Saw several movies here, late 70’s until I went to college in 1983. One was “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.” Really bad movie. The theater was unremarkable archictecturally and run down.
Video of this theater on You Tube as of 12/29/16. Recorded in April 2016. Theater and surrounding restaurants closed but still there. Shots of the interior only of what could seen through the front windows. Lots of mold but everything still intact. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzZRcLMIh6k
Saw many, many movies here in the late 70’s and early ‘80s. First matinee show was $2 per ticket so our family came down here quite often, even though it was a 20 mile drive with several theaters (the ones in Paramus and Westwood) much closer to our house. Escape From New York, I recall seeing here. The view across the Hudson was spectacular. Also I recall inside on the wall they had large photographic blowups of tall ships on the Hudson, taken during Operation Sail in 1976.
Many, many, many visits here in the late 70’s and early ‘80s. It was a single screen at that time. Second run house, $2 a ticket. I remember the old gent that tore the tickets very well. Very short and bald. Probably went there once a month for five years.
I have a very distinct memory of seeing “Jaws” here in 1975 at age nine. One of the first instances of intense blockbuster style marketing that we now take for granted. Huge posters, cardboard lobby standees, souvenirs for sale. Ice cream available for sale in “sharklate, finilla or Jawsberry.”
I believe I saw “Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother” here when my aunt took me. I would have been about eleven years old. RIP Gene Wilder. This was when the place still had only one screen. It really was enormous.
Here’s a photo of a 1908 LA city directory. This was posted by another user in the discussion of the Optic Theater. Here, the Lyric Theater is listed, so it was already going by the Lyric at that date, and had not yet become Glockner’s. Didn’t seem to be Talley’s Electric Theater for very long.
As the site of the first motion picture theater, this location should definitely be hailed as a landmark.
A new garage for the LAPD motorpool is being built on the site. As a concession to the neighborhood residents, some retail stores are being placed on the street front. A nice brass plaque commemorating the location’s history would fit nicely on the building.
Right now, it’s just a broken old sidewalk. Recognition of the site’s history would add more to the neighborhood, maybe even more business for the Imaginasian Center across the street.
The photo posted by Ken Mc on March 20, 2008, shows that theater also has a sign reading “Tele-View Newsreel Theater.” It’s pretty tiny, so it’s easy to miss. I guess that’s another name.
Lots of fun memories of going to see the $3 triple bills here, from 1990 to 1992. I moved to L.A. too late to take in the World Theater, further down the block.
I’m the Ritz offered a similar experience: sticky floors, squeaky seats and people yelling stuff at the screen. Priceless.
The last time I was in here was in 1994, as an extra in the video of “Work for Food” by Dramarama, which was shot here. Several shots of the audience are seen, as they are literally “blown away” by Dramarama’s music. They set up a huge fan inside the theater to get the “blowing” effect. You might find that video on the internet on several video sharing sites. Good times.
We know from the evidence above that this theater changed from the Mar-Cal to the World sometime between 1954 and 1964.
I moved to L.A. in 1989, so I definitely missed this place. Too bad.
I did however get a chance at a similar place, The Ritz, formerly the Pussycat, which was running 3 second run movies for $3 as late as 1992. Further down Hollywood Blvd. I went there at least a dozen times before it too vanished. Similar atmosphere: sticky floors, squeaky seats, and lots of folks yelling back at the screen. Never got maced though. It is now a church, and location of the awesome Skooby’s Hot Dogs.
Based on all the evidence provided above, it looks like the 136 S. Main location was not The Liberty until around 1942, when it was showing porno, or whatever the 1940’s equivalent to porno was.
Who knows how long it lasted after that? As late as 1938 it was oeprating as the Novelty, showing 5 movies plus a serial for a nickel.
It seems like the 262 S. Main location was the Liberty much earlier, around 1910, lasting until..??? This was the theater with the elegant arch shown in the postcard.
Wish I could have gone to the Novelty, with its cheap-ass appearance and program of cheesy B-westerns. Looks like it was a lot of fun. Before my time. Even my Dad was only 7 years old at this time.
I went to two showings during the “free” week, Dec. 2-6.
The theater was about 2/3 full, though I was one of the few non-Asians in attendance. (The films had English subtitles.) The audience was about 85% Asian. Yes, they do have the usual popcorn and candy for sale. No, they are not selling sushi or bento boxes, though I would enjoy that.
A nice, spanking new, modern, sleek little one-screener. The neighborhood is still a little scary, but much improved over past decades. If you live in L.A., check it out sometime.
Actually, looking at those pictures, amazingly, all the buildings on that block on the East side of Main are still there, with the exception of the Burbank Theater.
The other side of the street, well, not so much. Everything torn down except the Rosslyn Hotel, and a 5 story parking garage built.
The Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live won’t be open until 2009, so this might keep going until then.
William, I know that’s how the theaters on Broadway were running: on fumes. I even went to movies there at the end, in the mid 1990’s. Probably 20-30 times. All I’m asking for is ONE theatre to open up.
