Fire of undetermined origin caused an estimated $175,000 damage to a Stockton theater. There were no injuries. Authorities say the flames gutted much of the interior of the Stockton Royal’s main theater. There was also extensive smoke damage to three adjoining theaters, recently added in a remodeling project at the Royal.
The LA Times noted overflow High Holiday services at the Lido from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. This item is from September 1979:
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, was ushered in Friday night with synagogue services penetrated by the sound of the shofar, the hollowed ram’s horn which issues a call to conscience. Two Pico Boulevard congregations, Temple Isaiah and B’Nai David-Judea, are holding additional services at the Century Plaza and Lido Theatre, respectively.
Here is part of a July 1977 article in the LA Times:
WHITTIER-Community leaders hope to appeal to the business sense of X-rated movie theater chain owner Vincent Miranda. If all goes well, they say, Miranda will be convinced that conversion of the Wardman Theater into a multi-theater complex showing general run films would be profitable and a valuable asset to a nearby redevelopment project.
Miranda’s recent acquisition of the Wardman Theater from Pacific Theaters has touched off controversy here. The S. Greenleaf Avenue cinema is showing two sexually explicit films. Although just outside the Greenleaf Ave./Uptown Redevelopment Project, businessmen are fearful that the presence of an X-rated theater may have a detrimental effect on potential developers. There is also apprehension that other adult-only businesses may be attracted to the area.
A coalition of business, church and parents groups has formed to voice objections to the showing of adult-oriented films at the Wardman. Recently, coalition spokesmen visited Miranda at his Hollywood offices. “We tried to suggest to him that a four-theater complex would make itâ€, said City Councilwoman Delta Murphy. “We told him that it would be an economic plus for him and an economic plus for the city. We said that if he is not interested in that, we wanted a lease price and a lease option price.â€
Miranda said he is considering the coalition’s proposals. But he expressed doubt that a multi-theater complex at the Greenleaf site would be feasible. At this point, Miranda said he would be more interested in sale of the Wardman rather than a lease agreement. Miranda has promised to forward a sale price to the coalition leaders. “We do buy and sell theatersâ€, he said.
Here is part of an article in the LA Times on 4/29/63:
The largest theater in downtown Los Angeles closed two weeks ago-at least temporarily-with no more fanfare than was accorded its opening 41 years ago. The Hillstreet, at 8th and Hill, opened Monday afternoon March 20, 1922, with a vaudeville program and the film “Why Announce Your Marriage?†with Elaine Hammerstein. The theater closed Sunday evening April 14, 1963 with Vincent Price in “Diary of a Madmanâ€.
Although “shortage of product†was the reason given for the theater’s closing, it is reliably estimated that at each of the last three evening performances the 2,752 seats were occupied by a tiny fraction of its capacity. Metropolitan Theater Corp., which leased the Hillstreet from the Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corp. in 1959, said it hopes to resume regular programming when summer vacation begins for the city’s schoolchildren.
Designed by G. Albert Lansburgh, the most prolific theater architect in western United States, now living in retirement in San Mateo, the Hillstreet has an almost identical “sister†theater, the Golden Gate, in San Francisco. Though somewhat smaller than the San Francisco house, the Hillstreet has the same faintly ecclesiastical Spanish Renaissance styling. The fan-vaulted ceiling in the foyer of the Hillstreet was covered up when the entrances to both theaters were modernized on their 25th anniversaries.
Here is part of a March 1916 article in the LA Times:
CHICAGO-March 24-Two moving picture theaters were damaged by bombs in Chicago early today. In each case rivalry between two motion-picture operators’ organizations is believed to be the motive for wrecking the theaters, which were the Cosmopolitan at No. 7928 South Halsted St. and the Boulevard, a new building, at No. 1606 Garfield Boulevard.
The bomb at the Boulevard was planted in the rear of the building. It blew the rear wall out and almost totally wrecked the stage. It broke windows for blocks and numbers of persons reported to the police that they had been thrown from their beds. Harry Schoenstadt is the theater manager.
