Boulevard Theater

I grew up just off Whittier Bl. & Kern Ave. and remember going to all these great theaters in the 60’s & 70’s.
I am currently involved in a historical project to document the memories, stories and anecdotes
of those who lived and worked and enjoyed the theaters, shops & restaurants near this strip of Whittier Blvd. between Ford Bl. & Atlantic Ave. from as far back as the 40’s to the 80’s. If anyone
is interested in sharing their recollections for this project please contact me. I also seek any photos,
& any materials related to this area from this period. Thanks in advance.

well the movie “a hard days night ” played at the Golden Gate theater. the front cover of thee midniters album was also the Golden Gate.Promoter Eddie Torres of the 70’s lived on the top of the golden gate and had a little office up there. the Center theater catered to the B classics like “the Twosome Gruesome” “the corpse grinders”,“night of the living dead” and more! I remember they had a nurse to take your blood pressure in the theater when they showed these movies lol!yeah my buddy smoot aka “Whiteowl” and myself Christopher aka “Casper” used to mow lawns in the nieghborhood so we could go to these places! And cruise up and down the boulevard!

This 1930 LA Times ad shows the Red Mill at 4549 Whittier. A different ad I saw a while ago put the Red Mill at 5215, at the time I added it as a new theater. I don’t know which is correct:
http://tinyurl.com/yu686m

Those with sharp eyes will see the Boulevard about middle left in this 1979 photo from the LAPL:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics45/00057089.jpg

The 4549 Whittier Blvd. address is the right address.

LA Times on 1/22/50 gives the address as 4949 Whittier Boulevard.

i’m was sadden to hear of the passin of one of the great ones of radio huggie boy,unlike the host of today full of their ego,he was humble and caring and trully loved the latin people.
you gave us great memories and happiness and we carry you in our heart, so long.
jenny (niece) i would like to get in touch with you if possible,can you email me at ,thank you.

alexander hugo alvarez
fort lauderdale, fl

I Would like to thank all of you who remembered my uncle huggy. he was very funny.he was cared for by his lovly wife sandy and his 15 year old son who looks very much like him. This year has been very hard on all of us in dec. we lost our grandmother"his mother inlaw" then in jan. we lost my cousin at the age of 24 “his stepson”. I’ll always remember when i was a little girl going to the radio station and running around with my cousin and watching him work. You couldnt tell he was sick since he had such a great personality. who knows maybe his son will follow his dj footsteps. We are all going to miss his crazy jokes

thanks again
Jenny-jenny (niece)

Does anyone remember the trolley that went in front of the Boulevard Theatre?

Huggy Boy was living in an apartment complex just north of the Luckys/Albertsons grocery store (now closed) on Passons Bl. He was in ill health as of last year.

The Boulevard still stands but it has been out of commission for some years now and is in decay. It looks closed down. The remnants of the Fabulous Golden Gate Theatre still partially stands but it is indefinitely closed. These theatres, unfortunately, are run down or partially demolished and it is sad that they have not been repaired or preserved and brought back to its original unique movie house state to provide the community with double features it once did and of course the cartoons. Now, generations to come will no longer be afforded the opportunity to experience a visit to these classic theatres. The Golden Gate and Boulevard Theatres are places I fondly remember growing up in East L.A. To see them now is just a shame that they no longer in operation. Yes, KDAY is back, however, it is hardly comparable to KRLA glory days. Particularly missing are those east side favorite oldies from long ago. KDAY is great for the hip hop scene. I prefer those vintage songs that take me back to those Whittier Blvd cruising days.

Last I heard, Huggy Boy was living in Pico Rivera. A freind of mines, who toured with Eddie Davis Productions-known for his Easide Revue concerts of the 60’s and 70’s whose many artists performing on that circuit were heard on KRLA, knows Huggy personally. He told me a while back he fell in the shower and had to retire from his gig from K-RTH radio due to the injury. It’s unfortunate that he did. However, what I miss is his radio broadcasts from his KRLA days and KRLA in general. That was a classic radio channel. It was definately one of a kind which the likes it seems will never be duplicated again. Huggy was one of the icons of that station. He offered a unique blend of humor and historical analysis of the 50’s and 60’s music scene. I could often depend on him for playing my favorite oldies. I grew up with Huggy and KRLA. I was and still am an avid fan and a loyal follower. In the early 70’s he had a oldies dance show on television channel 56. I remember that show and the songs he used to play on it that I would often find myself singing or dancing along to. It was broadcast from a dance hall near the corner of Slauson and Telegraph near the 5 freeway not far from the old Holiday Inn on Telegraph. He also had a local label in the late 50’s and early 60’s called Caddy Records which Johnny Flamingo and the Dots had signed under. There was one other AM radio station in the late 70’s called X-PRS that played music that Huggy and Art Laboe was known for and that I used to enjoy listening to. The other stations at the time were usually soul and R & B or Classic Rock like KHJ or KDAY AM radio. It’s absolutely boggles the mind that a popular radio station like KRLA used to be is no more. Just like the Golden Gate, Boulevard and Center theatres I remember so fondly growing up in East L.A. are gone. What a shame they were not preserved for generations to enjoy.