Do you hear that? That is the sound of Hollywood history calling us to the El Capitan Entertainment Centre. The El Capitan Entertainment Centre stands tall a beacon of film and entertainment history. The Walt Disney Company owns this place. It serves as the venue for most of Walt Disney Studios’ film premieres. But the El Capitan Entertainment Centre has a story that stretches back long before Disney.
In the early 1920s, Charles E. Toberman had a vision. He was a real estate developer known as the Father of Hollywood. Toberman imagined a bustling Hollywood theater district. He was involved in many projects. These included the Max Factor Building, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and yes the Hollywood Masonic Temple now known as the El Capitan Entertainment Centre.
Toberman teamed up with Sid Grauman. Together they opened three themed theaters. First was the Egyptian in 1922. Then came the El Capitan in 1926. And finally the Chinese in 1927. The El Capitan first opened on May 3 1926. It was initially called Hollywood’s First Home of Spoken Drama. The opening performance was Charlot’s Revue. It starred Gertrude Lawrence and Jack Buchanan. For a decade the El Capitan presented live theater. Over 120 productions graced its stage. Legends like Clark Gable and Joan Fontaine performed here.
The late 1930s brought economic hardship. The Great Depression affected the El Capitan. There were fewer and fewer productions. Management tried to attract revues road shows and benefits. But business continued to decline. So the El Capitan began showing movies. In 1941 Orson Welles needed a theater. He wanted to screen Citizen Kane. Most theater owners were unwilling to take the risk. The El Capitan stepped up. Citizen Kane had its world premiere here.
Soon after Paramount Pictures purchased the El Capitan. The theater closed for a year for remodeling. It reopened in 1942 as the Hollywood Paramount Theater. The new decor was modern. Curtains covered the original design. The box-seat balconies were removed. The inaugural film was Cecil B. DeMille’s Reap the Wild Wind. The Hollywood Paramount remained the West Coast flagship for Paramount Pictures.
In the late 1980s Disney bought a controlling interest in Pacific Theatres. This led to Buena Vista Theatres and Pacific renovating the El Capitan Theatre. The renovation cost $14 million. They restored much of the original decor. The El Capitan reopened in 1991 with the premiere of The Rocketeer. The restorers of the El Capitan received the 1992 National Preservation Honor Award.
In 1995 after the Northridge earthquake Disney refurbished the theater and the office floors above for $10 million. The El Capitan has a six-story office building. It was built in the 1920s. The exterior is California Churrigueresque style. This is a type of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. Stiles O. Clements designed it. The interior is a mix of styles by G. Albert Lansburgh.
Inside the main auditorium is lavishly East Indian. The lower lobby has an English Tudor style. And the facade is Italian Baroque. The refurbished theater features a large Wurlitzer theatre organ. It was originally installed in San Francisco’s Fox Theatre in 1929. Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio Store is next door. Here you can buy ice cream themed to the film currently playing. The El Capitan Entertainment Centre stands as a testament. It showcases Hollywood’s enduring allure and Disney’s commitment to preserving film history.