Love that photo!
(I never noticed that sign, either,
E_R.)
I can't quite make out, largely because of the watermark, who's playing at the Palladium across the street, can anyone else?
Maybe...GUS B-VD-A.
SEE THE ANSWER:
HERE!
These opening paragraphs from this L.A. Planning Document mention a few things I didn't know before, like the opening night was a Halloween themed party (I knew it opened on October 31, 1940, but I didn't know it was specifically Halloween themed), so I thought I'd post these paragraphs here.
http://planning.lacity.org/StaffRpt/...um%20Final.pdf
Set in the heart of Hollywood, the Palladium sits on land that was originally part of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation movie studio in an area that was once filled with filmmaking uses. Filmmaking eventually shifted to television and radio production facilities including NBC Radio City, CBS Columbia Square, ABC Studios, and Sunset/Gower Studios. Recreation and entertainment venues quickly populated the area to cater to the needs of the entertainment industry. The Earl Carroll Theatre, Florentine Gardens, Montmarte, Embassy Club, Hollywood Brown Derby, and Hollywood Palladium were prominent destinations for dining, dancing, and entertainment, and became a staple of Hollywood culture. While many of the venues no longer exist, the Hollywood Palladium remains as one of the longest-operating event venues in Los Angeles.
When it opened, the Palladium was a highly anticipated new venue in the lively Hollywood nightclub scene. The club opened on October 31, 1940 with a Halloween themed party with 10,000 guests in attendance including many Hollywood stars such as Mary Astor, Margaret Lindsay, Bill Lundigan, Harold Lloyd, Judy Garland and Bob Hope. Dorothy Lamour and Tommy Dorsey performed the ribbon cutting, and Dorsey, his Orchestra, and an up and coming Frank Sinatra were the opening acts. With its cutting edge design and top performers, the Palladium went on to be the premier showplace during the Big Band era of the 1940's.
Entertainers included Phil Harris, Harry James, Woody Herman, Rosemary Clooney, Peggy Lee, Alice Faye, the Andrews Sisters, Gene Krupa, Kay Kyser, Artie Shaw, Larry Clinton, and Glen Gray. During World War II the venue served to boost the country’s morale and was filled to capacity by soldiers and civilians every night.
In the 1950's with the diminished popularity of Big Bands, the Palladium shifted to host events such as political rallies, charity balls, auto and fashion shows, proms, and concerts. In 1950, the Palladium welcomed an interracial audience for the “King of Vibes” Lionel Hampton and his 21 piece band. Presidents spoke at the venue, including Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 and John F. Kennedy in 1961, and civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was scheduled to receive honors at the Palladium for his Nobel Prize, but the event was cancelled due to bomb threats. In the 1960's, the Lawrence Welk Show filmed there and from 1955-1976 it hosted “Latin Holiday” sponsored by radio personality Chico Sesma featuring the Tito Puente Orchestra and the Joe Loco Orchestra. In the 1970's the venue hosted many rock bands and continued to evolve in the 1980's and 1990's to meet the varying entertainment needs of each generation. Other major events held at the venue include the Grammy and Emmy Awards.
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