Carlton Theatre
5409 S. Western Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90062
5409 S. Western Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90062
3 people
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Fox West Coast Theatres
Styles: Mission Revival
Nearby Theaters
The Carlton Theatre was a 1,200-seat Fox West Coast Theatres movie house. It was opened in May 1924 and closed in the late-1950’s. It had been demolished by 1972.
Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
The film “Ed Wood” depicts the premiere of “Plan Nine From Outer Space” (1959) as taking place at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The premiere was actually held at the Carlton Theatre in Los Angeles.
Here is a picture, courtesy of the LA Library:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015267.jpg
Here is a larger version of the photo at the top:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015268.jpg
The LA Times reported on 7/15/24 that Harry Arthur, Jr, general manager of West Coast theaters, was starting a matinee program for children. The Tuesday show at the Carlton in July 1924 featured the film “Scaramouche”, a musical performance by Floryane Thompson, who sang the Marsellaise, a Felix the Cat cartoon and Pathe news.
The Carlton was being used as a church in 1958. There’s no report of its demoltition some time later.
The Carlton would have been just below the intersection on the left. I don’t recall offhand what’s there now:
http://tinyurl.com/235ony
I drove by the intersection today. The theater was on the southwest corner of 54th and Western. There’s a paved lot now, but it looks like there was something in that space after the theater. Perhaps a gas station.
Aerial views in 1972 show the theater as already gone. That narrows down the time frame for the demolition a bit.
I went by the site of the Carlton in the early 1990s. There was a McDonald’s Restaurant on that site. I have a photo if anyone is interested in seeing it posted. Looking at that address today via Google maps shows what appears to be a fenced in construction yard.
1st ad in the LAT from May 1924.