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City Lights Clippings 173/387

Jimmy Starr, Los Angeles Evening Express, L. A., Cal., Jan. 31, 1931.

Los Angeles Theatre, exterior by night, marquee

Opening To Night World Premiere Charlie Chaplin

in „City Lights“ Also Big Stage Presentation,

Los Angeles, 1931

& Los Angeles Theatre, auditorium with screen, Los Angeles,

undated, Big Orange Landmarks

„Charley Chaplin proved that silent is golden – in his case“

Editorial content. „,City Lights‘ Proves Chaplin Still

      Greatest of Comedians

      Beautiful ,Los Angeles‘ Theater Has

      Brilliant World Premiere

      CIVIC, SOCIAL AND CINEMA NOTABLES

      ATTEND EN MASSE

      By JIMMY STARR.

      Motion Picture Editor,

      DOORS leading to great beauty and much laughter

      thrown open to the public last night.

      The event was the world premiere of Charley Chaplin

      in ,City Lights‘ and the formal opening of H. L.

      Gumbiner‘s most lavish contribution to the entertainment

      loving public – , The Los Angeles,‘ one of the

      most beautiful and elaborate theaters in the world.“ (...)

      „Chaplin‘s comedy

      EQUAL in interest is the nondialogue Charlie Chaplin

comedy, City Lights.

      The entire movie industry and the great multitude of film

fans have been anxiously awaiting this production,

made talkless but containing synchronized music and sound

effects.“ (...)

      „Chaplin, staunch advocate of perfectly timed pantomime,

show his disdain for dialogue by literally putting an

audience of over 2000 persons into no mild case of hysterics.

      The master comic has won his point – as far as

he is concerned. He is probably the only fun artiste with genius

enough to succeed in such a daring venture.

      My congratulations, Charley!“ (...)

      „Last nights premiere was a brilliant affair... hundreds

of lovely women gowned in fashion‘s latest... men

looking very smart in expertly tailored formal attire – all

paying tribute to the Los Angeles Theater.

      And Charley Chaplin proved that silent is golden –

in his case.“

     The world premiere of City Lights takes place in Los Angeles

      January 30, 1931 at the Los Angeles Theatre.

      Los Angeles Theatre, 615 South Broadway (between

      6th and 7th Streets), Los Angeles.

      City Lights opens in New York February 6, 1931

      at the Cohan Theatre.

      George M. Cohan Theatre, 1482 Broadway (between

      42nd and 43rd Streets), New York.

      Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation about the Los

      Angeles theatre opening night:

      „The theatre was built in less than six months. In August

      of 1930 there was only an excavated hole in the

      ground, and in January of 1931 the theatre had its grand

      opening. Lee (architect S. Charles Lee) speeded

      construction by having the plaster ornamentation fabricated

      off-site and then brought to the building and fit

      together like a jigsaw puzzle. Most other theatres of the day

      had their decorative plaster molded and finished

      in place, with artisans working on scaffolding. As opening day

      approached the Depression deepened and

      Gumbiner (entrepreneur and film exhibitor H. L. Gumbiner)

      began to run out of money. Like all theatres,

      his Tower and Cameo theatres were not generating the

      income they had in the twenties. Gumbiner had

      already contracted with Charlie Chaplin to open his new

      theatre with the premiere of Chaplin's City Lights.

      It is said that Chaplin invested his own money to finish

      the theatre in time for his film's premiere. Some

      extra features were eliminated in the name of saving money

      including a music room off the basement lounge,

      an infirmary, and two other periscope projection systems

      for the music room and the outside lobby.

      Opening night was a glittering affair, with Chaplin

      in attendance, scores of dignitaries, and

      even Albert Einstein. Outside, a crowd estimated at over

      25,000 thronged Broadway to get a glimpse

      of the celebrities. The Depression brought a tinge of irony

      to this celebration of sumptuous luxury,

      as part of the crowd outside waited in a bread line

      across the street. Gumbiner was justifiably

      proud of his new theatre, and unintentionally angered

      Chaplin when he interrupted the showing

      of City Lights to point out some of the beautiful features

      of the auditorium. The two men had very different

      emotions that night as Chaplin waited anxiously to gauge

      the audience's reaction to his new silent film

      with recorded sound accompaniment, and Gumbiner

      reveled in the audience's awe and delight

      in his new movie palace.“

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