The correct address is 5121 Broadway Avenue J. The theater has been razed and replaced by a Sonic Drive-In. You can correlate the Google maps photo and the second 1984 photo by the placement of the Aramco Blinds sign on Broadway.
Here is part of an LA Times story from April 1933:
Police retaliated yesterday with the capture of one bandit after gunmen had gleaned more than $900 cash in four daring daylight holdups, including two theaters, a woman motorist and a Hollywood travel bureau.
Captured shortly after he and a confederate had taken $200 from the Manchester Theater, 330 West Manchester avenue, a man identified as George H. Putnam, 26, was held by police on a charge of suspicion of robbery.
Putnam was taken into custody a short distance from the theater through the alertness of Salvador Cervantes, janitor, who turned in the alarm after the bandits had bound and gagged manager Perry Morgan and another janitor. Putnam was returning to his parked automobile when he was arrested.
Three bandits tied up C.M. Bayers, manager of the Larchmont Theater, 147 N. Larchmont Blvd, to take $500 from the office safe. The bandits used wire in making fast Bayers’ hands and feet.
Here is part of a January 1971 article in the LA Times:
SANTA MONICA-Five theaters featuring adult movies-most of which portray sexual acts-have opened here in the last sixteen months and several city officials would like them to leave.
The offerings range in quality from crude and poorly filmed to full-length, slickly professional features. The pioneer adult moviehouse in Santa Monica is the Vixen at 3007 Main Street, open since September 1969. Another is the Ventura, at 1454 5th St, which manager claims attendance of 80-100 per day. Largest of the adult theaters in Santa Monica is the Pussycat, 1442 2nd Street, part of a large chain.
“We feature drama and comedy that is spiced with sexâ€, said general manager Jay Fineberg, “rather than the so-called wall-to-wall sex. Rather than getting ‘dirtierâ€, we’re trying to get more erotic.†The 450-seat Pussycat, which claims 1,500 customers a week, is the only theater in the city which advertises its features through photographs outside.
In sharp contrast to the carpeted luxury of the Pussycat is the newest theater in the city, Sinema-X, a storefront operation at 2814 Main St. “I guess I’m doing the worst of them allâ€, said part-owner Charlie Creel, a 25-year-old New Jersey native. “I tried to get a job as a bartender, but there were no openings. I figured the way they were throwing these things up, it would be a good idea to start my own, but I’m not getting rich.â€
What is perhaps the most ambitious adult movie theater in Santa Monica is the Yale, 2838 Wilshire Boulevard, owned by Tom Parker. A grandfather, who wears his gray hair in mod style, Parker is a film-maker whose Topar Films supply his theater.
“Our customers are not the Skid Row type at allâ€, Parker says of his $80,000 investment in Santa Monica, which is newly remodeled and attractive, if simple. “People who go to these movies don’t want to be put downâ€, he said, “They want a little more story…something they can identify with. The sex parts of the movies now have to be contemporary with the sex lives of the patrons.â€
The average Topar movie costs $35,000 to $50,000 to make, and actors earn $150 to $500 per filming day, Parker said. He admits that he once made a family film for teenagers, but he could never get it released. It remains packed in his garage.
Arthur Spitz, Hungarian-born showman, has taken a three-year lease on the Mason Theater on Broadway near First St. and will present operettas at popular prices, he announced yesterday. The impresario intends to hire prominent singers, a chorus of 24, a line of 16 girls and a 24-piece orchestra.
Adding further novelty, Spitz says, “If anyone gets hungry during the intermission, we can take care of that too. There will be a five-cent buffet at which one can get anything from a hamburger to roast turkey.â€
The not-unfamilar procedure of putting attractions to a popular vote will be followed by the producer. The public will be allowed to choose from a list including “The Merry Widowâ€, “Bittersweetâ€, “Show Boatâ€, “Rose Marie†and “The Desert Songâ€, Spitz revealed. Two shows daily are scheduled, with an owl performance on Saturdays. Spitz’s publicity representative has labeled the enterprise “The Woolworth of the Operetta.â€
Hollywood’s only “western†theater will open Friday night when the Hitching Post, formerly the Tele-View, holds a colorful pioneer parade and premiere, in which stars of the western screen will participate. The name Tele-View will again be used in conjunction with newsreels at the News-View Theater.
