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| Hollywood Beacons in the Night | Hollywood Beacons in the Night |
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| LOS ANGELES — They survived the Great Depression, when tickets cost a dime. Neither earthquake nor greedy developer has been able to topple them. Over the decades, they have endured the rise of the VCR and the indignity of showing “Cats.” | LOS ANGELES — They survived the Great Depression, when tickets cost a dime. Neither earthquake nor greedy developer has been able to topple them. Over the decades, they have endured the rise of the VCR and the indignity of showing “Cats.” |
| But the coronavirus pandemic — so far — has outmatched the remaining movie palaces of Los Angeles, at least one of which, the 93-year-old Chinese Theater, with its towering red columns and swashbuckling copper pagoda, stands as a global symbol of Hollywood. | But the coronavirus pandemic — so far — has outmatched the remaining movie palaces of Los Angeles, at least one of which, the 93-year-old Chinese Theater, with its towering red columns and swashbuckling copper pagoda, stands as a global symbol of Hollywood. |
| All have been closed for more than a month, along with every other movie theater in the United States: 5,548 cinemas sitting eerily vacant, with only guesses (June? July? August?) as to when projectors might flicker back to life. | All have been closed for more than a month, along with every other movie theater in the United States: 5,548 cinemas sitting eerily vacant, with only guesses (June? July? August?) as to when projectors might flicker back to life. |
| Hollywood still believes in the magic of watching movies in the dark with strangers. | Hollywood still believes in the magic of watching movies in the dark with strangers. |
| “Communal experience is part of who we are as human beings,” said Thomas E. Rothman, chairman of Sony’s film division. “It’s primal. And people are going to come out on the other side of this with a greater appreciation for it. I am unwavering on this.” | “Communal experience is part of who we are as human beings,” said Thomas E. Rothman, chairman of Sony’s film division. “It’s primal. And people are going to come out on the other side of this with a greater appreciation for it. I am unwavering on this.” |
| We shall see. | We shall see. |
| In the meantime, vintage theaters across Los Angeles — marquee-bearing monuments to the romance of the movies — await their fate in silence. A few stand as hardened survivors of upheavals past, having turned to live music to pay the bills when cinema would not. Some seem fragile, bundled up against an unseen menace. Others are defiant: Go ahead and try to dim me. | In the meantime, vintage theaters across Los Angeles — marquee-bearing monuments to the romance of the movies — await their fate in silence. A few stand as hardened survivors of upheavals past, having turned to live music to pay the bills when cinema would not. Some seem fragile, bundled up against an unseen menace. Others are defiant: Go ahead and try to dim me. |
| A dewy-eyed tramp (Charlie Chaplin) fell in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) on the night the Los Angeles Theater opened in 1931. Hosting the premiere of “City Lights” was an appropriate initiation for the Los Angeles, which was designed to drip sophistication: French Baroque architecture, a Versailles-esque mirrored lobby, blue neon floor lights. The theater, like the nearby Orpheum, which has a Beaux-Arts facade, still plays the occasional film but has mostly become a concert venue. | A dewy-eyed tramp (Charlie Chaplin) fell in love with a blind flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) on the night the Los Angeles Theater opened in 1931. Hosting the premiere of “City Lights” was an appropriate initiation for the Los Angeles, which was designed to drip sophistication: French Baroque architecture, a Versailles-esque mirrored lobby, blue neon floor lights. The theater, like the nearby Orpheum, which has a Beaux-Arts facade, still plays the occasional film but has mostly become a concert venue. |
| Built in 1963, when cinema owners worried that TV sets would make theaters irrelevant, the 800-seat Cinerama Dome has an 86-foot-long, deeply curved screen — enough to fill your peripheral vision. The theater, which squats on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood, is usually a madhouse. It hosts red-carpet premieres and specializes in blockbusters. | Built in 1963, when cinema owners worried that TV sets would make theaters irrelevant, the 800-seat Cinerama Dome has an 86-foot-long, deeply curved screen — enough to fill your peripheral vision. The theater, which squats on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood, is usually a madhouse. It hosts red-carpet premieres and specializes in blockbusters. |
| The poor Wiltern has had a harder life. | The poor Wiltern has had a harder life. |
| It opened to moviegoers in 1931 as the Warner Brothers Western Theater and spent its early years as a Hollywood postcard: Clark Gable and Joan Crawford arriving for premieres, searchlights stabbing the sky from the terrazzo entryway. But new owners — renaming it the Wiltern, a portmanteau of the streets it faces (Wilshire and Western in what is now Koreatown) — failed to maintain its blue-green facade and ornate Art Deco interior. | It opened to moviegoers in 1931 as the Warner Brothers Western Theater and spent its early years as a Hollywood postcard: Clark Gable and Joan Crawford arriving for premieres, searchlights stabbing the sky from the terrazzo entryway. But new owners — renaming it the Wiltern, a portmanteau of the streets it faces (Wilshire and Western in what is now Koreatown) — failed to maintain its blue-green facade and ornate Art Deco interior. |
