The Saban Theatre ( ) is a historic theatre in Beverly Hills, California, formerly known as the Fox Wilshire Theater. It is an

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 Unite ...

structure at the southeast corner of

Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles. One of the principal ...

and Hamilton Drive designed by architect S. Charles Lee and is considered a classic

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

landmark. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on .

Location

Located on Wilshire Boulevard, the exterior of the building with its simple Art Deco ornamentation is one of the first buildings seen by pedestrians and drivers entering the eastern boundary of the city of Beverly Hills.

History

The Saban Theatre has been both a significant cultural and architectural landmark for Los Angeles and Beverly Hills since its opening as the Fox Wilshire Theatre on September 19, 1930. It was originally designed with 2500 seats by noted theatre architect S. Charles Lee to be a major film presentation house, even including a stage for

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 ...

acts before the films. Over its 91-year history, the Saban has been the site of numerous film premieres, exclusive first-run film engagements, live concerts and touring Broadway shows. Despite several renovations, the interior remains mostly intact with its columned two-story rotunda lobby, spacious orchestra and balcony level seating for 2,000, and its silver, gold and black proscenium and organ screens. The connection with architect S. Charles Lee, a long-time resident of the city of Beverly Hills, makes the Saban significant also as an example of Lee's transition from the French Regency style of the Tower Theatre and other Los Angeles Theatres to the nascent Art Deco style that would come to dominate movie palace architecture in the 1930s. Opened as the Fox Wilshire Theatre, it was one of

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

's premiere theaters for several decades, serving as a movie palace until a 1981 renovation converted it into a stage venue. It was operated by the Nederlander Organization from 1981 to 1989. The Saban Theater is now regularly used as a live performance venue for comedy, music, television, film shoots, screenings, and community intercultural events such as

PaleyFest The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, dedicated to ...

. Temple of the Arts has owned and operated the theatre since 2005. Sterling Venue Ventures, led by Lance Sterling currently produces over 50 concerts and events at the Saban per year. Notable performers Sterling has brought to the theatre include Marillion,

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

, Burt Bacharach, Frankie Valli, Styx, George Thorogood,

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

, and

Morris Day Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time. Music career Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with Prince. Day and Pri ...

Renaming

In March 2009, owners announced that the Wilshire would be renamed the Saban Theatre in recognition of a $5 million grant from Haim and Cheryl Saban. The funds have been used to further restoration efforts on the orchestra, proscenium and marquee. It also houses programs by Temple of the Arts, which aims to integrate the arts and

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

Preservation

Beverly Hills Performing Arts Center led the movement to have the city of Beverly Hills create a Historic Preservation Ordinance passing the Mills Act, which supports historic theatres. BHPAC secured placement of the venue on The Federal and State Registry of Historic Places and designation of the theatre as a Beverly Hills landmark.

Restoration

BHPAC'S mission was summarized as "Awakening a Sleeping Beauty," engaging design firm Evergreene Architectural Arts, which specializes in historic theatre restoration. Past evergreen projects include Radio City Music Hall, The Metropolitan Opera, Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre, Hollywood's Pantages and Santa Barbara's Granada Theatre. They guided the restoration of the theatre orchestra and proscenium with the help of the archives of renowned theatre architect S. Charles Lee at the UCLA School of Architecture.

Modernization

In conjunction with Sterling Venue Ventures LLC, management began an extensive update of the stage, lighting, and sound systems so that performances of Broadway shows and live concerts could be enhanced. State of the art robotic cameras were also installed to capture live performance in high quality. Sterling Venue Ventures, in addition to updating the space, has also added special private event functionality to the venue to accommodate all types of special events up to 1,800 people.

The Steve Tisch Cinema Center

To reawaken the storied film history of the theatre, philanthropist film producer Steve Tisch gifted the naming rights for the Steve Tisch Cinema Center. This endowment enabled the installation of a state of the art film projection system as the theatre continues to host opening nights for major film festivals and special screenings.

