Picwood Theatre
10872 W. Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90064
10872 W. Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90064
22 people
favorited this theater
Showing 201 - 225 of 251 comments
WILLIAM: I also liked the Fox Criterion and went there as well as worked their booth however I have forgotten the El Miro. Was it close to the Criterion just a few doors away. I never went or worked there.
Nice marquee shot of the Strand.
WILLIAM: This is a genuine b&w Kodak shot from 1959. I had just turned 16. I went to Hami from 58-61.
http://community.webshots.com/user/arpichat
I grew up in Santa Monica. I remember the P.O.P.. When I was grewing up in Santa Monica area, my favorite theatre was the Fox Criterion and next was the ElMiro.
William: I have a rare photo for you that I do not believe any site has. When I was in my teens everyone went to P.O.P. in Venice and if they had a badmobile as cars were called back then we went to the famous PIKE. The Pike was a giant pier-amusement center for 90 years in Long beach. I am not sure where you grew up. I have a distance shot of the STRAND there. I will put it in my next message for people to see on my Webshots theatre collection of special theatres in my opinion.
I remember John, when he was at the Plaza and from Laemmle’s Home office above the Royal Theatre. I worked the Laemmle’s Town Center when it was called the Town and Country 3.
WILLIAM: When I failed the test in 1968 by 1 question and the union sent me to work it was at the VISTA which was 16mm and no license required. Lou Honeycutt and I were starting our careers then. Lou still is with LAEMMLE and works out here in Encino. I call him once a year. Last time we talked I asked him about John Barren who LAEMMLE let go after many decades. Lou said John had some very bad health issues. He was my manager at the Plaza in the early 80’s.
Yes, I’m in NYC. My office is in Times Square.
Bill – you’re in NY now? I’m still local L.A. girl… Lisa
WILLIAM: In July after 6 months on kcsn-km 88.5 I asked for 1 month off which was only 4 Mondays. All of a sudden the first week I got a call from San Jose. My Dad worked at Country KEEN for 10 years as the Public Affairs Director. He had a growth removed 1 year prior on his stomach and didn’t share with us that it was terminal. I just almost now started to have tears!! Sorry! He collapsed while I was on Vacation and died 29 days later from MALIGNANT MELANOMA. I was so stunned from everything I never returned to KCSN but sent a letter of resignation. I also had trouble working for 150 due to Depression. 2 other local 150 men went to DON MARTIN…MIKE SCHLEIGER and JON BAREHAM. As a kid growing up in the 1950’s I wanted to be a Projectionist and a DJ. My degree I got at age 50 from CSUN was in Social Work specializing in Gerontology. My galpal of 15 years also went there and has an MSW and works for a adult day heahthcare center. We live together near Valley College. Her son is 22 and is with us.
WILLIAM: In 1977 while working days at the FINE ARTS I went to DON MARTIN RADIO SCHOOL in Hollywood for 1 year. I got out June of 1978. I left LA for 1 year and worked in Salinas. Obviously small stations pay no money and it takes years to reach big markets. I was already 35. Radio guys start careers at 19 and 20!! I returned to LA and had kept dues up to date and returned to projection. However, a strange thing happened. KBCA the jazz station for LA had a dj named Bob Summers. He also did a 4 hour weekly gig on kcsn. I called one nite to say Hey Bob I listen to you on kbca. He liked my voice, attitude, interest in jazz and blues which are my lifelong hobby along with old radio shows and the next thing I knew I replaced him on kcsn and had a show called Straight Ahead on Monday nites from 6-10pm. Then tragedy struck my family.
hoppy, weren’t you a disc jockey on KCFM 88.5 FM?
Meryl, After leaving the Picwood I went into Film post-production at Warner. In my off time I worked as a relief projectionist for most of the chains (Pacific, GCC, Mann, Cineplex, Laemmle) in Los Angeles. I worked Laemmle’s Monica, Grande, Town & Country, Music Hall and when they operated the Fine Arts. Yes, Rick does have stories. They over a decade at Paramount Studios Hollywood. Today I’m based in New York City.
Meryl: My God! You just mentioned something I had not thought about for 40 years! The Fox Venice had not 1 but 2 CRYING ROOMS if I remember right. I had a crush on a girl who worked the boxoffice and 1 time we went in there and necked. Necking was a biggie back then unlike today. We opened A HARD DAY’S NIGHT…. one of the few if any other theatres in town that did that because who were the Beatles??? Those nutty girls showed up in the parking lot at 2am with sleeping bags!! We started it on a Friday not the usual Wednesday. I swear it was total insanity. We sold out tickets, ice cream, candy and the screaming was so bad that Phil Catherall got headaches and walked down the street to the liquor store and hung out.
