Hollywood Century Theatre

Nothing personal, friend. This is a website celebrating old theaters and where they are or used to be. Don’t you think it should be as accurate as all of us, working together, can make it? If I get something wrong, I’d like it to be corrected. It’s about the information, right?

It wasn’t the corner, even the address shows that. The number on that corner is 5501. It was the middle of the block. For awhile after it burned there was an empty lot there, between the other buildings.

The Hunley was listed as seating 750 people from the FDY.

For: KJC: I’ll never forget Beehler with that scar over his eye. We were friends in the late 60’s-early 70’s. At that time he still worked for Shaun Sayles and Alex Cooperman of the Continental Theater chain. I made many movies for Monroe back in those days.
I sure would love to talk to him. We had a lot of history between us. Monroe was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Sure would like to hear from him or be able to contact him.
My name is Jack Gen _ .    
email:

kjc, you mentioned that Monroe Beehler is currently working on a project related to the Jaguar films. Did Mr. Beehler elaborate on what the project was about? I would like to contact him to ask if he has any plans to release the Jaguar films on DVD. Would it be all right if I request for Mr. Beehler’s e-mail address?

I am sorry to have to post this message publicly, because you do not have an e-mail address. You can contact me via e-mail, which is listed in my user profile. Thank you.

I am happy to report Monroe is alive and well in Southern California. He is retired and currently working on a project related to the Jaguar films. I spoke with him after Brian’s death and he was saddened by the loss of an old friend.

Hello Folks. I worked at The Hollywood Century Theater from around 1976 until around 1978. Yes, I remember Woody sitting on his perch by the concession counter although I’m not certain he spent more time in the men’s room. He always took his Nitroglycerin pills to help himself stay alive. God, he must have died many years ago as he was probably in his 60’s even then. I don’t know the names of any of the posters to this site as I think I pre-date even them. Does anyone remember Kusuma, a (straight) Thai Woman who worked as a cashier in that little glass cage out on the boulevard? I know she left in the late 70’s as well, but wonder if she ever came back? I know I never did. I’d heard the place burned down as a result of the riots in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdicts back in the early 90’s. I’m not certain if this is rumor or fact, just what I was told through a third-party. I still have vivid memories of the place as an adult theater, before it became a private club. And the numerous, vicious beatings of the audience members by the LAPD vice-squad, from time to time!
I also fondly recall the opening of The San Francisco Century Theater even before it became the The Century, when it was still The Larkin Theater and there was a parking lot across the street which was turned into a small park. Fond memories of The San Francisco Property. Worked there from it’s inception until it’s change of hands around 1988 or 89; can’t recall the exact year it went to a new owner and venue. Still have numerous photos of the place and even some ‘home videos’ of the employees in San Francisco during a ‘regular day of business’. Those were good times.
Sad to read the above posting of the death of Brian King. I knew Brian well both in Los Angeles and in S.F. and his friend Ted. Brian was a jolly fellow who truly enjoyed life and his life’s work – film. My condolances to his friends and family.
Is Monroe dead or alive, anyone? He must have been in his 50’s in 1980 and could still be alive in Southern California but he’d be very old now.

A Century Theatre thought. Brian King who made many of the jaguar films for Monroe Beehler passed away last week.

I can remember very clearly, well, mostly clearly the Statewide/Century/Lowes Ownership of the Century. I worked for Loews in 1972 when they decided to get out of the California market and sold out to General Cinema (Bought out by AMC in late 2001 or early 2002). At the time I was assistant manager of the Holly theatre (AKA Studio, Music Hall, etc.) at the time. When GCC bought Loews, I can remember the district manager (of GCC) making snide comments about the new owners of the Century (a theatre that they did not want, and they sold seperately), saying he hopes he doesn’t have to kiss the guy to close the deal for the sale (It became a gay male movie theatre). I moved out of the Hollywood area in 1976 and did not realize that it did no longer exist, but then again, we will never see a day like we had at that time when a theatre meant ONE theatre, not 30 under one roof.

Monroe Beehler. Someone needs to do some research and write a book on this whole period of gayaciousness pre-pandemic. For whatever anyone says about “fooling around” in this venue, it was regarded as something not to happen, period. Fascinating.

I have noticed countless abandoned theaters on Hollywood Blvd, I am trying to figure out which one was which. Does this building still exsist, and what’s in it now if it does. There were a number of theaters that were completely abandoned, another that were sort of “performing arts”-like centers, one that had gay porn, a few that were stores, and then of course the famous ones that are still open, like the Chinese, El Captitan, Pantages, etc.
I wish I had time to photograph them while I was there, but didn’t get the time because I was too busy while in the area.

The Century theater was in fact a King theater. When I was employed there, my boss was Mr Beehler, who also had the Century Theater (also King) in San Francisco. Both places were kept in prestine condition.

I was employed by the Century Theater from June of ‘84 until April '85. I had just moved to L.A. from my hometown in nowhere TX and a friend of mine was the accountant for the theater. I have very fond memories of that place and at the age of 19 I thought I had arrived when I put on the tux (the dress code at the time). I met many people at that theater and to this day I still have links with several of them. I did not care for the films themselved but this grand old theater had much more history than anyone imagined. There was back room with old creeky steps to offices which evidently had not been used in decades. These offices, which contained posters and marquee letters from heydays past, I was lucky to have been let in to have a look around. I also remember seeing old locked doors on either side of the back of the theater as well as up in the projection room(s). There again, was another life of this theater probably left untouched for many years before. It seems to me the theater was burned some years after I left it. Today I am sad to read that it has been completely demolished.