Notable events

Notable events include: * '' The African Queen'' starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn (December 26, 1951) * '' How to Marry a Millionaire'' starring

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

and Lauren Bacall (November 1953) * ''

12 Angry Men ''Twelve Angry Men'' is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a ...

'' starring

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

Lee J. Cobb Lee J. Cobb (born Leo Jacoby; December 8, 1911February 11, 1976) was an American actor, known both for film roles and his work on the Broadway stage. He often played arrogant, intimidating and abrasive characters, but he also acted as respectabl ...

and

Ed Begley Edward James Begley Sr. (March 25, 1901 – April 28, 1970) was an American actor of theatre, radio, film, and television. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' (1962) and ...

(April 10, 1957) * Stevie Nicks's "White Winged Dove" tour (1981), filmed for an HBO special * Los Angeles premiere of Paramount Pictures's ''

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others,G ...

'' (December 11, 2006) * Taping of the Season 1 finale episode "

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

" of the TV series ''

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'' *

Comedy Central Roast ''Comedy Central Roast'' is a series of celebrity roast specials that air on the American television channel Comedy Central. The first official ''Comedy Central Roast'' premiered on August 10, 2003. On average one or two roasts air every year. T ...

of Alec Baldwin (September 15, 2019) Since Sterling Venue Ventures took over management, the Saban has become a dominant force on the LA music scene. Notable events include: * 'LA Comics Support Their Own' a special event featuring

Ray Romano Raymond Albert Romano (born December 21, 1957) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Ray Barone on the CBS sitcom '' Everybody Loves Raymond'', for which he received an Emmy Award, and as t ...

, Brian Regan,

Bill Burr William Frederick Burr (born June 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, filmmaker, and podcaster. He has released multiple stand-up comedy specials, most notably ''Why Do I Do This?'' (2008), ''Let It Go'' (2010), '' You People Are ...

, and

Bob Saget Robert Lane Saget (May 17, 1956 – January 9, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Saget played Danny Tanner on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'' (1987-1995), and reprised the role for its Netflix sequel '' Fulle ...

amongst many other Los Angeles-based comics. * The 26th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards * Star-Studded Tribute to Eddie Money with Sammy Hagar, George Thorogood, Kevin Cronin, James Hatfield, John Waite and more / February 20, 2020 * REO Speedwagon / February 4, 2020 * Styx / January 12, 2020 and January 19, 2019, and January 28, 2018 *

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo ('' née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum al ...

& Neil Giraldo / October 19, 2019 *

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

& Friends / September 10, 2019 *

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet, and actor. He is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Highlights of Garfunkel's solo music career include one top-10 h ...

/ May 9, 2019 * Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul with a special guest appearance by Bruce Springsteen / May 4, 2019 *

Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...

Accompanied by a Symphony Orchestra / March 30, 2019 * Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons February 28 and March 1, 2019 *

/ February 2, 2019 and January 14, 2018 *

/ December 31, 2017

Starlet disappearance (Folklore)

In May 1944, thirteen-year-old Patsy Ruth Brown disappeared after leaving producer

Jack Schwarz Jack Irving Schwarz (December 19, 1896January 6, 1987) was an independent producer of low-budget feature films in the 1940s and 1950s. Early life Jack Schwarz was born in Chicago, the son of Adolph Schwarz, a traveling clothing salesman, and Dora ...

's Fox Wilshire Building penthouse. Schwarz told juvenile officers that Patsy had spent the afternoon in his apartment. That evening he gave her three dollars for a taxi. According to Schwarz, Patsy left in the company of an older girl named O'Hara, whom Patsy had brought with her. Schwarz said that Patsy had begged him numerous times for a role in one of his films. Her only film appearance (uncredited) was in ''Nearly Eighteen'' (1943). A taxi driver who took Patsy to Union Station told the police that Patsy said she was going to San Bernardino to visit her father, an employee of a Barstow, California rock company. However, the taxi driver's tip failed to help police trace the missing girl.

Photo gallery

File:WilshireTheater 04.jpg, Wilshire Theater marquee, 2006 File:WilshireTheater 05.jpg, Northeastern elevation, 2006

References

External links

*
Saban Theatre
on

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BHPACOld Website
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Beverly Hills, California Theatres in Los Angeles County, California Movie palaces Wilshire Boulevard Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California 1930 establishments in California Event venues established in 1930 Theatres completed in 1930 Art Deco architecture in California Cinemas and movie theaters in Los Angeles County, California Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in California