Los Angeles Temple Changing the World

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The Los Angeles Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was announced in 1937 and dedicated in 1956 by President David O. McKay, (19 years to build). The Los Angeles Temple is a very special place for members in Southern California and helped changed temple work forever. The long process of building the Los Angeles Temple had an unintended consequence, the time it took to build the Los Angeles Temple opened the door to a new idea on how to build more temples, making temples accessible to more people throughout the world. While building the Los Angeles temple an idea was formulated which changed temple work forever. The man with the idea was named Harold W. Burton, his idea was to change endowment ceremony from a live endowment to a video recording. This idea changed the temple endowment forever, making more accessible for people throughout the world.

To set the stage for the change, Los Angeles California is the movie capital of the world. Even before the Los Angeles Temple was built LA was a booming Hollywood landscape. Los Angeles, California has been known for their movie and TV production since the early 1900's, when Nester Studios established Hollywood in 1911. This brought many production companies out to Los Angeles because of it's favorable climate and escaping the patent restrictions on the East Coast. Los Angeles started a new world of film and in 1937 came the announcement of the Los Angeles Temple was to be built on a hill on Santa Monica Boulevard the Saints were thrilled.

1937, was the beginning of some of the most difficult years the world had ever seen. The beginning of World War II was 1939, with Hitlers invasion of Poland. The world was in unrest and this slowed the process of building the Los Angeles Temple. The production of the world changed and supplies were hard to come by. Building the Los Angeles Temple was a very slow process and the Lord uses patience and time to teach and build His people. An old proverb says "Necessity is the mother of invention". Seeing how slowly the progress of the Los Angeles could have sparked the thought that changed it all from Brother Burton.

Harold W. Burton was a member of the Church of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was working as a contractor on the Los Angeles Temple. Harold was a very talented person and had worked in the film for a decade earlier. With his background in film, connected with his skill in architecture he was led to propose an idea to the leaders of the Church of changing the endowment from a live endowment to film. Harold believed this was a possible way to make the temples smaller without diminishing their effectiveness. Harold said that "if the first four Temple Ordinance Rooms could be combined and with a picture projection substituted for a mural paintings to create a proper setting pertaining to the Creation, the Garden, and the World, very substantial reduction in the size of the Temple could be effected."

At the time there were 8 temples built in the whole world: four pioneer temples in Utah, a temple in Hawaii, Alberta, Mesa, and Idaho Falls. This new idea paved the way for smaller sized temples, with smaller temples the Church would be able to build more temples and giving more members access to the Temple blessings throughout the world.

While this idea was being discussed President David O. McKay announced the first temple "overseas", the Switzerland Temple, in 1953. The new Switzerland Temple would be different then all the temples built before-hand, it would be the first to have the endowment presented through film.

Making the Film

The film was produced under the supervision of Elders Joseph Fielding Smith and Richard L. Evans of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Architect Edward O. Anderson, who was designing the Swiss as well as the Los Angeles Temples. Gordon B. Hinckley, the secretary of the missionary committee, had the prime responsibility for creating the film.

In President Hinckley's biography it said "It was a charge of enormous significance." "The ramifications of this project were enormous, as they would extend far beyond the temple in Switzerland." In the room of the upper floor of the Salt Lake Temple Brother Hinckley spent many evenings, Saturday's and some Sunday mornings outlining ideas. The Prophet David O. McKay took special interest in this new project, knowing it could change temple work forever. Although, many of the committee were helpful Gordon B. Hinckley found himself working personally with the Prophet David O. McKay. Together they spent considerable time reviewing the temple ceremony and praying for divine guidance.

President McKay later said "There is no other man in the church who has done so much in assisting to carry the new temple plan to the Saints of the world as has Brother Hinckley."

Construction of the Los Angeles Temple was nearly completed when the new method of presenting the endowment using film was was first implemented in Switzerland. The Los Angeles Temple was built without the upgrades needed to view the new temple movie. The temples endowment presentation rooms did not include equipment for projecting films, and with the exception of the creation room they could not be darkened. Therefore, when the Los Angeles Temple opened, the new method of presenting the endowment was implemented only partially. They started with only incorporating audio recordings to presented the endowment instructions. It wasn't until January 1958, two years after the dedication of the Los Angeles Temple that the use of film would be fully commenced in Los Angeles.

References:

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/cecil-b-demille-and-david-o-mckayan-unexpected-friendship

"The Los Angeles Temple: A Beacon on a Hill" by Richard O. Cowan

https://www.westwoodward.org/church-in-la