Florence Mills Theatre

The Florence Mills Theatre was located at 3511 S. Central Ave.

Over the history of film exhibition. There were theatres that were called negro theatres. That served the Afro-American population in this country. At one time this theatre was listed as one of them.

Opened initially in 1925 as a silent cinema called the Amusu Theatre (seating 700), it was called the Mills Theatre in 1942.

Florence Mills was a great black singer-dancer-comedian who died all too soon in 1927 at age 32 after an operation for appendicitis. She became an overnight star on the Broadway stage in "Shuffle Along," where she performed "I'm Craving For That Kind of Love." Another of her signature songs was "I'm a Little Blackbird Looking For a Bluebird." More than 150,000 people turned out for her funeral procession through the streets of Harlem. I'm pleasantly surprised that she was still remembered by 1942, since she made no recordings or movies.

Are you sure that some of the above is correct? Film Daily Year Books as early as 1932 have this listed as the Florence Mills Theatre, but always with 700 seats, which is a big difference from 1,700...Curiously, there was also once an 800-seat Bill Robinson Theatre, named in honor of the great black tapdancer, at 4219 South Central Avenue.

It's being redeveloped by Dunbar Economic Development Corporation:
"To invigorate Dr. Bunche's legacy in Los Angeles, Dunbar EDC is
acquiring the former Florence Mills Theater at 3100 South
Central. "We are doing an adaptive reuse / preservation project to
transform the building into a 200-seat theater, a rooftop restaurant
and the Dr. Ralph J. Bunche Leadership Academy Charter High
School," Wilson adds. [From http://www.kmt-1.com/ralph_bunch.htm ]
An opportunity for "before and after" pix? I can provide "before"
Bill Egan (Author:"Florence Mills Harlem Jazz Queen" Scarecrow Press)
wegan@pcug.org.au
Florence Mills web site: HTTP://www.tip.net.au/~wegan/

The building still stands. It says Florence Mills on the side. I will post some pictures I took today. Status should be closed.

Here are the photos:
http://tinyurl.com/2obeeh
http://tinyurl.com/3y2d3s
http://tinyurl.com/34k3kw
http://tinyurl.com/32rosu

Too bad we can't get inside - I wonder what's left.

LMAO

Please note status change to closed.

Here is a 2004 aerial photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yra3mr

The Globe Theater was listed at 3511 S. Central in the 1914 city directory.

According to a report generated by the L.A. city planning department's zoning information system, the building currently on this site was erected in 1912. The listing as Globe Theater in 1914 thus must refer to this same building.

Here is the city directory showing the Globe at 3511:
http://tinyurl.com/2m5dq2

William,

I am doing some professional research on Florence Mills Theater, Lincoln Theater, and others on Central Avenue during the 1920s-1950s...

Do you have any contact info?

I presume it's William Gabel, the originator of this thread, you're addressing but if you want to contact me at wegan[at]pcug.org.au we can see whether there is anything useful I can share,
Best wishes

Bill Egan
http://www.florencemills.com

What type of research on them?

Trying to figure out the size and scale of the FLorence MIlls Theater, as well as some others along central avenue such as the Tivoli and Ebony Showcase.

Also wanted to know about the whether the theaters were exclusively black or mixed? And were theaters in other parts of Los Angeles segregated, with blacks restricted to the balconies?

The introduction is rather awkwardly phrased. That area of Los Angeles still exists, but is no longer the entertainment district that it once was. In its showbiz heyday, Central Avenue was the equivalent of 125th Street in New York City's Harlem.

This ad from June, 1950 from the Los Angeles Sentinel includes the Florence Mills Theatre. Note that on Friday evenings, the Mills presented a talent revue that was probably similar to the legendary amateur nights at the Apollo in Harlem. All of the movies at these four theatres are conventional Hollywood product. I'm sure that they also presented "black" movies when available, though few new ones were being produced by that time. Most of those shown on Central Avenue were reissues. It was also the custom of the Central Avenue theatres to give exaggerated billing to black supporting actors in white movies. I've seen ads, for example, where Stepin Fetchit's name was three times as large as that of Will Rogers, who starred in the movie.
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/central50.jpg

Interesting that the 1950 Florence Mills was featuring "Covan's Stars of the future" on stage, as Willie Covan had been a close friend of Florence Mills in the 1920s and her husband had later helped finance his West Coast dance school. Another performer of that era, still performing on the West Coast today , was Herb Jeffries, whose black westerns were featured at the Florence Mills in the Thirties (before he found fame as Duke Ellington's vocalist - main hit Flamingo).

That's interesting, Warren. I didn't know that there were other papers besides the Times on the LAPL database. I have to check that out.

Here are some photos taken today:
http://tinyurl.com/avx54g
http://tinyurl.com/asxmdp
http://tinyurl.com/cmos75
http://tinyurl.com/brmepv
http://tinyurl.com/bhrroo

Thanks for posting those, Ken. I have been trying for ages to get some info on whether the planned recdevelopment was happening but neither 20th Century Housing nor Dunbar EDC respond to messages. It's clear from your pics that nothing has happened. The financial crisis is the likely explanation as Fannie Mae had a role in the financing. Presumably the public funding assigned still exists so perhaps things may still happen when the crisis eventually blows over.
I can tell from your last pic that Florence Mills' name is still legible on the gable end.
Best wishes
Bill Egan
http://www.florencemills.com

I was hoping that one of the doors would be open, but it was sealed tight. Have you ever been inside of the building?

No, I only photographed it from outside.
By the way, another Florence Mills theatrical link with LA is the old downtown Pantages theatre, long closed and now an electronics goods store or similar, but the name Pantages can still be seen over the entrance. See:
http://www.publicartinla.com/neon_signs/arcade_neon.html

Florence Mills played there in 1920 as one of the Panama Trio
Bill Egan
http://www.florencemills.com

It looks like she only lived to the age of 31, but her husband died at the age of 102 in 1990. Quite a disparity.

He outlived four wives, the last one being Dr Gertrude Curtis, New York's first Black dentist, and also the widow of Cecil Mack (R.C. McPherson), joint songwriter of The Charleston, Just a Cousin of Mine, That's Why They Call me Shine and many others. Florence Mills' husband ended up owning a share of the royalties from the Charleston, enough to make anyone wealthy
Bill Egan

The introduction is a bit bewildering. That section of Los Angeles is hardly "long lost." It still exists, but is no longer a hub of theatrical activity.