I stumbled across this story while looking for something else. Notice that it mentions the Main Street Gym and the Hippodrome. As published in The Times, Oct. 2, 1983.
"Luckily, I [Al Mardo] got a job right away with 'The Six Imperial Dancers' on the Sullivan and Considine circuit. We played Los Angeles in 1912, and stayed at the brand-new St. George Hotel on 3rd Street near Main. The hotel is still there [1983], and if you go around the corner to the Main Street Gym where the boxers train and look up high on the front of the building, you will see stone blocks that say 'Adolphus Theater. Comedy. Music. Drama.' The second time I played there it was called The Hippodrome, but it's all torn down now, except for the stone blocks over the entrance to the Gym."
All confirmed by this blog.
No made up quote from a rewrite man.
So what started out as the Adolphus Theater became the Hippodrome. The theater portion of the Hippodrome [Adolphus Theater] was torn down in the early 1950's to create a parking lot for the newly relocated Main Street Gym, which moved into the building that had adjoined the theater.
Al Mardo has undoubtedly passed away, but at least this little piece of information that was a living memory wasn't lost.
Larry Harnisch. The leading Black Dahlia expert and a collaborator in the 1947project, Harnisch has been a copy editor at The Times since 1988. He has appeared on many TV shows discussing the Dahlia case, notably "James Ellroy's Feast of Death."
Join him for a spin through old Los Angeles in the Mirror's radio car. Keep your eyes open for Mickey Cohen and Tempest Storm. It's quite a ride.
The reporter's badge belonged to Sid Hughes (1908-1958), legendary reporter who worked at nearly every newspaper in Los Angeles.
Let's cut to the chase:
"Luckily, I [Al Mardo] got a job right away with 'The Six Imperial Dancers' on the Sullivan and Considine circuit. We played Los Angeles in 1912, and stayed at the brand-new St. George Hotel on 3rd Street near Main. The hotel is still there [1983], and if you go around the corner to the Main Street Gym where the boxers train and look up high on the front of the building, you will see stone blocks that say 'Adolphus Theater. Comedy. Music. Drama.' The second time I played there it was called The Hippodrome, but it's all torn down now, except for the stone blocks over the entrance to the Gym."
All confirmed by this blog.
No made up quote from a rewrite man.
So what started out as the Adolphus Theater became the Hippodrome. The theater portion of the Hippodrome [Adolphus Theater] was torn down in the early 1950's to create a parking lot for the newly relocated Main Street Gym, which moved into the building that had adjoined the theater.
Al Mardo has undoubtedly passed away, but at least this little piece of information that was a living memory wasn't lost.
Posted by: Phlange Welder | December 30, 2007 at 11:52 AM