Tuesday, March 22, 2011

It's the Silver Anniversary for the Last Remaining Seats

The Palace Theatre

You know what's the best part of this year's Last Remaining Seats? We're getting the opportunity to spend a couple of hours in the 100-year-old Palace Theatre, and on its 100th birthday no less.

It's the L.A. Conservancy's 25th year of holding this event, and my guess is anyone within distance reading this has taken advantage of this awesome program. (Yeah, I know how stunning the Los Angeles and Orpheum theatres are, but my favorite Last Remaining Seats moment was seeing Bud and Lou in Buck Privates at the Million Dollar a couple of years back. What do you remember most of the last 25 years?) This year we get two chances to visit the Palace Theatre one century after it opened - to the day; there'll be both a matinee and evening screening of Sunset Boulevard on June 26. The Palace isn't a Historic-Cultural Monument, but don't let that stop you from visiting. I was lucky enough to visit the house back in February 2009 as part of a Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation tour. That picture up top - the ceiling mural close-up - is from then. Stopping back at the start of summer will be a treat (and don't even get me started about seeing King Kong at the Los Angeles; how great will that be?). I'm sure you know the drill, but here's the lowdown from the Conservancy:

LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY PRESENTS 25TH ANNUAL LAST REMAINING SEATS

Classic Films and Live Entertainment in the Historic Theatres of Los Angeles

Special Season Includes Bonus Screenings on Palace Theatre’s 100th Birthday

May 25 – June 29, 2011; Tickets on sale March 30 to members, April 13 to general public

LOS ANGELES (March 2, 2011) – The Los Angeles Conservancy has announced the lineup for the twenty-fifth season of Last Remaining Seats, its signature series of classic films and live entertainment in historic theatres. All screenings will take place in the movie palaces of downtown Los Angeles’ Broadway Historic Theatre District.

The 2011 season runs primarily on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. from May 25 through June 29. To celebrate the twenty-fifth year, this season includes a bonus seventh show (two screenings, matinee and evening) at the Palace Theatre on Sunday, June 26, a century to the day after the theatre opened. Los Angeles Conservancy members chose the special screening through a Fan Favorite poll, selecting the 1950 classic Sunset Boulevard. This special bonus event is in conjunction with Bringing Back Broadway’s "Broadway 100," a series of events marking important milestones on Broadway.

Tickets go on sale to Los Angeles Conservancy members at 10 a.m. on March 30 and to the general public at 10 a.m. on April 13, all at www.laconservancy.org. Advance tickets cost $20 ($16 for Conservancy members).

The 2011 schedule appears below. All programs are subject to change; any updates will be posted in the Last Remaining Seats section of our website at www.laconservancy.org.

Wednesday, May 25 – Rear Window (1954) at the Orpheum Theatre (1926)

Thriller starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Thelma Ritter, directed by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Evening host: film critic and historian Leonard Maltin. Pre-show performance by Robert York on the Orpheum's original Mighty Wurlitzer organ. At the beautifully restored Orpheum Theatre, celebrating its 85th birthday this year.

Wednesday, June 1 – The Music Man (1962) at the Los Angeles Theatre (1931)

The Technicolor version of the hit musical, with Robert Preston as con man Harold Hill. Special guest: Co-star Susan Luckey. At the magnificent Los Angeles Theatre, the last and grandest movie palace built on Broadway, celebrating its 80th birthday this year.

Wednesday, June 8 – Captain Blood (1935) at the Million Dollar Theatre (1918)

Swashbuckler that catapulted Errol Flynn to stardom and garnered Academy Award® nominations for Best Picture and Best Director (Michael Curtiz). At the beautiful Million Dollar Theatre, one of the first movie palaces in the U.S.

Wednesday, June 15 – King Kong (1933) at the Los Angeles Theatre

The original, timeless classic tale of beauty and the beast, starring Robert Armstrong and Fay Wray. Special guest: Pauline Wagner, Fay Wray's stunt double in the film.

Wednesday, June 22 – Zoot Suit (1981) at the Million Dollar Theatre

Co-presented with the Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles

Filmed version of the play that made Edward James Olmos a star; based on the Sleepy Lagoon murder trial and Zoot Suit Riots of 1940s Los Angeles.

Sunday, June 26 – Sunset Boulevard (1950) at the Palace Theatre (1911)

Sardonic look at Hollywood starring Gloria Swanson, William Holden, and Nancy Olson; Olson is slated to appear for an interview before either the matinee or evening screening. Voted Fan Favorite film by Los Angeles Conservancy members for this special bonus show celebrating the 25th season of Last Remaining Seats and the 100th birthday of the Palace Theatre, which opened June 26, 1911. Hosted by Fox-11 reporter Tony Valdez.

Wednesday, June 29 – Safety Last! (1923) at the Orpheum Theatre

Masterpiece of silent comedy starring Harold Lloyd, who ends up climbs up the side of a “skyscraper” on Broadway (filmed half a block from where it will be screened). Hosted by Lloyd's granddaughter Suzanne Lloyd; film accompanied live by Robert Israel on the Orpheum’s original Mighty Wurlitzer organ.

