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.

The Trouble with Amtrak

The Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (aka LA Union Station) opened in May 1939 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Here’s how it looked in January 1964.



Oh, to know where that Gruen clock ended up!



Union Station is still there, still looking good — even though the world around it has changed quite a bit.



Last weekend for my trip to the Hollywood Heritage Museum, I decided to skip the traffic and the headache of driving and travel by train instead. Unfortunately, I can’t say that Amtrak was worth the switch. A round trip from San Diego to LA is $70; even with the price of gas these days, traveling by train is more expensive than driving. But wait…there’s more. 



While taking pretty photos of Union Station was a definite plus for traveling by train, my trip cost had to factor in another $70 for round trip via Lyft from Union Station to the Heritage Museum in Hollywood.



Who knew that sustainability was so much more expensive?



To make matters worse, my train from San Diego to Los Angeles ended up being almost an hour late that day, which cut into my already short amount of time to spend at the museum. AND my time to take photos. You know it’s a bad day when I only take five photos of an architectural treasure!



At least the train home was on schedule, allowing me to make my San Diego photo shoot on time.



What I was able to trade in stress for traffic was replaced by the stress as to whether Amtrak would pull through on time, making the stress factor a wash. Another negative about traveling by Amtrak is the train schedule itself, with trains running approximately every 2 hours. Yes, I understand they are trying to minimize their costs by not having empty trains, but it sure does not add a convenience factor for those trying to avoid twiddling their thumbs in between trains. On the day I traveled, they ended up canceling a few of their scheduled routes, which does not instill confidence that Amtrak is going to perform when they say they are. Although Amtrak’s text to passengers said that they can make up for the lost time, my train did not. Leading to another mystery…how is it that cars in traffic (visible from the train window) are able to go faster than a train that has the track to itself?

C’mon Amtrak; help a brother out! I want to ditch the car but you don’t make it easy.

See more L.A. Union Station photos at my main website.

Tick Tock Tea Room and The Rocketeer

Previously I have shown a linen postcard of The Tick Tock Tea Room on 1716 N. Cahuenga in Hollywood, which closed back in 1988. Today I am able to display a vintage color image of the exterior from December 1950. I love being able to upgrade! Maybe one day I'll be able to find a nighttime image of this Gruen Clock with the neon lit. A guy can dream.



You can read more about the Tick Tock at this blog.



Today marks the 23rd Anniversary of the Disney Cult Classic, "The Rocketeer," which is a personal favorite of mine.



Seems like only yesterday I was watching this movie for the very first time from the balcony of the El Capitan in Hollywood for its 20th Anniversary.



In attendance were director Joe Johnston, the ageless Billy Campbell, and makeup wizard Rick Baker:



Afterwards, attendees walked over to the Hollywood Museum (formerly the Max Factor Building) where they could see original costumes and props from the film.



The instantly recognizable Rocketeer jacket and helmet that Billy Campbell wore:



And Campbell himself:



See more Daveland Rocketeer photos at my main website.