| It was almost demolished twice in the 1970s. It was refurbished in the 1980s and now hosts indie rock bands. | It was almost demolished twice in the 1970s. It was refurbished in the 1980s and now hosts indie rock bands. |
| The long-defunct Crest — the Majestic Crest, as it was formally called — haunts Westwood Village, almost like a scene from a noir film. Not alive. But not quite dead. Waiting for someone to turn back time. The University of California, Los Angeles, bought the 79-year-old Crest in 2018 with funding from Susan Bay Nimoy in honor of her husband, the actor Leonard Nimoy, who died in 2015. The university hopes to reopen the theater in 2022 as a performing arts space. | The long-defunct Crest — the Majestic Crest, as it was formally called — haunts Westwood Village, almost like a scene from a noir film. Not alive. But not quite dead. Waiting for someone to turn back time. The University of California, Los Angeles, bought the 79-year-old Crest in 2018 with funding from Susan Bay Nimoy in honor of her husband, the actor Leonard Nimoy, who died in 2015. The university hopes to reopen the theater in 2022 as a performing arts space. |
| Along the famed Sunset Strip, the marquee of the Roxy music club borrowed a message from the movies. “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me,” as Susan Sarandon lustfully sings in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975), was rewritten for the coronavirus age. | Along the famed Sunset Strip, the marquee of the Roxy music club borrowed a message from the movies. “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me,” as Susan Sarandon lustfully sings in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975), was rewritten for the coronavirus age. |
| Similar handiwork on theater marquees elsewhere include “No Close Encounters of Any Kind” and “We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat.” | Similar handiwork on theater marquees elsewhere include “No Close Encounters of Any Kind” and “We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat.” |
| Quentin Tarantino bought the Beverly in 2007 to save it from bulldozers. Since then, the 225-seat theater has become an essential outpost for cinephiles, showing classics — “The Bitter Tea of General Yen,” a Barbara Stanwyck vehicle from 1933, was a recent offering — and the occasional new release. Mr. Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” had 55 consecutive sold-out screenings last summer. | Quentin Tarantino bought the Beverly in 2007 to save it from bulldozers. Since then, the 225-seat theater has become an essential outpost for cinephiles, showing classics — “The Bitter Tea of General Yen,” a Barbara Stanwyck vehicle from 1933, was a recent offering — and the occasional new release. Mr. Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” had 55 consecutive sold-out screenings last summer. |
| Other time machines in the area include the 163-seat Fairfax, which reopened in December after being closed for two years; it previously showed silent films and had sofas for seats. | Other time machines in the area include the 163-seat Fairfax, which reopened in December after being closed for two years; it previously showed silent films and had sofas for seats. |
| Updated June 12, 2020 | |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. | The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing. |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| Foreign films and documentaries are specialties at the Music Hall, which traded hands last year. It opened in 1937. | Foreign films and documentaries are specialties at the Music Hall, which traded hands last year. It opened in 1937. |
| We miss you, too. The Hayworth’s decades-long career as a movie house ended in 1985, when it was showing classics. “The taping of old movies off television killed me,” the owner at the time, Tom Cooper, told The Los Angeles Times. Named after Rita Hayworth, the theater hosted an evangelical church for a while. Most recently, it has been a comedy clubhouse. | We miss you, too. The Hayworth’s decades-long career as a movie house ended in 1985, when it was showing classics. “The taping of old movies off television killed me,” the owner at the time, Tom Cooper, told The Los Angeles Times. Named after Rita Hayworth, the theater hosted an evangelical church for a while. Most recently, it has been a comedy clubhouse. |
| That leaves the grande dame of Los Angeles cinemas, the TCL Chinese Theater Imax (to use its decidedly unglamorous formal name, born of a branding deal). Tourists typically clog its courtyard, where the handprints of Hollywood legends are preserved in concrete. | That leaves the grande dame of Los Angeles cinemas, the TCL Chinese Theater Imax (to use its decidedly unglamorous formal name, born of a branding deal). Tourists typically clog its courtyard, where the handprints of Hollywood legends are preserved in concrete. |
| The 932-seat Chinese, which opened in 1927 with Cecil B. DeMille’s “The King of Kings,” remains Hollywood’s pre-eminent premiere venue. It’s where “Star Wars” fans camp out overnight every time a new installment arrives. It’s where models in bikinis danced atop muscle cars to signify the arrival of “Furious 7.” | The 932-seat Chinese, which opened in 1927 with Cecil B. DeMille’s “The King of Kings,” remains Hollywood’s pre-eminent premiere venue. It’s where “Star Wars” fans camp out overnight every time a new installment arrives. It’s where models in bikinis danced atop muscle cars to signify the arrival of “Furious 7.” |
| It’s where, for more than nine decades, movies have entertained, educated and inspired. And where, some day, they will again. | It’s where, for more than nine decades, movies have entertained, educated and inspired. And where, some day, they will again. |