The Hitching Post, located at Hollywood and Vine, has signed contracts with Republic and other western producers for their pictures. Friday night’s opening will be “Melody Ranchâ€, starring Gene Autry, Ann Miller, Jimmy Durante and Barbara Allen.
Fox West Coast Theaters will open its first art house, Stage One, this week in Riverside. Planned as a showcase for screening of adult entertainment, Stage One, formerly known as the Lido Theater, is located backstage of the historic Fox Theater, which has been a preview showcase of Hollywood films for more than two decades. “The Shop on Main Street†will be the first presentation at Stage One.
They put a Wally Park ad on the big sign yesterday.
I took a look at the LA Times archive-there was an aircraft plant on this site in WW II that apparently was torn down in the 1950s. The bowling alley, Carolina Lanes, opened around 1960. There was also a restaurant in the building called Carolina Pines. Later on the restaurant became the nightclub Carolina West, as already has been pointed out.
Here is a February 1971 ad for an Andy Warhol film at the Picfair:
http://tinyurl.com/ydd83jr
From the LA Times in February 1980:
Fire of undetermined origin caused an estimated $175,000 damage to a Stockton theater. There were no injuries. Authorities say the flames gutted much of the interior of the Stockton Royal’s main theater. There was also extensive smoke damage to three adjoining theaters, recently added in a remodeling project at the Royal.
The LA Times noted overflow High Holiday services at the Lido from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. This item is from September 1979:
Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, was ushered in Friday night with synagogue services penetrated by the sound of the shofar, the hollowed ram’s horn which issues a call to conscience. Two Pico Boulevard congregations, Temple Isaiah and B’Nai David-Judea, are holding additional services at the Century Plaza and Lido Theatre, respectively.
Here are a couple of photos before the demolition starts. The doors at the back say “Carolina West Disco Entrance”.
http://tinyurl.com/ydk7u49
http://tinyurl.com/ycft4f8
This blog has a 1960 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yge8ng6
I think this is the one you are talking about:
http://tinyurl.com/y8dfmn2
There are some photos of the Zvezda on this site. The other photo is from Life in 1948, but does not appear to be the same theater.
http://tinyurl.com/ykzmazb
http://tinyurl.com/ydab5yr
Here is part of a July 1977 article in the LA Times:
WHITTIER-Community leaders hope to appeal to the business sense of X-rated movie theater chain owner Vincent Miranda. If all goes well, they say, Miranda will be convinced that conversion of the Wardman Theater into a multi-theater complex showing general run films would be profitable and a valuable asset to a nearby redevelopment project.
Miranda’s recent acquisition of the Wardman Theater from Pacific Theaters has touched off controversy here. The S. Greenleaf Avenue cinema is showing two sexually explicit films. Although just outside the Greenleaf Ave./Uptown Redevelopment Project, businessmen are fearful that the presence of an X-rated theater may have a detrimental effect on potential developers. There is also apprehension that other adult-only businesses may be attracted to the area.
A coalition of business, church and parents groups has formed to voice objections to the showing of adult-oriented films at the Wardman. Recently, coalition spokesmen visited Miranda at his Hollywood offices. “We tried to suggest to him that a four-theater complex would make itâ€, said City Councilwoman Delta Murphy. “We told him that it would be an economic plus for him and an economic plus for the city. We said that if he is not interested in that, we wanted a lease price and a lease option price.â€
Miranda said he is considering the coalition’s proposals. But he expressed doubt that a multi-theater complex at the Greenleaf site would be feasible. At this point, Miranda said he would be more interested in sale of the Wardman rather than a lease agreement. Miranda has promised to forward a sale price to the coalition leaders. “We do buy and sell theatersâ€, he said.
