It’s a Great Night For Classic Film Fans With a Cause

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More than 2,000 movie buffs crowded into the old Los Angeles Theatre on Broadway last week for a special showing of “Rebel Without a Cause,” which ended the Los Angeles Conservancy’s popular “Last Remaining Seats” summer series.


This year marked the 20th anniversary of the conservancy’s classic film series and was especially poignant since four volunteers who dreamed up the idea for the film series two decades ago and are still volunteering were honored. They are Marcia Hanford, Dick Webber, Rory Cunningham, and Connie Humberger, the conservancy’s volunteer coordinator.


The conservancy tapped one of its board members, Bill Hogan, president of Clarity Image, to transform the once dark and dank theatre into a modern sound stage.


This year’s theme “Lights, Camera, Los Angeles!” was notable for celebrating films set in Los Angeles, including “A Star is Born” and “Chinatown.” The audience was thrilled to listen in as film critic and historian Leonard Maltin conducted on-stage interviews with several “Rebel” cast members, who told their own stories about working with the legendary James Dean.


The program was sponsored by James and Donne Crean, the retired founder and chairman of Fleetwood Enterprises Inc., and his wife, as well as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and Steven Bing. Bank of America donated a grant of $40,000, which will go toward helping with the preservation of the historic theaters on Broadway.




Hollywood’s new W Hotel & Residences, a public-private partnership with the city of Los Angeles, isn’t disclosing yet how much its condos will sell for when they finally hit the market in 2009.


Jeff Cohen, senior vice president of acquisitions and development at Gatehouse Capital, said he wants to redefine the corner of Hollywood and Highland and “bring back Hollywood to what it once was.”


He couldn’t disclose the project’s “high energy” Las Vegas nightclub operator or the celebrity restaurateur either, explaining that the deals are still being negotiated.


Last week, Gatehouse held an event for prospective buyers who wanted to put first-dibs on the property. There are only 12 penthouse units, at 3,000-square-feet per unit, near the rooftop pool. Gatehouse is accepting names for buyers who are required to put down a $50,000 deposit to reserve a unit on the 4.5-acre site.


The 300-room hotel and 143-condo units are in separate buildings connected by a walkway. Each has a pool on the roof and the hotel will have its own custom bar.



Staff reporter Kate Berry can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext 228, or at

[email protected]

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