2 Rare 1940s Photos of Bangalore’s Opera House & Hollywood City
Two rare photographs of Bangalore (Bengaluru) during the 1940s, when the city was still very much shaped by its British cantonment past. The first photograph shows the elegant Opera House at the junction of Brigade Road and Residency Road. The second records a much less familiar Bangalore landmark, Hollywood City, a popular wartime recreation and sporting venue. Together, they reveal a side of old Bangalore that has almost completely disappeared from the modern city today.
The Opera House was built during the British cantonment era, with reliable historical accounts placing its construction in the 1930s. The building was designed as a substantial entertainment and social venue. Associated with theatrical performances, dances, and other events. It also became an important venue for boxing, a sport that enjoyed remarkable popularity among Bangalore’s British military and civilian population. During WWII, when large numbers of troops were stationed in the city, boxing matches became especially popular.
By the time this photograph was taken, the Opera House had also become a cinema theater. The small display beside the entrance appears to advertise Paris After Dark. A 1943 American wartime drama starring George Sanders, Philip Dorn and Brenda Marshall. The film, produced by 20th Century Fox, dealt with the French Resistance in German-occupied Paris. It is a wonderful detail that helps give the photograph a much more precise wartime context. The picture is not merely an old view of the building, but a snapshot of Bangalore’s entertainment world during the 2nd World War.
The Opera House survived long after the British left India and continued as a cinema before eventually falling into disuse. Its historic building was later restored, and in 2018 it reopened as the Samsung Opera House.
The second photograph takes a look into an even more obscure chapter in Bangalore’s history. Its handwritten caption identifies the location as “Hollywood City, Bangalore.” Historical accounts describe an amusement park being established on the Police Parade grounds during the 2nd World War, while other accounts identify Hollywood City as a major venue for boxing. The photograph itself gives a charming impression of this vanished place.
Did you know – before cricket conquered Bangalore, boxing ruled the city. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Opera House and Hollywood City were among the venues where crowds gathered to watch boxing bouts.
