Galway Theatre
514 South Main Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
90013
514 South Main Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
90013
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I ran across this while perusing Something Weird Video’s “60’s Go-Go Chicks Vol. 5”. There was a short clip of South Main Street in L.A. and this was the only theatre I could identify.
Operating in 1906 as La Petite # 5. There is a possiblity that this was also operating as the 350-seat Rounder Theatre in around 1911. The Rounder Theatre was located at S. Main Street and 5th Street and was operated by the Arthur S. Hyman circuit in 1911. In December 1915 plans were put forward to open the theatre as the Sherman Theatre.
By 1956 it had been renamed Galway Theatre, and it was operating as an adult movie theatre in the 1980’s
Contributed by
Michael Page
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Recent comments (view all 71 comments)
Here are 1983 and 1986 photos, respectively:
http://tinyurl.com/crvwd6
http://tinyurl.com/ckvcht
Here is the Hotel Leonide in 1939, long before the Galway:
http://tinyurl.com/d2eqso
Here is the theater building in a photo taken yesterday:
http://tinyurl.com/ow2fcr
The Galway, as seen in 1972 in this newly unearthed clip of the Rolling Stones shooting the cover for Exile on Main Street
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I remember the Galway; never was inside though. I worked for Walnut Properties/Pussycat Theatres for a long time and serviced the projection equipment at the Optic several times. It seems to me that it was across the street and a few doors away but I can’t remember in which direction. That was back in the ‘70s through the '80s and those memories are getting dim (a stroke didn’t help much either). I always found that old part of town really interesting. A lot more history down there than folks realize.
In the 1959 Universal-International release “Too Soon To Love” we get Jennifer West and Richard Evans on Main Street. They’re looking for an abortionist. Note the bottoms of the illuminated “Galway” letters above the “open all night” banner.
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for Ken McIntyre:
It was an interesting comment about a theatre to be called the Sherman mentioned in the 1915 LA Times article you quote in your 2007 post.
Did it give an address as 514 or 518?
Also: Henry’s Theatrical Guide for 1907-08 lists #514 as the location of the La Petite Theatre #5.
Zimas gives a 1905 date for the building that later housed the Galway at #514.
Two more data points for the Sherman Theatre:
It’s listed in the city directories for 1916 and 1918 as being at 518 S. Main.
A shot of this theatre appears in the film “Parts: The Clonus Horror.” The film later got the MST3K treatment and Mike and the bots make reference to it.
If anyone has any stories about going to/ working at this threatre, I would love to hear them. I am chronicling the histories of adult theatres in the US. Please contact me at Thanks!