Mayfair Music Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mayfair Music Hall |
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| Built | 1911 |
| Architect | Henry C. Hollwedel |
| Official name: Mayfair Theatre | |
| Designated | 11 July 1994 |
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The Mayfair Music Hall was a special theater in Santa Monica, California. It was designed to look like an old English music hall. These halls were popular places for entertainment. The Mayfair Music Hall featured many different kinds of acts, like vaudeville shows.
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Early Days of the Theater
The building was first built in 1913. It was designed by an architect named Henry C. Hollwedel. At first, it was called the Santa Monica Opera House. Soon after, its name changed to the Majestic Theater.
In its early years, the Majestic Theater showed silent movies. It also hosted vaudeville acts. Vaudeville was a type of show with many different performers. You might see singers, dancers, comedians, and even magicians all in one show!
When movies started having sound in the late 1920s, the theater was updated. It was also modernized again in the 1960s.
Becoming the Mayfair Music Hall
In 1972, a man named Milt Larsen worked with John Shrum and Thomas Heric. They decided to change the theater into a Victorian music hall. This meant making it look like theaters from the Victorian era, which was a long time ago.
They put on British-style variety shows there for eight years. These shows had many different kinds of performers, just like old music halls.
Famous Performers and Shows
Milt Larsen's shows at the Mayfair Music Hall featured many talented people. Some famous actors and performers included Bernard Fox, Beatrice Kay, and Eubie Blake. Toni Kaye, a dancer from The Carol Burnett Show, also performed there.
Later, the theater became home to other TV shows. These included Chicago's Second City Television and The A-List.
Mayfair Music Hall in Movies and TV
The Mayfair Music Hall was a popular spot for filming movies and TV shows.
In 1974, a famous scene from the movie Young Frankenstein was filmed there. This was the "Puttin' on the Ritz" song and dance scene. Also in 1974, parts of the TV movie "Backlash of the Hunter" were filmed at the Mayfair. This movie was the pilot for the popular TV series "The Rockford Files".
In 1976, the theater was used for the TV film Sherlock Holmes in New York. It pretended to be a New York theater in the movie.
The End of the Mayfair Music Hall
Sadly, the theater was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. After the earthquake, the owner removed all the fancy decorations inside. The building was finally torn down in 2010.
- Young Frankenstein Final Production Notes, 20th Century-Fox, 1974.
