WHERE: The Alex Theater
216 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale (map)
STATUS: Active (as a legitimate theater, occasional screenings)
GHOST(S):
GHOST(S):
Built in 1925, as a vaudeville house with occasional film screening, this Egyptian/Greek themed theater, after a long life as a movie palace, has changed back into a venue for live theater with occasional film screenings. Likewise the two most commonly told ghost stories (and ghosts that share this space) also reflect that strange dichotomy, where the performing arts and the projected arts share the same stage.
Representing the "live" theater end of the spectrum, an almost archetypal "Woman in White" has been seen in the backstage dressing rooms and basement area. Though, it is often reported that she is wearing a wedding dress (sometimes tattered), and she is thought to be a bride, it is just as likely (given that she haunts the dressing rooms) that she once played a bride on the Alex's stage, or wore a similar costume.
Representing the cinema era of this stage, when shadows danced on the silver screen, is a pair of ghosts (a man and a woman) seen in the seats (from a long ago film audience), noisily chatting with each other (sometimes arguing) in loud, but hushed, tones. When a put-upon (living) patron finally decides to speak up, and tell them to be quiet, the phantom figures disappear. Sometimes the ghostly male becomes confrontational before he vanishes. So, if you happen to be at one of the Alex's many great programs, you might want to think twice before shhhhing that obnoxious couple in front of you.
If you know of another ghost story (or another version of a story mentioned), or if you have personally experienced something strange at this theater, please leave a comment.
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