This collection includes approximately 40,000 photographs by commercial photographer Ralph Morris, who worked in the Los Angeles area from 1939-1981. His advertising and industrial clients included department stores, restaurants, the automobile and petroleum industries as well as business executives. Also included is the Luckhaus Studio collection of architecture, fashion, the movie industry, sports and street scenes, images which Morris obtained in 1939. The Earl Carroll Theatre, located at 6230 Sunset Boulevard just off Vine Street, opened its doors on December 26, 1938. The glamorous 1,000-seat supper club-theater was designed by Gordon B. Kaufman, 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 asure that the theater, considered to be an important American institution, is protected. View of a sketch of the Moulin Rouge can be seen as one of the backgrounds at the Earl Carroll Theatre.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
