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The Earl Carroll Theater, located at 6230 Sunset Blvd. just off Vine St., opened its doors on December 26, 1938. The glamorous 1,000-seat supper club-theater was designed by Gordon B. Kaufmann, the interior was designed by Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, and it was built at an estimated cost of $500,000. Earl Carroll's theater-restaurant was famed not only for having 'the most beautiful girls in the world' pass through its portals, but also for its lavish musical comedy shows played out on a massive 60-foot-wide double revolving stage and staircase, as well as for swings that could be lowered from the ceiling. The theater was sold in 1948, following the untimely deaths of owner, impresario and showman Earl Carroll, and his constant companion, showgirl Beryl Wallace; both perished in the June 17, 1948 crash of United Airlines Flight 624 at Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania. The theater has continued to operate under different names such as: 'Moulin Rouge' (1950s); 'Hullabaloo' (early 1960s); 'Aquarius Theatre' (late 1960s); and 'Nickelodeon Theater' (1990s), etc. As of September 2007, the City of Los Angeles Historic Preservation Board has worked to assure that the theater, considered to be an important American institution, is protected. Frank Sennes Sr., was a well-known entertainment figure whose lavish production shows entertained millions. In 1953, he opened the Moulin Rouge in Hollywood, which was, at the time, the biggest nightclub, restaurant and showroom in America. Sennes died on February 2, 1993 in a Las Vegas hospital. He was 89 years old. Photograph caption dated April 6, 1960 reads, "Service rewarded - Theater star Louis Prima presents certificate of merit to Mrs. Kate Eisner who with her husband, Stanley, raised more than $1,000 for City of Hope. Award was made at dinner-dance held in Moulin Rouge restaurant." Pictured, left to right are, Jazz singer and wife of Louis Prima, Mrs. Keely Smith; Stanley Eisner, receiving medal; band leader and trumpeter, Prima; and Kate Eisner, wearing her medal.
Prima, Louis,--1910-1978 City of Hope National Medical Center (U.S.) Moulin Rouge (Nightclub : Los Angeles, Calif.) Musicians--United States Band directors Husband and wife Fund raisers (Persons) Award presentations Award winners Awards Dinner parties Women Men Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) Portrait photographs Group portraits
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