Here is part of an article in the LA Times on 4/29/63:
The largest theater in downtown Los Angeles closed two weeks ago-at least temporarily-with no more fanfare than was accorded its opening 41 years ago. The Hillstreet, at 8th and Hill, opened Monday afternoon March 20, 1922, with a vaudeville program and the film “Why Announce Your Marriage?†with Elaine Hammerstein. The theater closed Sunday evening April 14, 1963 with Vincent Price in “Diary of a Madmanâ€.
Although “shortage of product†was the reason given for the theater’s closing, it is reliably estimated that at each of the last three evening performances the 2,752 seats were occupied by a tiny fraction of its capacity. Metropolitan Theater Corp., which leased the Hillstreet from the Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corp. in 1959, said it hopes to resume regular programming when summer vacation begins for the city’s schoolchildren.
Designed by G. Albert Lansburgh, the most prolific theater architect in western United States, now living in retirement in San Mateo, the Hillstreet has an almost identical “sister†theater, the Golden Gate, in San Francisco. Though somewhat smaller than the San Francisco house, the Hillstreet has the same faintly ecclesiastical Spanish Renaissance styling. The fan-vaulted ceiling in the foyer of the Hillstreet was covered up when the entrances to both theaters were modernized on their 25th anniversaries.
Here is the Premier, circa 1960s:
http://tinyurl.com/y86by36
Here is another photo:
http://tinyurl.com/y9qxkft
Here is part of a March 1916 article in the LA Times:
CHICAGO-March 24-Two moving picture theaters were damaged by bombs in Chicago early today. In each case rivalry between two motion-picture operators’ organizations is believed to be the motive for wrecking the theaters, which were the Cosmopolitan at No. 7928 South Halsted St. and the Boulevard, a new building, at No. 1606 Garfield Boulevard.
The bomb at the Boulevard was planted in the rear of the building. It blew the rear wall out and almost totally wrecked the stage. It broke windows for blocks and numbers of persons reported to the police that they had been thrown from their beds. Harry Schoenstadt is the theater manager.
There was a comment on this theater that it was also called the Esthena, but that was at 3745 N. Southport.
/theaters/4299/
LA Times today:
http://tinyurl.com/yjb2n39
This article about Bollywood was in the LA Times today:
http://tinyurl.com/yg63gn3
Here is another view of the Texas:
http://tinyurl.com/yjzdo94
The correct address is 5121 Broadway Avenue J. The theater has been razed and replaced by a Sonic Drive-In. You can correlate the Google maps photo and the second 1984 photo by the placement of the Aramco Blinds sign on Broadway.
Here is part of an LA Times story from April 1933:
Police retaliated yesterday with the capture of one bandit after gunmen had gleaned more than $900 cash in four daring daylight holdups, including two theaters, a woman motorist and a Hollywood travel bureau.
Captured shortly after he and a confederate had taken $200 from the Manchester Theater, 330 West Manchester avenue, a man identified as George H. Putnam, 26, was held by police on a charge of suspicion of robbery.
Putnam was taken into custody a short distance from the theater through the alertness of Salvador Cervantes, janitor, who turned in the alarm after the bandits had bound and gagged manager Perry Morgan and another janitor. Putnam was returning to his parked automobile when he was arrested.
Three bandits tied up C.M. Bayers, manager of the Larchmont Theater, 147 N. Larchmont Blvd, to take $500 from the office safe. The bandits used wire in making fast Bayers’ hands and feet.
Here is an article that was in the LA Times today:
http://tinyurl.com/ylfv2d5
Here is part of a January 1971 article in the LA Times:
SANTA MONICA-Five theaters featuring adult movies-most of which portray sexual acts-have opened here in the last sixteen months and several city officials would like them to leave.
