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There are a lot of ways to visit the historic district featured in the book. The Los Angeles Conservancy and L.A. Historic Theatre Foundation both offer walking tours. Every summer, the theaters open their doors for the Last Remaining Seats film series. A lot of them also take part in the annual Night on Broadway street festival, which brings huge crowds of visitors downtown.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of other websites, films, and books to explore:

WEBSITES:

• Cinema Treasures
  A detailed reference site about nearly 45,000 theaters around the world. Its listings range from long-demolished palaces to modern multiplexes. The site includes news, visitor information, historic photographs, and more.

• Historic Los Angeles Theaters
  A site specific to the L.A. historic theater district. It provides a detailed breakdown of the theaters, including which ones are open to the public, which ones are doing special events, and more.

• Los Angeles Public Library
  One of the best places to learn about L.A. history. The library’s photo collection is fascinating, and it’s just one of many resources available to the public.

• KCET: Lost L.A.
  This series features L.A.’s hidden past. It is produced by USC Libraries and the local PBS affiliate.

• Wikipedia: L.A.’s Broadway Theater District
  This page gives a nice history of the area, along with links to other theater districts across the United States.

• The surviving theaters’ official pages include:
  • Million Dollar Theatre
  • Los Angeles Theatre
  • Orpheum Theatre
  • Theatre at Ace Hotel (a.k.a. United Artists Theatre)

FILMS:

• Sunset Boulevard (1950)
  This film is such a classic that it needs no introduction. It paints a dark but witty picture of 1950’s Hollywood, and Gloria Swanson is brilliant as a washed-up movie star. A lot of other Hollywood royalty make cameo appearances, from Cecil B. DeMille to Buster Keaton to Hedda Hopper to many others in between.

• Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
  Another classic film about Hollywood, this time in musical-comedy form. It portrays the time when vaudeville and silent films went extinct. It’s commonly considered one of the greatest musicals ever made, and it includes one of the most famous song-and-dance numbers ever put on film.

• Mildred Pierce (1945 feature and 2011 miniseries)
  James M. Cain’s novel (which is listed below) spawned two award-winning films. The 1945 version starred Joan Crawford, and it was basically a film noir. The 2011 version starred Kate Winslet, and it focused on domestic drama. The two films are very different, but they’re both excellent, and they paint fascinating portraits of mid-century Los Angeles.

BOOKS:

• Berger, Robert and Anne Conser. Cinema Treasures: A New Look at Classic Movie Theaters. St. Paul: MBI, 2004.
  A well-researched and thoroughly-illustrated book about classic theaters. A must-read for anyone who is interested in the subject.

• Berger, Robert and Anne Conser. The Last Remaining Seats: Movie Palaces of Tinseltown. Los Angeles: Balcony, 1999.
  This book is specific to L.A.’s historic theaters. Its real strength is in its gorgeous photography and the way it brings these theaters to life.

• Cooper, Suzanne Tarbell. Theatres in Los Angeles. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia, 2008.
  Part of the Images of America series, this book is full of great historic photographs.

• Cain, James M. Mildred Pierce. New York: Knopf, 1941.
  This novel chronicles a headstrong single mother’s struggle to survive. It paints a vivid picture of L.A. in 1930’s, which was in many ways an inspiration for Picture Palace. The book was adapted twice into award-winning films (listed above).

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