A Life In The Theater

The Cinerama Dome, Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, Ca.  circa 1980 "The Blue Lagoon" opened there that summer.

Mann's Chinese Theater, Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, Ca. Formally Grauman's Chinese Theater and built in 1927, it was purchased by the Mann Theaters chain in 1973 and maintained the "Mann's" title until 2001 when it returned to the Grauman's name and eventually lost its forecourt box-office.

Lines form in 1981 for the opening of "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

John Huston's "Annie" opened at Mann's Chinese in 1982

A 1981 photo of The HOLLYWOOD THEATER Located on Hollywood Blvd. near Highland in Los Angeles, Ca. It was built in 1938 but was converted to The Guinness World of Records Museum in 1994. Showing movies like "Dragonslayer" certainly couldn't have helped.

"And Now, Here's Something We Hope You Really Like!"

1981 photo of the 15-foot Rocky and Bullwinkle Statue on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles across the street from the Chateau Marmont Hotel.
In a traffic-stopping ceremony featuring actress Jayne Mansfield, the statue was unveiled in 1961 to promote "The Bullwinkle Show." Situated in front of what was then The Jay Ward Studios, the statue rotated on its base and was a witty take-off of the famous billboard of the rotating cowgirl advertising the Las Vegas Sahara Hotel. Located across the street from the Bullwinkle statue, the billboard and its iconic showgirl figurehead served as the cover and chief advertising image both for Gore Vidal's novel "Myra Breckinridge" and the notorious 1970 Raquel Welch film.

Image courtesy of rathausprojects.com

Although not visible in the photo posted below for "Can't Stop The Music," the Bullwinkle statue is located just a few feet beyond the billboard, not far from the Jay Ward store, "The Dudley Do-Right Emporium" which sits in the forefront of the photo. The statue still exists today, although both Jay Ward's studio and the Emporium are gone.

You Actually CAN Stop The Music

Billboard on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles, CA promoting the film, "Can't Stop The Music" 1980

This billboard, promoting the Village People disco-musical "Can't Stop the Music" graced Sunset Blvd near the corner of Laurel Canyon. The billboard itself actually had a traffic-stopping, star-studded, red-carpet, unveiling ceremony on  "Can't Stop The Music Day" (Thank you, mayor Tom Bradley). The red carpet extended from the billboard all the way to the door of the famous Schwab's drugstore.
Long after the movie  - a monumental flop -  had disappeared from theaters, this billboard was still up.
For more info on the making of this memorably bad film, check out the book "Party Animals: A Hollywood Tale of Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll Starring the Fabulous Allan Carr" by Robert Hofler

...From Beautiful Downtown Burbank

The Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Built (or at least opened) in 1928.
The 110-acre backlot makes use of its expansive soundstage walls to promote upcoming releases.

Barham Avenue view of Warners Studio shows the entrance gate that was used in the finale of Mel Brook's "Blazing Saddles"

All photos taken in 1981