Warner Grand San Pedro

I wanted to hold off on this post until I could get down to 6th st. in San Pedro and see it again for myself, as I never remembered to take pictures when I hung out on 6th st. as a teenager. Not only does 6th boast the oldest bookstore in Los Angeles (the over 100 year old William's Bookstore) but it's got a heck of a movie palace in the Warner Grand Theater.

The Warner Grand opened January 20, 1931. This picture from the Los Angeles public library archives dates from 1931, how cool! The art deco theater was designed by B. Marcus Priteca, and was described by Jack Warner as the "The Castle of Your dreams". It had two sister theaters, the Warner in Beverly Hills and Huntington Park, but it's the only one still standing. I haven't shown you the inside of one of these palaces yet, if you haven't been in one, they're quite fantastic: 

You have to think of these as the transition between the old nickelodeons and and suburban multiplexes. The nickelodeons were named for their admission price, with Odeon being Greek for a roofed theater. They went hand in hand with the short length film which was the mainstay of early movies. Nickelodeons were often multipurpose places, with those hand crank movies you find at main street Disneyland in the lobby as well as screens for short, silent films. Vaudeville theaters would also show short films. 

We've talked here on the blog about that transition from short films to feature length, Cecil B. Demille's barn on Vine St. Feature length films needed to be presented with the seriousness of Broadway Theater, so these ornate, million dollar palaces were built. The screens were massive, so it could be visible from the back of the balcony. There were fears the audiences wouldn't sit around for two hours in the dark, so the goal was to make patrons as comfortable as possible. 

Part of that legitimization also came in the forming of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the hosting of the Academy Awards. Mary Pickford, who we talked about last time, was one of the founding members of the Academy. As a bonus, before I sign off today, here's Cecil B. Demille's barn being moved to it's current resting spot, near the Hollywood Bowl as part of the Hollywood Heritage Museum.