El Miro Theatre
1441 3rd Street Promenade,
Santa Monica,
CA
90401
1441 3rd Street Promenade,
Santa Monica,
CA
90401
6 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Century Theatres, General Cinema Corp., Loew's Theatres, Metropolitan Theatres, Statewide Theatres
Architects: Norman W. Alpaugh
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Loew's on the Mall, Cinema on the Mall, Cine Latino, Cinema
Nearby Theaters
The El Miro Theatre was opened in 1934 with Ramon Navarro in “The Cat and the Fiddle” & Charlie Ruggles in “Six of a Kind”. From the 1960’s thru the 1980’s, the El Miro Theatre was part of many chains including Century, Loew’s, GCC, and Metropolitan Theatres (Metropolitan being the last).
Loew’s redressed the house in the early-1970’s with those purple and blue curtains of that era. That was the last time this theatre received a makeover.
The only part of the El Miro Theatre that is left is the facade. The theatre was demolished in 1989 and the new Cineplex Broadway 4 Theatre was built on the site, opening on October 27, 1989 (it has its own page on Cinema Treasures as the AMC Broadway 4).
Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 25 comments)
In ken mc’s post for the theatre from Oct. 5 2007. That was during the time the theatre was part of the Loew’s chain. Before it was sold to GCC.
Here is a repost of the 1963 UCLA photo:
http://tinyurl.com/6jcgcf
Here is a 1936 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/8gz4vj
Wow, I hadn’t looked on this site for a few years, didn’t realize it had been so long, and it is so great to see these old pictures of the El Miro. I worked here when it was a much more dumpy place, the summer and fall of 1977, sitting in the box office of Cinema on the Mall. The walk up balcony was still there but I remember it so much smaller than the way it was when it was El Miro. On weekdays it was a much deserted walking mall but when we would open up for the dollar matinee there would suddenly be a long line, mostly of seniors. Not like the huge line though of the exterior of the El Miro posted above!
El Miro at 15:14 in this 1963 “Leave It To Beaver” episode. Copy & paste to view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM9vdEOQFqo
An art deco beauty. Love the ceiling decoration. Great.
El Miro photo in this article.
https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/how-santa-monicas-third-street-became-a-promenade?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=58e06932a167da000a98ca59&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook
This became Loew’s on the Mall on January 26th, 1971 and Cinema on the Mall on January 12th, 1971 as General Cinemas took over Loew’s in the Southwest and Florida.
1938 photo in Santa Monica History Museum Facebook page link below.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=569754665156201&set=pb.100063650169166.-2207520000.&type=3
The marquee can be spotted during a scene in the 1972 horror film SCREAM BLOODY MURDER aka THE CAPTIVE FEMALE.