NEW BELASCO THEATER GHOST!

Where: 1050 S Hill St, Los Angeles (map)
Status: active as entertainment venue

Ghost:

This Belasco Theater, not to be confused with the other Belasco Theater in downtown, was the second Belasco theater. When it opened in 1926, Mr. Belasco moved his productions from his first location at 337 S. Main Street to this grander building. (Incidentally, the former location is also said to be haunted from its later incarnation as "The Follies.") This new theater was built along with (and next door to) the Mayan Theater, and it's old-world Spanish influenced architecture complements (while metaphorically at odds with) the Mayan new-world indigenous inspired design. Additionally, beyond the two cultures at war reflected by the exteriors, inside each building, the opposite ends of the theatrical spectrum were presented. Dramas in the Belasco, and Musicals/Comedies in the Mayan.

For about thirty years, these two theaters operated like downtown's version of "yin" and "yang." Until, this Belasco closed as a entertainment venue in 1952. Ironically, the building was later used for church services, while the Mayan began a sinful life as a porno theater.

It was during this second life (or should we say its resurrection) as a church that stories of a possible ghost began to surface. A former organist for the Metropolitan Community Church, who occupied this theater from the early 1970's to the mid 1980's, has said that members of the congregation often claimed to have heard phantom footsteps coming from the stage, or odd rustling sounds from back stage when the area was apparently empty.

Although, he personally never felt the theater was haunted and had an explanation for these mysterious happenings, his reasoning seemed even more bizarre than an official ghost story.

It was his belief that people actually heard a very elderly lady, who lived under the theater's stage (in what was once the "green room"). The organist assumed she was part of the previous church that had occupied this theater, and his church just inherited her. For a short time, there was an overlap between these two Churches when both operated out of this same building but at different times. This is when he first became aware of her. When the MCC eventually took over, the occasional sightings of her decreased, until she just seem to disappear.

To this day, no one knows her true identity, her connection to the building, or when she left the building (if she did). Perhaps, her spirits still lingers, and perhaps the old woman they thought they saw was never there to begin with

http://www.thebelasco.com/

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.

(to read about another haunted theater in the L.A. area...)

(to read about the ghosts of Los Angeles' other Belasco theater...)

VILLAGE THEATER GHOSTS

WHERE: Westwood Village Theater
(1036 Broxton Ave, Los Angeles) Map
STATUS: First-run theater

The Ghost(s):

"Residual energy" is the term that the ghost-hunting community uses to explain a certain kind of "haunting." The belief is that an intense moment (in a human life) can, whether good or bad, somehow be absorbed (or recorded) by the surrounding environment, and as a result that specific event gets reenacted, over and over, like a scene from a DVD being replayed again and again. In such cases, the spirits seem to have no awareness of the contemporary surroundings, "it" is just doomed to repeat those same actions in a never ending loop.

The Fox Westwood Village Theater (now the Mann Village Theater), built in 1931, is not only one of the best places in the city to experience the magic of the movies (with 1500 seats to choose from), but this monolithic structure that towers over the village may also be one of the best places to experience "residue energy."

Around 10:00am, January 11, 1932, two bandits broke into the lobby with the intention of stealing the theater's weekend receipts. At gun point, they rounded up a janitor, and two delivery men, and mistakenly believing that one of the delivery men was the manager, ordered him to open the safe. When the three hostages eventually convinced the gunmen that they didn't know the combination, they were bound and gagged. The bandits then waited for the real manager to arrive.

As if this attempted robbery wasn't going badly enough, instead of the manager showing up, a police officer wandered in off of the street. A gun-fight erupted, and the officer took two direct hits in the mid-section, and died almost instantly. Outside, a third accomplice (their "get-away driver"), heard the shots and sped away, just as the bandits came running outside (wounded and without the loot). Ironically, the robbery was the driver's idea, and he assured his two buddies it would be extremely quick and easy.

