Regency Village Theatre
961 Broxton Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
961 Broxton Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
86 people
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With the sad closing this week of Mann’s National Theater in Westwood, I am reminded of just how imporatant the Village Theater is to me. It is my theater of choice for any major blockbuster. My earliest clear memory of it was back in the late ‘60’s. I took part in a Boyscout/Cubscout Christmas parade through Westwood and, at the end of the parade, we all got to go into the Village Theater and watch The Alamo with John Wayne.
It would be nearly impossible to name all of the movies I’ve seen there on opening night but it’s strongest associations for me now lie with the Star Wars films. Despite the fact that I saw the original three films at the glorious (and now castrated) big screen at the Avco, with the release of the Special Editions in 1997, the Village became THE Star Wars Theater in Westwood and I saw each of those as well as each of the Prequels at the first show, putting in time-share hours over three weeks to see The Phantom Menace.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Spiderman 3 there at the first show in a couple of weeks with a cheering crowd of fans. That’s what the Village Theater will always mean for me. Long may it reign!
Best wishes,
Alan Sanborn
Never mind, I found it! /theaters/6/ The Bruin.
I was watching the Travel Channel today, featuring a show about donuts. Anyway, Stan’s Donuts (that big donut on their roof is known everywhere) and across the street is this theatre. The donut place has been there for 38 years and the owner was recalling way back, a long running feature film (one year) and the two stars ate donuts and coffee and relaxed in amazement as the crowds just kept forming. They show the theatre in a few shots as well as a theatre? across the street from the donut shop. There was a round marquee and I could only make out the letters “BRU”. However, I couldn’t find a theatre in LA with those three letters or even “BR”.
This was one of the first theatres I went to when I first went to L. A. I saw “Last Action Hero” here when they were still testing out SDDS. Both SDDS and the film stank.
I went back about ten years later on vacation, and I saw “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle.” I think there were only five or six people in the theatre. It was one of the coolest theatre experiences I’ve ever had—to be all but alone in a single-screen THX-certified movie palace like that…
Oh, yeah, the movie was pretty good too :)
Does anyone know whatever happened to Jim Peters, the manager during “Love Story” who later went to the Century City Theatres?
The “Cerwin-Vega Sensurround” subwoofers you’re thinking of may be the ones installed for 70mm-MegaSound presentations ca. 1980.
Earthquake was another Sensurround movie.
So the Village had or still has Cerwin-Vega subwoofers, but they aren’t the old Sensurround Cerwin-Vega’s. Does anyone have any other info on this?
The Sensurround equipment sent out to the theatres by Universal Studios for Midway and Rollercoaster was Cerwin-Vega.
so that myth isn’t true then?
Don’t know if its still the same today, but I do know that back in ‘99 the Village had 12 subwoofers. Half of them were JBL and half of them were Cerwin-Vega. The Chinese had 16 subwoofers, all of them JBL. I know that because I asked manntheaters.com in an email and got a reply from their technical director (his name was Levy I think.)
But the Cerwin Vega’s weren’t Sensurrounds then? Do you know if they were horn loaded like the Sensurrounds were?
They weren’t the Sensurround subwoofers from the 70’s.
and does anyone know how many and what kind of subwoofers this theater has? I’ve heard that this theater has or used to use the big Cerwin Vega Sensurround subwoofers from the ‘70’s.
anyone know if the Village is getting any upgrades or improvements of any kind in the next week? Clicking on showtimes for the Village on their website doesn’t list anything for June 16 – June 26 (and here it is, June 15 and Mission Impossible III is STILL playing there. They could have put DVC in but put it in the National instead, and Nacho Libre will play at the Bruin).
But then on June 27 Superman Returns opens at 10:00 PM.
It looks like the Village will be dark for over a week. Anyone know why?
The Village was a fabulous place to see movies in the 50s and 60s. They had a huge Cinemascope screen (one of the first), and I saw all the Fox scope films there. It was also a great “preview” house, and I saw more sneak previews there than anywhere else, and there were always stars and directors and producers in attendance. I saw two Blake Edwards' previews there, High Time and Experiment In Terror – Blake was there for both of them. Much later, I saw the first of the 70s Pink Panthers previewed there – Blake and Julie were there, and it was such a disaster that they reshot just a little under half the film.
I have VERY fond memories of seeing The High and The Mighty at the Village, and The Tender Trap, when I was a wee lad.
You’re right the Village would be the best place for the movie. I remember the MGM problem.
Seems a shame. Even back when I worked at the Village in the early 80’s it was whatever Warner or Paramount wanted. MGM stopped booking with Mann at the Westwood Theatres after Mann pulled ROCKY III (Still doing great) for Warner’s FIREFOX. MGM was not happy about it and did not let Mann move it over to the Plaza like they intended. Instead MGM let GCC book it into the still nice AVCO.