Hi Hoppy, I loved the FOX Venice. I brought my whole Tiffany ‘Rocky Horror’ staff there in the late ‘70s for an all day Beatle movie marathon. The Landmark staff were friends of ours, and treated us like royalty— lots of free popcorn & punch, and the use of the crying room at the back of the theatre.
Now, I occasionally shop at the little stores there, and dream of the past…
Lisa, I ‘cut & pasted’ your comments so that I could properly respond; but now I see that I didn’t erase the whole thing!
Hi Lisa, I was managing the Tiffany around the same time that you were managing the Picwood.
I agree, working every single holiday for years was not fun!
Then I got a job with FILMEX (LA Film Exposition) and then worked in distribution at Goldwyn 1982 – 1995. Then MGM.
I worked a lot with Patricia at the home office of Pacific Theatres. Did you work with Patricia?
Hey, can I get a job as a movie checker? After managing theatres for so many years, I’ve seen all kinds of scams that exhibitors try to run, so I think I’d be good at it!
That’s true, going full circle, but it makes sense…
for a few more years after that, then out of exhibition in general. Now, I am a VP at a company that audits and checks movie exhibitors, using ‘movie checkers.’ Full circle…
Hi William, ok, you were not at the Picwood when I was there.
How long did you work for Laemmle? I worked at the Monica during the AFI LA Film Festival, we had all night movie marathons there. That was FUN!
I worked in distribution at Goldwyn 1982 – 1995, and dealt a lot with the Laemmle home office staff. Did you know Greg Gardiner? (otherwise known as “the other Greg!”)
RE: MGM projectionist: I can’t remember Bill’s last name—
but it was something easy (Bill Cooke?;)not the name you wrote. What a great guy…
I programmed the employee screenings, and if I was running a few minutes late, he’d hold the show just for me!
As for Rick— probably every Laemmle person has a Rick story!
MERYL: I worked at the Fox Venice 620 Lincoln Bl. under Phil Catherall who eventually was transferred to the FOX PALOS VERDES. I was there in 1964-1965.
MERYL: I think I started at the Picwood as concessionist in ‘78 or '79, then into management for a couple years. They ran through managers there like crazy – it was a good place to train a manager on a single screen house then move them up to multiplexes. I came to really dislike working every holiday for years, so I moved into Payroll at the Pacific Theatres home office for a few more years after that, then out of exhibition in general. Now, I am a VP at a company that audits and checks movie exhibitors, using 'movie checkers.’ Full circle…
The which Fox West Coast house did you work was for hoppy.
Hi Meryl: I was at Picwood from 1980 thru late 1982. Picwood was a Great theatre to work. Rick Pollard was working the Laemmle chain, when I was in Los Angeles (Monica/Royal). When you worked at MGM. Was the Bill you worked with Bill Dufva? Which Fox West Coast houses did you work?
MERYL: I am 6o and left the Local in 1991 when 2 things happened. First, I inherited some coins and went to college all the way thru securing a BA in Psych and Social Work. Earlier in my 30’s I had a Vocational Degree in radio/tv. When I think back I wonder how a guy who loves to talk about life as much as I do stayed so long. Perhaps the booths enlarging due to multi-screens made loneliness easier. Nites, weekends and holidays were the first 10 years. Not good socially!! My ladyfriend of the past once said: It was the right thing at the time. GETTING A JOB in the 60’s 70’s and early 80’s was much easier than post 1985. Technology changed all! I started out in life being a FOX WEST COAST ASST.MGR/MGR. TRAINEE in 1964. The operator made 200 a week. The mgr. made 120 plus candy and I made 65.00. This is why I asked the operator to help represent me. Right now I am too tired to go on. I live in North Hollywood near Valley College. I will add a few interior shots of booth equipment on my webshots site so please check it out. Talk to you manana!
Hoppy, You’re right, I was not happy as a projectionist: I love to talk!
Even though I earned far less money as a movie theatre manager, I loved it.
The Tiffany was non-union when I worked there. NY was ALL union.
At MGM there was a projectionist named Bill that I worked with.
I worked with Rick Pollard at the LA Film Festivals.
I worked briefly as a projectionist at Samuel Goldwyn, running dailies.
It’s a lot of work running separate picture & sound!
Meryl: I remember when the Tiffany opened and closed. Several of each if I remember right. On going changes of owners. Seems to me it was both union and non-union and I think it was live too at one or 2 times. Strange theatre for me because it was the only theatre in Hollyweird I did not work. Women came into Local 150 around 1970 however it presented one problem to many who left. The confinement was stifling because most women are social much more than men. In the long haul of 20 years I only knew 8 who stayed. Chicago, New York and San Francisco had the most powerful locals.