The offerings range in quality from crude and poorly filmed to full-length, slickly professional features. The pioneer adult moviehouse in Santa Monica is the Vixen at 3007 Main Street, open since September 1969. Another is the Ventura, at 1454 5th St, which manager claims attendance of 80-100 per day. Largest of the adult theaters in Santa Monica is the Pussycat, 1442 2nd Street, part of a large chain.
“We feature drama and comedy that is spiced with sexâ€, said general manager Jay Fineberg, “rather than the so-called wall-to-wall sex. Rather than getting ‘dirtierâ€, we’re trying to get more erotic.†The 450-seat Pussycat, which claims 1,500 customers a week, is the only theater in the city which advertises its features through photographs outside.
In sharp contrast to the carpeted luxury of the Pussycat is the newest theater in the city, Sinema-X, a storefront operation at 2814 Main St. “I guess I’m doing the worst of them allâ€, said part-owner Charlie Creel, a 25-year-old New Jersey native. “I tried to get a job as a bartender, but there were no openings. I figured the way they were throwing these things up, it would be a good idea to start my own, but I’m not getting rich.â€
What is perhaps the most ambitious adult movie theater in Santa Monica is the Yale, 2838 Wilshire Boulevard, owned by Tom Parker. A grandfather, who wears his gray hair in mod style, Parker is a film-maker whose Topar Films supply his theater.
“Our customers are not the Skid Row type at allâ€, Parker says of his $80,000 investment in Santa Monica, which is newly remodeled and attractive, if simple. “People who go to these movies don’t want to be put downâ€, he said, “They want a little more story…something they can identify with. The sex parts of the movies now have to be contemporary with the sex lives of the patrons.â€
The average Topar movie costs $35,000 to $50,000 to make, and actors earn $150 to $500 per filming day, Parker said. He admits that he once made a family film for teenagers, but he could never get it released. It remains packed in his garage.
This is from the LA Times in February 1941:
Arthur Spitz, Hungarian-born showman, has taken a three-year lease on the Mason Theater on Broadway near First St. and will present operettas at popular prices, he announced yesterday. The impresario intends to hire prominent singers, a chorus of 24, a line of 16 girls and a 24-piece orchestra.
Adding further novelty, Spitz says, “If anyone gets hungry during the intermission, we can take care of that too. There will be a five-cent buffet at which one can get anything from a hamburger to roast turkey.â€
The not-unfamilar procedure of putting attractions to a popular vote will be followed by the producer. The public will be allowed to choose from a list including “The Merry Widowâ€, “Bittersweetâ€, “Show Boatâ€, “Rose Marie†and “The Desert Songâ€, Spitz revealed. Two shows daily are scheduled, with an owl performance on Saturdays. Spitz’s publicity representative has labeled the enterprise “The Woolworth of the Operetta.â€
This is from the LA Times on 1/20/41:
Hollywood’s only “western†theater will open Friday night when the Hitching Post, formerly the Tele-View, holds a colorful pioneer parade and premiere, in which stars of the western screen will participate. The name Tele-View will again be used in conjunction with newsreels at the News-View Theater.
The Hitching Post, located at Hollywood and Vine, has signed contracts with Republic and other western producers for their pictures. Friday night’s opening will be “Melody Ranchâ€, starring Gene Autry, Ann Miller, Jimmy Durante and Barbara Allen.
Closing is tomorrow:
http://tinyurl.com/ylfv2d5
This is from the LA Times on May 6, 1966:
Fox West Coast Theaters will open its first art house, Stage One, this week in Riverside. Planned as a showcase for screening of adult entertainment, Stage One, formerly known as the Lido Theater, is located backstage of the historic Fox Theater, which has been a preview showcase of Hollywood films for more than two decades. “The Shop on Main Street†will be the first presentation at Stage One.
They put a Wally Park ad on the big sign yesterday.
I took a look at the LA Times archive-there was an aircraft plant on this site in WW II that apparently was torn down in the 1950s. The bowling alley, Carolina Lanes, opened around 1960. There was also a restaurant in the building called Carolina Pines. Later on the restaurant became the nightclub Carolina West, as already has been pointed out.