L.A. Confidential at the Los Angeles Theatre

It only took me about three months to finally get this post done, which is actually pretty good for me these days as I often feel like I’m at least a year behind. No kidding! As part of the LA Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats series, “L.A. Confidential” (1997) played on the big screen at the Los Angeles Theatre in downtown L.A.



From the L.A. Theatre website:

The Los Angeles Theatre was the last and most extravagant of the ornate movie palaces built on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles between 1911 and 1931. Designed by architect S. Charles Lee with a French Baroque-inspired décor, its majestic six-story main lobby and 2,200-seat auditorium of carved plaster ornamentation, mirrors, and cove-lit murals recall the glamorous days of 1930s Hollywood.



The terrazzo floor outside on the street displays a level of craftsmanship one does not typically see anymore:



The inside is jaw-dropping! Opulent and yes, a tad-bit gaudy, it still packs a wallop nearly one hundred years after it first opened for the premiere of Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights” on January 30, 1931.
 


I am obsessed with the fountain area shown below. It took me quite some time to get a decent shot sans cellphone gawkers standing in my way. I don’t mind other people taking photos; just those taking numerous selfies, obliterating this beautiful area with their ego-driven faces snapping shot after shot after shot, hoping to get the perfect image for their social media, proving that they were here.



Before the film started, James Ellroy, author of the book L.A. Confidential, gave a reading from his new book, Red Sheet. Not a fan of LA, he said he only came to the city for three reasons: 1. Where he goes when he is getting a divorce 2. When he has to dry out 3. To make money. His reading of his latest novel was just as I would expect it to be from him: slightly anger, very vulgar, and somewhat hard to follow.



That killer smile of his as he signed my copy of Red Scare. I have been struggling to read through it, as his staccato/machine gun writing style takes a bit to get used to. L.A. Confidential was one of the few times where I would say I prefer the film to the novel. Ellroy has wonderful stories to tell; I’m just not a huge fann of his writing style.



Heading back to the theatre itself, I snapped (what else?!?) a light fixture or two:



The impressive stage curtain:



The detail on the ceiling. Wow. Just wow.



Ellroy spoke for a bit before the film started. He didn’t elaborate, but it was easy to read between the lines that other than the money he was paid for the film rights to his novel,  he was not a fan of the adaptation.



I was pretty excited to see it up on the big screen again, especially in this grand movie palace. The print was muddy and throughout there were focus issues. Despite that, the film was still impressive. Stellar cast, stellar set design, and killer dialogue.



See more Los Angeles Theatre photos at my main website.

Little Miss Sunshine in CA, Pt. 3

Part 3 begins at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles for the main event: The LA Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats showing of James Dean’s “Rebel Without A Cause” (1955). I hadn’t been inside the Orpheum since 2008, and it still looked pretty grand.



To say “they don’t make ’em like they used to” in this case would be a gross understatement. A little bit of history from the Orpheum’s website:

Since its February 15, 1926 opening, the Orpheum has played host to some of the most venerable names in show business – from burlesque queen Sally Rand, a young Judy Garland (as Francis Gumm) and comedian Jack Benny, to jazz greats like Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. The 1960s brought a completely new dimension to the theater – “rock and roll” – with performers such as Little Richard, Aretha Franklin and Little Stevie Wonder.



Imagine this craftsmanship produced for something that will barely be noticed in a darkened theater:





Edward Torres played the organ before the movie began, which definitely added to the experience of a very special evening.



Out in the lobby were Sarah Lann, director of education for the LA Conservancy, Natasha Gregson Wagner, actress and daughter of Natalie Wood, and Christy, aka Little Miss Sunshine, also the President of the James Dean Museum in Fairmount, IN which is the only official Dean museum sanctioned by Dean’s family:



A quick selfie before the film began with Christy and Natasha, who couldn’t have been any sweeter:



Time to turn the lights down!



Before the showing of “Rebel,” film critic Leonard Maltin interviewed (sort of) Natasha.



Leonard did most of the talking, which was unfortunate. Once he let Natasha speak, we got to hear how meaningful this role was and the respect Natalie had for Dean’s talent. They had worked together before in the “I’m a Fool” November 14, 1954 episode of General Electric Theater, which was introduced by Ronald Reagan. 



And then the remaining house lights dimmed and the movie began! While it was amazing to see Sal Mineo, James Dean, and Natalie Wood up on the big screen in a classic movie palace like the Orpheum, it was a bit disappointing that it was a digital projection and the quality of the projection was not all that great. While many details were revealed at that large size, the print seemed a bit muddy and fuzzy, especially considering what the current Blu ray version looks like.



