Warner Beverly Hills Theatre
9404 Wilshire Boulevard,
Beverly Hills,
CA
90212
9404 Wilshire Boulevard,
Beverly Hills,
CA
90212
16 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Pacific Theatres, Stanley-Warner Theatres, Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp.
Architects: Benjamin Marcus Priteca
Styles: Art Deco, Spanish Renaissance
Previous Names: Beverly Theatre
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News About This Theater
- Feb 7, 2014 — Warner gem faces murky future
- Dec 9, 2012 — Happy 50th, “Lawrence of Arabia”
- May 13, 2009 — My career as a movie theater manager
- Oct 10, 2008 — Remembering Cinerama (Part VI)
Designed architect B. Marcus Priteca, the Warner Beverley Hills Theatre was opened on May 19, 1931 with George Arliss in “The Millionaire”. It was a medium sized theatre, designed after its sisters Warner Theatres in Huntington Park and San Pedro. This theatre, like two other theatres, the Hollywood Pantages Theatre and the Warner Wiltern Theatre, are outstanding examples of what Art Deco style can be. Here in Beverly Hills an Art Deco/Spanish/Mexican was the theme by interior designers Robert E. Power Studio.
On October 27, 1954 the Warner Beverly Hills Theatre had the West Coast Premiere of “White Christmas” starring Bing Crosby and presented in horizontal projection of VistaVision. Around 1960 it was equipped with 70mm projectors. In the late-1960’s, it went from operated by Stanley-Warner to Pacific Theatres. With changing times and audiences & neighborhoods, the large Beverly Hills theatres would soon become parking lots, banks, and office buildings. The only theatre in the area to be saved was the Wilshire Theatre. After Pacific Theatre it was operated by an independent operator and renamed Beverly Theatre. It closed as a movie theatre and then had a short spell as a legit live theatre in the late-1970’s. It returned briefly to movies, then became a rock concert venue named The Beverly. Local citizens and the Beverly Hills City Council were not happy with the noise generated, and it was closed in 1987.
In 1988, when the restored “Lawrence of Arabia” was having its special reissue premiere in Los Angeles, the Warner Beverly Hills Theatre was being torn down. Ironically, the Warner Beverly Hills Theatre was the site of the original Exclusive West Coast Premiere for the film on December 16, 1962.
Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 78 comments)
@William: The Paramount Hollywood was also equipped with Sidewinders for VistaVision (per Morry Lauterman, who ran the theater at the time).
BobSe, So those were the only two in Los Angeles.
Click here for an exterior view of the Stanley Warner Theatre circa 1963. “Lawrence of Arabia” on the marquee.
Moviemanforever, “1996?” It was demolished 1988.
William, would you consider allowing the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation www.lahtf.org to use a few of your photos of the Beverly demolition. Our group was a player in the fight to preserve the theatre. The photos would be used on our site, brochure and we’d like to post them on our Facebook site. You can find me at
David Lean’s LAWRENCE OF ARABIA had its Exclusive West Coast Premiere at the Warner Theatre on December 16,1962. It was the Reserved Seat Engagement shown in 70MM and 6 Channel Stereophonic Sound.
Was a cool retro theater.
This opened on May 19th, 1931. Its grand opening ad can be found in the photo section for this cinema.
Radley Metzger’s ‘Little Mother’ had its World Premiere at The Pacific Beverly Hills in July 1972.
What a shame this treasure was torn down for retail space unlike the Ziegfeld which is becoming a ballroom.