The San Buenaventura Artists' Union (300 North Ventura Avenue, Ventura CA 93001) sez:
“To donate to the fund to preserve parts of the Mayfair Theatre from destruction such as the marquee and ticket booth, send a tax deductible check to the Ventura Artists' Union (a 501.c3 non-profit). Note on the check: "Mayfair Fund”. Send checks to the above address, or for more information check the Artists' Union website:
When I worked (briefly) at Landmark, I was told that it was nearly impossible to break up the screen into several smaller screens (i.e. along the lines of the Mission / Metro 4 in Santa Barbara or the AMC Avco in Westwood) because of the projector throw.
Taking photographs today – the marquee was trisected and removed by flatbed truck and crane about an hour ago – I noticed the metal supports on the wall for that vertical sign are still there. Final(?) demolition commences tomorrow.
When I visited the address, the only evidence I could find of its existence was a double driveway possibly near the former entrance (much like the old Santa Paula Drive-In’s only possible remains).
Wow! “Friday that 13th” in a drive-in – that must’ve been great! Drove past it the other evening but you couldn’t catch a glimpse of what was playing from the freeway.
Incredibly beautiful at night – “The Village” was playing and the wildly flashing marquee was a sight to behold. Possibly even more inspired a vision than the Academy in Inglewood or the Alex in Glendale…
Oh, and during its last days as a movie theatre, it showed second-run and classic films (“The Conversation”, “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind”, etc.). It had ceased to be a Pussycat long before that (although there were still popcorn cups emblazoned with the Pussycat girl and their “It’s Cool Inside” logo).
I’m surprised it took as long as it did to include the Pacific Vineland in the database. Slightly further north, the Hi-Way Drive-In (Santa Maria) and the Sunset Drive-In (San Luis Obispo) still operate and do rather decent business. I think there’s another drive-in in Montclair (nearer the Vineland), but I can’t immediately recall its name.
This theatre is located at 895 O'Farrell Street. The film “Rated X”, which airs often on Showtime, made it seem as if the Mitchell Brothers had found an old theatre and renovated it – not transforming an auto dealership into the theatre.
This theatre, along with the Rosemary Theatre, burnt up on an amusement park pier in Santa Monica (so it should be listed as either there or Venice, not Los Angeles per se). There was another cinema called the Neptune Theatre – information on the pier fires can be found here:
The words are up on the marquee announcing the play to be premiered there – I’m sure the L.A. Weekly or Times will have some kind of piece on it before long. I’d seen lights on and construction equipment for apparent renovation for the past few weeks but never stopped by to see what was going on. If the Actor’s Studio (a reasonably big deal in the Beverly Hills community) is in there now (their offices are next door to the Tiffany), I doubt there’s any plans for demolishing anything other than a few egos…
The San Buenaventura Artists' Union (300 North Ventura Avenue, Ventura CA 93001) sez:
“To donate to the fund to preserve parts of the Mayfair Theatre from destruction such as the marquee and ticket booth, send a tax deductible check to the Ventura Artists' Union (a 501.c3 non-profit). Note on the check: "Mayfair Fund”. Send checks to the above address, or for more information check the Artists' Union website:
http://www.venturaartistsunion.org/us.htm
For more info on the Mayfair Theatre, check these links:
The S. Charles Lee archive at UCLA with pictures and sketches of the theatre in the 1940s.
http://digital.library.ucla.edu/sclee/
Cinema Treasures website:
/theaters/2328/
Or find the book on S. Charles Lee: “The Show Starts on the Sidewalk”, by Maggie Valentine.
For more information, contact 805 444 5233."
When I worked (briefly) at Landmark, I was told that it was nearly impossible to break up the screen into several smaller screens (i.e. along the lines of the Mission / Metro 4 in Santa Barbara or the AMC Avco in Westwood) because of the projector throw.
Shots of this theatre’s marquee and interior can be seen in the film “Invasion of the Bee Girls” (1973).
It’s kind of a nondescript storefront conversion but we take what we can get.
Taking photographs today – the marquee was trisected and removed by flatbed truck and crane about an hour ago – I noticed the metal supports on the wall for that vertical sign are still there. Final(?) demolition commences tomorrow.
When I visited the address, the only evidence I could find of its existence was a double driveway possibly near the former entrance (much like the old Santa Paula Drive-In’s only possible remains).
It’s also currently for sale (the realtor’s sign was vaguely newish).
Wow! “Friday that 13th” in a drive-in – that must’ve been great! Drove past it the other evening but you couldn’t catch a glimpse of what was playing from the freeway.
As long as I’d traveled through Ventura and seen the Mayfair (since 1985 or so), the vertical sign in that vintage photograph was not present.
Better change this to “demolished” as of tomorrow. They’re taking down the marquee and ticket booth today…
Incredibly beautiful at night – “The Village” was playing and the wildly flashing marquee was a sight to behold. Possibly even more inspired a vision than the Academy in Inglewood or the Alex in Glendale…
Actually, I’m supposing those mounts I mentioned were for the marquee / signage seen from the street, not for the screen itself.
Oh, and during its last days as a movie theatre, it showed second-run and classic films (“The Conversation”, “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind”, etc.). It had ceased to be a Pussycat long before that (although there were still popcorn cups emblazoned with the Pussycat girl and their “It’s Cool Inside” logo).
Better get the cameras out – the barricades for demolition on August 2 are up now…
The screen split is very noticeable – just a wall down the centre of auditoriums 1 and 2…
Any possible way all the Westwood theatres (Bruin, Village, National, Crest) can be re-classified as actually being in Westwood, not Los Angeles?
Thanks, Jeff! Is it still operating?
I’m surprised it took as long as it did to include the Pacific Vineland in the database. Slightly further north, the Hi-Way Drive-In (Santa Maria) and the Sunset Drive-In (San Luis Obispo) still operate and do rather decent business. I think there’s another drive-in in Montclair (nearer the Vineland), but I can’t immediately recall its name.
When was this ever a Mann Theatre?
This theatre is located at 895 O'Farrell Street. The film “Rated X”, which airs often on Showtime, made it seem as if the Mitchell Brothers had found an old theatre and renovated it – not transforming an auto dealership into the theatre.
This theatre, along with the Rosemary Theatre, burnt up on an amusement park pier in Santa Monica (so it should be listed as either there or Venice, not Los Angeles per se). There was another cinema called the Neptune Theatre – information on the pier fires can be found here:
View link
Drove by there not ten minutes ago and wondered when the axe would fall…
A Unity Shoppe thrift store now resides at this address.
The words are up on the marquee announcing the play to be premiered there – I’m sure the L.A. Weekly or Times will have some kind of piece on it before long. I’d seen lights on and construction equipment for apparent renovation for the past few weeks but never stopped by to see what was going on. If the Actor’s Studio (a reasonably big deal in the Beverly Hills community) is in there now (their offices are next door to the Tiffany), I doubt there’s any plans for demolishing anything other than a few egos…
As of July 4, this theatre (which had been closed for several years), became the new home of the Actor’s Studio. At least they didn’t tear it down!