Studs at the Pussycat Theatre

The rent increases affected both the Nob Hill (2018) and Tea Room (2016) theatres in SF effectively shuttered those theaters also… 😔😔😔

Has anything been done to buy this or return it to the original “Monica” status?

Pictures from the theatre’s final days of operation depict a rather unique, bare bones, setup in the main auditorium.

https://wehotimes.com/x-rated-studs-at-the-pussycat-theater-in-west-hollywood-is-closing-october-29th/

Motion Picture Herald, Jan. 5, 1952: “Leo Hershon and Saul Fruchtman have sold the Monica theatre to Bob Schwartz and Jack Hendricks."

Opened as Monica with “Old Maid”.

Opened as the Pussycat Theatre with “The notirious Cleopatra” and “Weekend lovers”.

March 13th, 1970 grand opening ad as a Pussycat theatre can be found in the photo section.

If anyone has any stories about going to/ working at this threatre in its adult days, I would love to hear them. I am chronicling the histories of adult theatres in the US. Please contact me at Thanks!

the management is planning to initiate a “womens night” at studs, where from 11pm until closing groups of 3 women or more get FREE ADMISSION on the 1st and 4th Saturdays of the month..its partly to head off a judgement from a complaint of discrimination by women who claim that they were refused admittance into Studs in 2007 because they had no escorts..
A MAJOR Asian pornstar is planning an appearance at the theater on July 3 2010 to film a porn “documentary” for BANG BROS.

And here’s a drawing of this theater during its X-dayz, from a comic book called “Triple-X Cinema: A Cartoon History” – View link

The other night I watched a DVD (released in 2006 by Raincoat Theater, a division of Media Blasters) of the 1980 Marilyn Chambers film “Insatiable”—One of the bonus features on that DVD was footage of Marilyn Chambers (the film’s star) at a premiere of that film at this theater in May of 1980, including where she was putting her hand prints into the cement in front of the theater. This was during the daytime and there was a crowd of about 50 watching from outside the theater (all men). The footage also showed a little bit of the lobby including a shot of Vince Miranda. (Chambers narrates the footage, which is well worth watching.)

“Insatiable” was considered Chambers porn comeback after a foray into mainsteam film (the most notable being “Rabid”, directed by David Croenberg in which she plays a vampire) and was hyped for a time due to a scene in which she has sex with John Holmes. The film premiered here and would essentially become the last theatrical XXX film to have financial success with a cross-over (ie couples) audience. This, of course, had to do with the advent of VHS, and even at this point, theatrical XXX audiences were going back to being essentially male.

the theater is trying very hard o woo couples and females to the theater..As of january 2010,Studs now has two straight porn viewing rooms and two gay rooms ..The staff is also more vigilant and fast acting when (if ) a female patron complains..Lesbian couples are starting to show up more and more since late November , usually in the early Saturday or Sunday hours…In December a well known soap -opera star was there (with his blonde girlfriend) doing “research"for a movie role..(i guess)The coffee/hot cocoa/teaand snacks are STILL only 25 cents and NO i do not work at this place , so if you are inclined to go, then go..if not well….

Here is an August 1970 photo from Life magazine:
http://tinyurl.com/n4arf6