Vision Theatre
3341 W. 43rd Place,
Los Angeles,
CA
90008
3341 W. 43rd Place,
Los Angeles,
CA
90008
14 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 51 comments
Great photos ken mc ! I was wondering if anyone else remembers the record store that was on the corner, before the cleaners was there?
This had to be in the late 50’s early 60’s.
This 1933 photo was taken at the same time as the first LAPL photo posted on 11/28/05, but from a different angle.
http://tinyurl.com/6epqoy
Here are some March 2008 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/2qj7g9
http://tinyurl.com/2lysgb
http://tinyurl.com/2wwpc8
http://tinyurl.com/2s7xqg
This is so cool and brings back so many memories. We used to walk up to the Leimert Theater every Saturday . This was in the mid 50’s to early 60’s. We’d stop across the street at the Thrifty Drug store to buy candy. You could buy 3 candy bars for 10 cents and the larger size bars were 2 for 15 cents. Then back across the street, to where you refer to a Cleaners ( and is pictured in the photograph) but at that time it was a Record store. We saved our allownaces and bought the latest 45’s for under a buck each. I remember it cost 25 cents to get into the movies. And for that price, we got to see two movies, cartoons and even newsreels! Now THOSE were the “Good old Days”!
Thank you ken mc, I just read the article. It would be a great asset to the community if things went well with the renovation of the Leimert-Vision Theatre. Marla Gibbs, the former owner, deserves a lot of credit for her contributions in the community. And on a similar note, I remember the neighboring historic night club that Mrs. Gibbs owned(s), let us not forget Marla’s “Memory Lane”. Briefly looking back at Memory Lane, I recall performing at Marla’s drumming for Johnny “Guitar” Watson, and Sir Lady Java, I also recall seeing the classic comedy team of Leroy, Skillet, and LaWanda (LaWanda Page aka Aunt Ester of the 1970’s Redd Foxx TV sitcom) performing at Marla’s. Marla’s Memory Lane served as host to scores of some of the worlds greatest Jazz, Blues, R&B and Comedy acts, I could go on and on. With the Leimert-Vision Theatre and Memory Lane, Mrs. Gibbs has had in her possession two of LA’s greatest treasures, thank you Mrs. Gibbs. With it’s bold features, the tower of the Leimert-Vision Theatre stands tall and mighty, as if a symboic gesture of the culture which surrounds it. Best wishes and good luck in regards to the renovation efforts and the neighborhood development plans,long live the Leimert-Vision Theatre.
That’s the one.
There was an article about the Leimert in the LA Times today, or maybe it was yesterday. An $11 million renovation is two years from completion. The article should be on the paper’s website if you want the whole story.
More great memories, more great history. The Leiment, the Baldwin, the Vermont. All of these theaters were monuments of fun, excitment, and thrills in my childhood and teen years. When I saw the photos of the Leiment on this page I topped out. It’s the neighborhood in which I have grown up that these buildings once glimmed with life. These days you can not find a new building crafted with the personality that was carved into those theaters. Thank you all for the look back.
Here are two photos of the Leimert’s Samson and Delilah mural:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015026.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015029.jpg
I noticed that no one has offered the correct pronunciation for this lovely neighborhood theater. So, for the benefit of folks not from L.A., it is “luh-MERT”. The name of the surrounding area is Leimert Park — roughly bounded by Crenshaw and Leimert Boulevards and Santa Barbara Avenue (now MLK Blvd.).
The Baldwin Hills Center at Crenshaw and Santa Barbara is quite noteworthy since it was the first suburban shopping mall to be developed in Southern California. It was originally anchored — on either side of Santa Barbara Avenue — by a May Company (somewhat reminiscent of the branch at Fairfax and Wilshire) and a Broadway department store (with a beautiful vertical blade sign similar to the one at The Broadway Pasadena on Colorado Boulevard).
But the most remarkable thing to my young, impressionable eyes was a wall clock inside The Broadway! The numbers were on three-dimensional cubes that projected from the face of the clock. It gave the illusion that you were looking at the clock straight-on from wherever you were on the shopping floor. Is it beyond the realm of possibility that this clock survived the conversion into Wal-Mart?
From the LA Library:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015010.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015015.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015022.jpg
What is the current name of this theatre?
From the California State Library:
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I will do a drive-by the next time I am close to downtown.
ken mc:
The Leimert Theatre building included shops along the street frontage. The dry cleaning establishment occupied part of that commercial space. The photograph is not dated, but looks to be from a few decades ago (the style of the signage looks about 1970s), so there’s a good chance that the cleaners is now gone, too.
After it closed as a theatre, for many years the Leimert was operated as a regional assembly hall by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They restored the theatre, the only major alteration being the replacement of the “Leimert” sign on the tower with a sign that said “Watchtower,” referring to their official organization, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. I’m not sure if they still use the building or not, but I’m doubtful that it has been converted into a dry cleaning plant.
If you don’t know the answer, here is a better picture:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015018.jpg
The LA Library thinks that this theater was converted into a dry cleaners. Are they correct?
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015017.jpg
I remember the Leimert from childhood as well (1951-58). Mr Pantages from the theater family was the manager. The sci-fic classic “It Came fromn Outer Space” had a sneak preview there (we loved it and couldn’t believe the alien was changed in final release). The “magic” drinking fountain was controlled by an electric eye – I had completely forgotten about it until Bruceschwa’s comments above. I think we knew it was an interesting architecture but that wasn’t a priority then. We all thought the Academy on Manchester was cooler. I think the last film I saw there was “Love me Tender” with Elvis. We were ejected for making “counter comments” to the girls swooning.
The Leimert Theatre was a movie palace that I remember well from childhood. That was when the cost was $.09.
My parent would take me there for movies such as, “Show Boat”, “Down to the Sea in Ships” and, later, “Oklahoma."
One unique feature at the Leimert was the drinking fountain. This was before the days when we knew the word technology. The Leimert’s drinking fountain water came on when you leaned over it. We kids just couldn’t figure out how it worked and were fascinated by it.
The Leimert has many good memories. I hope the theatre is always preserved and honored.
Here is a 1970s photo from the library of congress
Here is a great closeup from 1968 of the theater entrance…
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015012.jpg
Some of this theatre can be seen in the film “Collateral”.
This reinforced concrete theatre building is a direct result of the Paris Exposition of 1925, except for the open-work oil derrick tower and signage. The interior ceiling of the oval shaped auditorium still retains its Moderne patterns.
The Leimert Theatre is located at 3314 W. 43rd Place in the Crenshaw District.
what is the address