State Theatre
703 S. Broadway,
Los Angeles,
CA
90014
703 S. Broadway,
Los Angeles,
CA
90014
23 people
favorited this theater
Showing 76 - 100 of 156 comments found
It looked to be in good shape when I was in there last month.
I heard it through the grapevine that when the Cult’s, er, I mean Church’s lease it up, the Owners do not intend to renew it. Rumor has it that the owners intend on a major restoration/renovation on this theatre to make it a major road house for touring musicals……
Hmmmm……………
I posted another comment today about trusting information found in libraries, especially dates. I have found a number of dates given with photos to be wrong and closing dates given for theaters are also wrong many times. When in doubt, check it out!
OK. There are some errors in the database.
Ken,
Spellbound was made in 1945. The photo has to be from at least 1945.
Here is a 1937 photo from the LAPL:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics21/00045320.jpg
Here are some photos from July 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/2sdaop
http://tinyurl.com/2nwebk
http://tinyurl.com/2tkene
http://tinyurl.com/34jykn
http://tinyurl.com/2w8wbh
http://tinyurl.com/2l78bl
http://tinyurl.com/3389a5
http://tinyurl.com/2ohm5x
http://tinyurl.com/33xwjd
http://tinyurl.com/2lez2d
http://tinyurl.com/2rkq7k
http://tinyurl.com/37x9zy
Here is an article from the LA Times dated 11/13/32. Mr. Wright’s age at his passing hit a little too close to home, for me at least:
Homer Wright, Former Theater Manager, Dies
Stricken with a sudden heart seizure and hour or so after he had retired for the evening, apparently in excellent health, Homer B. Wright, 46 years of age, former manager of Loew’s State and Chinese Theaters, died early yesterday at his home. He was a Mason and a Shriner.
I was inside this theater today. I tried to ask permission to take photos, but no one spoke English. I took that as a negative affirmation. The theater is very well kept inside. My camera has a weak flash, but hopefully the pictures will be OK when I post them later.
Here is another recent photo of the State Theater.
The information accompanying this photo gives the date as 1955, but looking at the cars on the street I’d guess it’s as much as a decade earlier- probably the early post-war years. Anyway, here’s a view of Broadway with the Loew’s State vertical sign prominently featured.
Here is a blurb from the LA Times on the State’s opening, dated 11/12/21:
DOORS TO OPEN TONIGHT.
State Theater Will be Honored by Presence of Many Stars of Stage and Screenland. STATE THEATER OPENS TONIGHT. Distinguished Guests, Will View First Program
Screen Stars to Appear in Impromptu Stunts
“Liliom” in Film Version is Headliner. Playing Leading Roles in Housewarming. STATE THEATER OPENS TONIGHT.
With Gov. Stephens in one box and Mayor Cryer in the other, and Marcus Loew, together with at least thirty noted motion-picture stars in the audience, Loew’s State Theater will open its doors tonight. A feature program is announced, to be preceded by many clever impromptu stunts in which some of the most prominent members of the local theatrical world will appear.
I immigrated to LA from New Jersey in 1984. On my first night here, I stayed at a fleabag hotel at 13th and Olive, across from a fire station, which of course meant no sleep. The next morning, I perambulated down Olive to Broadway. It was appalling. I almost called a cab and went back to the airport.
Ken mc: By 1966 the State had been part of the Corwins' Metropolitan Circuit for at least a few years. The photo is interesting for other reasons too, though. Look how tidy the street and sidewalk are. There are a couple of scraps of paper in the gutter, but those white spots on the sidewalk are probably from dust specks on the photograph negative. That’s how I remember Broadway and most of downtown being through the 1960s. When I returned in the early 1980s, after more than a decade’s absence, the street was one long strew of trash, most of it from fast food places, and somebody had virtually paved the sidewalks with dried chewing gum.
Here is a 1966 photo. It’s interesting because Loew’s has been taken off the marquee, and it just says “The State”. Perhaps a change of ownership:
http://tinyurl.com/ytgne9
Clifton’s is still open, I think. Their jello is top shelf.
I saw a couple of shows here in its very last days of movies, probably 1995, because the film was MONEY TRAIN with Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. I think they were doing second run at that point. The second feature was ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE CALLS, which was so bad I walked out and had dinner at Clifton’s.
I’m very upset that I didn’t come down to downtown more often and take in some more shows while they were still going on. Now I live here, but at that time I lived in the Valley and it was somewhat of a trial to get down here.
At that point, the only other operating theater in downtown was the Palace, who were showing English films with Spanish subtitles. I saw something there at least once, maybe it was “The Net” with Sandra Bullock? The subtitles were really distracting.
Here is a larger version of the photo at the top of the page:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics32/00065592.jpg
Those are two different photos from two different photographers taken on different dates, but thanks for following me around the website. I’m flattered!
Isn’t that the same photo posted above on 10/4/2006?
Here is a 2007 close-up photo of the former State Theater building.
Robby the Robot made a personal appearance here in March 1956 to promote “Forbidden Planet”, but to refer to him as a “monster” as it does in this L.A. Times ad is not only inaccurate, but more than a little insulting :)
View link
This is V-J Day in 1945, via the LA Library:
http://tinyurl.com/glqhf
This is a recent close-up photo of the former State Theater.
Here is a 1920s photo. The feature is “Cheaper to Marry”. I don’t know if I agree with that:
http://tinyurl.com/guvex