I think we might need a non-profit operator like the American Cinematheque to come in and run one of the theaters. But one thing is for sure: downtown’s population IS growing and most of the new arrivals do have disposable income to go see a movie. I guess we’ll see how popular the ImaginAsian Center is. If they start making money, maybe small single screen art house cinemas, or a calendar house could be profitable. I intend to patronize that place, at least part of the time.
That 1985 photo posted by Ken on August 6th shows the San Carlos Hotel, and on the ground floor can be the roof of Googie’s Coffee Shop, which started the “Googie architecture” style in the 1950’s, though I believe it was the other branch next to Schwab’s Drugstore on Crescent Heights in Hollywood that had all the wild stylistic elements in the architecture. I don’t remember any of this first hand, I think I read about it somewhere along the way.
Well, there’s the history: Clune’s Theatre at Fifth and Main opened in 1909, had a fire in 1913, possibly was closed after that, and the Rosslyn Hotel replaced it by 1917. Short run there.
But this still doesn’t give us more info about the supposed 729 S. Main Street address.
They are currently screening films for free, (December 2-6) but December 7th remains the “official” opening date. They will start charging admission on that date. Put a fork in the Linda Lea, she’s done.
No, no, there’s nothing there. I went over there a couple months ago to check it out. There’s still a sign reading “Cinemaland.” The front door is locked.
I went around to the back of the building and peeked inside. The door was jammed open. Everything had been ripped out. No seats, everything down to the bare walls.
There was a sweatshop inside. About 3 dozen Asian women sewing things.
I suppose you could rebuild a theater in this space, but it would cost too much, and not too many people live in this part of Chinatown anyway.
I agree with Ken about the marquee. Says “Linda” vertically. Also love the giant rooftop sign that says “Japanese Films.” I wonder if that was neon.
From this photo we can guess that the theater’s renovation with the orange/yellow sign that remained up until this year, was constructed some time after 1954.
Also the Ateca was running burlesk shows? Was is common for theatres to mix live burlesk and films? I was under the impression they usually only ran one or the other, not both, but what do I know, that was before I was born. Anybody have any idea about that?
Saw several movies here, late 70’s until I went to college in 1983. One was “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh.” Really bad movie. The theater was unremarkable archictecturally and run down.
Video of this theater on You Tube as of 12/29/16. Recorded in April 2016. Theater and surrounding restaurants closed but still there. Shots of the interior only of what could seen through the front windows. Lots of mold but everything still intact. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzZRcLMIh6k
Saw many, many movies here in the late 70’s and early ‘80s. First matinee show was $2 per ticket so our family came down here quite often, even though it was a 20 mile drive with several theaters (the ones in Paramus and Westwood) much closer to our house. Escape From New York, I recall seeing here. The view across the Hudson was spectacular. Also I recall inside on the wall they had large photographic blowups of tall ships on the Hudson, taken during Operation Sail in 1976.
Many, many, many visits here in the late 70’s and early ‘80s. It was a single screen at that time. Second run house, $2 a ticket. I remember the old gent that tore the tickets very well. Very short and bald. Probably went there once a month for five years.
I have a very distinct memory of seeing “Jaws” here in 1975 at age nine. One of the first instances of intense blockbuster style marketing that we now take for granted. Huge posters, cardboard lobby standees, souvenirs for sale. Ice cream available for sale in “sharklate, finilla or Jawsberry.”
Saw several shows there in the 70’s and 80’s including Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
I believe I saw “Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother” here when my aunt took me. I would have been about eleven years old. RIP Gene Wilder. This was when the place still had only one screen. It really was enormous.
Here’s a photo of a 1908 LA city directory. This was posted by another user in the discussion of the Optic Theater. Here, the Lyric Theater is listed, so it was already going by the Lyric at that date, and had not yet become Glockner’s. Didn’t seem to be Talley’s Electric Theater for very long.
View link
As the site of the first motion picture theater, this location should definitely be hailed as a landmark.
A new garage for the LAPD motorpool is being built on the site. As a concession to the neighborhood residents, some retail stores are being placed on the street front. A nice brass plaque commemorating the location’s history would fit nicely on the building.
Right now, it’s just a broken old sidewalk. Recognition of the site’s history would add more to the neighborhood, maybe even more business for the Imaginasian Center across the street.
Here’s a link to the Dramarama video. You can see both the interior and exterior of the theater pretty well, including the marquee and box office.
http://shrinkster.com/xhu
The photo posted by Ken Mc on March 20, 2008, shows that theater also has a sign reading “Tele-View Newsreel Theater.” It’s pretty tiny, so it’s easy to miss. I guess that’s another name.
Lots of fun memories of going to see the $3 triple bills here, from 1990 to 1992. I moved to L.A. too late to take in the World Theater, further down the block.
I’m the Ritz offered a similar experience: sticky floors, squeaky seats and people yelling stuff at the screen. Priceless.
