Nuart Theatre

A Landmark Theatre, the chain's very first one.

URL: http://www.landmarktheaters.com/Market/LosAngeles/NuartTheatre.htm and http://www.landmarktheaters.com/Market/LosAngeles/LosAngeles_Frameset.htm

The NuArt, like the Fox Venice, was a great revival house which changed shows daily. I remember they had a double feature of "The Searchers" and "Rio Bravo" which was scheduled for weeks but as luck would have it John Wayne passed away just days before and the crowd was so large I couldn't get in. They became notorious for the midnight screenings of John Water's "Pink Flamingos" which stayed for years. Celebrities would sometimes make appearances at the showings and I do remember meeting Russ Meyer. They scheduled everything from Disney to porn...the place was, and still is, wonderful. This theater can be seen in the film "Foul Play".

This is absolutely the best Art house in Los Angeles County. Period. Their programs and double features, not to mention their film festivals, are second to none.

I've had a blast there at science fiction film festivals, of which there are many, and it's a cool place to go with all the night life in the city after the movie.

Well, it wasn't always a revival house. I knew someone for whom it was the neighborhood theater during the 40's.

Look for Goldie Hawn at the Nuart, where it poses as a San Francisco theater hosting a Bogart retrospective in FOUL PLAY (1978)

When the NuArt Theatre opened in the early 40's, it was part of the Fox West Coast Theatres chain. Along with the nearby Tivoli Theatre which is now known as the Royal Theatre. The NuArt Theatre seated 660 people.

BH -- you should add your NuArt cameo to our Cameo news category. (We're also thinking about including the NuArt in our book, so this might be a good thing to include as well!)

I programmed the Nuart from 1976 until I left Landmark (a company I co-founded)in 1993. I also did the Fox Venice, Rialto (Pasadena), Vista and Sherman, all at the same time (and many others around the country including the late lamented UC Theatre in Berkeley). Imagine what it was like to keep them all showing different kinds of programming, hopefully doing decent business and not overlapping. The festivals were my favorites, especially at the Sherman. Also bringing in filmmakers for tributes and discussions with audiences was memorable as was having John Waters join us for the 10th anniversary of PINK FLAMINGOS and create the "No Smoking" trailer.

Though I co-founded Landmark with Steve Gilula and Kim Jorgensen, Kim has been part of group that first ran the Fox Venice based on a policy created by Mike Thomas and myself at the Times Theater in San Francisco...a film lovers' grind house changing daily double and triple features for 99 cents in the late 1960s.

The Nuart is a great place to see non-mainstream films and their film festivals are among the best. The earliest I can recall being at the Nuart was around 1977 with a double-feature of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" and "Dirty Harry." Recently, I've seen Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" and the original, uncut "Godzilla" from 1954. "Godzilla" is playing there until May 27. - A.

Everyone loves the Nuart. They could use a better sound system, though. I saw a concert film there recently and was disappointed. Their schedule is amazingly varied, adventurous, and ecelctic.

Does anybody remember a No Smoking Trailer with Bart the Fire Marshall next to his red firetruck? It lasted 90 seconds and played regularly at the Rialto and Nuart before features in the early 1980s. It also ran during the Filmex Film Festival. It was my very first film school project.

The Nuart was where I saw the brilliant jazz documentary "Chet Baker: Let's Get Lost" around 1988-89.. you can't even find that film on video these days. I was also privileged to have attended one Saturday afternoon in the late 80s " A Tribute to Mel Blank"... two hours of Bugs Bunny / Daffy Duck / Tweety Bird / Looney Tunes cartoons followed by a Q&A with the original "What's Up, Doc?" voice himself. Amazing! He passed away shortly thereafter. I will forever cherish that memory of the Nuart.

I regularly patronized the Nuart for the ten years I lived in LA
(1977-1987).I was always fascinated by the double feature presentations of foreign and American classics, obscure foreign and independent features, the discount card you purchased that was punched at the boxoffice, the very colorful monthly calendars, and the huge crowds that constantly attended every daily screening. To this day, I still remember 600 of us crammed together watching a musical double feature of CAMELOT and MY FAIR LADY. For those of you who know the combined length of these features, we were a dedicated bunch of Nuart patrons (however, my girlfriend wasn't very happy with the double features length). I also vividly remember attending numerous combo screenings of THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE FOUR MUSKETEERS.

I also attended many presentations at the Fox Venice when I lived in Mar Vista. While the film scheduling was pretty much the same as the Nuart, the Fox Venice was my favorite of the two cinemas since it offered numerous varieties of hot tea at the concession stand and I like the spacious layout of the interior more.

2 great theaters, many wonderful memories!

Growing up in the Valley, I was always mesmerized by the titles on this theatre's marquee, until I saw the title "Frankenhooker" and finally made it inside. It's my favorite theatre in Los Angeles, and has some of the best presentations around...