In what turned out to be the unluckiest part of this whole debacle, the officer they had murdered, was an extremely well-beloved detective, who had endeared himself to the Hollywood community when he had (only a couple of years before) walked in on another robbery at the Grauman's Chinese Theater (now the Mann Grauman's Chinese Theater) and apprehended the assailants. As a result of his popularity, many celebrities (including Clark Gable, Tom Mix, and Jimmy Durante) rallied the public against these small time crooks. Thus, after a well publicized man-hunt, capture, and trial, the perpetrators received the death penalty.

Ever since then, every now and then in this historic Westwood landmark, when the theater is "empty," and things are quiet, a member of the staff will hear gunshots, yelling, and commotion coming from the lobby area, as if the events of that day were happening all over again. It seems that even in death those bandits are doomed to repeat the worse day of their lives. Is there a more fitting punishment for their crimes?

http://www.regencymovies.com/main.php?theaterId=27

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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PALACE'S GHOSTS

WHERE: Palace Theater
(630 S Broadway, Los Angeles) Map
STATUS: Dormant

THE GHOST(S):

Although this theater is probably best known as the one Michael Jackson danced in front of in the Thriller video (before he turned into a werewolf), this movie palace has the distinction of being the oldest movie theater in Los Angeles, as in the oldest theater that showed movies. Since the Palace had an earlier life as a vaudeville theater before being converted to a cinema, it is much older than the other theaters that were build to show movies. Because of this little quirk, it was built in an era before amplified sound, so all seats had to be built within eighty feet of the stage (so patrons could hear the live actors), and thus is one of the more intimate movie palaces downtown. Also, because of this earlier life predating the cinemas as we know them today, it also has a dark secret. It is one of the few building still standing that had a segregated “Negroes Only" balcony (later transformed into a "third class" balcony for the poor) with it's own separate entrance from the side alley, making it impossible from someone in that balcony to mingle with anyone else in the theater.

Needless to say, that ominous third balcony is one of the spiritual "hot spots" of this very haunted theater. People, while standing on the stage, have seen "figures" in the darkness standing in, or walking about, the third balcony (when the only door to that level is locked). Additionally, witnesses have claimed to see a woman on stage walking from center stage to the wings (stage right), and disappearing once backstage. She is said to be dressed in a white (very lacy) gown. Her identity is unknown, but she is believed to be a performer from the days of the vaudeville circuit. It should be pointed out, that she always vanishes at the location of a giant electric transformers used to operate the lights. Perhaps these electric-magnetic fields generated affect the ghost. It is also interesting to note, that the cremated remains of two adults and one child were found in a box in the basement level of the theater. Who these people were, their connection to this theater, or why their ashes were placed there is still a mystery. Could it be related to the woman on the stage, or the people in the balcony? We may never know.

http://www.losangelestheatre.com/downtownpalace.html

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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CARTHAY CIRCLE'S GHOST

WHERE: The Carthay Circle
(6316 San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles) Map
STATUS: Domolished

THE GHOST(S):

Outside of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, no other movie palace exemplified the glamour of the Hollywood ideal like the Carthay Circle Theater (opened in 1926). The "Chinese" and the "Circle" were the only two theaters in Southern California to host premieres with the over-the-top fanfare (otherwise only seen in the movies, themselves), featuring red carpets, search lights, and bleachers filled with screaming fans. These two theaters set the standard that award ceremonies desperately try to copy to this day. However, unlike its themed Asian counterpart, the Carthay Circle (so named because of the shape of its auditorium) was pure American, with an Old West inspired decor that continued from its interior to the Gold Rush themed fountain located in the traffic island in front, which by the way, still exists today (despite being a subject of vandalism and hate crimes). But, the most bizarre element of this "Spirit of the American West" theme was the giant custom curtain that paid tribute to the tragic Donner Party, who resorted to cannibalism to survive.

Aside from that graphic depiction of one of the most macabre moments of the Golden State's history, there was something even more surreal behind the curtain. It is said that the ghost of a vaudevillian performer, who died of a heart attack during a floor show on that stage, haunted the backstage area of this famous theater. Now, that the theater has been demolished, and an office building has been erected on that spot, unfortunately there have been no further sightings of a ghost in baggy pants with a seltzer bottle.

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/1158/

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.

(to read about another haunted theater in the L.A. area...)