Avalon (or Avalon Hollywood) is a historic nightclub in Hollywood, California, located near the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, at 1735 N. Vine Street. It has previously been known as The Hollywood Playhouse, The WPA Federal Theatre, El Capitan Theatre, The Jerry Lewis Theatre, The Hollywood Palace and The Palace. It has a capacity of 1,500, and is located across the street from the Capitol Records Building.
History
The Hollywood Playhouse
Originally known as The Hollywood Playhouse, the theater at 1735 N. Vine opened for the first time on January 24, 1927. It was designed in the Spanish Baroque style by the architectural team of Henry L. Gogerty (1894–1990) and Carl Jules Weyl (1890–1948) in 1926–1927. There was an unrelated, later theater Hollywood Playhouse at 1445 North Las Palmas Avenue.
Federal Theatre Project
During the Great Depression, the Hollywood Theatre operated under the Federal Theatre Project of the Works Progress Administration, and was a venue for government-sponsored theatrical events.
The El Capitan Theatre
In the 1940s, the theatre was renamed The El Capitan Theatre and was used for a long-running live burlesque variety show called Ken Murray's Blackouts.
Also in the 1940s, Bob Hope's NBC radio show originated from the El Capitan.
In the 1950s, still under the name El Capitan, the theatre was converted by NBC into a television studio. It was from a set on its stage that Richard Nixon delivered his famous "Checkers speech" on September 23, 1952. This event is often mistakenly said to have taken place at the El Capitan Theatre on nearby Hollywood Boulevard, though that theater was never a television studio and in 1952 was operating as a movie house called the Paramount Theatre.
The theatre was also home to The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Lawrence Welk Show, Truth or Consequences and This Is Your Life.
The Jerry Lewis Theatre
In 1963 American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television renovated the building, spending $400,000. Jerry Lewis used the theater/radio studio for his weekly Saturday night television program (lasting 13 weeks from September to December 1963), and appropriately renamed the theater The Jerry Lewis Theatre. The stage had an existing rope counterweight fly system. The backstage second floor fly weights are located stage right. Located stage left are the double-load in doors that the stage alley connected and leads to and from Vine Street. All stage scenery was moved in and out of the stage load-in entrance.
Opposite this stage load-in door was the "star dressing room" which was completely rebuilt for Jerry Lewis. The first floor dressing room had a small front bar with a mirrored back bar, an upright piano, and a sofa lounge area. A circular spiral metal stairway led to the second floor, a make-up mirrored counter desk, with a Hollywood bed/couch. The adjacent toilet suite was equipped with a wall mounted telephone for Lewis to conduct business while using the facilities and his make-up area. The front stage apron in front of the proscenium was extended by filling (pouring concrete into) the original orchestra pit. A stage-centered 4' wide concrete camera ramp connected the stage apron with a 6' deep camera aisle against the auditorium back wall. The "level" concrete ramp and stage apron supported the Chapman Crane required for video taping talent and performers.
The TV control booth was situated on the left rear auditorium side facing the stage (which would be camera left). Behind the control booth was the video tape room where Ampex video tape machines were located. A Vine Street access door provided entry and load-in for equipment. In the auditoriums' right side (camera right) the concrete level floor, connecting the apron, was filled in to the back auditorium wall. This became the orchestra/band area. William "Bill" Morris III was the show's art director. He positioned a host platform on the left side stage, which had hydraulic lifts, during the course of Lewis conducting interviews with guests, the "home base" desk seating area could be raised 8 feet above the stage floor.
The balcony audience could view the host and talent and the Chapman Crane Camera could be at eye level with talent. Stage center was reserved as a performance area. New audience seating was located either side of the center camera aisle. The electricians control area was balcony located. ABC completely rewired for all electrical and video and sound equipment and soundproof booths. Offices on the Vine Street front second floor were renovated for the production/Producer's office complex. A staircase entrance located on the front left outdoor lobby led to the second floor offices.