GARY MEYER: IN 1977-1978 I attended the Don Martin Radio School. I have lived in the valley since 1968. My sister came to school to visit the next DICK WHITTINGHILL?? She told me that the Sherman on Ventura was showing a CHARLIE CHAN festival for several days. I went crazy!! She was 21 and I was 35. WE went to specifically see Warner Oland. Deb had never seen Charlie Chan or Sherlock Holmes films. The theatre was packed and lines were long. Later on in America as you know values changed and Charlie Chan was banned from tv and after 1965 Amos and Andy was banned. But think about this: gardeners are now landscape architects, trash collectors are rubbish engineers, people who live together are domestic partners. I suppose next the media will call Hookers: SEXUAL AID ADVOCATES.

Here is a photo of the Nuart Theater.

And this is a night view of the Nuart Theater.

RE: Gary Meyer on Dec 14, 2003 at 5:56am John Waters did not create the now renowned NO SMOKING trailer - he starred in it, as he is a star. I produced and directed three trailers in a New York City loft in support of the SHOCK VALUE FILM FESTIVAL that was marketed nationwide through Landmark Theatre Corporation in the early 1980's to assist in marketing John's book SHOCK VALUE. The SHOCK VALUE trailer was kicked back by the Texas censors with an orange obscenity band due to the use of the words masturbation and coprophagy. (John wanted to change the script to use more common terms for anatomy and excretions but I insisted on sticking to the script - little good it did) The THANK YOU NUART FOR MAKING DIVINE THE FILTH GODDESS and the NO SMOKING TRAILER were filmed at the same time. All were filmed as written. I carried the latent image reels back to LA in my carry-on luggage and transferred the 16mm original negative up to 35mm for theatrical use. The Film Festival, with the NUART Theatre as base, was a runaway success, and the NO SMOKING trailer, created as an added attraction to give Nuart patrons even more reasons to love the NUART, has gone on to become an icon. Nice.

And we former patrons (1977 - 1987), do love the Nuart! Thanks for the note on the trailers (I still remember the NO SMOKING trailer).

This is a recent 2006 marquee photo of the Nuart. Looking at the scaffolding, it appears that some sort of work is being done.

Tonight was my first time at the Nuart since the recent renovation, and it was a very sad experience. They've given the auditorium a black and gray color scheme, widened the aisles, and installed new, high-backed seats that rock back and forth. First off, I found the seats incredibly uncomfortable. The armrests are too high, and the high backs and extended width between the aisles means that you can no longer slouch back and put your feet up on the next aisle (somthing that you used to be able to do without disturbing anyone, considering that the Nuart is seldom packed). And the rocking doesn't do it for me, particularly since the wide aisles make it difficult to anchor your feet to the floor.

But beyond the reduced comfort, the whole aesthetic of the place is incredibly disappointing. It seems like they've decided to "Arclight" the place, meaning that they've gone for a modern, all-black look, I guess in an attempt to make it look more hip and "arty."

The red color scheme that they used to have was perfect. For me, the color red signifies "old-time movie house" for some reason. And even though I don't know how the Nuart originally looked (I only started to go in the late-80's), it definitely seemed like it could have been the original decor, or at least quite similar to it.

And what was wrong with the old auditorium, anyways? The seats were comfortable and in good shape, and the place always seemed pretty clean. Over years of going there, I never once thought, "The Nuart is getting kind of run-down."

They've also changed the lobby and box-office, although these parts are still being worked on. The biggest change so far is that they've gotten rid of the old-style, stand alone box office and built it into the rest of the theatre (I guess I didn't take all that good of a look, but I think they've achieved this by building a wall that extends into the lobby, reducing the width of the space under the marquee).

The outside decor,particularly the box office, reminds me of the Film Forum and the new IFC Center in New York. And here, again, I'm incredibly saddened. The Film Forum and IFC Center play a lot of the same programming as the Nuart (they're basically the NY equivalents), and for years I used to claim to my NY friends that one of the advantages of LA over NY is that the primary revival theatre/art house in the city is an actual old-style movie theatre, instead of some cramped, crappy "film center."

Which leads me to my last point--At least they didn't split it! I guess if Landmark wanted to bring in more revenue (although they've lost at least 100 seats, which they'll surely miss if they get another Blair Witch Project or Blade Runner), we should be thankful they've decided to make it look more like the Arclight rather than completely destroy it by cutting it up. So curse you/thank you Marc Cuban.

I saw "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" here.

SEXBEATLE: What did you lose at that show?

My mind.

This afternoon:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k79/hollywood90038/wstwdNuartMay192007007.jpg

I saw a film in the 70s I'm quite sure at the Nuart but can't remember director or name. Can you help me. The story was about a girl name beauty queen of a French town/village and a millionaire who fell in love with her. She wouldn't move to NYC with him becuase she didn't want to leave her father, etc...he finally decided the only way he could marry her was to move the village to NYC. So at the end you see this French village in NYC and I remember some older French men sitting on a bridge, Brooklyn?? and throwing peelings, avocado? which cause a traffic accident. Very whimsical and fun and I've run out of ideas to track it down. Please help!!!! Chihully

Eraserhead played ther for years i recall. I recall seeing The Elephant Man in Westwood Village then driving to The Nuart to see Eraserhead for the fifth time. It was a great movie night.

