Crest Theatre
1262 Westwood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
1262 Westwood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
40 people
favorited this theater
Showing 251 - 275 of 302 comments found
Michael, we agree on a lot.
Okay Mr. Newman, you’ve made a good point. I have just submitted a correction with enough detail (and passion) to convince the Powers that Be at CT. Being webmasters themselves, they must realize how difficult is is to change the domain name and page graphics of an established website. My point in that message was that Mr. Bucksbaum’s efforts to keep the theatre exemplify the very mission of Cinema Treasures, so they should at least list it under his chosen name.
While we’re giving so much impassioned attention to The Majestic Crest, let’s all remember that it’s well worth a drive far beyond your local uglyplex to enjoy the superior moviegoing experience of this classic theatre. Let’s put our money where our mouths are and go SUPPORT the place.
HAIRSPRAY opens at the Majestic Crest on Friday July 20th. Can you imagine the fun of watching it in such a theatrical environment? See you there.
The staff of CinemaTreasures do not read every comment made on every theatre. I don’t know if any of them live in Los Angeles where they would see newspaper advertising or marquees. If you want them to change the name of this, or the National, or any other theatre, send them an e-mail or fill out the correction form.
“To anyone paying attention, it is obvious that this theatre is officially named the Majestic Crest, yet Cinema Treasures insists on listing it as the Westwood Crest.”
I posted a similar comment on this page in August of 2005. It is apparent to me that this issue of primary and alternate theatre names is not one of Cinema Treasures' strong points despite the useful and informative contributions of its readers.
A similar thing exists with the NATIONAL in Westwood. I pointed out on two separate occasions the situation with the venue’s name, in one case even answering another reader’s question on how the venue was promoted in local newspaper advertising and on the building itself. Yet, amazingly (and insultingly) one of the CT staff ignored (or dismissed) my posts and chimed in stating the name needed to be the NATIONAL WESTWOOD!
Fine, list it as NATIONAL WESTWOOD…but as one of the small-print alternate names! I’ll argue that the primary name should be NATIONAL. Same here with the CREST. The main name ought to be MAJESTIC CREST since that is its current and official name; all other names (UCLAN, CREST, METRO, WESTWOOD CREST, etc.) should be alternates.
Roadshow, I’ve worked the Crest Theatre during it’s Pacific Theatre/Disney days. Yes, I enjoyed the Crest Theatre the many times I’ve been there. From the article Homeboy posted, It looks like Mr. Bucksbaum has had problems with a deal with Disney and Fox over booking disputes. One problem is the Crest is a single screen theatre. The studios want the screen for their product, but as a single screen house, you are very limited to time a feature can play and for how long. A lot of the deals now a days the studios want for the First Run market are three weeks or longer. As a single screen and a Independent theatre you are up againist a high wall. Your stuck with that feature most of the times for the full term of the contract. Till the next booking. I know the Crest can kick ass with business and I’ve been there during that time. So it’s not a theatre that under performs normally. But the studios make it very hard sometimes for the single screen to make money, by the terms of the contract. The National Theatre is another story. It sits on a large piece of land, that Mann Theatre just leased.. Like Mann Theatres does not own the Village or Bruin Theatres too, they are both owned by the same family and are just leases.
I get it that the owner loves the Crest, but he’s not going to live forever and accidents (God forbid) do happen. Also, from the LA Times article, it seems as though he’s at the mercy of forces over which he has no control (supply of new product, the success of other theaters, a rise in electric rates, etc.) It seems like such a labor of love (given what that real estate is worth and what his expenses are) that it’s not going to make financial sense to anyone else. I guess what I have in mind is a succession plan. Does he have kids? Do they love theaters or developer money? Better than he will the theater to the Crest Historical Society. (No need to set it up now, but the plans for it, how it would work, how the theater would sustain itself, etc. should be firmly in place.) I’m going on about this using the Crest as my subject, but I think all too often we rest easy because a theater is being run as a labor of love with no thought as to what will happen when the owner is no longer around. If possible, nothing should ever been done under the pressure of a last minute deadline.
Personally, I don’t think the National is especially distinctive. But that’s just me, and I know that the goal is to save all theaters.
