Award Ceremony Itinerary: Movie Premieres and Costumes

Today I continue on with my recommendations for things to do in Los Angeles for Awards Season. If you are in town for Oscar weekend or coming to L.A. for fashion and film, I have a lot of ideas for you. In this post, I tell you where to find movie history in Downtown Los Angeles and let you know how you can see costumes from Oscar-nominated designers.

This post is part of a two-day itinerary for ideas for things to do in Los Angeles for award season. Part one, finding Old Hollywood history in Culver City can be found here.

Los Angeles Conservancy

You can learn about Hollywood history every weekend through the Los Angeles Conservancy’s walking tours. This organization’s mission is to stop important and iconic places from disappearing from Los Angeles’ landscape. Had they been in existence earlier, who knows, Sardi’s, the Brown Derby, and countless other Old Hollywood haunts would still be around.

I recommend the Broadway Theater and Commercial District and Millennium Biltmore tours for those looking to find Oscars and award ceremony history. 

Broadway Theater and Commercial District Tour

It was on Broadway that the first “Hollywood” film premiered. This street was home to the grand movie palaces of the 1920s. Twenty or so years later, many of these theaters were closed when the big blockbuster premieres moved to other places in the city. After decades of abandonment, organizations like the Los Angeles Conservancy saved these theaters from being demolished. It is through them that you get access to these grand relics of movie past by attending a tour or by attending their annual fundraiser, Last Remaining Seats.

The tour

Due to the condition or who has current ownership of the theaters, you never quite know what theaters you are going to see. We were lucky the day I went, as we were able to visit six or seven. The theaters we toured covered the entirety of the theater district, from Broadway and third street at the Million Dollar Theater to Olympic with the Theater at the Ace. My favorite was being able to see inside the Los Angeles Theater. It is very opulent, with beautiful staircases, frescos, and chandeliers. The theater room is gorgeous, but I could have spent all day in the lobby and lower rooms. I could just imagine all of the women dressed for an evening out, reapplying makeup at one of the individual vanities that circled the room. I could imagine the kids playing in the circus-themed room off of the women’s lounge.

Hours, cost, and other information

• Website: Broadway Historic Theater Tour
• Cost: Each tour is $10
  Getting here: The easiest way to get to Pershing Square, the starting point of all the walking tours, is by taking the Red or Purple lines. 

Other ways to see inside Los Angeles’ historic theaters

You are able to get into a select few of these historic theaters for special engagements. The Palace and the Theater at the Ace hold events and concerts throughout the year.

ALOUD!

Library Foundation of Los Angeles’ hosts a series called ALOUD! Although they feel like book release/tour, they produce very thought-provoking discussions. I attended the Just Kids release with Patti Smith and was also treated to a concert. Your ticket comes with a signed copy of the book.

Concerts & events at the Theater at the Ace

The Theater at the Ace is a restoration of the United Artists Theater. This theater was originally built by a company started by Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, and Douglas Fairbanks to get their movies seen without studio control. I have also seen the hilarious Total Forking Shirt Show at the Ace twice. If you have the chance to see events at these this theater, I strongly recommend it. Get to your event early, as seeing the decor is just as worthwhile as seeing the performer.

Secret Movie Club

The Secret Movie Club started as an underground movement to show movies on film. They started with midnight showings at the historic Vista Theater in Los Feliz, and now have their own home in Downtown Los Angeles. From time to time they also show movies at the Million Dollar Theater-where the first Hollywood Premiere happened.

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Related post: Hollywood Bonus Features: Time Travel

Biltmore Hotel Tour (Now the Millennium Biltmore)

The Biltmore Hotel, built in 1923, overlooked a wooded central park. If you enter on South Olive street, you enter what was once the check-in area. This grand lobby featured fountains and ornate wood-carved ceilings. Now it is the perfect place to have high tea— in the Rendezvous Court outside Smeraldi’s, named after the building’s architect. This hotel interior is the perfect blend of Beaux-Arts and Italian Renaissance styles.

Don’t forget to look up inside this hotel. The ceiling of the former entrance hides astrological signs, as do many of the buildings built in Los Angeles at this time. The ceiling murals in the main arcade look like they belong in churches in Italy instead of in the heart of Los Angeles.  

The Biltmore is a storied location. It is, among other things, the last location where the Black Dahlia was last seen alive. The Gallery Bar & Cognac Room, in the heart of the hotel, has a drink that bears her name. I don’t want to give away too many secrets because I recommend you take this tour. However, I want to tie it back to why it belongs in the Academy Awards Itinerary. The Biltmore was where “Oscar” was born. The Academy of Motion Picture Sciences was created in the Crystal Ballroom on the hotel’s lower level. During one of the lunch meetings of the academy at the Biltmore, art director Cedric Gibbons sketched out the iconic statue on a napkin. This hotel also has the location of many Oscar ceremonies and banquets.

Hours, costs, and other information

• Website: Millenium Biltmore walking tour
• Cost: $10
• Tour: Sundays at 1:PM

The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising

The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in DTLA’s Fashion District has a museum with over 10,000 pieces in its collection. From fashion from 1800s France to a massive donation of costume jewelry, the range of objects is vast. If you are a fashion and history lover, you will be interested in the exhibitions at this museum. Annually they hold an exhibit featuring the Oscar nominees for best costume design. The exhibit features those nominees and costumes from films that came out that year.

I have to say that I was amazed by the intricate attention to detail in the costumes on display. I thought details didn’t matter because you aren’t seeing the costumes close up. Before, I thought costumes on the big screen were more shortcuts and illusions. I marveled, pardon the pun, and all of the leatherwork done on Quill and Gammorah’s costumes for Guardians of the Galaxy. This obviously wasn’t what I focused on when I watched the movie. I left the exhibit with a greater appreciation for costume designers.

Hours, costs, and other information.

• Website: http://fidmmuseum.org/exhibitions/upcoming/
• When: Award Season (March through the Oscars)
• Cost: Admission is free and open to the public. 
• Getting there: It is walkable from Pershing Square or by bus lines
  

I hope these last two posts gave you some idea for what to do in Los Angeles for award season. Just an FYI, almost all of these ideas–the Sony tour, Culver City hotel, and the Los Angeles Conservancy Tours can be enjoyed all year round.

Many of you come to Los Angeles to see celebrities. In the next post, I recount all of the places I recommend for seeing celebrities in the wild.

Before you go, this is part of my Historic Saturday in DTLA itinerary. If you want more tips and things to do around this tour, see below.

Historic Saturday in DTLA

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