The Pantages is a great place to see a show. The area has really improved and there are several great restaurants within walking distance, most notably the aged, but still great Musso and Franks. The Vine Red Line Station is located across the street from the Pantages so it is easy, especially if you live in the Valley, to take the Red Line down to see a show and not worry traffic or about finding parking.
I just received the December/January schedule for the American Cinematheque and they have their first film. “In Good Company,” scheduled at the Aero Theater for January 6, 2005.
I attempted to see a sneak preview of “Goldeneye” at the Galaxy 6 but there were many more people than seats available. This theater, along with the “ill-fated” complex, did contribute to the renaissance of Hollywood west of Highland but newer theaters and better retail space caused its demise. The last movie I saw here was “Secretary” in 2002.
Portions of the Tujunga Theater remain as the “SIS Palace” Banquet Hall. However the entire art deco facade has been removed. A great photograph of the original Tujunga Theatre facade is at the Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga.
I saw “Gandhi” at the Century Plaza when it was the Plitt Century Plaza. I came a second time around 1990 to see a re-release of “Sparticus” when the theater was operated by Cineplex. I remember from my second trip to the Century Plaza that they sold beer. As far as I know this was unique to the Century Plaza among theaters in the Los Angeles area at that time.
During the 1960s when Century City was developed Downtown, Los Angeles was losing out to West Los Angeles as the center of the city for business and culture. This was underscored by the building of the Century Plaza Cinemas and the nextdoor Schubert Theater. The Welton Beckett designs of Century City are truly iconic to this period. Now the trend has reversed. The movement is back to downtown and is highlighted by the demolition of both of these facilities.
The Warner Grand Theatre is featured on the Los Angeles Conservancy’s San Pedro Walking Tour. I went inside during their inaugural tour. It is a great old theater. What is very noticeable is a remnant from the days when the theater showed Spanish language films. The seats are spilt into three sections with each in a different color. One red, one white, one green, the colors of the Mexican flag. The Warner Grand Theatre was also shown in an episode of “American Dreams” during the first season.
Having lived in the San Fernando Valley most of my life and most of that time in the East San Fernando Valley not to far from the UA in North Hollywood I am surprised that the last time I saw a movie here was in 1986. It was a midnight showing of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” But then I think about it and I remember even then the theater was kind of shabby and uneventful and over the past twenty years the area has really declined. But I also did not know this theater had only recently closed.
There was a miniature golf course south of the Topanga Theatre on Topanga Canyon Boulevard. At least until very recently the land was still vacant where the miniature gold course had once been. I remember well the Topanga Theatre and the miniature golf course from when I was a child in the 1970s and lived in nearby Chatsworth for a time. The last movie I saw at the Topanga was “Crash.” This was before it became a 3rd run house.
I have seen numerous musicals at the Wilshire Theatre. Most notably was the touring cast of the revival of “Cabaret.†For this performance the orchestra seats were removed from the auditorium to make room for cabaret style seating. The theater does lend itself well to theatrical performances. For “Blood Brothers” and “Aspects of Love” I was in balcony and the sound was still very good.
The theater that Glendale 5 wrote about on August 11, 2004, is not the Panorama Theatre but the Americana down the street on Van Nuys Boulevard in Panorama City which closed much more recently.
The Vista Theater is one of the last remaining single screen theaters in Los Angeles. And it is one of the nicest theaters in Los Angeles with lots of charm. The lobby is small but nice with kitschy Egyptian decor. And of course, the auditorium does have lots of leg room. The surrounding area is now really improved with lot of great restaurants and clubs nearby as well as access to a Red Line station. A film at the Vista Theater accompanied by a trip to any of the nearby restaurants and/or clubs is a great night-out.
The David Burbank who built the Burbank Theatre in Los Angeles was a dentist and the namesake for the nearby city of Burbank. The Burbank Historical Society at their Gordon Howard Museum on Olive Street in Burbank does have some information on David Burbank and his theater.
The Glendale Cinema 5 is rather unspectacular. It has the same look as other GCC theaters built during the same period in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, notably the former GCC theater in West Hills (now operated by Laemmle) and the Hollywood Galaxy (now closed).
Sadly, I never saw a movie at the El Rey. I first went to the El Rey in 1988 when it was a night club called “Wall Street.” At that time the balcony was open to all and was a great place to hang out. I have recently been again to the El Rey as part of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles’s Miracle Mile walking tour. That tour is definitely a must to take.
My former employer, The Grace Company, owns this property that is located behind their main office on Spring Street. It has been used as a storage space. At the time of my employment I was unaware of this fact. They are currently looking to sell this property for potential use as a performing arts space and a space that could be used to screen films to tie into nearby Little Tokyo and the developing arts district.
