The Hollywood Bowl formally opened on this date 100 years ago.

The open-air auditorium, constructed in a natural canyon, is immediately recognizable by its iconic band shell, a proscenium of concentric arches. Controversially, in 2004, the original shell, which over the decades had experienced wear from exposure to the elements and accrued acoustical issues, was demolished and replaced by a larger version.

The Hollywood Bowl is the largest natural amphitheater in the United States. The shell is set against the backdrop of the Hollywood Hills, with the landmark Hollywood sign to the northeast. The “bowl” refers to the shape of Bolton Canyon, which serves as a natural amplifier.

Music by Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Rossini opened the venue. But it wasn’t long before the orchestra shared space with actors, orators, dancers, and popular musicians. The Bowl can accommodate an audience of nearly 18,000.

You can learn more about the venue’s history and the shell’s remarkable architects here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Bowl

And here:

https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/about/the-bowl/hollywood-bowl-history

Many of us in other parts of the country got to know this West Coast landmark through its use in dozens of films and television shows, especially cartoons. This is where Bugs Bunny was venerated as “Leopold!” and Tom and Jerry attempted to one-up each other while conducting a feline orchestra.

Glimpse the real deal, in its heyday, in historic footage of some of the greatest classical musicians active in the 1930s. Consult the index below the videos to see Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, Albert Einstein with Artur Rodzinski, Leopold Stokowski, William Grant Still, and Béla Bartók, among others.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Here’s a Hollywood Bowl cartoon from 1938, produced by Walter Lantz (of Woody Woodpecker fame), chockful of caricatures of classic movie actors. I love this sort of thing. The score is by Frank Churchill, indebted to Liszt, Johann Strauss, Mendelssohn, Weber, Beethoven, Schubert and others. Churchill composed many songs and scores for Walt Disney, including “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” and those for “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Dumbo.” Stokowski gets a fair amount of screen time. Definitely check out his introduction, as he charges his fingers at 1:36! Once bandleader Ben Bernie takes over, Fats Waller, Rudy Vallee, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, Fred Astaire, and Martha Raye get their moments to shine.

https://vimeo.com/126713908

Leopold!