).



Sorry, Jane - you shouldn’t have messed with Shirley.



Shirley and Jane Withers’ December 1976 reunion at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel was captured by the photographers. Note that Shirley is covering Pinkie in the photo in her left hand. Why stir up old wounds? Always the diplomat!



In a quieter moment, you can just hear Shirley: “Really Jane, if you hadn’t been such a pill, you could have had the darn doll for yourself!”



This darling costume also graced the cover of one of Saalfield’s many 1930s Shirley Temple publications:



In 2003, the Danbury Mint released a limited edition porcelain doll of Shirley recreating the same scene (minus the carriage) in honor of Shirley’s 75th birthday:



Sorry, Jane - you weren’t part of that tribute, either!

See more Shirley Temple in “Bright Eyes” photos at my main website.