If the Majestic Theatre stood where the Burger King is now then it is across the street from the Orpheum Theatre. I ate there – not so good – before seeing “The General” at the Orpheum.
Although the auditoriums may be small in comparison to the movie palaces of yesteryear and many of the multiplexes of today, this theater is a true gem. It is quite accessible in a true neighbor in a city, Los Angeles, that has often had a shortage of traditional neighborhoods. The stretch of Vermont Avenue where the Los Feliz 3 Cinemas is located is very pedestrian friendly and in recent years has seen numerous restaurants and other businesses open up. Having a theater in the area is a great asset.
I just read in Smithsonian magazine that the Panorama formerly located in Hollywood may relocate to the Union Theatre in Los Angeles. I was wondering if this was that theater
After 9/11 the “church” that occupies the United Artists Theater closed the theater to Broadway theater tours. I was fortunate enough to see the interior during a tour in 1995. It is a grand old movie palace.
I recently toured the State Theatre on a Los Angeles Conservancy tour of Broadway. This theater is still very nice with a large auditorium and balcony. I am ambivalent over its current use as a Spanish language church. The congregation keeps the doors of this old theater open for at least some purpose and they keep it relatively clean but they have covered up many of the original features. The area of the screen now hosts a large altar and the project both is boarded up. All in all still a better fate than some theaters on Broadway.
I was fortunate enough to have seen “Emma” here in the late 1990s. It was a very nice old theater. Even though I did not live in the area it was nice to have a theater in South Bay where art/independent movies could be seen when I visited friends nearby. It is sad this theater is gone.
On a recent Los Angeles Conservancy tour I went inside the Cameo Theatre. The lobby is now an electronics store. The auditorium has had its seats removed and is still used for storage.
During a Los Angeles Conservancy Broadway tour in 1995 I entered this theater – actually the swap meet that then occupied the space – and I was able to see the magnificent ceiling and balcony. The swap meet remained open until a few years ago and has now been replaced by a single store front. The back area from where the ceiling and balcony could be viewed is now inaccessible to the public.
The Pantages is a great place to see a show. The area has really improved and there are several great restaurants within walking distance, most notably the aged, but still great Musso and Franks. The Vine Red Line Station is located across the street from the Pantages so it is easy, especially if you live in the Valley, to take the Red Line down to see a show and not worry traffic or about finding parking.
I just received the December/January schedule for the American Cinematheque and they have their first film. “In Good Company,” scheduled at the Aero Theater for January 6, 2005.
I attempted to see a sneak preview of “Goldeneye” at the Galaxy 6 but there were many more people than seats available. This theater, along with the “ill-fated” complex, did contribute to the renaissance of Hollywood west of Highland but newer theaters and better retail space caused its demise. The last movie I saw here was “Secretary” in 2002.
Portions of the Tujunga Theater remain as the “SIS Palace” Banquet Hall. However the entire art deco facade has been removed. A great photograph of the original Tujunga Theatre facade is at the Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga.
I saw “Gandhi” at the Century Plaza when it was the Plitt Century Plaza. I came a second time around 1990 to see a re-release of “Sparticus” when the theater was operated by Cineplex. I remember from my second trip to the Century Plaza that they sold beer. As far as I know this was unique to the Century Plaza among theaters in the Los Angeles area at that time.
During the 1960s when Century City was developed Downtown, Los Angeles was losing out to West Los Angeles as the center of the city for business and culture. This was underscored by the building of the Century Plaza Cinemas and the nextdoor Schubert Theater. The Welton Beckett designs of Century City are truly iconic to this period. Now the trend has reversed. The movement is back to downtown and is highlighted by the demolition of both of these facilities.
The Warner Grand Theatre is featured on the Los Angeles Conservancy’s San Pedro Walking Tour. I went inside during their inaugural tour. It is a great old theater. What is very noticeable is a remnant from the days when the theater showed Spanish language films. The seats are spilt into three sections with each in a different color. One red, one white, one green, the colors of the Mexican flag. The Warner Grand Theatre was also shown in an episode of “American Dreams” during the first season.
The irony of this is the UA Marketplace was instrumental in the revitalization of Old Town Pasadena. Now it is a victim of it.
Having lived in the San Fernando Valley most of my life and most of that time in the East San Fernando Valley not to far from the UA in North Hollywood I am surprised that the last time I saw a movie here was in 1986. It was a midnight showing of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” But then I think about it and I remember even then the theater was kind of shabby and uneventful and over the past twenty years the area has really declined. But I also did not know this theater had only recently closed.