A little Vogue-ing in the theater lobby before we exited:



Outside the theater we all waited for our rides home. Christy is surrounded by Daniella, photographer Taylor Galloway, and Kate Croley:



After a late night chat by the Chateau pool…



Christy and I returned to 67 to order room service, since the dining room was closed for an event held by luxury menswear brand Ermenegildo Zegna.



The big reveal: we each got a sinfully delicious Nutty Chewy Sticky Gooey dessert:


 
…and another round of Garden Gimlets.



What had tasted so delicious and refreshing that afternoon sitting by the pool tasted more like fermented lawn clippings at midnight.



We left them out on the porch until the next morning when the clippings appeared to have congealed.



I got up early to do my laps; as I crossed through the gate to the pool, this cute little tableau was setup outside the bungalows, as part of the Zegna event:



There was also a temporary edicola (newsstand in Italian) by the pool, guarded by two stoic young men who looked like they’d just stepped off the runway:



The edicola was stocked with limited-edition copies of Zegna’s print publication, Top magazine.



Inside the hotel, this was the first time I got to see the new Chateau Marmont photo history wall on the first floor (which features a number of images from my collection!).



It’s pretty amazing to see all of the famous artists and celebrities that have stayed here over the years. A true testament to this Hollywood architectural legend.





This is one of my favorite images, featuring many of the hotel’s employees (some still there, some not):



Before breakfast, a quick selfie from the seventh floor:



My good friend Jorge from San Diego happened to be in LA at the same time, so he joined us for breakfast:



The pancakes were just as delicious and fluffy as I remembered:



Even without its usual pepper crust, the Chateau bacon is second to none:



Jorge joined us on the ride back to San Diego, where we made a detour to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano.



Stay tuned for Part 4!

See more Los Angeles Orpheum Theatre photos at my main website.

Little Miss Sunshine in CA, Pt. 2

Day 2 of Little Miss Sunshine’s CA trip began at the Lafayette Hotel in North Park. We met Christy’s bed-jumping bestie (Marlene) there for breakfast. How they looked when they first met in 2014 at the Chateau Marmont:



12 years later and they’re ready for the next adventure, this time at Beginner’s Diner. Marlene is all about the boozy milkshakes!



The obligatory group selfie with the breakfast bounty:



Since Christy had never been to the Lafayette before, we gave her the grand tour.



I still have yet to swim in this pool.



The 1961 Showalter Fountain on the Indiana University campus was a frequent spot for us to pose, as in this circa 1994 photo:



One of our post-midnight visits to the Fountain included a Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction. Yes, it can happen!



32 years later, Christy still has the urge:



Christy and I bid Marlene “adieu” and then drove to Los Angeles for another big adventure. Literally.



I finally made the trek to the film location used in “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” (1985). While the house is a different color now, it still looked the same. Just without all the tchotchkes.



My outfit was an homage to Pee Wee.



I brought along my NECA action figure for a photo. The next best thing to Pee Wee himself.





Next up: The Buxton Mansion, where Pee Wee confronted Francis on the theft of his precious bike.



How it looks today. The commentary track says that they used a wide-angle lens to make it look bigger; even taking that into consideration, there have obviously been a lot of renovations to the property since 1985.



The next stop was the Chateau Marmont hotel on Sunset Boulevard. This time it was room 67, one I hadn’t stayed in before!



Always a warm welcome.



While I took my obligatory photos of the room, Christy hung out on the balcony and called her mom.



Once done, I joined Christy and took some shots of Monteel Road below from the balcony.



When I tried to get back in, I realized that the latch on the inside had fallen back into place, locking us out of the room. Oops! I tried everything I could to get back in but to no avail.



Christy got a good laugh out of this one. “Why don’t you just call the front desk?” she asked. “Because I don’t want to look stupid,” I replied. Still on the phone, her mom shot back, “Well, ya’ kinda’ are already!” Sad but true! I called the front desk and they were up in a jiffy and all was well. No, I won’t tell you what they said when I asked, “Has this ever happened before?”



Two Christys for the price of one!



We had a view of the pool below, so we headed down for a quick bite and beverage before our evening event began.



Nothing like a Garden Gimlet to take away the embarrassment of being locked out on the balcony. The Chateau’s burger and fries are second to none.



A quick change of clothes and then it was off to the Orpheum Theatre in downtown LA:



As President of the James Dean Museum in Fairmount, Christy had been invited out for the L.A. Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats showing of “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955).



We’ll just leave you here at the entrance until the next installment!



See more of my photography at my main website.