The last time I was in here was in 1994, as an extra in the video of “Work for Food” by Dramarama, which was shot here. Several shots of the audience are seen, as they are literally “blown away” by Dramarama’s music. They set up a huge fan inside the theater to get the “blowing” effect. You might find that video on the internet on several video sharing sites. Good times.
We know from the evidence above that this theater changed from the Mar-Cal to the World sometime between 1954 and 1964.
I moved to L.A. in 1989, so I definitely missed this place. Too bad.
I did however get a chance at a similar place, The Ritz, formerly the Pussycat, which was running 3 second run movies for $3 as late as 1992. Further down Hollywood Blvd. I went there at least a dozen times before it too vanished. Similar atmosphere: sticky floors, squeaky seats, and lots of folks yelling back at the screen. Never got maced though. It is now a church, and location of the awesome Skooby’s Hot Dogs.
Based on all the evidence provided above, it looks like the 136 S. Main location was not The Liberty until around 1942, when it was showing porno, or whatever the 1940’s equivalent to porno was.
Who knows how long it lasted after that? As late as 1938 it was oeprating as the Novelty, showing 5 movies plus a serial for a nickel.
It seems like the 262 S. Main location was the Liberty much earlier, around 1910, lasting until..??? This was the theater with the elegant arch shown in the postcard.
Wish I could have gone to the Novelty, with its cheap-ass appearance and program of cheesy B-westerns. Looks like it was a lot of fun. Before my time. Even my Dad was only 7 years old at this time.
I went to two showings during the “free” week, Dec. 2-6.
The theater was about 2/3 full, though I was one of the few non-Asians in attendance. (The films had English subtitles.) The audience was about 85% Asian. Yes, they do have the usual popcorn and candy for sale. No, they are not selling sushi or bento boxes, though I would enjoy that.
A nice, spanking new, modern, sleek little one-screener. The neighborhood is still a little scary, but much improved over past decades. If you live in L.A., check it out sometime.
Actually, looking at those pictures, amazingly, all the buildings on that block on the East side of Main are still there, with the exception of the Burbank Theater.
The other side of the street, well, not so much. Everything torn down except the Rosslyn Hotel, and a 5 story parking garage built.
Still hanging on.
The Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live won’t be open until 2009, so this might keep going until then.
William, I know that’s how the theaters on Broadway were running: on fumes. I even went to movies there at the end, in the mid 1990’s. Probably 20-30 times. All I’m asking for is ONE theatre to open up.
I think we might need a non-profit operator like the American Cinematheque to come in and run one of the theaters. But one thing is for sure: downtown’s population IS growing and most of the new arrivals do have disposable income to go see a movie. I guess we’ll see how popular the ImaginAsian Center is. If they start making money, maybe small single screen art house cinemas, or a calendar house could be profitable. I intend to patronize that place, at least part of the time.
I love the store right next to it: “Ye Post Card Shop.”
Ha ha! You can still advertise that you are selling “Havana Cigars.”
Maybe one day again.
That 1985 photo posted by Ken on August 6th shows the San Carlos Hotel, and on the ground floor can be the roof of Googie’s Coffee Shop, which started the “Googie architecture” style in the 1950’s, though I believe it was the other branch next to Schwab’s Drugstore on Crescent Heights in Hollywood that had all the wild stylistic elements in the architecture. I don’t remember any of this first hand, I think I read about it somewhere along the way.
Well, there’s the history: Clune’s Theatre at Fifth and Main opened in 1909, had a fire in 1913, possibly was closed after that, and the Rosslyn Hotel replaced it by 1917. Short run there.
But this still doesn’t give us more info about the supposed 729 S. Main Street address.
No, we know they had the grand opening December 1, with “dignitaries” in attendance.
http://blogdowntown.com/blog/2980
They are currently screening films for free, (December 2-6) but December 7th remains the “official” opening date. They will start charging admission on that date. Put a fork in the Linda Lea, she’s done.
Time for a new entry.
The Linda Lea moved to the theater at 249 S. Main Street by 1954.
That theater was formerly the Arrow, then the Azteca.
See the entry under Linda Lea.
No, no, there’s nothing there. I went over there a couple months ago to check it out. There’s still a sign reading “Cinemaland.” The front door is locked.
I went around to the back of the building and peeked inside. The door was jammed open. Everything had been ripped out. No seats, everything down to the bare walls.
There was a sweatshop inside. About 3 dozen Asian women sewing things.
I suppose you could rebuild a theater in this space, but it would cost too much, and not too many people live in this part of Chinatown anyway.
I agree with Ken about the marquee. Says “Linda” vertically. Also love the giant rooftop sign that says “Japanese Films.” I wonder if that was neon.
From this photo we can guess that the theater’s renovation with the orange/yellow sign that remained up until this year, was constructed some time after 1954.
Also the Ateca was running burlesk shows? Was is common for theatres to mix live burlesk and films? I was under the impression they usually only ran one or the other, not both, but what do I know, that was before I was born. Anybody have any idea about that?