There was a miniature golf course south of the Topanga Theatre on Topanga Canyon Boulevard. At least until very recently the land was still vacant where the miniature gold course had once been. I remember well the Topanga Theatre and the miniature golf course from when I was a child in the 1970s and lived in nearby Chatsworth for a time. The last movie I saw at the Topanga was “Crash.” This was before it became a 3rd run house.
I have seen numerous musicals at the Wilshire Theatre. Most notably was the touring cast of the revival of “Cabaret.†For this performance the orchestra seats were removed from the auditorium to make room for cabaret style seating. The theater does lend itself well to theatrical performances. For “Blood Brothers” and “Aspects of Love” I was in balcony and the sound was still very good.
The theater that Glendale 5 wrote about on August 11, 2004, is not the Panorama Theatre but the Americana down the street on Van Nuys Boulevard in Panorama City which closed much more recently.
The Vista Theater is one of the last remaining single screen theaters in Los Angeles. And it is one of the nicest theaters in Los Angeles with lots of charm. The lobby is small but nice with kitschy Egyptian decor. And of course, the auditorium does have lots of leg room. The surrounding area is now really improved with lot of great restaurants and clubs nearby as well as access to a Red Line station. A film at the Vista Theater accompanied by a trip to any of the nearby restaurants and/or clubs is a great night-out.
The David Burbank who built the Burbank Theatre in Los Angeles was a dentist and the namesake for the nearby city of Burbank. The Burbank Historical Society at their Gordon Howard Museum on Olive Street in Burbank does have some information on David Burbank and his theater.
The Glendale Cinema 5 is rather unspectacular. It has the same look as other GCC theaters built during the same period in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, notably the former GCC theater in West Hills (now operated by Laemmle) and the Hollywood Galaxy (now closed).
Sadly, I never saw a movie at the El Rey. I first went to the El Rey in 1988 when it was a night club called “Wall Street.” At that time the balcony was open to all and was a great place to hang out. I have recently been again to the El Rey as part of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles’s Miracle Mile walking tour. That tour is definitely a must to take.
My former employer, The Grace Company, owns this property that is located behind their main office on Spring Street. It has been used as a storage space. At the time of my employment I was unaware of this fact. They are currently looking to sell this property for potential use as a performing arts space and a space that could be used to screen films to tie into nearby Little Tokyo and the developing arts district.
If the Majestic Theatre stood where the Burger King is now then it is across the street from the Orpheum Theatre. I ate there – not so good – before seeing “The General” at the Orpheum.
I have lived in the San Fernando most of my life and would love to see this theater preserved. Are there any idea for saving it?
Although the auditoriums may be small in comparison to the movie palaces of yesteryear and many of the multiplexes of today, this theater is a true gem. It is quite accessible in a true neighbor in a city, Los Angeles, that has often had a shortage of traditional neighborhoods. The stretch of Vermont Avenue where the Los Feliz 3 Cinemas is located is very pedestrian friendly and in recent years has seen numerous restaurants and other businesses open up. Having a theater in the area is a great asset.
I just read in Smithsonian magazine that the Panorama formerly located in Hollywood may relocate to the Union Theatre in Los Angeles. I was wondering if this was that theater
After 9/11 the “church” that occupies the United Artists Theater closed the theater to Broadway theater tours. I was fortunate enough to see the interior during a tour in 1995. It is a grand old movie palace.
I recently toured the State Theatre on a Los Angeles Conservancy tour of Broadway. This theater is still very nice with a large auditorium and balcony. I am ambivalent over its current use as a Spanish language church. The congregation keeps the doors of this old theater open for at least some purpose and they keep it relatively clean but they have covered up many of the original features. The area of the screen now hosts a large altar and the project both is boarded up. All in all still a better fate than some theaters on Broadway.
I was fortunate enough to have seen “Emma” here in the late 1990s. It was a very nice old theater. Even though I did not live in the area it was nice to have a theater in South Bay where art/independent movies could be seen when I visited friends nearby. It is sad this theater is gone.
On a recent Los Angeles Conservancy tour I went inside the Cameo Theatre. The lobby is now an electronics store. The auditorium has had its seats removed and is still used for storage.
During a Los Angeles Conservancy Broadway tour in 1995 I entered this theater – actually the swap meet that then occupied the space – and I was able to see the magnificent ceiling and balcony. The swap meet remained open until a few years ago and has now been replaced by a single store front. The back area from where the ceiling and balcony could be viewed is now inaccessible to the public.