The Hollywood Pacific Theatre --now dormant on Hollywood Blvd. The theatre was a major venue for Warner Bros. (they had offices in the building) and had some great years as the Warner Cinerama. The house was draped in 1953 when renovations were done to accommodate the Cinerama screen. The balcony became 2 additional screens in 1978.
click on any of these images to enlarge
A gargoyle on the side of the building. Below left is a view of the west side of the building. Below right is the ceiling of the boxoffice area. Unlike the auditorium, the lobby has been kept in great condition by Pacific Theatres.
One of the two prominent roof signs. Note that the back side of the letters (at right) still say "Warners". The towers were originally used for transmitters for a Warner Bros. owned radio station, KFWB.
More sources for information about the Warner Bros. Hollywood...
The thumbnail images below are generally as they appear for image searches for this theatre on Google Images, Yahoo! or other databases.
Click on the image to see the context in which it appears. We also give you a link to the site itself (or sometimes a specific article) for your further research.
All images are subject to copyright.
California State Library
www.lib.state.ca.us The State Library has some terrific pictures of the Warner Bros/Hollywood Pacific including this nice view of the proscenium and sidewall.
Also in the State Library collection is this view of the balcony soffit and rear of the main floor.
More photos of the Warner in the State Library collection:
Exteriors: exterior | exterior view from corner | 1928 marquee viewLobby: lobby looking to west | secondary stairs to balcony |
Auditorium: sidewall and proscenium -- with a glimpse offstage left | near proscenium at balcony level | rear of main floor | rear of the balcony
Cinema Tour
www.cinematour.com A 2003 lobby ceiling detail by Bob Meza appears on the Cinema Tour page for the Hollywood Pacific. Visit the page for many more photos by Bob and other contributors. full size view
Cinema Treasures
www.cinematreasures.org Here's the Warner (now Hollywood Pacific) in better days.
The photo is featured in an article "The Sleeping Giant of Hollywood" by Michael Zodessy.
Here's an interior shot from the same article showing how the theatre looked prior to draping and tri-plexing.
Cinerama/Top Cities
www.cinerama.topcities.com Here on Roland Lataille's informative site is a reprint from a March 1962 Motion Picture Herald article detailing the Warner's "new look" that was installed in 1961.
A closer view of the "new look" with the flat screen presumably installed in front of the Cinerama screen. This was all removed when the Warner Hollywood started showing Cinerama again in August 1962.
Here's a view of the downstairs lounge, again from the Motion Picture Herald article. Go to this site's Warner Theatre Hollywood page for the full article and larger views of these photos.
A nice postcard on the Cinerama Topcities page showing "Brothers Grimm" on the marquee. This played at the Warner in Cinerama for 28 weeks starting August 1962. full size view
Kencta on Flikr
www.flickr.com/photos/kencta Here's an under balcony view by Kencta of the current look. Browse through his nice lobby shots as well in his Pacific Hollywood set. full size view
Here's a shot of the screen of the downstairs auditorium, also by
Kencta. Note the plasterwork behind the drapes. See his discussion
below the photo about current problems with the building. full size view
Hollywood Photographs
www.hollywoodphotographs.com The Bruce Torrance Hollywood Photograph Collection has numerous photos of the Warner Theatre to browse. See especially an 1934 auditorium view and a 1954 shot looking back toward the center Cinerama projection booth.
Also: 1956 marquee-"7 Wonders"
In 70mm
www.in70mm.com A terrific site concerning all things 70mm. This shot of the Hollywood Pacific lobby in 2004 is in a Digital Symposium article from when the theatre was being used as a test house for digital projection systems. full size image
A view of the downstairs auditorium, from the same article. full size view
Irwin Fletcher on Flikr
flickr.com/photos/22721423@N04 Irwin's Pacific Hollywood set on Flickr includes some lobby ceiling details and this great 2007 shot of the east auditorium upstairs. full size view
Another view of the same auditorium. Yes, the T-bar ceiling's a mess.
L.A. Conservancy
www.laconservancy.org A lobby view showing the main stairs to the balcony on the Conservancy's website. full size image
L.A. Public Library Photo Collection
www.lapl.org Here's an exterior shot in 1930 with the crowd lined up for "Top Speed."
More exterior views in the Library Collection: 1925 construction | 1928 exterior prior to opening | marquee before opening | 1928 marquee - "Glorious Betsy" - opening attraction | crowd for the opening | 1928 exterior - lined up for "Lights of New York" | smoke shop | sidewalk looking west | 1935 marquee - "The Case of the Curious Bride" | 30's street view looking east - with the Iris | similar view - retouched - what's missing?? | 1937 exterior - "The Great Garrick" | 1941 premiere "Meet John Doe" | 1940's vertical - "Warners" | 1943 crowd and troops -"This is the Army" | 40's street view | 1963 marquee - "How the West Was Won" | 1992 riots |
A view of the Warner Bros Theatre's downstairs lounge in 1926 from the library's collection.
Lobby views in the Library Collection: lobby | lobby looking west - 1928 | another lobby view - 1928 | west stairs to balcony - 1928 | drinking fountain and stairs - 1928 | lobby stairs - undated - Ralph Morris |
An auditorium view, also from the LAPL collection. Note the glimpse of the counterweight system T-wall off stage left. This stage backs into a corner so the stage wall we're seeing isn't perpendicular to the proscenium.
A view of the proscenium as seen from the balcony.
More auditorium views from the LAPL: looking across the main floor - 1928 | looking across auditorium -drawing | balcony seating - 1943 | another seat and carpet detail - 1943 | balcony front - 1943 | rear of balcony - 1943 | main floor arches - 1928 | looking toward rear -- house right - from the stage | pit and house right | looking toward rear - center - from stage | column frieze detail - 1943 |
Ken McIntyre on Photobucket
www.photobucket.com Ken McIntyre postings on this site from "The Story of Hollywood - An Illustrated History" by Gregory Paul Williams: 1938 marquee detail | 1941 premiere
Malcolm McDowell.net
www.malcolmmcdowell.net Here's a view of the Warner lobby during the run of "A clockwork Orange" in 1971.
Head to the Pressbook for "A Clockwork Orange" for links to several more photos of exterior and lobby displays.
USC Archives
digarc.usc.edu From the USC archives comes this stunning aerial view. We're looking at illuminated Christmas trees down Hollywood Blvd in December, 1928. full size view
Also in the USC archives: frame of Warner (behind house demolition). The house, a onetime Hollywood tourist attraction, is that of famous painter Paul deLongpre.
Windows Live Search
Here's an interesting image from a Windows Live Search link that was posted on Cinema Treasures by Bway.
Note how the oval auditorium is arranged 45 degrees to the street with the stage (the raised triangular structure at mid-right) backed into a corner of the lot. larger view
Yesterday LA
www.yesterdayla.com "Cinerama Holiday" is playing at the Warner in this postcard view looking east. The theatre at far right is the Iris, later the Fox. full size image
Also on this great site's Hollywood page is a night view during the 1961 premiere for "Back Street" with Susan Hayward and John Gavin. Note that the Cinerama signage has been temporarily removed. full size view
Zilf's Postcards on Flickr
www.flickr.com/photos/zilf Zilf has amassed a wonderful collection of Los Angeles postcards--459 at last count. Here's a 1948 view looking east on Hollywood Blvd. with the Warner on the left. full size view
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