Yes William, we know that the website for the Crest is not fully up to date. That is no reason for Cinema Treasures not to be up to date. And despite what the theatre was before, it is now a gem worth saving.
Homeboy, the owner of the Crest loves the theatre and has clearly announced that he has NO INTENTION of closing. The National in Westwood is in much more immanent danger of being lost in just the scenario you describe than the Crest is.
Before what Disney did to remodel the theatre in that El Capitan way. The Crest Theatre was no thing more than a long shoot galley type theatre with very little interior decor that would make it special.
Well the website calls the theatre “The Westwood Crest Theatre”.
And in the history of the theatre section, he has the wrong decade listed as when the theatre was named the Metro. He posted on the site: “In the 1970’s it was temporarily renamed the Metro, and MGM made minor design changes.” It was named the Metro around 1983, before that it was known as SRO’s Crest Theatre.
Typically when a classic theater sitting on expensive real estate closes or announces its intention to close the community rallies to try to save it. Meanwhile a developer already has his permits and is chafing at the bit to tear it down. Under the pressure of time, it often doesn’t work and wrecking ball does its thing.
Despite Bucksbaum’s best efforts, it seems clear to me that the Majestic Crest’s days as a single-screen movie theater are numbered. Shouldn’t someone RIGHT NOW be working with Bucksbaum to form a non-profit to buy it, or convince the City of Los Angeles to make it a performance venue, or do whatever the things a community does when a theater closes and they try to save it? Why wait? Isn’t it easier to do it now with a bit of time rather than at the last minute?
To anyone paying attention, it is obvious that this theatre is officially named the Majestic Crest, yet Cinema Treasures insists on listing it as the Westwood Crest.
Let’s examine the evidence, shall we? Mr. Bucksbaum has stated in an interview that he was fond of the movie THE MAJESTIC and its depiction of a family run movie palace. He has spent a lot of money adding the name MAJESTIC to the marquee, it is in all the advertising, the telephone recordings, everywhere – except for Cinema Treasures, and his own website, which hasn’t changed a bit in years.
With unreliable bookings, unsteady business, serious damage done to the theatre by careless film crews, the high cost of running the place, and a daily struggle to keep it open, clearly he is much too busy to buy and register a new domain name, cross-link it with the current domain name, and update the graphics on his website. Anyone who has tried to run a website while also trying to support himself can empathize.
This man is a hero to us for fighting against all odds to preserve a real Cinema Treasure. The least you could do is list it under the name he obviously prefers!
Well “Hairspray” is a fun film and the prints look great from Deluxe. It’s in scope and also it has a very lively soundtrack too.
Edited from “Neighborhood Theaters: Room for Dreams, Big and Small†by Patrick Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, July 10, 2007:
The handsome old Westwood Crest Theater, a 1940-era movie house on Westwood Boulevard is a lovely theater, but saddled with a crushing disadvantage. With one screen, its fortunes fluctuate by the luck of landing a hit picture; a multiplex can book hourly showings of a popular film while relegating a fading flick to a smaller theater. The only reason the Crest still exists is that it is owned by one man, Robert Bucksbaum, who bought it in 2002 and operates it as a labor of love.
Still, business there has not been good. Bucksbaum is now in negotiations with an investment group to sell the land the theater sits on in return for a series of five-year leases that will allow him to continue operating the theater. Bucksbaum says his biggest problem has been finding a consistent flow of product. Studio distributors, more at home dealing with big chains, rarely go out of their way to support a family theater owner like Bucksbaum.
Bucksbaum originally had a deal with Disney, but that quickly dissolved. He then struck a deal with 20th Century Fox, which also went south after a series of booking disputes too complicated to detail here. Suffice to say that Bucksbaum feels that, as a one-man show, he was treated like a second-class citizen.
“My livelihood depends on this one theater — I don’t have 3,000 other theaters to fall back on,“ says Bucksbaum, who also runs ReelSource, a box-office data firm. "At first, everyone said they’d throw me a bone. But in practice, it was the complete opposite. They had the attitude — ‘You’re one little guy. What could you possibly do for us?’ "
The Crest has become essentially a second-run art house, largely playing movies that have already opened at other theaters. Bucksbaum has only one first-run commitment this summer, New Line’s “Hairspray,” which opens later this month.
