City Lights 1930 1931 1932 next previous
City Lights Clippings 188/387
Los Angeles Evening Express, L. A., Cal., February 3, 1931.
Los Angeles Theater, exterior by night, marquee
OPENING TO NIGHT WORLD PREMIERE CHARLIE
CHAPLIN IN „CITY LIGHTS“ ALSO BIG STAGE
PRESENTATION,“ Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 1931, press clipping,
Roy Export Company, detail
& „CITY LIGHTS“
LOS ANGELES THEATRE
(Reviewed Jan. 31)
For one reason and another I cannot take seriously the
premiere of a Chaplin picture that took two years
to make just because it opened a two million dollar theatre
and blocked traffic for three hours, causing movie
to walk six blocks to get there on time. This glamour and wah
wah removes or adds nothing to the fact that „City
Lights“ is a sad let down of the Chaplin genius. If this is lese
majesty or whatever you call it when the flunkey
makes faces at the king then so be it. (...)
Ted Price.
(...) Inside Facts of Stage and Screen, L. A., Feb. 7, 1931
& Angry Crowd Mocks Celebs at Film Debut
By Rosalind Shaffer
(Chicago Tribune Press Services.)
HOLLYWOOD, Cal. – (Special) – The Hollywood ermine
coat brigade, which knows of poverty mainly through
relatives, and revolutions only as they have been penned
for the screen by such colorful authors as Madame
Glyn, got a real jolt recently at the opening of Charles Chaplin‘s
new film, „City Lights,“ in the new Los Angeles theater.
Long before the darlings of fortune began arriving in their
limousines a huge crowd had gathered. The many
elaborate floral pieces standing in the lobby of the new theater,
to be opened for the first time that night, were enough
to attract a crowd, especially the sort of crowd that came
on that night.
Wreaths of the most expensive flowers, gardenias,
camellias, orchids, roses and many of the lesser
sort stood on their wire stands, some being frames for elaborate
paintings given the new theater by local business
houses. The total result was one of extravagance, splendor
and an unseemly display of luxury, in view of the fact
that many in the crowd of thousands outside the lobby were
obviously hungry and jobless men.
This crowd was not like that at the usual Hollywood
opening – well dressed, well fed and consisting
mainly of curious tourists, families here to see the sights.
This was an ominous and angry crowd.
* *
No Holiday Mood.
When the limousines began arriving the police found that
the crowd was in no holiday mood, but surly and resentful.
Windows of adjacent shops were broken. In spite of a steady
downpour of rain the murmuring masses continued
to crowd the thoroughfare and refused to give place to arriving
guests on foot or in motors. One jostler picked Cecil B.
de Mille‘s pocket of $120 cash and a gold engraved bill clip
as he fought an entrance into the theater for the women
of his party.
On several occasions the crowd began yelling and broke
through the ropes. When the writer entered the theater
the entrance was so crowded that only a narrow footpath
remained for entering guests. The crowd surged
forward, thrusting ahead of it the heavy metal spotlights that
move on rollers and for a few moments it began to look
as if the snappy epitaph on this correspondent‘s tombstone
was going to be „Put Out by a Light.“
A heroic pair of light men came to the aid of the helpless
police and with main strength wrestled the lights back
in the face of the mob. Outside sirens blew and an extra
detachment of police arrived with tear bombs
to subdue the mob.
Rocks began flying and Mrs. Joe Blair, wife of a local
news correspondent, was struck on the head, though
not seriously hurt. Others not identified in the crowd were also
struck. If one were young and beautiful enough,
one could imagine the feelings of Marie Antoniette after her
her unfortunate remark about the hungry mob eating
cake if it had no bread.
* *
Back to the Louis.
By a strange coincidence the interior of the new theater
was ornamented in the elaborate rococo style
characteristic of the period of the late Louis in France.
A huge crystal fountain, wall paintings of the
Dresden sort with cherubs, shepherds and shepherdesses
in court dress, gold scroll work and satin brocaded
panelings in rose color ornamented the foyer.
The picture stars entering were as gorgeously dressed
and as frank in the exposure of their charms as any
lady of the court of Louis Quince. Ermine coats blossomed
on every hand. One local writer remarked it would
be better to exhibit the stars at openings behind a glass
window; then one ermine coat could be used by all,
effecting a tremendous saving.
Seats sold for enormous figures. In the top row of the
second gallery where the press was ignominiously
seated seats sold for ten dollars. That is, they were given
away for ten dollars to a few, but the press sat
in the gallery. The theater upstairs was sparsely filled. There
is irony in this, for Chaplin, an avowed bolshevik
in every sense but the financial one, had his opening as the
subject for the biggest theater holdup on seat prices
ever seen at a Hollywood premiere. This, too, after Chaplin‘s
announcement that his film would be shown all over
the country at popular prices so that even poor people could
witness his matchless mirth.
* *
Chaplin Takes Bow.
Following the picture, his first silent film released in more
than two years, Chaplin rose at the behest of Conrad
Nagel and took a bow, as did the much amused Dr. Albert
Einstein and Frau Einstein of Germany, who were
Chaplin‘s guests.
(...) Chicago Tribune, Feb. 15, 1931
„New attendance records are being hung up daily“
Editorial content. „Charlie Sets New Record
WITH Charlie Chaplin in City Lights now running on a
continuous schedule at the new Los Angeles Theater,
Broadway, between Sixth and Seventh streets, new attendance
records are being hung up daily, it is declared by
Resident Manager Robert Gumbiner.
Although the much-discussed nondialogue production has
been showing but a few days since its gala premiere
last Friday night, more persons have already viewed the picture
at the Los Angeles than usually witness a first run of
an average-quality screen entertainment anywhere in this city.
Because City Lights is the first big production to be
filmed without dialogue since the advent of talkies, unusual
interest is evidenced in the picture by members of
the motion picture profession and students of the theater.“
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.
Redaktioneller Inhalt
City Lights 1930 1931 1932 next previous