Here is a recent night view of the Nuart Theater.

The Nu-Art showed "Birth of a Nation" in July 1970. I recall that the owner of the Silent Movie theater scheduled a showing a few years ago, but canceled due to community objection.

This is another recent photo of the Nuart Theater.

The above link didn't last very long. Here is another photo of the Nuart Theater.

This is a recent marquee shot for marquee aficionados.

Tivo alert...on tonight's new episode of The Big Bang Theory, the main guys go to this theater to see a revival of the Apes movies. The only difference is that the concessions are AMC brands, not Landmark!!! How shameful that CBS chose to make the Nuart as an AMC theater and not Landmark.

It's the production company's art department that dresses the set and the deals that the production company makes for product placement not CBS.

And,as William, implies, "product placement" means compensation. AMC paying the TV show (and also compensating Landmark for using the Nuart). It is likely worth more to AMC because they are nationwide in more markets than Landmark. So, Justin, it isn't dishonestly changing the affiliation, but merely inserting a commercial inside the show!

I bet AMC didn't have a hand in it, but that the production design staff just picked up cups at the closest movie theater.

Here is a 2002 photo from the LA Times site:
http://tinyurl.com/6nykex

Here is a 1942 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/5yf5b4

That's a lot of bicycles out front!

It might be a junior chapter of the Hells Angels. :)

Heck's Angels

I managed the Nuart for a few years in the late 70s and remember the great clientele. Patrons stood in long lines and squeezed in the last single seats left for their favorite movies. Changing movies daily was sometimes a challenge when the freight company shipped the movie late and the quality of the film wasn’t its best. The projectionist, Steve Oliver, would have to cut and splice the film together right before showing. Linda Rondstat stood in line with her then boyfriend, Jerry Brown. I cannot recall the movie they saw. Edie the Egg Lady, from Pink Flamingos, played in a band on stage. Her drummer was Gina Schock, soon to be a Go-Go. Edie, God rest her sole, was not cut out for singing, but it was a fun night. The director of Eraserhead, David Lynch, came in a few times to watch his film at midnight.

I saw Pink Flamingoes at a midnight screening in 1978 with about 8 people in the audience . One of those 8 was John Waters, who spoke with us after the show. and answered all our questions. He went on to tell us about his plans for a main-stream movie based on an overweight pimply-faced teenager who loved to dance. A few years later, "Hairspray" was released.

I saw "Pink Flamingos" at the TLA in Philadelphia, around 1981. Waters had just written a book and was there to answer questions and sign autographs. A very personable guy.

The Nuart probably opened in 1930. Southwest Builder & Contractor's issue of March 21, 1930, carried an item about the construction contracts for the theater. Motion Picture Herald of March 26, 1932, mentioned a management change at the Nuart Theatre in Sawtelle. In 1939, the house was already being remodeled and redecorated and getting a new marquee, according to an item in Boxoffice Magazine's issue of August 5th that year.

Here is a 1983 view of the Nuart:
http://tinyurl.com/ctzbmt

Hey everybody, local South Pas kid and amateur filmmaker, R.D.Hall, will be premiering him Noir Horror/Gangster movie at the Rialto in South Pasadena on May 8th, 2009. The One-Sheet was created by another South Pas kid, local art legend, Jimi(not the tattoo artist)Martinez. Admission is free, as is the popcorn and refreshments. Whoa! Friday night at the movies!!! Lets all go support indie filmmaking...Rialto rocks!!!

The show at the Rialto is at 8:30 PM May 8th 2009

Interesting film by a young local director, RD Hall. It was nice to sit in there for a couple of hours. Many of those who attended had never been in the Rialto when it was in operation. The insides have been pretty much well preserved. Interseting to note that the film was actually projected digitally from a DVD projector in the balcony, and it was able to achieve the standard aspect ratio. I'd say about 200 people made the show. Cant wait for the next show.

1959 Photo

1982 Night Photo

Dinner and a movie. Dinner at the newly renovated and greatly improved "Delores' Resturant" on Santa Monica Blvd, just a block west of the Nuart. Plenty of food for your money at Delores' and dinner specials which include desert as well. Plenty of parking in city lots off of Santa Monica blvd. Then walk accross the street and catch a film at the Nuart. Convenient and affordable - especially if you catch one of the Nuart's bargain matinees for $7 a show.

Here is a recent photo. By the way, I had lunch at Dolores yesterday and it was pretty dismal.
http://tinyurl.com/yzszkk3

What the lunch or the theatre?

The lunch. The theater looks fine.

Should have gone to Subway across the street.

I just watched an episode of Starsky & Hutch from their first season called "Silence" and it features the NuArt quite heavily, from a good shot of the front as they arrive, shots in the alley behind the theater, and then a shootout inside which really shows off the whole house once the audience is evacuated and the house lights are turned on. Hulu.com has it (for free), although it's pretty compressed.

As far as eating in that neighborhood, I always go to El Rebozo's, across SM Blvd and up Sawtelle one block on the left. Simple Mexican fare, but good.