All the good movies in the world may still not save the Crest. Like the other aging one-screen theaters that populate Westwood, it’s a gas-guzzler in a neighborhood full of Priuses. All those lights on its marquee come with a cost â€" Bucksbaum complains that his electricity bill probably rivals any theater in the country.
But the Crest is an invaluable link to our past, when it didn’t take half a day to drive across town. As Bucksbaum puts it: “I think people would like to have some ties to their roots and to their neighborhood, to what this city was like 50 years ago.”
That probably makes Bucksbaum a crazy dreamer. But in many ways Cuban is a crazy dreamer too, trying to drag movie exhibition into the 21st century. Having sat in the lap of a theater owner as a boy, I like hearing about dreams and schemes. To me, it sounds like the crazy talk of people who really love movies.
Everyone within normal travel distance of greater Los Angeles, who are devotee’s of the classic single screen theaters, should jump onto their Pogostick or catch a train to SANTA ANA and see the fabulous display of JOSEPH MUSIL’S CREST THEATRE.
Artistically shown is everything from early pencil drawings, blue prints, molds, models and beautiful photographic collection -the entire side wall of his museum/auditorium is devoted to the CREST.
I would advise calling first for an appointment 714-667-6959 as Mr. Musil’s (formerly known as the “Salon of the Theatres” -now the AMERICAN MUSEUM OF THEATRICAL DESIGN) does not keep normal shop hours… You’ll need to offer a handsome donation because it’s well worth the normal price of admission and this is a non-profit organization with volunteer docents! www.josephmusil.com
Mr. Musil is an amazing iconic tower of authority regarding countless American theaters. He was profesionaly trained in Milan, Italy and has provided his services to theater giants across America, further providing a wealth of designs and models for numerous Disney projects both locally, France and Japan.
The only other point I might add was a comment from an overseas visitor during the 2005 THS Conclave; “Your museum tour and stage show was the absolute highlight of the entire tour.” -Need I say more?
Simon Overton -Volunteer stage manager.
Now the simulation of the lights dimming…that would be cool. I have seen a picture of the concession area and it is fantastic. Joe Musil designed the interior and what a beautiful job he did.
John – Thanks. And I did not get shots of the concession are, not this time around at least. My goal was simply to capture the auditorium. However, I am still working on some unshown shots of the walls, murals and screens, including (maybe) a simulation of the lights dimming.
James, Great looking pictures of the auditorium. Did you happen to take any pictures of the lobby area/concession area?
Tom – Glad you enjoyed! I was sleepless last night, so put up the link to my pics in this forum. I plan to add more images from the shoot I did – more angles, more murals. For those who want to see it http://www.jamesgordongallery.com/crestslides (Flash), or http://www.jamesgordongallery.com/crestweb (web pages). Pass the word along.
James—Beautiful series. Thanks! tom
Want to take a look at the murals inside. I did an independent, free photoshoot of them to show up the lovely glowing look. View at the theatre site, www.westwoodcrest.com, then click on special events, and then on the link to the Majestic Crest Pictures. Or go directly to the slideshow at my site http:www.jamesgordongallery.com/crestslides. I am not affiliated, and the images are not for sale. I am a photographic artist and I love the cinema.
Here is another recent night view of the Crest.
GCC operated it when Loew’s left the California market. Among the other main theatres they picked up from Loews was the Loew’s on Hollywood Blvd. (aka. Paramount/El Capitan), Holly, Beverly (in Beverly Hills), Picfair, ElMiro and others.
It must have been an art house in January 1950 as the features were “Donizetti’s Opera” and “This Wine of Love”, according to an ad in the LA Times.
They’d never do it, and it would be nice if the owner replaced those backlight mural type signs on the marquee with the old style movable lettering. The theater would look a little more like a restoration than a renovation. That said, given how much Westwood has changed since I visited when I was a kid in the 1970s, it’s a miracle the building still stands and still retains as much of its original character as it does. Interesting that GCC (General Cinema) owned it for a time.
The only thing that might be original at the Crest is the facade area near the vertical sign above the marquee. The rest of the theatre is the Disney remodel.
architect85: You can email me at I did some research on Hawes and will get it to you, if you like.