The Alex Theatre is a landmark located at 216 North Brand Boulevard in
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It is currently owned by the city of Glendale and operated by Glendale Arts. The theater’s capacity is 1,400.
Architecture
The Alex Theatre originally opened in 1925 as the Alexander Theatre,
and was designed by architects Arthur G. Lindley and Charles R. Selkirk Associates,
although at least one written source attributes it to the architectural firm of
Meyer & Holler
Meyer & Holler was an architecture firm based in Los Angeles, California, noted for its opulent commercial buildings and movie theatres, including Grauman’s Chinese and Egyptian theatres, built during the 1920s. Meyer & Holler was also known as ...
.
Lindley & Selkirk Associates also designed the
Hotel Glendale. The unique interior has distinct
neo-classic Greek and Egyptian architectural elements, similar to the Greco-Egyptian period of
Ptolemaic Egypt. A long walkway and courtyard separating the ticket booth from the lobby was inspired after the famous
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre
Grauman's Egyptian Theatre is a historic movie theater
A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater ...
in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
.
In 1940, notable theater architect
S. Charles Lee
S. Charles Lee (September 5, 1899 - January 27, 1990) was an American architect recognized as one of the most prolific and distinguished motion picture theater designers on the West Coast.
Life
Early life
Simeon Charles Levi was born in Chicag ...
was commissioned to redesign the exterior of the ''Alexander''.
Lee's portfolio included the
Tower Theatre and the
Los Angeles Theatre
The Los Angeles Theatre is a 2,000-seat historic movie palace at 615 S. Broadway in the historic Broadway Theater District in Downtown Los Angeles.
History
This Los Angeles Theatre was constructed in late 1930 and early 1931. It was commissioned b ...
, both in
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...
, the Academy Theatre in
Inglewood, as well as the Tujunga Theatre in
Tujunga. His contributions included a
art-deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the United ...
column with neon lights, topped by a spiked, neon sphere that gave it a starburst appearance. A neon, angled marquee emblazoned the theater's new name, the Alex, which was shortened to fit the larger letters. At this time the two-story retail and office building on the south half of the forecourt lot was demolished.
History
The Alexander officially opened its doors on September 4, 1925. It was operated by the West Coast-Langley Theatre Circuit and featured
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
performances, plays and
silent movies
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
on a single screen. It was named after Alexander Langley, the son of Claude L. Langley, owner of the West Coast chain that included the Raymond Theater in
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
Its ...
, and the Orange Theatre in the city of
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
. In addition to the lavish architecture, a huge
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
pipe organ was installed. A regular organist supplied improvised
accompaniment
Accompaniment is the musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in different genres and styles ...
during the silent picture era.
Located only a few miles from
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's Hyperion studio, the theater was Disney's favorite place to preview his cartoons to see how they would play to audiences. Several movies had their preview screening at ''The Alex'', inviting celebrities such as
Alice Faye
Alice Faye (born Alice Jeanne Leppert; May 5, 1915 – May 9, 1998) was an American actress and singer. A musical star of 20th Century-Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Faye starred in such films as ''On the Avenue'' (1937) and ''Alexander's Ragtime B ...
,
Don Ameche
Don Ameche (; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which l ...
,
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...
for ''
National Velvet
''National Velvet'' is a novel by Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), first published in 1935. It was illustrated by Laurian Jones, Bagnold's daughter, who was born in 1921.
Plot summary
''National Velvet'' is the story of a 14-year-old girl named ...
'' and
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
for ''
Going My Way
''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest ta ...
'' (both 1944). A backstage fire on August 23, 1948 caused $150,000 in damages.
Starting in the 1950s, the ''Alex'' showed blockbuster films such as ''
Ben-Hur'' (1959) and ''
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' is a 1984 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise, and a prequel to the 1981 film ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'', fea ...
'' (1984). A wide
aspect ratio screen was installed in 1954, to accommodate the new
CinemaScope
CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...
pictures, along with a
surround sound
Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to sur ...
system.
The ''Alex'' underwent an extensive renovation in 1993, which restored much of the original wall-painting and decorations, as well as the neon spire added by S. Charles Lee.
The Alex today
The Alex Theatre Performing Arts and Entertainment Center has been the centerpiece of Glendale's arts, culture and community events since it originally opened. It is managed by Glendale Arts, anon-profit organization. The theater's diverse schedule boasts roughly 250 events per year and attracts more than 100,000 patrons annually. Programs range from classical and contemporary concerts, theatre, dance, comedy, fundraising and special events as well as TV and film productions and industry related award presentations. The Alex was the venue in 2017 for the finale of
RuPaul's Drag Race (season 9)
The ninth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' began airing on March 24, 2017, on VH1. The returning judges included RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews and Carson Kressley. Fourteen drag queens (including one returnee) competed for the title of " ...
. And in the summer of 2019, the NBC comedy competition series
Bring the Funny
''Bring the Funny'' is an American comedy competition series that aired on NBC from July 9 to September 17, 2019.
Hosted by comedian Amanda Seales, the series features various comedy acts performing in front of an audience for a chance to win $2 ...
used the Alex Theatre as the venue for the final two episodes of its first season.
Resident companies include the Alex Film Society, Glendale Youth Orchestra, Musical Theatre Guild, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
See also
*
Glendale Register of Historic Resources and Historic Districts
*
List of National Historic Landmarks by state
The United States National Historic Landmark Program is designed to recognize and honor the nation's cultural and historical heritage. The program was formally inaugurated with a series of listings on October 9, 1960; as of August 21, 2020, there ...
*
List of threatened historic sites in the United States
This article provides a List of threatened historic sites in the United States. A site is deemed historic if it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places or an official State or Local landmark list. While there are many historic ...
*
History of the National Register of Historic Places
The history of the National Register of Historic Places began in 1966 when the United States government passed the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), which created the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Upon its inception, the U. ...
External links
The Alex Theatre online
The Alex Film Society
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in California
Cinemas and movie theaters in Los Angeles County, California
Buildings and structures in Glendale, California
Theatres in Los Angeles County, California
Concert halls in California
Music venues in Los Angeles
Towers in California
Cinema of Southern California
Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California
National Register of Historic Places in the San Fernando Valley
Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in California
Theatres completed in 1925
1925 establishments in California
Tourist attractions in Glendale, California
Art Deco architecture in California
1925 establishments in the United States