The Hollywood Pantages Theatre: Ghosts Behind the Curtain

A Palace Built for the Golden Age

The Hollywood Pantages Theatre opened on June 4, 1930, at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue. Designed by architect B. Marcus Priteca in the Art Deco style, it was one of the last great movie palaces built in America. The theater was constructed for Alexander Pantages, a Greek-American entrepreneur who had built a vaudeville empire spanning dozens of theaters across North America. The Pantages screened major studio films and featured live vaudeville acts between showings, making it one of Hollywood Boulevard's premier entertainment destinations during a decade when the street rivaled Broadway. The theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.

Howard Hughes Takes the Stage (1949–1954)

In 1949, Howard Hughes — the eccentric aviator, filmmaker, and billionaire — purchased RKO Studios and assumed ownership of the Pantages Theatre as part of the deal. Hughes set up offices on the theater's second floor and became deeply involved in its operations. He invited the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to hold the Oscars at the Pantages from 1950 through 1959, giving the theater a place in cinematic history. Hughes, known for his extreme eccentricities and reclusive tendencies, reportedly spent long hours alone in the theater watching rehearsals from the balcony. After selling RKO in the mid-1950s, he retreated entirely from public life. Today, theater staff report seeing a tall, thin figure in the executive offices and upper balcony matching Hughes' description. The smell of cigarette smoke — which Hughes famously despised in others — reportedly precedes his apparition.

The Woman Who Never Left the Mezzanine (1932)

According to theater staff and management, the Pantages' most persistent haunting began in 1932 when a female patron died in the mezzanine during a live stage performance. The woman had reportedly harbored deep ambitions to be a singer herself. Shortly after her death, staff began hearing the sound of a woman singing in the theater when it was empty and dark. The phenomena continued for decades. In a widely reported incident in 1994, during a live production, a microphone picked up what sounded like a woman's voice singing along with the cast — from a part of the theater that was empty. The recording is referenced in Britannica's coverage of Hollywood ghost stories.

Alexander Pantages: The Gentleman Guide

Alexander Pantages himself — who died in 1936 — is said to remain a benevolent presence in the theater he built. In one frequently cited account documented by the LA Ghost Tour, a wardrobe crew member working alone in the dark auditorium after hours stumbled and lost her bearings in the blackness when the emergency lights failed. An unseen hand took her elbow and guided her, firmly but gently, to the exit door. When she turned to thank whoever had helped her, no one was there. Witnesses have reported this type of guiding presence — typically associated with Pantages — during moments of confusion or distress in the theater.

Ongoing Activity

The Pantages remains an active, world-class performing arts venue today, hosting Broadway touring productions and major concerts. Staff report that paranormal activity escalated significantly after vandals broke into the theater in 1990 and damaged the upper balcony area. Recurring phenomena include flickering lights, unexplained footsteps in empty aisles, phantom applause, and cold drafts in sealed spaces. The theater's dressing rooms and second floor offices are considered the most active areas. The Britannica blog on haunted Hollywood ranks the Pantages among the city's most reliably documented sites for paranormal activity.