KING KONG really seems a natural for the Village. :–(
Every few years the booking merry-go-round changes with Mann Theatres. During the 1970’s to early 80’s, Mann Theatres played many Columbia Pictures and Universal. During the 70’s some Warner and some Paramount Pictures played the Avco and Crest. After the Star Wars problem over at the Chinese, Fox Films would not play many of the first run Mann Theatres for many years later. It all changes.
This is still by far my favorite theatre anywhere. I’m upset that KING KONG did not open there (Avco instead) today. It should be the Theatre for ALL “event” films opening in Westwood Village. The unfortunate thing is the MANN pretty much caters to Warner and Paramount (Owners) so sometimes the bookings are not very logical.
In its first remodeling, was the Fox Westwood Village “Skouras-ized For Showmanship” (as Jim Rankin has described the process in entries for numerous other theaters)? I haven’t been here since I was a student at UCLA 30 years ago. My recollection is a fairly plain auditorium with the usual Skouras touches (viz. Fox Bakersfield) and a shallow balcony. Could others volunteer some more up-to-date descriptions?
This picture from the 1930s is different from what I remember, but even before remodeling the auditorium looks so spartan! The outside of the building would lead one to expect a more opulent auditorium within: http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015722.jpg
Now, I really don’t mean to disparage the Fox Westwood Village. It certainly has had great importance in the history of movie exhibition in Los Angeles as the focus shifted from Broadway to Hollywood to Beverly Hills to Westwood and is, after all, the grandest theater in Westwood Village. (I would venture that the Westside theater that came closest in that regard would have been the poor Picwood, though built in a later era and already demolished.)
As a movie palace, though, I’ve never considered the Fox to be of the same caliber as the most spectacular examples in L.A.’s other entertainment districts, especially for a house of its size. I think that the Carthay Circle offers the closest comparison, considering the similarities in architectural style and seating capacity, and it was way, way more ornate. Come to think of it, even the Golden Gate in East Los Angeles had a more elaborately decorated auditorium!
I was fortunate enough to see Star Wars Episode III opening day at the Village, it was the best movie going experience of my life. The DLP screen as gigantic, bright, and clear. The THX sound is the among the best I’ve ever heard (perhaps outclassed by Seattle’s Cinerama and San Francisco’s Metreon).
The audience participation was great, the auditorium is large, ornate and classy.
The correct name of the architect of the Fox Westwood Village Theatre is Percy Parke Lewis. P.P. Lewis was granted a certificate to practice architecture in California in May of 1924. In 1928, he became a charter member of the Certified Architects Association of Beverly Hills. As far as I’ve been able to learn, the Village was his only theatre project. I’ve found references to his designs for Christian Science Churches in West Los Angeles (1934) and Beverly Hills (1938- this in association with engineer Floyd Stanbery); a 1930 residence in West Los Angeles; and a Westwood Village store building for the Potter Hardware Company, also 1930.
The Village Theatre was a joint project of Fox-West Coast Theatres and the Janss Investment Company, developers of Westwood Village. Ground was broken for the theatre in November, 1930, and it opened on August 14th, 1931.
Another shot that I took over the summer.
Still the best bet for movies in L.A.
This is the best theatre in the World… not just because of its Great Screen or Well Balanced THX sound but because of the audience reaction. I guess cuz its mostly made up of UCLA kids and film fanatics. This theatre is also capable of showing Digitally Projected movies and probably the clearest Digital Projected screen in Los Angeles. Its a shame that Mann Theatres could not avoid going the AMC route by adding stupid pre show crap (I understand the Catch 22 of advertising to keep things running). I hope they don’t tear this theatre down or turn it into stadium seating. If you are in Los Angeles, you should check this theatre out during an opening night of a movie during the summer because it is a great experience.
The Village theater in Westwood was less than a year old on January 11, 1932, when it was the site of a murder. Detective Lieut. Hugh A. Crowley of the Los Angeles Police Dept. (who worked for the office of the chief), went to the theater after a call. Unknown to him were two robbery suspects who were in building in the act of committing their crime… and they heard him enter. They hid, and saw him go into the theater office, then walked over and waited just outside the door. When he emerged, they shot him to death. Before he died, the detective. who was a great shot, was able to pull out his revolver and shoot the gun from one of the mens hand. The detective died a few moments later on the floor of the lobby. There is a photo showing the scene taken just after the incident on file at the Los Angeles Public Library, but it is graphic, so I decided that those who are interested can go there and look it up on line for themselves at http://www.lapd.org
Some additional photos are here….
Aerial photo of the area in 1936 showing the theater (upper left) and a Ralphs Market at the lower right….. are any of these buildings still there from that time?
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics47/00043060.jpg
Other photos showing the interior in the early 30s….
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015722.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015718.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015720.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015717.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015719.jpg
Here is a photo of the premier of “A Millionaire for Christy” in 1951.
The man being interviewed is the famed theater manager Charles Skouras.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater3/00015730.jpg
Among the stars who attended were Bette Davis, Ronald Reagan and Nancy, among others.
Here is a photo of the theater exterior that same night….
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics18/00028685.jpg