New Beverly Cinema
7165 Beverly Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90036
7165 Beverly Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90036
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They reopened last Wednesday:
View link
Has the theatre reopened? They have a full August schedule listed on their web site.
Hello Michael and Mary,
I was shocked to read the news about Sherman’s untimely death.
I met Sherman in summer school-1965. I was struck by how fearlessly he communicated – he was open, frank and had a unique sense of humor.
We went on to be friend for many years. I also remember his telling me about meeting Mary, who he described as having a truly loving character with great patience and resilience. Qualities which can surely help you now. Later, he became equally devoted to Micheal. The apple of his eye. I share in your grief and send my love,
Jane Serlin (Oakland, CA)
Posted last night by Michael Torgan, Sherman’s son, on the New Beverly website:
Due to the sudden and completely unexpected passing of my father Sherman, the New Beverly’s programming will be cancelled until further notice.
Sherman was my father and my best friend, and his passing has left me and my family completely devastated. He was the main force behind the New Beverly from May 5, 1978 until the present. I simply do not known when I will be able to fill his shoes. My pain and sorrow are truly too much to bear right now. He was still so young and full of life, and was doing what he loved so much, riding his bike on the Santa Monica bike path, when he died. My mom and I am in utter shock.
Thank you to everyone for their support during this difficult time.
Please check this website for any updates on public memorials and the future of the New Beverly Cinema.
With love,
Michael Torgan
Here’s their web site.
http://www.newbevcinema.com/index.cfm
View link
New Beverly founder Sherman Torgan dies
By Tony Gieske
July 20, 2007
Sherman Torgan, who founded and ran the last remaining full-time revival cinema in Los Angeles, died Wednesday of a heart attack while bicycling in Santa Monica. He was 63.
His New Beverly Cinema at 7165 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles has been screening repertory double bills continuously since it opened in 1978. Past, present and future filmmakers, actors and movie lovers have been drawn to the house, whose attractions run the gamut from old Hollywood classics, recent independent film and European and Asian favorites, to the occasional silent or animated feature.
Torgan opened the doors of the New Beverly on May 5, 1978, with a Marlon Brando double bill — “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Last Tango in Paris,” which was just then helping to bridge the gap between X-rated and mainstream entertainment.
On its recent 25th anniversary, the theater held no celebration. “Hooray! The Beverly Cinema has reached a milestone” read a notice in agate type on the theater’s calendar. “This month marks 25 years of continuous repertory programming… . The struggle goes on.”
Featured on 9/15/72 – “Teenage Slaves” (world premiere). “Young girls beware – you may become a teenage slave!” Rated X. Free refreshments – Coke, candy & popcorn.
This is the rare cinema treasure. In addition to showing old films, they show original trailers for upcoming films. Loved going here in “95-‘97 when I was in College. My favorites were "Shaft”/“Shaft’s Big Score” and “The Exorcist” and “The Shining.” love their bi- monthly scedule advertisements.
1983:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics18/00028702.jpg
New Bev Cinema rocks! It’s still cheap at $7 (or less, see their site) and you get a double feature like “Goodfellas & Casino” or my favorite “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” and “Mommy Dearest” on New Years Day 1998. Oh, and yes, El Coyote is a MUST. Excellent food and great margaritas :)
OK, thanks.
ken mc:
The Fairfax is a different theatre, also still open, and operating as a multiplex, several blocks west of the New Beverly Cinema.
This is interesting. I don’t see that anyone mentioned a previous incarnation as the Fairfax Theater. If you look at this picture from the LAPL database, the theater takes up about half the block on Fairfax heading up towards Canter’s. If you walk south from Canter’s (today) on the west side of Fairfax, you can see a painted sign advertising an unidentified theater on the side of the building, somewhat below where the free-standing sign is in the picture.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015285.jpg
The New Beverly Cinema was indeed the original location of Slapsie Maxies. The club later moved to Wilshire Blvd., but it was the Beverly Blvd. location where Martin and Lewis made their L.A. debut.
I caught a Fellini double bill here way back on July 18, 1986: La Strada with Ginger and Fred. I remember the dumpy seats that was the price you paid for first rate repertory programming.
Saw Elem Klimov’s Come and See here earlier tonight. The theatre looked slightly cleaner and brighter as I walked inside. Only in a few moments did I notice the cause – new (for the New Beverly, at least) SEATS! Wow. Not the whole auditorium, mind you, but only the middle section. The whole “stage left†section of the auditorium, row one, and the last few rows are still the old school New Beverly seats. As much as the news seats seem comfortable, I somehow felt the theatre lost a little bit of its charm.
During its XXX days, Bill Osco(related to the Osco family who owned the Osco Drugstore chain) and Howard Ziehm had owned the theater. Osco/Ziehm made the first 35mm XXX narrative feature, “Mona”(1970) and are best known for the 1973 cult classic “Flesh Gordon”. Ziehm later ran the theater on his own after dissolving his partnership with Osco. (Well told by Ziehm on the DVD audio commentary of Flesh Gordon.)
Scoop,
I took the infomation from the New Beverly Cinema’s own website. http://www.michaelwilliams.com/beverlycinema/ click on ‘info’
KEN ROE: Are you sure the New Beverly was once, in its early days, SLAPSIE MAXIES? Wasn’t Slapsies located on Wilshire Blvd. or somewhere else?
I think I may have a couple of monthly calendars from the Rialto in South Pasadena, dating from the early 1980s. I recall packing them when I moved from Los Angeles in 1986. A few of my boxes are still unopened after all these years.
I’m trying to remember if I went to the Beverly in the 1960s. I attended at least two theaters on Beverly Boulevard at that time, but can’t remember the names, though “Riviera” rings a bell.
Ken – no, I mean a schedule of films printed a month or two in advance; this includes regular flyers for midnight film showings at various theatres in the Landmark chain.
To answer RobertR question no this was not a Pussycat Theatre, it did show adult movies. I think that marquee dates from when it was the Europa Theatre.
The difference of opinion here seems to be that;
Ron is talking about theatres who publish their programmes (usually monthy) on give-away sheets where the daily changes of programme are usually laid out in the form of a daily calendar for the period covered.
MagicLantern; I presume you are talking about the 2005 Landmark Theatres Calendar that was on sale at their theatres, which showed photo’s of various Landmark Theatres month by month for the year.
But really now – a calendar house is/was a daily-changing venue theater, not just a house that issues calendars. This ain’t just semantics, is it?
Having edited much of the copy on Landmark Theatre calendars, I respectfully beg to differ.