For full schedule information, visit http://laconservancy.org/remaining/2011.php4.

About Last Remaining Seats

What began in 1987 as a way to draw attention to Los Angeles’ historic theatres is now a summer tradition. Thousands of people come from all over Southern California, the United States, even other countries, to experience classic films as they were meant to be seen: in beautiful, single-screen theatres filled with fellow fans, and accompanied by vintage short films, onstage interviews, and live performances. For more information, see 25 Years of Last Remaining Seats.

2011 Last Remaining Seats Sponsors (As of March 1, 2011)

Series Star Sponsor: Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Series Supporting Sponsor: Steve Bing. Series Sponsors: NBC Universal; Trina Turk; Valley Economic Development Corporation. Evening Sponsors: Cathy and Steve Needleman; Linda and Jerry Bruckheimer; Warner Bros.; Clifton’s and The Edison; Paramount Pictures and 213 Downtown LA Nightlife; Hugh Hefner. Media Sponsor: Los Angeles Downtown News. VIP Reception Sponsor: Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. Funded in part by: The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission; Los Angeles City Department of Cultural Affairs; The Walt Disney Company.

The Los Angeles Conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization that works through education and advocacy to recognize, preserve, and revitalize the historic architectural and cultural resources of Los Angeles County. What began as a volunteer group in 1978 now has more than 6,000 members, making the Conservancy the largest local organization of its kind in the U.S. For more information, visit www.laconservancy.org.

16 comments:

rudyfan1926 said...

Good to see you back! I hope you will be posting more, I've missed your work!

Steven Keylon said...

Yeah, me too!

Aunt Snow said...

We're going to go to several of the shows, but I am so bummed that we will miss the program at the Palace - we will be out of town that night.

Floyd B. Bariscale said...

I've got my King Kong and Sunset Boulevard tickets.

Unknown said...

I really love your blog!

Lindsay Blake said...

Hi Floyd,
I wanted to let you know that I nominated you for a Stylish Blogger Award today. :) You can check out my post at http://www.iamnotastalker.com/2011/04/05/the-stylish-blogger-award/ for what you will need to do for the award. Please use the Stylish Blogger button that is on my site or elsewhere on the internet in your post.
Keep up the good work! I truly love your blog and all of your fabulous research! :)
- Lindsay Blake

Scatter said...

Ah, I dream of seeing Sunset Blvd and King Kong on the big screen.......have a blast Floyd!

O. noir said...

I just spent the last few days reading every fascinating entry here. Now I'm hungry for more, so I hope you're coming back soon or I might just have to go exploring without you.

Floyd B. Bariscale said...

Thanks, O. Noir. Who knows? I'm tired of being lazy.

B Counter said...

Glad you're on the project again!

More information about the Palace: Palace Theatre


Best Wishes!

Floyd B. Bariscale said...

Thanks a bunch for the link, B Counter.

Diallo said...

So happy to see the blog has had a few posts since I was last year. WISH I'd known about June 26th, I would have extended my LA visit. You really make me miss my city, now that I live in Manhattan. NOT COOL, FLOYD! Love you, man.

Floyd B. Bariscale said...

Diallo, you old dog! Now you're making me miss Manhattan, its Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Paul's Burgers on 2nd Avenue, Jon's Pizzeria on Bleecker, and *ahem* a city with a museum dedicated to its own history.

John Bengtson said...

I have posted a self-guided walking tour of the downtown Los Angeles locations Harold Lloyd used in his 1923 silent classic Safety Last (where he hangs from the hands of a skyscraper clock), along with locations from Lloyd’s climbing stunts in Never Weaken (1921) and Feet First (1930), and behind the scenes images showing how Lloyd staged his famous skyscraper-climbing sequences.

The tour is temporarily posted on the Los Angeles Conservancy home page
http://www.laconservancy.org/

and at my blog
http://silentlocations.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/harold-lloyd-safety-last-downtown-tour/

I am the author of a series of books about Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd, entitled Silent Traces, Silent Echoes, and Silent Visions, respectively. My books examine the locations and historical settings preserved in the background of their classic films, and the changes wrought by the ensuing decades.

My Chaplin book covers the studio in great detail, including shots of how it appears during different movies, and also that map you found at the LAPL.

Thank you for your consideration

John Bengtson

http://SilentLocations.WordPress.com

Steven Keylon said...

Floyd, we're all chomping at the for 231+!!!

and John Bengtson, I just saw your Harold Lloyd tour on the LA Conservancy site, it's absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much for all your work and research.

Brady Westwater said...

You should do a post on BringingBack Broadway's event from 11 AM to 1 PM at the Palace this Saturday, June 25th.

And I am also doing the first two THE LAST BOOKSTORE tours of the secret history of Historic Downtown this weekend and we will be dropping into the Palace, too.

http://historicdowntownlosangeles.blogspot.com/2011/06/guided-tours-of-historic-downtown-los.html